The Nine-Tails Runs Wild

Several stones flew toward Menma, but he simply dodged lightly, and they passed by the hem of his clothes. He frowned slightly, a hint of disdain in his eyes, then swiftly kicked the stones at his feet back at them.

Seeing this, the child king leading the group seemed to have discovered something incredible. He suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Nine-Tails fox is throwing stones at people! Come and see!"

His voice was shrill and piercing, quickly spreading through the crowd. Like a time bomb with its fuse lit, it instantly set off an uproar and drew even more attention.

At that moment, it was as if people had finally found an outlet for emotions they had been suppressing for a long time. Many began venting their resentment without holding back.

All kinds of vile insults surged toward Naruto and Menma like a raging tide, their venomous words whipping through the air like thorny vines.

Some were even so blinded by anger that they grabbed whatever was close at hand—fruit from nearby street stalls or random things they had been carrying—and hurled them viciously at the two boys.

Watching this, Menma felt helpless. He was so done with this. He could handle it, since his mindset was different from Naruto's and he might not suffer as much psychological pressure. But Naruto, standing beside him, was another matter.

Naruto's fragile heart, which had only just begun to recover, was like a leaf trembling in a storm, liable to be completely crushed by this overwhelming malice at any moment.

Seeing things being thrown at Menma, Naruto's eyes flashed with determination. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and hugged Menma, his small body shielding him tightly, as if he meant to use his thin frame to protect Menma from all the hatred.

Seeing this, Menma felt as if an invisible hand had seized his heart. It hurt so much. His fists clenched until his nails dug into his palms, his heart full of anger and helplessness. He wished he could master the Rasengan right then and there, so he could give everyone present a perfect Rasengan and let them experience what it was like to be attacked.

Just then, Menma sensed something was wrong and hurriedly turned to look at Naruto. Naruto's eyes had turned scarlet, his pupils narrowed into slits like a fissure leading into endless darkness. It was obvious that the Nine-Tails Chakra was beginning to spill out of control.

Before long, a thick mass of red chakra began seeping from Naruto's body like surging lava. The chakra gave off a terrifying aura, and the air around them seemed to warp under its power.

Everyone nearby stopped throwing things, staring at the brothers with wide, frightened eyes as if they were looking at the most horrifying monsters in the world.

"Big brother! Big brother! Calm down!" Menma called desperately, trying to soothe Naruto. But the Nine-Tails Chakra had already surged around him like a raging red river, completely enveloping him.

Naruto still had a trace of awareness, but what little reason remained was completely clouded by rage.

A red chakra tail slowly sprouted from Naruto's back. It writhed as if alive, followed by a second, then a third, growing at a terrifying speed.

Menma was aghast. Just his luck—exactly what he'd feared was happening. He shook Naruto frantically, gripping his shoulders tightly as if he could bring him back to his senses through sheer force.

But suddenly, the surging Nine-Tails Chakra spread from Naruto and wrapped tightly around Menma too.

Menma immediately knew something was wrong. He felt the Nine-Tails Chakra within him resonate with Naruto's, and it too began to spill out of control.

Menma was soon enveloped by the thick Nine-Tails Chakra. His eyes turned scarlet, his pupils narrowed into slits, and his expression twisted into a snarl as if he were possessed by a demon. Red chakra tails began sprouting from his back too—one, two, three... They showed no sign of stopping.

Forget it. Let it all fall apart. Just before losing consciousness, Menma thought that he might as well go berserk.

Under the Nine-Tails Chakra's searing heat, the skin of Naruto and Menma tore and peeled away like fragile paper. The excruciating pain made them scream in agony.

Their shed skin turned into a black substance, which then spread like ink, staining the red chakra around them. Finally, the black substance and red chakra combined into two enormous black chakra spheres, completely encasing the boys.

The people nearby were instantly horrified. Someone shouted, "The Nine-Tails has run wild again!" The words sounded like a death sentence. The people scattered in every direction like startled animals.

Just then, ominous black smoke began seeping from the spheres, and a powerful gale, like a tornado, blasted outward.

Amid the chaos, Naruto and Menma's anguished roars could still be heard, sounding like howls from hell and sending shivers down everyone's spines.

