With Danzo and the members of Root no longer blocking their way, Gengetsu led over a hundred Uchiha Clan ninja swiftly through Konoha's ruined streets.
Ruined walls lay everywhere along the way. Burning houses gave off an acrid, scorched stench, while the cries of injured villagers mingled with the angry shouts of ninja.
Moving at tremendous speed, the Uchiha Clan ninja soon reached the center of Konoha.
There, a Nine-Tailed Fox as massive as a mountain stood in the very center of the village, wreaking havoc!
Tangible scarlet chakra roiled wildly over the Nine-Tails' body like boiling lava.
Its nine enormous, thick tails lashed freely through the night sky, each casual sweep whipping up a devastating chakra storm.
Rumble!
Rows of sturdy buildings crumbled instantly beneath its tails like paper toys, turning into rubble and dust that filled the air.
Ordinary Konoha ninja could not slow the Nine-Tails in the slightest before its world-shattering power.
The ninjutsu they took such pride in did not even count as a tickle when it struck the Nine-Tails.
Instead, every attack and every roar from the Nine-Tails sent swaths of Konoha ninja flying like ragged sacks, while whole stretches of buildings were razed to the ground.
Is this the Nine-Tails?! It's terrifying!
Is this really something ninja can fight?!
The Uchiha Clan ninja thought in alarm.
Even Gengetsu could not help drawing a deep breath as he faced the Nine-Tails.
Its power truly was terrifying, so terrifying that it hardly seemed like something ninja could fight.
Through the Sharingan's powerful perception, Gengetsu saw that the Third Hokage had already changed into battle gear and was swinging an enormous gold-banded staff, attacking the Nine-Tails repeatedly in hopes of stopping it.
Unfortunately, even Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength was not enough to halt the Nine-Tails' advance.
Facing a Tailed Beast with seemingly limitless chakra, even this "Professor of Ninjutsu," whose name had once resounded throughout the Shinobi World, seemed outmatched now and could barely buy time.
As for the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze!
Gengetsu had not seen him.
However, Gengetsu also knew full well that Minato Namikaze was probably fighting a life-and-death battle somewhere in the village against Obito Uchiha, who wore a tiger-striped mask.
At that thought, Gengetsu issued an order without the slightest hesitation.
"All Uchiha Clan ninja, heed my orders!"
"Attack together! Stop the Nine-Tails!"
Gengetsu shouted loudly and immediately charged toward the Nine-Tails.
"Yes, Captain!"
At his words, fervent fighting spirit instantly blazed in the other Uchiha Clan ninja's eyes, and they followed close behind Gengetsu, charging toward the Nine-Tails.
"Fire Release-Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
Gengetsu, who was charging at the very front, launched the first attack.
Scorching flames formed a fire dragon that bared its fangs and brandished its claws as it rushed toward the Nine-Tails.
Boom!
The fire dragon slammed into the Nine-Tails, unleashing a tremendous blast of air and a deafening explosion.
Seeing this, the other Uchiha Clan ninja stopped as well, their hands rapidly forming hand seals.
"Fire Release-Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Lightning Release-Lightning Spear Thrust!"
"Wind Release-Great Breakthrough!"
Flames, fierce winds, lightning... an overwhelming barrage of ninjutsu rained furiously down upon the Nine-Tails' enormous body.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A dense series of explosions and towering flames engulfed the Nine-Tails, forcibly halting its advance.
As Konoha's foremost prestigious clan, the Uchiha Clan was filled with the best of the elite. It could be said that not a single Uchiha Clan ninja was weak.
The power of over a hundred Uchiha Clan ninja unleashing ninjutsu together could practically shatter heaven and earth!
When the surrounding Konoha ninja, who had already fallen into despair, saw the Uchiha Clan actually halt the Nine-Tails with a ninjutsu bombardment, they froze for a moment before erupting in thunderous cheers!
"They stopped it! The Nine-Tails has been stopped!"
"It's the Uchiha Clan ninja! The Uchiha Clan ninja have come to help!"
"Heavens! They're so strong! The Uchiha Clan ninja actually stopped the Nine-Tails head-on!"
"We're saved! Our village is saved!"
Faced with the terrifyingly powerful Nine-Tails, they had been driven to despair.
And at their most desperate moment, the Uchiha Clan had appeared and saved them.
Every Konoha ninja felt as though they had survived a disaster.
