Chaos continued to reign in Konoha. Demon flas burned buildings to the ground in seconds. Evacuees trapped under their own hos, the rubble of their upheaved streets and the corpses of their neighbours. The air was filled with smoke and blood.
I ignored the screams and wails of civilians caught in the Nine-Tail’s wrath path, ensuring I didn’t either. Konoha shinobi were throwing themselves at the Bijuu with all the bravery and courage they didn’t have all to buy a second of ti and an inch of space.
I scanned the chaos for the Third Hokage. He wasn’t hard to spot—not with Jason’s vivid mories of this very event screaming in my mind and the unmistakable sound of his authoritative commands cutting through the din.
I sprinted toward a part of the village that still stood intact, leaping from one building to the next until I reached the one teeming with Leaf ANBU. Their cautious eyes locked onto as I darted up the concrete wall. For the briefest mont, confusion at seeing the Repulse-nin stalled them—a mont long enough for to vault over the edge.
From my perch, I spotted him imdiately. Hiruzen Sarutobi—still old, but not yet the venerable elder I rembered. Surrounding him were six shinobi: three masked ANBU and three possible Jounin.
The ANBU reacted first, their reflexes as sharp as their reputation suggested. A storm of shuriken sliced through the air toward , their speed impeccable. The lead ANBU shouted an alarm even before my feet touched the rooftop.
I spun my Bo-staff in a fluid arc, deflecting the flurry of shuriken with precision. Among the projectiles, I caught a sneaky kunai trailing an explosive tag. A flick of my wrist enclosed it in a sphere of water just as it detonated. The blast fizzled harmlessly within the bubble as I landed.
“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!” one of the Jounin roared, hurling a massive sphere of fla toward .
I grinned tersely, impressed by their coordination. At least they are competent. Swinging my Bo-staff with precision, I gathered ambient moisture into a thin stream of water. With a single thrust, I sent a jet stream piercing through the fireball’s core, swelling and quenching it into harmless steam and smoke.
Before I could recover, two Jounin erged from the dissipating haze, one wielding a kunai, the other brass knuckles. They charged as the ANBU moved in tandem, flanking on all sides.
I slamd my Bo-staff against the rooftop, summoning a four-foot-tall crashing wave of water that swept toward the Jounin. To their credit, they moved with practiced efficiency, leaping clear of the surge while the ANBU closed in from behind.
I sensed them approaching—a pair of shinobi moving with deadly precision. Huh, I might actually have to use a proper jutsu. My grip on the Bo-staff tightened as I began cycling chakra for one and then—!
“Halt! All of you!”
The commanding bark froze everyone in place. I turned toward the source and saw him: the Third Hokage standing with Enma, the Monkey King, looming protectively at his side.
I narrowed my eyes at the imposing figure. Enma’s presence was a surprise—how had I missed the mont of his summoning?
I cut the chakra from my water wave, gripping my Bo-staff as I glanced at the ANBU creeping behind . The two Jounin kept their distance from the dissipating chakra-water, keeping a keen eye on while waiting for their Hokage to speak.
The Nine-Tails roared once more and the look on the Third Hokage’s face as he regarded beca grave, “Yagura Karatachi, Repulse-nin and Fourth Mizukage…is this your doing?” He bellowed, his hands already tightened to a fist, the Monkey King behind him glowered at , waiting for Hiruzen to give the order just as the ANBU and Jounin moved to encircle .
In the light of demon flas I could see that his wrinkles had just begun to co in. He stood at the ready in the black jumpsuit that hid lightweight combat armour underneath and extended to the sh segnts over the lower portion of his limbs. His bucket-like helt and forehead protector had two long straps drooping behind it. His goatee hadn’t gone grey as Jason so vividly rembered and the fire in his eyes promised death one way or another should my answer be the wrong one.
A precious mont passed as I chose my words carefully, “Did Minato not tell you anything, Professor?” The Nine-Tails swung an arm through another district sending buildings and persistent Leaf-nin flying uselessly. A sweat drop ran down the Third Hokage’s temple and I could tell he couldn’t trust my words alone. “We can discuss at length after you’ve saved your village from the Nine-Tails, let help you in that regard.”
I took an unbothered step forward and the circle of ANBU and Jounin shifted with . I raised a brow at the Third Hokage and he gritted his teeth before barking out, “Go, all of you! Distract the Nine-Tails, don’t let up the attack until I can prepare my jutsu!” They looked uncertain but ANBU moved out without giving the retired Hokage a reason to repeat themselves, the Jounin looked more concerned but leaped to their deaths against the Nine-Tails and in defence of their village anyway.