The buildings around them began collapsing under the impact of the immense force, with chunks of stone and roof tiles raining down. The ground sank as though pressed by an invisible hand, quickly forming a massive hemispherical crater.

As the black chakra spheres shattered, Naruto and Menma were revealed inside.

Both boys had grown four tails. From the outside, they looked like demons sculpted from blood-red chakra, their eyes and mouths glowing with blinding white light as they glared viciously at the fleeing crowd. They looked like two miniature Nine-Tails, except they had only four tails.

They had completely lost consciousness, driven by nothing but an instinctive urge to destroy. Like two out-of-control killing machines, they began wrecking everything in sight.

Naruto raised his arm high, then brought it crashing down. Boom! A series of violent shock waves erupted. Like a raging tsunami, the powerful blast mercilessly hurled away anyone who had not managed to escape. They spun through the air like leaves caught in a gale before crashing hard to the ground.

Jiraiya was strolling leisurely down the street when he suddenly felt a powerful tremor ahead, followed by a surging shock wave. Many people stumbled and fell in the panic, like dominoes toppling over. Jiraiya steadied himself in the nick of time, then grabbed a man running past and hurriedly asked, "What happened up ahead?"

"Run! The Nine-Tails has gone wild!" The man Jiraiya had stopped was deathly pale. He managed to stammer out the words, then continued sprinting without looking back.

"What? The Nine-Tails has gone wild?" Jiraiya's heart tightened with alarm, and worry flashed in his eyes. He immediately sped toward the disturbance.

Not far away, Kakashi and the others had just left the Akimichi BBQ Restaurant and were wandering around when they noticed smoke rising in the distance. A powerful shock wave followed. They all raised their arms in front of themselves almost at once, bracing against its aftershock. The force pounded at their defenses like heavy fists.

A terrible feeling came over them. After exchanging glances, they hurried toward the source of the shock wave at top speed.

The Anbu quickly noticed that something was wrong as well. After sending someone to notify Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, the rest rushed to the scene.

Inside the Root Base:

"Lord Danzo! The Nine-Tails has gone wild!" A Root operative ran up to Danzo, gasping for breath as he reported. Sweat covered his forehead, and his eyes showed a hint of tension.

"The Nine-Tails has gone wild? Which one?" Danzo frowned slightly and asked calmly.

"Both of them." The Root operative, kneeling on one knee, spoke in a hoarse voice.

Danzo fell silent, his expression deep and complex as he weighed the pros and cons.

"Lord Danzo, should we also send Root operatives—" Before he could finish, Danzo cut him off impatiently.

"No. Let's see how well they handle it. If they can't control the situation, then we'll step in." Danzo spoke slowly, his voice cold and calm, as if everything were under his control.

The Root operative lowered his head helplessly and could only obey Danzo's order.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had also received word that the Nine-Tails had gone wild. The two elders, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, seemed to have acted in unspoken agreement. They showed up uninvited and hurried together to the Hokage Office.

"Hiruzen, what happened?" Mitokado Homura asked urgently, his eyes betraying both worry and confusion.

"According to the Anbu, Naruto and Menma were taking a walk when people deliberately insulted them. After people threw things at them, both boys went berserk," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied solemnly.

Utatane Koharu couldn't help speaking up. "I told you at the time that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki should be kept under guard, with someone assigned to watch them. But you wouldn't listen." Her words carried a hint of reproach, as if she were blaming Hiruzen Sarutobi for his decision.

"Enough. This isn't the time to argue over who was right or wrong. What matters now is figuring out how to stop the Jinchuriki from going berserk." Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, his gaze firm and steady.

"The Anbu have already gone ahead, and I'll head there shortly. I won't let the Nine-Tails return to the world." Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with absolute conviction.

"And no matter what, they're Minato's children. They're the children of a hero. I can't lock them up. They haven't done anything wrong, and I won't treat two innocent children like criminals and have them put under guard." Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced back at the two elders and added this, his gaze leaving no room for argument.

The two elders exchanged glances, unsure what they could say in response.

"All right. I understand." The two elders left the Hokage Office in silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked out the window toward the direction of the rampage. Seeing several plumes of smoke rising, he took a deep breath, quickly put on his combat gear, and headed for the scene without hesitation.

