No, Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't gone "invisible." He'd been watching Minato Namikaze's fight with Obito from the get-go, using the Telescope Technique.
At the time, those two were even duking it out over Naruto in that room!
But just as he was about to jump in, Black Zetsu, who'd already locked onto his position, cut him off.
Sure, Zetsu's raw combat power wasn't exactly top-tier.
But that depends on who you're comparing him to.
Against Seimei? Yeah, Zetsu's no match. But against others? Let's just say his Yin Release abilities alone are enough to tangle up most Kage-level shinobi.
And for this mission, Zetsu had brought along a few specially engineered White Zetsus. Together, they kept Sarutobi pinned down for the moment.
"I wonder what kind of deal Obito cut with him to make him go all out like this?" Seimei mused.
But he quickly pushed the thought aside.
Others might not know, but Seimei was well aware that Sarutobi's strength went far beyond what he was showing now.
Think about it: a decade or so later, an elderly Sarutobi could still hold his own—however briefly—against the reanimated First and Second Hokages. Sure, those were Orochimaru's "flawed" Edo Tensei versions, but even in a weakened state, those two weren't pushovers.
The fact that Sarutobi could fight them and even seal them away spoke volumes about his skill.
Known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu" mastering all five basic chakra natures, Sarutobi's arsenal of techniques was practically endless.
Right now, he was only holding back because he was in the village. Unleashing his heavy-hitting jutsu could risk collateral damage.
But once the nearby civilians were evacuated, or if things got dire enough to force his hand, Seimei was certain Zetsu wouldn't be able to keep him contained.
Unless…
Zetsu went all out.
Would he, though?
Nope. Not a chance.
Seimei was sure of it. No matter what kind of promises Obito made or how big a prize he dangled, Zetsu wouldn't reveal his full power.
Why? Because Zetsu's one and only goal was to free his "mother," Kaguya Otsutsuki. Anything that could jeopardize that—like showing his true strength—he'd avoid like the plague.
So, it was only a matter of time before Sarutobi broke free and came rushing over.
When that happened, fishing in murky waters would get a lot trickier for Seimei.
Which meant he needed to act fast—capture the Nine-Tails before it had a real opponent.
That was the best way to avoid getting exposed.
And to subdue the Nine-Tails? Sure, he could use his Mangekyo Sharingan to control it outright, but the most reliable method was to suppress it with Wood Release.
Luckily, his Wood Release bloodline limit had evolved to a proficiency of (354/10,000)—roughly equivalent to a three-tomoe Sharingan.
Not too shabby.
More importantly, his abdominal seal space was holding nearly a million points of natural energy, all gathered by his shadow clones before he returned to the village.
If he converted all that natural energy into Sage Chakra and used it to fuel his Wood Release, even with its modest evolution and his lack of advanced Wood Release techniques, it'd be enough to temporarily suppress the Nine-Tails.
And once it was pinned down, he had a hundred ways to whisk it away.
No time to waste. Seimei focused, channeling his chakra into the seal space created by the Triad Seal Technique.
Then, he broke it down into equal parts physical and mental energy.
Finally, the three energies fused in the seal space, forming nearly a million points of Sage Chakra.
"Phew," Seimei exhaled, muttering, "Step one, done."
Next, he started feeding the Sage Chakra into his chakra pathways.
His "Natural Energy Control" and "Chakra Control" weren't high enough to handle all that Sage Chakra at once, so he played it safe, sending in about half—roughly 500,000 points.
Still, that was more than what 99% of ninja could dream of.
It was a massive surge of power.
Feeling the Sage Chakra coursing through him, Seimei couldn't help but feel a rush of strength.
It wasn't as all-encompassing as Sage Mode, but for boosting a single bloodline limit like Wood Release? More than enough.
Shifting his focus, Seimei glanced at Obito and Minato.
By now, the two had moved some distance away from the Nine-Tails.
No hesitation. Seimei dropped Ama-no-Mi.
Of course, he didn't forget to change his appearance first.
Now, he was cloaked in a black robe, his face hidden behind a mask—a mysterious figure straight out of a ninja tale.
As he appeared in front of the Nine-Tails, the Konoha ninja desperately holding it back turned their eyes on him.
Friend or foe? They weren't sure, so they held off attacking.
Seimei didn't give them a chance to ask questions. He slammed his palm to the ground, unleashing a "Pseudo-Tree Binding Advent."
Well… it was basically him dumping a ton of chakra to create countless vines to wrap up the Nine-Tails.
He didn't care about burning chakra. His goal was to subdue the beast fast, stripping away its ability to fight back.
And it worked.
The vines, powered by Sage Chakra, weren't quite the real Tree Binding Advent, but they were more than enough to handle a Nine-Tails running on instinct and destruction.
Thick vines erupted from the ground like a swarm of poison dragons, coiling around the Nine-Tails' body, binding its nine tails and neck.
In an instant, the beast was locked in place.
Feeling its movement restricted, the Nine-Tails, seething with rage, let out a deafening roar.
Then it tore into the vines with its razor-sharp claws.
But no matter how much it ripped, the vines regenerated the next second, growing thicker and tougher.
Why? It wasn't just Seimei pumping in more chakra. It was Wood Release's unique trait.
Why could Wood Release suppress tailed beasts?
Simple: it could absorb their chakra.
Right now, those vines weren't just restraining the Nine-Tails—they were siphoning its chakra, using it to fuel their own growth, making them even stronger.
In a way, the Nine-Tails was fighting itself.
That's why it couldn't break free.
Unless it could drain Seimei's chakra or unleash a burst of power—like a Tailed Beast Bomb—it wasn't going anywhere.
But would Seimei give it that chance?
Hell no.
With the Nine-Tails temporarily subdued, he didn't waste a second. He pulled out a silver-white metal sphere, about ten centimeters in diameter, from his robe.
This wasn't just any trinket—it was a custom-made container for the Nine-Tails.
Like the ones he'd used for the Four-Tails and Seven-Tails, it was forged from pure chakra-conductive metal.
Why not use those containers? Simple: he was worried the Nine-Tails would break them.
As the strongest of the nine tailed beasts, you couldn't be too careful.
And judging by the situation, making a dedicated container was the right call.
Otherwise, it might not have held.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Seimei focused. He held the metal sphere between his palms and began forming hand signs, preparing to cast All-Encompassing Seal.
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