I gave an appreciative nod and quickly closed the distance between us, “I’m sorry we have to et under such circumstances and there’s no ti to explain either, so let’s do our best to preserve the alliance Minato and I are building.”
Hiruzen sneered suspiciously but didn’t say a word to , “Enma! We’ll drive it from the village with the Adamantine Staff”
The Monkey King grunted an affirmative, his eyes not having left since. He transford in a poof of quickly dispelled smoke, an Adamantine Staff with golden ends twirled through the air and into the Third Hokage’s waiting hands. He clutched it at his waist and regarded with a still suspicious look, “What will you do?”
I looked over at the rampaging Nine-Tails and then down at the Adamantine Staff in his arms. I was fortunate never to experience its wrath during the First and Second Shinobi Wars but I knew it would be more than capable for what I intended, Jason knew all too well.
“I’ll catch a ride if you don’t mind, send right into its chest.” I said, pointing with my Bo-staff at the growling Bijuu in the distance. Hiruzen’s eyes widened at that, suspicions dispelled and renewed at the sa ti. I knew what he was thinking behind those greying eyes, sending a rival Kage right at the Bijuu terrorizing the village would be one way to eliminate competition and yet at the sa ti, if he underestimated what I was capable of, there stood a chance Kirigakure was indeed behind the attack and was scheming to steal the Nine-Tails.
“There’s no ti left to think that hard, Hokage-dono.” I declared, sealing my Bo-staff away in its scroll. I hopped onto Enma who manifested an eye to glare at as I straddled his Adamantine form, “Do it!”
Hiruzen grunted at the extra weight and stepped back to accommodate before bellowing, “Enma, extend!”
We jerked forward faster and farther than I anticipated. My grip on Enma ca loose as he soared over the trashed village at speeds I doubted I could’ve reacted to if the attack were ant for . Enma, anticipating my error, snatched my arm midair and steadied . I clung tightly, watching the Nine-Tails grow larger with each heartbeat—until, finally, impact.
Hiruzen struck right and true and Enma smashed into the Nine-Tails sternum with an explosive crack. Enma continued to extend, his unbreakable form pushed the massive Bijuu through several unfortunate districts and ploughed it well through the village’s borders before his insane speed and force let up.
Sat at the edge of Enma’s Adamantine Form I felt the air sizzle and crack, my exposed skin burning up from such proximity to the Nine-Tails malevolent chakra, the growl in his throat shook the air and even Enma as he quickly began to recover from the attack. I couldn’t waste a second more.
The Nine-Tails lood over like a mountain, steam escaping his jowls as he breathed. I hissed at my burnt skin but ignored it as I stood and addressed the Monkey King, “Thank you, Enma, I’ll hold him off until Minato and Hiruzen make it here.” I didn’t wait for a response and sprinted across, my [Stage 0 Chakra Cloak] flaring around .
With Isobu fueling my reserves, I surged through each stage rapidly, sprouting three chakra cloaked tails as the transformation enveloped . I leaped off Enma just as the [Demon Cloak] fully took hold and fashioned into Isobu’s avatar.
The Nine-Tails seed to have noticed as he pulled back an arm and faster than I thought him capable of, swatted at both Enma and I. Enma was most fortunate to quickly retract before the blow could connect but I was sent tumbling through the air. It took a second to orient myself and when I did I t the Nine-Tails widened jowls as he roared a sonic blast stronger than what I’d produced against Obito days ago.
The [Demon Cloak] didn’t let it phase more than a blasting wind and a noisy bark. I shot out a dense chakra arm at the Nine-Tails chest faster than it could react. The blow staggered it backward, but I wasn’t done.
With that chakra arm I clutched his chest and yanked myself toward it with my free fist bulged with dense chakra. I slamd into his chest with even more force than Enma had produced, firmly toppling the strongest Bijuu over and just in ti to pump each chakra arm with Yang Chakra. Corals erupted all over its chest and wherever my chakra arms touched. I quickly began to sprout more arms to distribute the effect but the Nine-Tails already began to rise.
Like a beast waking up from its slumber he glared hatred at , “Three-Tails…you dare!” were the only words from him but with them I finally noticed, his eyes were free of the Sharingan; Minato had torn away Obito’s control.
I had no ti to celebrate Minato’s distant victory as in classic Bijuu fashion, Kurama began to boot up a [Tailed Beast Bomb] with zero concern as to whether he got caught up in the blast as well. Kurama’s fiery eyes locked onto mine, the malice in them now purely his own. The Sharingan’s influence was gone, but what remained wasn’t relief—it was unrestrained, primal fury, prid and ready to obliterate .
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