Sir, Let's Do It!

Uchiha Fugaku grunted and said with his back to Naoki, "If you have something to say, go ahead."

Naoki raised his voice. "I want to ask you, sir: are we really just going to wait here in the rear tonight while the Nine-Tails is sealed?"

"That's right."

"Then, sir, do you know what's going on? The Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared in the Nine-Tails' eyes. Now all the ninja from the villages on the front lines suspect that we deliberately unleashed it!"

His words shocked the Uchiha around them. Uchiha Yashiro hurried over to Naoki, grabbed him by the arm, and asked gravely, "Naoki, is that true?"

"Of course. Fukujumaru told me. I imagine plenty of Ninja Cats know about it by now."

The young Uchiha Inabi shouted angrily, "Damn it, we had no idea! Someone on the front lines must have deliberately suppressed the news. They suspect us!"

"I never imagined it was like this... No wonder the Third Hokage gave that order."

Uchiha Fugaku murmured as he turned around. Suddenly, his expression changed. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Naoki, if you hadn't told me, that old bastard would have fooled me!"

Naoki had known that if he didn't bring them this crucial information, the Uchiha Clan would surely follow the same path as before. After tonight, the Uchiha Clan's reputation in Konoha would plummet because they hadn't fought on the front lines. All sorts of troubles would follow—and there was no need to mention what came after that...

"I won't ask what's holding you back, sir, or anything else. I'll just say this..." Naoki raised his voice again, his words earnest. "If we keep hiding in the rear, people will only grow more suspicious that the Uchiha had something to do with the Nine-Tails going berserk. But if we join the fight now, we can not only prove the Uchiha's innocence, but also earn everyone's trust and respect after the battle. Otherwise, things will get very troublesome after tonight!"

"Naoki's right. Now that the Three-Tomoe Sharingan has appeared in the Nine-Tails' eyes, it doesn't matter who the culprit is—we can't, and shouldn't, keep cowering in the rear!" Uchiha Yashiro reacted quickly and was the first to step forward and volunteer. "Fugaku, let me lead everyone to the battlefield!"

Uchiha Inabi immediately voiced his support.

"Sir, I'm willing to go too!"

After the two of them spoke up, the others followed suit.

"Sir!" Uchiha Inabi moved closer to Uchiha Fugaku. "For the future of the Uchiha Clan, let's do it!"

Everyone shouted in unison, "Sir, let's do it!"

Uchiha Fugaku had still been wary of the Third Hokage's decades of authority, but seeing everyone volunteer to fight, he decided to stop overthinking it.

"Good!" He nodded and pointed at Uchiha Yashiro. "Remember, here's how we'll deploy..."

Seeing this, Naoki finally breathed a sigh of relief.

From the moment the Anbu Ninja at the Police Force entrance relayed the Third Hokage's order until he arrived here, he had been thinking about what to do next.

Now he had finally taken the first step, and it had gone well. He was delighted...

"All right. Once you're ready, head to the battlefield as quickly as possible!"

As the Uchiha gathered and set out for the battlefield, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been standing atop the Hokage Building, finally finished making all the necessary arrangements.

"How are things on the front lines?"

He asked his longtime subordinate, the Anbu Ninja Zo.

"Not good." Zo, standing beside him, shook his head. "The Nine-Tails is hard to handle, and the casualties are beyond counting."

"Mm... They've worked hard. In that case, we can't delay any longer!"

With that, he formed Hand Seals and slapped his palm against the ground.

The Summoning Technique's markings spread rapidly across the ground. A moment later, white smoke surged skyward, then spun rapidly in the night breeze and coalesced.

An ancient, awe-inspiring presence suddenly descended, pressing down on the air atop the Hokage Building until it seemed to still.

As the smoke cleared, a towering figure stood before Sarutobi Hiruzen. It wore ancient, dark armor. Its fur blazed like silver-white flames, and its red eyes gleamed in the night. Its piercing gaze seemed capable of cutting through every illusion. It stood perfectly still, yet radiated the imposing presence of one who had fought in countless battles.

It was none other than Enma King, Sarutobi Hiruzen's longtime comrade-in-arms, with whom he had fought side by side for decades!

"Hiruzen." Enma's voice was deep and resonant. "It's been a long time."

"Old friend, we've got a big fight ahead of us today!" Sarutobi Hiruzen pointed toward the distant Nine-Tails and smiled. "The village is in grave danger. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you again."

"So it's the Nine-Tails... My fighting spirit is already burning!"

Enma let out a low growl. His entire body erupted in blinding light, and every strand of his silver-white fur stood on end. Within the dazzling golden glow, his massive form began to transform, shrink, and reshape, until at last he became a gigantic, dark-gold staff covered in intricate black patterns at both ends.

The Adamantine Enma Staff!

The staff felt heavy yet perfectly balanced in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands. A sense of perfect understanding welled up between them.

He gently stroked its shaft, his spirits soaring, as if he had returned to his youth.

"Let's go, old friend."

As if in response, the staff trembled slightly and gave a deep hum.

The next moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen vanished from the rooftop.

Seeing this, Zo and the others followed after him.

Even after the Uchiha joined the battle, the Konoha Ninja fought one after another but still struggled to suppress the Nine-Tails. When Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived and saw the situation, he stopped watching and immediately joined the fight.

As the Professor of Ninjutsu, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no Kekkei Genkai, yet he could still stand above the Shinobi World. He relied on his formidable ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.

Leaping toward the Nine-Tails, Sarutobi Hiruzen swung the staff in his hands and slammed it down with all his strength.

During the strike, Enma instantly enlarged and smashed into the Nine-Tails' head.

Sarutobi Hiruzen continued his assault without pause.

Though nearly sixty and retired to the second line, Sarutobi Hiruzen's condition had only slowly declined from its peak. He was nowhere near as feeble as he would be later.

Working in tandem with Enma, Sarutobi Hiruzen and a group of Konoha's strongest ninja quickly suppressed the Nine-Tails.

"Now!"

The Konoha Ninja around them quickly moved back.

With a mighty shout, Sarutobi Hiruzen swung the staff in his hands with all his strength. It instantly grew larger, and its thick black shaft slammed into the Nine-Tails' chest. The tremendous force sent it hurtling away.

After using that move, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in place, panting heavily like a bellows.

"Are you all right...?"

Everyone hurried over to check on him.

Seeing them approach, Sarutobi Hiruzen pointed toward the Nine-Tails. "Don't worry about me. Go after the Nine-Tails—don't let it get back into the village!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's all-out strike had turned the tide of the battle, but when everyone reached the Nine-Tails, the sight before them made them shudder.