Nine-Tails

In Konoha in October, it was already late autumn. As dawn approached, the scattered stars still lingered in the sky, unwilling to leave. Early travelers felt the slightly chilly air and couldn't help but shiver—it seemed that winter was just around the corner.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly as he slowly walked out of his house and headed towards the Hokage Building, seemingly lost in thought and somewhat uneasy.

The courtyard behind him seemed somewhat desolate. His eldest son had died in battle, and his youngest son was now away. Usually, only his wife, Biwako, the woman who had walked with him through countless years, was by his side. But today, she was not home...

Lost in thought, he couldn't help but gaze at the stars in the sky. He had grown old and become more sentimental. He no longer seemed to be the iron-blooded warrior he once was, and he was even secretly praying for something.

But things always seem to be heading in the worst possible direction—or perhaps even worse.

In an instant, his eyes widened, his face instantly turned as if covered with a layer of autumn frost, and even his teeth trembled slightly involuntarily.

The worst-case scenario he had anticipated had occurred, even worse than he had imagined—a gigantic, ferocious red monster, a nine-tailed beast that danced in the air, the most terrifying creature in the Shinobi World — the Nine-Tails —appeared out of nowhere, looming over Konoha. Its scarlet eyes revealed the same ferocity as that evil clan, and he even sensed a hint of excitement and madness within them.

Never before had he so readily agreed with his old comrade's beliefs—that family whose eyes gleamed with a scarlet light was indeed the most evil clan!

"Rumble..."

The deafening roar didn't stop until the Nine-Tails crashed to the ground, followed by a devastating impact that seemed to shake the very heavens and earth. The rage that had been stuck in Hiruzen Sarutobi's throat seemed to finally burst forth, and the silent ground shattered into dust without a sound.

"Roar..."

"The Nine-Tails has appeared! What on Minato Namikaze happened to Minato?!"

There was no time to think. The Nine-Tails had landed in the heart of Konoha, and he had to save the villagers!

"Immediately! Level One combat readiness! All Jonin! Prepare to engage the Nine-Tails immediately! Genin, evacuate civilians immediately!"

"Everyone! Take action immediately!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was filled with unprecedented urgency as he raced towards the Nine-Tails, relaying orders one after another. The Anbu hidden nearby knew the urgency of the situation; a flash of shock crossed their eyes before they immediately went into battle alert.

"Summoning Technique!"

"Enma... old friend, I'm afraid we'll have to rely on you this time..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's summoning beast is a white ape that bears some resemblance to him. The armored Enma looked at the Nine-Tails in the distance, a smile spreading across its face. It met Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze and understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentions.

"Hiruzen, I really look forward to seeing him fight the Nine-Tails..."

Gripping tightly the Enma that had transformed into a long staff, Hiruzen Sarutobi a deep breath, a determined glint in his eyes, and charged straight at the Nine-Tails- Tails.

"How's it going at the Minato Namikaze...?"

"Kushina Uzumaki, the Uzumaki Clan is truly formidable..."

Kato Osamu hadn't expected that Obito Uchiha was even more powerful than he had imagined. With just himself and Zetsu's intelligence support, he had managed to subdue Kushina Uzumaki and release the Nine-Tails. It seemed as if Obito Uchiha could have done just as well without him.

Carrying Kushina Uzumaki on her shoulder, Kato Osamu frowned slightly. Kushina Uzumaki, who had just given birth, had a pungent smell of disinfectant on her body. She could sense Kushina Uzumaki's life force slipping away. The fact that the Jinchuriki had been stripped of the Tailed Beasts's power seemed to cause an 'injury' that Kato Osamu couldn't quite understand at the moment.

This kind of 'injury' is like a 'hole' being punched into the 'container' in the human body that originally preserved life, and the life force begins to flow out of this 'hole' continuously.

Kushina Uzumaki didn't die, not because she was invincible, but because her life force was extraordinary, temporarily offsetting the loss of life force. An ordinary person would probably die instantly...

"Simply replenishing her life force isn't enough. If this 'vessel' isn't repaired, even Kushina Uzumaki probably won't last a day..."

Kato Osamu suddenly realized that his understanding of the human body was not as thorough as he had imagined; at least the problem at hand had gone beyond the scope of ordinary injuries and illnesses.

"Why would the removal of the Tailed Beasts cause such a problem...?"

"The Tailed Beasts were created by humans... are they the power of Yin–Yang Release?"

With a slight frown, Kato Osamu seemed to have found a clue. The Eight-Tails' Chakra allowed him to discover traces of Yin–Yang Release creation, and these traces were particularly evident on Black Zetsu, which allowed him to roughly determine that the Tailed Beasts were created by humans.

Madara Uchiha was definitely not at that level, especially since Tailed Beasts already existed in the Shinobi World before Madara was born.

He boldly speculated that Black Zetsu, a 'creature' even more intelligent than the Tailed Beasts, could not possibly have been created by Madara.

Madara may be very powerful, but based on his speculation and the information he gleaned from Obito Uchiha, Madara definitely doesn't possess such a high level of Yin–Yang Release mastery. Otherwise, he could have already created a perfect body for himself, and he certainly wouldn't have used such a troublesome method for resurrection...

"So, what secret is this guy, Zetsu, hiding...?"

There are some things he can't tell Obito Uchiha, or even anyone else. Black Zetsu is not as simple as it seems. Kato Osamu Black Zetsu was unaware of some of Obito Uchiha's thoughts, but perhaps he thought that things were still under his control, or perhaps he had other plans. It would be best to keep things peaceful for the time being.

If the person who created the Tailed Beasts was also the person who created Black Zetsu, then this person must have a grand scheme. Kato Osamu doesn't believe that someone who possesses such powerful Yin–Yang Release could resist the temptation of immortality. Perhaps such a person is still alive in some corner of the Shinobi World.

He couldn't afford to be careless.

These things seemed too distant, so Kato Osamu didn't think about them too much. He probed into Kushina Uzumaki's body with his senses, feeling the life force fading away. The power of Yin–Yang Release slowly sensed all the fluctuations in this body, Kato Osamu's eyes narrowed slightly.

"The so-called power that creates all things... can probably also destroy all things..."

A slow smile crept onto his lips. This journey to Konoha, it seemed, hadn't even officially begun, yet he had already gained something...