Nine-Tails Incident Erupts

"Fourth Hokage Minato, get away from the jinchuriki immediately!"

"Otherwise, this child only has one minute left to live!"

Minato's pupils dilated in shock, his mind racing: What Xuandou said has actually come to pass!

But why haven't there been any alerts from the barrier outside or the Anbu?

How on earth did he manage to bypass the barrier?

"Ugh--!"

Behind him, Kushina let out a pained groan.

Minato turned around, his heart sinking to the bottom of his chest.

The seal on her abdomen was cracking at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Pitch-black markings spread across her body like living things.

The Nine-Tails was about to break free.

"Kushina!"

Minato gritted his teeth.

"Get away from the jinchuriki now!"

Before he could formulate a detailed plan, the Masked Man urged him again.

He raised a kunai, aiming it at Naruto's face:

"Do you not care whether this brat lives or dies?"

Before the words had even faded, he violently tossed Naruto into the air.

"Naruto!"

Kushina screamed with all her might, tears streaming from her eyes.

The Masked Man leaped up, the kunai in his hand thrusting straight toward Naruto.

In that very instant.

A streak of Yellow Flash cut through the air.

Minato had already caught Naruto and held him firmly in his arms.

However, the next second, his expression changed drastically.

The sound of Explosive Tag fuses burning rang in his ears.

Several Explosive Tag items attached to the swaddling clothes were burning rapidly.

"Flying Thunder God!"

Minato didn't hesitate for a second, instantly vanishing from the spot with Naruto.

Inside the barrier, only the Masked Man and the fallen Kushina remained.

The Masked Man looked down at the weakened Kushina and said indifferently:

"As expected of the Yellow Flash."

He reached out, grabbed Kushina, and his body slowly began to phase.

The next moment, the two appeared on a dim altar.

The Masked Man used chakra to pin Kushina in a spread-eagled position in mid-air.

"Come out, Nine-Tails."

He said coldly.

A mass of crimson chakra was forcibly ripped from the seal on Kushina's abdomen, landing on the ground where it rapidly expanded and solidified.

In the blink of an eye, a massive demon fox appeared on the altar.

"ROAR!!!"

The Nine-Tails let out a heaven-shaking howl, its violent chakra flooding the surroundings.

The Sharingan in the Masked Man's eyes rotated slowly.

The Nine-Tails' roar came to an abrupt halt, its pupils losing focus as it was completely controlled.

The Masked Man turned, preparing to leave with the Nine-Tails.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of Kushina, who had fallen to the ground, shakily trying to stand up.

He was slightly taken aback, then spoke with a hint of admiration:

"The Uzumaki Clan is truly remarkable; even after having a Tailed Beast extracted, one does not die immediately."

"In that case..."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes:

"Then let the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox send you to your grave!"

As he spoke, he directly manipulated the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox raised its massive claw and slammed it down fiercely toward Kushina.

"Bang!"

Dust and debris billowed into the air.

When the smoke cleared, Kushina was nowhere to be seen.

Masked Man looked up to see Minato holding Kushina, standing not far away.

A cold sneer curled the corners of his mouth:

"As expected of the Yellow Flash!"

"It is a pity, even if her vitality is tenacious, she is destined to die after having her Tailed Beast extracted."

"Even with the Flying Thunder God, you are always one step too late."

As his voice fell, he ignored the two of them and vanished from the spot along with the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

The next second, above Konoha.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

"Boom!"

The massive Nine-Tailed Demon Fox appeared out of thin air.

The colossal body of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox landed heavily, crushing a large swath of houses.

The villagers looked up in terror, and upon seeing that enormous figure, they instantly descended into panic.

"What... what is that monster!"

"The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox! It's the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox!"

"The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox has appeared again! Help!!!"

"Run! Run for your lives!"

"Boom!"

A claw descended.

Large sections of houses were instantly pulverized.

In the firelight, countless figures were swallowed up.

