Uchiha Kage and the other top commanders under Uchiha Kyu were doing everything they could to deal with the clan heads of the ninja clans.
Orochimaru was struggling to handle his own teacher, but with Manda's help, the pressure on the Uchiha ninja had eased considerably.
The Hyuga ninja were blocked outside by the Konoha ninja and could not fully link up with the Uchiha.
They could only hold back as many Konoha ninja as possible to relieve the pressure on the Uchiha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's suicidal fighting style placed immense pressure on Fugaku Uchiha.
He alone could not stop so many death-squad ninja. The clansmen around him were either wounded or dead.
With Uchiha Shisui out of the battle, Minato Namikaze was now completely unchecked.
Fugaku Uchiha had no other choice but to endure Minato Namikaze's attacks alone.
Protected by Susanoo, Fugaku Uchiha seemed to have gained an extra shell around his body.
Minato Namikaze was an assassin-type ninja and simply could not break through Susanoo's defenses.
Minato Namikaze's greatest strength was the terrifying spatial ninjutsu known as the Flying Thunder God. It was through the Flying Thunder God that he had risen in one leap to become a Kage Level powerhouse.
"Flying Thunder God: Space Transfer."
Since he could not destroy the defense, Minato Namikaze intended to transfer Fugaku Uchiha somewhere else.
By the time Fugaku Uchiha returned, the battle might already be over.
Just as Minato Namikaze was about to activate the Flying Thunder God—
"ROAR!!!"
A cold, suffocating, violent, terrifying chakra erupted, stunning every ninja on the battlefield.
The savage Nine-Tails suddenly appeared behind the Uchiha Compound, its nine tails lashing about without pause.
"Not good—Kushina."
The instant Minato Namikaze looked up and saw the Nine-Tails, he immediately stopped. His face turned deathly pale, and his eyes filled with worry for his beloved.
The appearance of the Nine-Tails meant that an enormous variable had emerged tonight.
Hiruzen Sarutobi broke away from his battle with Orochimaru and rushed over with a dark expression and a foul mood to demand an explanation.
"Minato, didn't I tell you to hide Kushina away?"
Minato Namikaze said anxiously, "I followed your instructions and had Kushina stay somewhere safe. I even set up a barrier specifically for her. No one could have forced their way in."
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly saw the Mangekyō Sharingan slowly emerge in the Nine-Tails' eyes. His already tense expression immediately worsened.
"Not good. That Mangekyō Sharingan pattern belongs to Uchiha Kyu. Uchiha Kyu has returned."
"Most likely, Kushina was worried about you and ran out on her own, only to encounter Uchiha Kyu."
"Damn it, shouldn't he have been on the battlefield?"
After the terrifying Nine-Tails appeared, the originally fierce battle was forced to come to a halt.
Just seeing that terrifying form made everyone swallow nervously. No one dared make a rash move. The Nine-Tails' intimidation was simply overwhelming.
Hyuga Hiashi seized the opportunity and quickly returned to his clansmen with his younger brother, Hizashi.
"He's finally back."
Hyuga Hiashi looked toward the top of the Nine-Tails' head, a relieved expression appearing on his face.
Uchiha Kyu's appearance also meant that the outcome of this battle had already been decided.
But how did Uchiha Kyu know the identity of the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki? Even he did not know who the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki was.
"Why has everyone stopped fighting? Doesn't that make it seem like I interrupted you?"
A teasing laugh came from atop the Nine-Tails' head as a figure slowly appeared before everyone's eyes.
"It's the clan head! Great, we're saved!"
"The clan head's Mangekyō Sharingan can actually control the Nine-Tails! The clan head is incredible!"
When some of the older Uchiha ninja saw their high-spirited clan head standing atop the Nine-Tails, their eyes blurred, as though they had caught a glimpse of Madara Uchiha in his prime.
That arrogant, peerlessly overbearing Madara Uchiha.
Fugaku Uchiha knelt on one knee, one hand covering his constantly bleeding eye. He gazed at the person atop the Nine-Tails with his remaining eye, and a smile spread across his stern face.
Uchiha Mikoto ran over and supported him with a worried expression. "Fugaku, your eye..."
"Father."
"Mother."
Covered in blood, Uchiha Itachi ran over anxiously.
The current Uchiha Itachi seemed far more human than before.
"Hyuga Hiashi, aren't you going to have your people come over?"
Uchiha Kyu controlled the Nine-Tails as it advanced step by step toward Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.
That invisible pressure kept Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others from acting rashly. They could only watch as Hyuga Hiashi led the Hyuga ninja around them and successfully joined up with the Uchiha.
"Lord Third, Lord Fourth, what should we do?"
"Why is the Nine-Tails here? Didn't you tell us that the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki was staying somewhere no one knew about?"
Before the Nine-Tails, the strength of Choza Akimichi and the others seemed insignificant. No one wanted to face such a terrifying Tailed Beast.
Hiruzen Sarutobi snorted coldly and immediately crushed their urge to retreat. "Do you think Uchiha Kyu will let you go?"
"Don't be foolish. With how ruthless he is, once we lose, our fate will be..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words placed enormous pressure on Choza Akimichi and the others.
In the hearts of these clan heads, their clans always came first.
If they lost, given Uchiha Kyu's temperament, he would certainly not spare their clans.
"Everyone, get behind me. Bring the bodies of the fallen clansmen with you."
"With me here, you're safe."
Uchiha Kyu's calm, gentle voice reached the ears of his clansmen.
The feeling of being bullied outside, only for their family elder to return and stand up for them, made quite a few Uchiha clansmen silently wipe away tears.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared fixedly at Uchiha Kyu. "Was all of this within your expectations?"
"You deliberately went to the front lines because you wanted to make me act, didn't you?"
Uchiha Kyu laughed arrogantly, but his laughter gradually turned cold. "Since you've figured it out, I won't hide it anymore."
"All of this was within my plan."
Choza Akimichi spat in anger. "Despicable bastard."
"Despicable?" Uchiha Kyu sneered. "I don't argue with losers."
"Minato, the information about Kushina being a Jinchūriki had always been well protected."
Hiruzen Sarutobi suspected that Minato Namikaze had leaked the Jinchūriki's information, allowing Uchiha Kyu to seize the opportunity.
Minato Namikaze harbored some resentment toward the Third. "It should have been Orochimaru who leaked the information."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly forgot that Orochimaru had worked with Danzo before. Danzo knew the identity of the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
"Damn it." Cold sweat poured from Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead.
The operation he had initiated seemed unlikely to end well.
"What a coincidence. This woman seems to be very worried about you, Minato."
"Let me give you a taste of a Tailed Beast Bomb first."
Uchiha Kyu sat cross-legged, stroking the Nine-Tails' smooth fur as he controlled it to gather a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Even an existence as terrifying as the Nine-Tails could only submit to control when faced with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The destructive power of a condensed Tailed Beast Bomb was incomparably terrifying. A single one was enough to destroy more than half of Konoha.
"Kushina."
Minato Namikaze's eyes reddened with anxiety.
Just imagining Kushina secretly coming here out of concern for him, only to be captured by Uchiha Kyu, felt like a knife twisting through his heart.
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