Jiraiya was the first to reach the scene. When he saw the two rampaging "miniature Nine-Tails," his heart clenched.

"Roar... roar... roar!" The two miniature Nine-Tails bellowed, their roars echoing through the air like thunder as if venting long-held resentment and indignation.

"This is a real headache. I've got no choice. I have to find a way to restrain them first." Jiraiya frowned and muttered to himself. Then he began forming Hand Seals rapidly and slammed both hands down on the ground.

"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!" At Jiraiya's shout, the ground quickly turned into a brown swamp. Caught off guard, Naruto and Menma sank into it at once. The swamp seemed alive, gripping them tightly. The more they struggled, the deeper they sank.

Seeing this, Jiraiya knew the boys wouldn't be able to get out for a little while, so he anxiously rummaged through his pocket for something.

Kakashi and the others soon arrived. Seeing the devastation around them and Naruto and Menma trapped in the Swamp of the Underworld, they felt a pang of heartache. But they knew that controlling the rampaging Nine-Tails came first.

They couldn't understand it. The boys had been fine just moments ago, so why had they suddenly gone berserk? They were full of questions and wanted to know what had really triggered it.

Then they spotted Jiraiya across the way. The four exchanged a look and took a detour to join him.

"Lord Jiraiya, what should we do next?" Kakashi asked, a hint of hope in his eyes that Jiraiya would have a plan.

"My Swamp of the Underworld can only hold them for a little while. They'll break free soon. Keep them occupied for me. I have a way to stop this rampage." Jiraiya glanced at them and hurriedly gave his orders without making small talk.

"Got it. Leave it to us!" Kakashi replied without hesitation. He pulled up his Forehead Protector, revealing the mysterious red glow of his Sharingan. Asuma quickly drew his Chakra Blade, his eyes full of resolve as he prepared to restrain the rampaging Nine-Tails.

The Anbu soon arrived at the scene as well. Seeing what lay before them, they didn't hesitate to surround Naruto and Menma. An Anbu Captain spoke calmly:

"Set up a barrier quickly! We can't let them escape and keep destroying the village!" At the captain's command, everyone quickly spread out and began setting up the barrier.

Naruto suddenly looked up at the rooftops. One of his tails shot out, stretching straight toward an Anbu operative.

Kakashi's heart tightened at the sight. He reacted instantly, forming Hand Seals. "Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

A thick, dog-headed earthen wall suddenly rose from the ground. Like a sturdy shield, it blocked the tail's path.

But to Kakashi's surprise, the tail was like a sharp spear. It pierced straight through the wall and kept speeding toward the Anbu operative, moving too fast for anyone to react.

"Enma, transform into the Adamantine Staff!" With a shout, a white-furred monkey instantly transformed into a giant staff and swung hard at the tail.

It was Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. His blow carried enormous force and successfully knocked the tail off course.

The tail had come within inches of the Anbu operative—just a little closer and it would have pierced him. The operative's face turned deathly pale, cold sweat streaming down his face.

Seeing the Third Hokage arrive relieved everyone somewhat. In such a dangerous situation, he was like a sturdy pillar to lean on. Without a doubt, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the one who could hold up the sky for them.

"Roar... roar... roar!" Powerful shock waves surged over them, as if the rampaging Naruto and Menma were venting their displeasure at Hiruzen Sarutobi for striking their tails.

Before everyone could steady themselves, the Anbu who hadn't prepared to defend against the blasts were mercilessly swept off their feet.

Suddenly, Naruto and Menma extended two tails each. The tails swiftly grabbed the ground beyond the Swamp of the Underworld and yanked. The two of them broke free.

"Roar... roar... roar!" Naruto and Menma let out a series of roars, each one carrying an immense, terrifying mass of chakra that made everyone's hearts pound.

"Old man, have your people keep the Jinchuriki occupied. I have a way to stop this, but I have to do it before the sixth tail appears." Jiraiya walked over to Hiruzen Sarutobi and spoke in a low voice.

"Mm. No problem." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded firmly.

Jiraiya took two square sheets of white paper from his pocket. Mysterious symbols were drawn on them, with a large, conspicuous "seal" character in the middle of each.

"These talismans can suppress the Nine-Tails Chakra instantly, but they'll only work before the sixth tail appears," Jiraiya added.