c102: Winning a Group of Wits
The forbidden ninjutsu used by Uchiha Obito was indeed Izanagi, a powerful ocular genjutsu that manipulates reality at the cost of sight. The hand seals required for Izanagi include the Ox (Ushi), Boar (I), and Ram (Hitsuji), but at this point in the story, Minato Namikaze had not yet come across the classified scroll detailing the intricacies of this technique.
Although the Uchiha massacre had not occurred, Obito retained a fully developed three-tomoe Sharingan in his right eye, a legacy of his original lineage rather than battlefield evolution.
This eye was not the result of any transplant by Uchiha Madara—Madara had indeed implanted his Rinnegan into Nagato during his waning years but his own Sharingan had regressed from Mangekyō to a dormant state due to prolonged concealment and disuse. Obito, meanwhile, had retained his three-tomoe Sharingan alongside the Mangekyō he awakened after Rin's death.
It was precisely this matured Sharingan that enabled Obito to activate Izanagi and avoid certain death in the chaos of tonight's events.
Without Izanagi, relying solely on Kamui to phase through Minato's pinpoint Flying Thunder God assault would not have sufficed for survival.
At this stage, the Flying Thunder God Technique (Hiraishin no Jutsu) could not penetrate Kamui's interdimensional space. Access to the Kamui dimension was exclusively tied to the dual Mangekyō wielded by Obito and Kakashi the only known bearers of the Kamui ability.
Roar!
The thunderous bellow of the Nine-Tails snapped Namikaze Minato out of his grim thoughts. He instantly regained focus and teleported away using his signature technique, leaving only a ripple in the air.
On the battlefield where the Nine-Tails had been unleashed, Obito's binding link to the beast was severed by the Contract Seal. From then on, the Kyūbi was no longer under the Mangekyō's influence.
Freed from the Sharingan's genjutsu, the Nine-Tails' eyes flickered—first the red round pupils, then the three-tomoe Sharingan, and finally vertical slits of its natural form.
Not every ninja caught this transformation, but enough of them did for rumors to swell in murmurs and gasps across the ranks.
Among those who noticed were the Uchiha, whose Sharingan eyes gave them unmatched perception. Their expressions turned grim. Regardless of who had controlled the Kyūbi, he undeniably possessed Uchiha blood, implicating their clan by association.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the retired Third Hokage, caught sight of the three-tomoe Sharingan in the Kyūbi's eyes. Recalling the earlier injury of his wife, Biwako, his face darkened with unease toward the Uchiha.
Thanks to Uchiha Gen's prior warning, Sarutobi had worn chakra-resistant armor beneath his robes, a precaution that saved both Biwako and an elite medical-nin named Tian Lu from instant death during Obito's infiltration.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had positioned himself near the secure birthing site of Kushina Uzumaki. When the attack occurred, he rushed in to apply emergency medical ninjutsu to Biwako and Tian Lu—basic techniques any seasoned shinobi, much less a former Hokage, would know.
Unlike the original timeline, Biwako Sarutobi survived her wounds due to quick intervention and strategic foresight.
In canon, Minato never expressed direct resentment regarding Naruto's hardships, but perhaps a hidden guilt fueled his restraint. As Hokage and as parents of the Jinchūriki, both he and Kushina bore indirect responsibility for the Nine-Tails' destruction even though they were victims of the masked assailant.
They had failed to prevent the worst. Perhaps this guilt made the ultimate sacrifice feel deserved, and their son's suffering inevitable.
…
Despite regaining its freedom, the Kyūbi didn't retreat. Fueled by deep-seated hatred for Konoha and its founders, it attacked with unbridled fury.
Freed from manipulation, the beast's conscious malice amplified its power and precision. Its claw strikes carried focused intent, far more dangerous than its instinctual rampage under Obito's genjutsu.
Even Sarutobi's legendary adamantine staff, the Nyoi Bō, could only barely contain the beast. The Kyūbi sought revenge not just against the seal but against the very village that once imprisoned it.
Driven by rage toward Madara's bloodline and the Uchiha's persistent influence, the Kyūbi's wrath intensified as it prepared to annihilate all before it. Konoha ninja formed a defensive line, sacrificing themselves to delay its advance.
Then, the Uchiha clan collectively acted.
Dozens activated their Sharingan simultaneously, launching high-level genjutsu. The intense chakra output caused second-tomoe users to bleed from their eyes, while a few three-tomoe jōnin also shed tears of blood.
Only Uchiha Gen, Fugaku, Shisui, and a few others with particularly potent eyes endured without visible damage.
Gen, teetering at the edge of Mangekyō evolution, bore the strain stoically, but even he could feel his ocular nerves burning. For appearances, he held back, unwilling to eclipse the clan head Fugaku.
Their efforts came at a cost—frequent mental assaults further enraged the Kyūbi, especially with its lingering resentment toward Madara.
With one mighty roar, it whipped its tails, scattering enemy forces. It began forming a Tailed Beast Ball, merging Yin and Yang chakra into a massive sphere of annihilation aimed squarely at the Uchiha.
Realizing the danger, the Uchiha jōnin exerted all remaining chakra to teleport or shield themselves. Gen, sensing mortal peril, prepared to accelerate his chakra lifespan burn a forbidden technique to cheat death.
At that very moment, a massive form crashed onto the Kyūbi's back.
BOOM!
Gamabunta, the chief toad, landed squarely on the Nine-Tails' neck. The shockwave from his landing sent debris flying, wind howling, and the Kyūbi's forming chakra sphere scattered into nothing.
Viewed from above, Gamabunta's immense frame barely covered the Kyūbi's upper torso—a testament to the fox's titanic scale.
A golden flash streaked through the smoke. Minato landed atop the ruins nearby.
"Buy me some time!" he commanded.
"Hokage-sama, who was behind this attack on Konoha?!" Uchiha Gen shouted, seizing the opportunity to shift suspicion away from the clan.
Where was Fugaku? Still retreating? Gen smirked inwardly. Timing was everything.
Other ninjas turned to Minato, eyes heavy with doubt and hope. The bloodied gaze of Sharingan users bore into him, awaiting an answer.
Minato's expression turned grave. Despite the enemy wielding a Sharingan, the Uchiha of Konoha had shown unwavering loyalty.
"The masked man used Uchiha techniques and summoned the Nine-Tails. I suspect he's linked to Uchiha Madara—possibly even a descendant!" Minato declared.
Gasps rippled through the ranks. For most, Madara was a myth. But those who knew history remembered: Madara once used the Nine-Tails to battle Hashirama.
If he had once done it, so too could his bloodline.
ROAR!
The Kyūbi surged to its feet, flinging Gamabunta across the landscape. The sky trembled as it howled in rage, unleashing shockwaves and devastating wind.
Konoha shinobi leapt to evade. Some weren't fast enough.
"Hold the Nine-Tails back!" Minato shouted again before vanishing in a flicker of golden light.
The response was instant ninjutsu flew in torrents. Earth, fire, water, lightning—all elements struck the Kyūbi in unison.
Then the Uchiha struck once more with their genjutsu. Despite their aching eyes, they synchronized, forcing the Kyūbi into a second-long daze.
Minato reappeared atop the Kyūbi's head. In that instant, he pressed his palm to its fur. His chakra surged as a seal glowed beneath his hand—the Flying Thunder God technique activated.
In the blink of an eye, the Nine-Tails vanished.
If not for the shattered buildings and scorched earth, one might doubt it had ever been there at all.
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