Cries, screams, and pleas for help merged into a chaotic cacophony.

Some ran desperately toward the village outskirts, some huddled in corners clutching their children in fear, and others knelt on the ground, weeping in despair.

"Help!"

"Someone, save us!"

Amidst the chaos, someone shouted:

"Lord Danzo! Where is Lord Danzo?"

"Lord Danzo said he would protect us!"

An Anbu member knelt on one knee before Hiruzen Sarutobi, his voice trembling noticeably:

"Lord Third! The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox... the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox has appeared in the village!"

Hiruzen did not turn around.

He had already sensed the massive disturbance coming from the village.

The deafening roars, the towering flames, and the incessant screams could be heard clearly even from several streets away.

As he swiftly donned his armor, he issued a command in a deep voice:

"I know. Leave the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox to me."

He paused, then added:

"You Anbu, go protect the non-combatants. The elderly, the children, the wounded—save as many as you can."

"Understood!"

The Anbu member acknowledged the order, his figure flickering and vanishing into the night.

Hiruzen stood alone in the room and finally ceased his movements.

He gazed at the massive red figure outside the window, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

Kushina's seal... has it been broken?

Even though he had set up barriers, even though he had arranged so many Anbu guards...

In the end, it was still a failure.

He suddenly recalled the words Xuandou had spoken in the Hokage Office a few days ago.

"Someone will make a move when Kushina goes into labor."

"The target is the jinchuriki and the Nine-Tails."

At the time, he had simply dismissed it as the Uchiha fear-mongering, believing Xuandou was just looking for an excuse to stir up trouble.

But now...

Hiruzen felt a pang of regret for not listening to Xuandou's countermeasures.

He gritted his teeth and pushed the door open to head out.

Konoha Military Police Force.

Fugaku stood before the window, staring intently at the colossal beast wreaking havoc in the village.

Its nine tails lashed out wildly, and with every sweep, entire rows of houses collapsed.

Flames soared into the sky, screams echoed incessantly, and the entirety of Konoha trembled.

He turned abruptly and said to Shisui behind him:

"Go to the outskirts of the village and notify Clan Leader Xuandou immediately! Tell him the Nine-Tails has appeared!"

"Yes!"

Without a word, Shisui's figure vanished from the spot.

Fugaku turned back to the group of Konoha Military Police Force members in the room and said in a deep voice:

"Everyone, move out! Do everything in your power to rescue the non-combatants!"

However, the room remained silent.

No one moved.

Fugaku frowned and scanned the crowd.

Inabi stood at the very front, his resistance plain to see on his face. He gritted his teeth and said:

"I'm not going!"

His voice grew louder.

"Yesterday, when we tried to evacuate them, how did they curse us? They said we were bored and looking for trouble, said we were just showing off!"

"Now that the Nine-Tails is here, they remember us?"

Tekka also stepped forward, his face livid:

"I'm not going either!"

He pointed out the window:

"Listen! They're screaming for 'Lord Danzo to save them'! They trust Danzo, not us Uchiha!"

"Now that something has happened, why should we Uchiha be the ones to go and die?"

"Exactly!"

"Let them go find Danzo!"

"Didn't they say they didn't need us? Then let them die at the hands of the Nine-Tails!"

The rest of the Konoha Military Police Force members were also stirred into a frenzy.

After all, they were well aware of the Uchiha's current predicament.

The Uchiha had done their utmost to maintain order, only to be met with the hostility of the Konoha populace.

They were no longer willing to step forward to protect such ignorant people.

Fugaku looked at this group, at the anger and grievances they had suppressed for years, and his throat tightened.

"Enough!"

Fugaku slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

His sharp gaze swept across the crowd:

"This is no time for nonsense!"

"The duty of the Konoha Military Police Force is to protect the people. No matter how they curse us or hate us, as long as we wear this uniform, this is our duty!"

"Do as I say. Move out!"

A moment later, figures darted out from the Konoha Military Police Force, rushing toward the village engulfed in flames.