Sarutobi Hiruzen, the retired Third Hokage, disregarded his aged body, donned his long-unused ninja armor, and resolutely joined the forces defending the village.
Together with his old comrades Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, he headed to the front lines.
Though they were no longer at their peak, their experience and strength remained trustworthy.
Uzumaki Mito also appeared on the front lines. Though advanced in years, as the former Nine-Tails jinchūriki, she still possessed formidable sealing power.
She unleashed the Uzumaki Clan Sealing Technique—Adamantine Sealing Chains. Countless massive chains emerged around Uzumaki Mito, blotting out the sky as they directly bound the Nine-Tails' limbs and neck.
Under those sealing chains, the Nine-Tails was firmly restrained.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others immediately knew that Lady Uzumaki Mito had acted. They had once seen the young Uzumaki Mito personally seal the Nine-Tails into her own body. In Konoha, only Lady Mito possessed such powerful sealing techniques.
Just as the Konoha ninja thought the situation was gradually stabilizing, Uchiha Obito secretly used his Mangekyō Sharingan to take control of the Nine-Tails once more, forcibly making it gather a Tailed Beast Ball.
The enormous sphere of energy slowly took shape, its terrifying pressure blanketing all of Konoha as though destruction could descend at any moment.
At that very moment, Uchiha Ying Yue flashed onto the scene.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately unleashed Sage Art: Gate of the Great God. Massive vermilion gates descended from the heavens, pinning down the Nine-Tails' head and tail and successfully stopping its movements.
Immediately afterward, Ying Yue swiftly used the Flying Thunder God Technique to transfer the already-formed Tailed Beast Ball to a small mountain beyond Konoha's outskirts.
When the Tailed Beast Ball exploded against the distant mountain, the entirety of Konoha felt a powerful tremor.
That small mountain