Boom! A massive figure dropped from the sky, instantly demolishing the houses within dozens of meters. The pressure from a single roar left everyone speechless.
"What happened?" A villager who had just been outside the attack's range looked in confusion at the wounds on his body, caused by the shockwaves.
He turned around and saw a colossal creature before him. "No way... the Nine-Tails!!!"
A horrified scream spilled from his mouth and reached the ears of everyone nearby.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
All the surviving villagers saw the culprit behind the devastation and screamed as they tried to flee.
Watching this unfold, Obito said in a low voice, "Do it, Nine-Tails..."
Roar!
The Nine-Tails roared and swiped a claw at a house, reducing it to rubble in an instant. Its tail swept behind it, turning everything within dozens of meters into ruins.
Roar... Another furious bellow rang out. Its force became a gale, flattening the fleeing crowds and the buildings blocking their way.
"Lord Third, the Nine-Tails..." An Anbu Ninja hurriedly tried to report to the Third Hokage, but was interrupted.
"I already know. I'll stop the Nine-Tails. Use this chance to evacuate the noncombatants." He looked toward the area where the Nine-Tails was rampaging, his heart in turmoil. "Kushina's seal has been undone. We put so many layers of protection in place, and none of them worked? What happened? Biwako, you..."
Uchiha Fugaku: "Hurry! The Nine-Tails is in the village. All combatants with Three-Tomoe, follow me to provide support. Everyone else, evacuate the civilians." With that, he led all the Three-Tomoe users toward the scene.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Crackle! Ah!
Under the Nine-Tails' assault, flames gradually stained the skies above Konoha. Explosions, booms, and the screams of dying ninja filled the air without end.
Ninja A: "Are you ready?"
Ninja B: "Yeah. Look over here, Nine-Tails..."
Bang! Bang! The two loud blasts came from the Explosive Tags the ninja had used to attack the Nine-Tails' face while leaping through the air.
Though an Explosive Tag could be deadly to a ninja, this much damage wasn't even enough to tickle the enormous Nine-Tails. The ninja who had launched the attack could only watch helplessly as the Nine-Tails, its attention drawn by the explosions, turned and swatted him and two other attackers out of the air. He let out a helpless scream, then fell silent forever.
The ninja shouted, "Look over here, Nine-Tails! You're looking the wrong way! Now over here!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! One after another, ninja launched attacks to buy time for the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, the village, and their families. They were willing to give their lives to hold the Nine-Tails back.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Every movement of the enormous Nine-Tails stirred up endless gales. Ordinary ninja could barely stay on their feet. They could only brace themselves on the trees and shout to their companions, "Don't be afraid! Even if we can't defeat the Nine-Tails, we have to hold it here as long as possible so the villagers have enough time to evacuate..." Before he could finish, the Nine-Tails was drawn to his voice and cut him off.
Ah! One swipe of its claw turned several people—and the giant tree beneath them—into scattered scraps.
Just as the ninja had suffered heavy casualties, Obito, who had been watching from the sidelines, spotted Namikaze Minato atop Kage Rock.
To drain Namikaze Minato's chakra, Obito's Sharingan shifted slightly. The Nine-Tails paused, as if it had received an order, then turned toward Namikaze Minato on Kage Rock and gathered its strength. A massive Tailed Beast Bomb shot out with a deafening roar.
The force swept up the buildings along its path and blasted them away, leaving behind a trail of ruins that nearly split Konoha in two. At last, it disappeared before Namikaze Minato.
A few seconds later.
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted in an empty area an unknown distance from Konoha. It seemed to be the Tailed Beast Bomb that had just vanished.
Seeing the flames from the distant explosion, the ninja in the village immediately knew the Fourth Hokage had returned. Their spirits soared, and they followed the Third Hokage forward to keep holding back the Nine-Tails as they waited for Namikaze Minato to arrive.
Uchiha Chen saw this from elsewhere. He knew that Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Obito, master and student, were about to fight each other to the death. No one was guarding Kushina now; this was his best chance to act. Seizing the rare opportunity, he vanished from the spot with Kamui.
Only a mother and her child remained in Kushina's home. She looked at Naruto, sleeping peacefully beside her, while the distant roars of the Nine-Tails and the screams of the villagers reached her ears. The sounds made the strong woman silently shed tears of pain.
She gently touched Naruto's cheek and spoke softly:
"I'm sorry, Naruto. You have to..." Before she could finish, she sensed an unusual fluctuation behind her.
She turned around, ready to attack with Adamantine Sealing Chains, but met a pair of Sharingan. Her body went limp, and she lost consciousness.
Naruto seemed to sense something and began to cry loudly, as if his wails could wake his unconscious mother.
Uchiha Chen walked to the bedside and quietly gazed at Kushina. Her whole body radiated the resolve to protect Naruto, as if she would give her life to eliminate this threat.
As if sensing that Uchiha Chen had no intention of attacking, Kushina gradually changed amid Naruto's cries. A gentle, soothing presence began to radiate from her.
Feeling Kushina's presence, Naruto's cries gradually softened, then stopped. He fell asleep again.
Watching this series of changes, Uchiha Chen couldn't help reaching out to stroke Kushina's cheek.
He felt an ever-deepening tenderness for this woman, who, in the original story, had been separated from her child by death right after giving birth.
He smoothed the slight crease in her brow caused by his touch and said in a low voice, "Don't worry. You'll be there to watch Naruto grow up in this life."
He gave her one last lingering look, then vanished.
Only after he had left did Uzumaki Kushina suddenly wake. As if she had forgotten that anyone had entered, she turned her gaze once more to Naruto, fast asleep.
Elsewhere, Namikaze Minato was tied up fighting Obito, determined to deal with the Masked Man responsible for all of this.
The two began a contest of speed.
The Third Hokage knew the Nine-Tails could not be allowed to rampage through the village any longer.
He summoned Enma. With a group of ninja covering him, he wielded Adamantine Nyoi, using Enma's stretching body to push the Nine-Tails beyond the village wall and stop it from causing further damage.
Uchiha Fugaku: "Lord Third, the Uchiha Clan has come to support you." With Danzo no longer in the way, the Uchiha Clan had arrived in time to provide reinforcements.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Excellent, Clan Head Fugaku. You arrived just in time." Seeing that all the reinforcements were Three-Tomoe users, Hiruzen Sarutobi's suspicions of the Uchiha Clan lessened considerably.
Just then, Fugaku's grave voice reached his ears.
"Lord Third, I've discovered that the Nine-Tails is being controlled—and by a Sharingan..."
As Fugaku's words fell, silence gradually settled over the area. All the ninja around them looked at the Uchiha Clan with suspicion.