Even Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was panting heavily, could not help turning to look when he heard the commotion.
When he saw Gengetsu leading over a hundred Uchiha elites to stand before the Nine-Tails, a trace of shock he could scarcely conceal crossed his deeply wrinkled face.
Under the influence of Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, the Third Hokage had always harbored deep wariness toward the Uchiha Clan. He rarely looked kindly upon them and had even tacitly permitted Danzo's suppression of them.
But Konoha's main enemy now was the rampaging Nine-Tails, so the Third Hokage could only set aside his prejudices and suspicions for the time being and prioritize dealing with it.
While the Third Hokage wore a conflicted expression, Gengetsu, who stood at the very front, turned toward Hiruzen Sarutobi and shouted:
"Lord Third! Leave the Nine-Tails to us Uchiha!"
"Lead your people to tend to the wounded first!"
Gengetsu's voice carried clearly across the entire battlefield, his tone filled with unquestionable confidence and arrogance.
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing more. He immediately turned and ordered the Anbu ninja behind him:
"Jonin-level Anbu, stay here and support the Uchiha Clan!"
"Everyone else, come with me immediately! Put everything into finding and rescuing civilians and injured ninja!"
"Yes, Lord Third!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi left behind a squad of the strongest Anbu elites, then led the other Anbu away from this most dangerous central battlefield without delay, heading to the rear to organize rescue efforts.
"Roar!!!"
Just then, the Nine-Tails roared again.
Although the Uchiha Clan ninja's attacks had been fierce, the Nine-Tails, the strongest Tailed Beast, was not so easily defeated.
"Roar!"
The Nine-Tails let out an enraged roar and swatted a hill-sized paw toward the Uchiha Clan ninja.
"Scatter!"
Gengetsu shouted calmly.
At his words, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the Uchiha Clan ninja's eyes spun wildly.
Relying on the Sharingan's extraordinarily powerful motion tracking and perception, they precisely traced the path of the Nine-Tails' attack and dodged it with ease.
"We can't let it keep destroying everything!"
Watching each missed strike smash an enormous crater into the ground, Gengetsu's eyes flashed coldly as he shouted:
"Use Barrier Ninjutsu!"
"Understood!"
At Gengetsu's order, a dozen or so Uchiha Clan ninja skilled in Barrier Ninjutsu sprang into action.
Moving like lightning, they swiftly spread out to positions around the Nine-Tails, surrounding the behemoth tightly.
"Uchiha Flame Formation!!!"
In perfect unison, the dozen or so Uchiha Clan ninja rapidly formed hand seals, then slammed both hands against the ground.
Whoosh, whoosh...
Four deep-red curtains of flame, almost solid in appearance, immediately rose!
The four curtains shot into the sky and swiftly closed together in midair, instantly enclosing the enormous Nine-Tails within.
"Roar!!!"
Trapped inside the barrier, the Nine-Tails roared and slammed its enormous body hard against the curtain of light.
Bang!!!
An earth-shaking crash rang out! The curtain of light shook violently.
The Uchiha Clan ninja maintaining the barrier instantly turned as pale as paper and spat out mouthfuls of blood.
Yet their hands remained firmly pressed against the ground as they struggled with all their strength to maintain the barrier.
Watching the Nine-Tails rampage wildly inside the barrier and sensing its terrifying chakra, Gengetsu could not help thinking.
Is this the Nine-Tails' power?! It really is terrifying!
Even as the Nine-Tails' strength shocked him, Gengetsu grew more determined to activate the system.
Although Gengetsu was now a member of the Uchiha Clan and possessed the Sharingan, a Kekkei Genkai ordinary people could only dream of having.
Gengetsu knew better than anyone that with his current talent, he could at most awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Without a fortuitous opportunity, his strength would remain at the Elite Jonin level for the rest of his life.
An Elite Jonin was an extremely powerful figure in any ninja village.
But Gengetsu knew full well that the future would be an era when jonin were worth less than dogs and Kage Level fighters were everywhere.
When that time came, his Elite Jonin strength would not even qualify him as cannon fodder.
Thus, Gengetsu urgently needed power-tremendous power.
And the easiest way for Gengetsu to gain tremendous power was to activate his Golden Finger.
But to activate his Golden Finger, he had to become Hokage.
And the Nine-Tails' Rampage before him was precisely his opportunity.
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