"Go into the ruins," Tsunade ordered after a moment's hesitation.
Several ANBU shinobi immediately moved, carefully skirting around the Nine-Tails and entering the barely accessible entrance to the Root base to begin their search.
The interior of the base was a scene of utter devastation, littered with corpses that would make anyone's heart pound with dread.
Above the ruins, Tsunade and the others kept a wary eye on the Nine-Tails.
The story the fox had told was full of holes. Even if Danzo coveted Naruto's Kekkei Genkai, there was no reason for him to destroy the Root headquarters. He had poured his heart and soul into building it. As tempting as Naruto's Kekkei Genkai was, it wasn't enough for Danzo to abandon his life's work.
The Nine-Tails sat quietly, unbothered by their probing, suspicious gazes. His calm confidence made Tsunade and the others begin to doubt their own judgment. Perhaps Danzo really had done all this.
What they didn't know was that the Nine-Tails had made the entire story up on the spot. Even he didn't know how to explain Danzo's motive. All he could do was feign confidence and wait.
In less than five minutes, the ANBU shinobi emerged with Naruto's body.
"Lady Hokage, nearly all the members inside the Root base were crushed by falling rocks. Before they died, they were all trapped in a genjutsu. They were crushed to death while still alive."
"Genjutsu… Sharingan…" Tsunade murmured, her eyes filled with grief and rage.
"And this is the body of Uzumaki Naruto. His body was pierced by Wood Release." The ANBU laid Naruto's body on the ground in front of Tsunade and the others.
His brilliant blond hair was matted with blood. His once-vibrant blue eyes were wide with shock. The gaping hole in his chest had gone empty, the blood nearly dry.
A Kage-level shinobi at only thirteen. The most talented Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in history. He was even the most stable Jinchuriki they'd ever had. More than that, he was an inheritor of the Will of Fire, a boy who loved Konoha, a future Hokage.
Konoha's hope… was dead, just like that?
Destroyed by Konoha's own darkness.
Jiraiya felt the world go dark, nearly fainting on the spot. Images of his time with Naruto flashed through his mind. Though Naruto occasionally played pranks on his teacher, his bright smile had always been a balm for Jiraiya's own failures. Without Naruto, Jiraiya would never have found the resolve to stay in Konoha.
But Naruto was dead.
He was never coming back.
"Naruto." In that moment, tears streamed down Jiraiya's face. The pain of an old man outliving his surrogate grandson was like a knife to the heart. The hidden truth no longer mattered. The Child of Prophecy, as he had seen him, was dead. Whatever conflict had occurred between Danzo and Naruto, whatever Danzo's motive was… Naruto's death was an undeniable fact.
Grief washed over him. Jiraiya clutched his chest, his eyes burning.
"Naruto…" The Third Hokage stared blankly at the body. The world spun, and his legs gave out, nearly sending him collapsing to the ground. He had watched Naruto grow up, had witnessed his Will of Fire, and had been moved by it. In his mind, Naruto was a future Hokage! A future Kage-level protector of Konoha!
But now, everything was gone.
The Third Hokage's heart filled with immense regret. If he had known, he never should have allowed Danzo to take Naruto as his student!
"Naruto! Impossible! Naruto's dead?!" Suddenly, a disbelieving scream cut through the air from the edge of the clearing.
Sakura stood there, her hands covering her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
Sasuke stared at Naruto's body in shock, his own body trembling.
They couldn't believe it. Their most trusted companion was suddenly dead.
"Pervy Sage, this isn't real, right? It's a genjutsu, isn't it?" Sasuke stared intently at Jiraiya, his eyes fierce, as if he would attack if Jiraiya didn't give him the answer he wanted.
Jiraiya, his face a mask of grief, didn't answer.
"Lady Tsunade, is Naruto really dead? You can save him, right? You have to be able to. Please, Lady Tsunade, I'm begging you, save Naruto," Sakura pleaded, looking at Tsunade with desperate eyes.
Tsunade turned her head away, unable to meet Sakura's gaze.
Seeing this, Sakura's hope shattered. She collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
He's dead. How could Naruto be dead? I never even… I never even got to tell him how I feel.
"Impossible. Naruto would never die here." Sasuke's face was dark. He turned to leave. "I believe in Naruto. A clumsy jutsu like this could never kill him." With that, he walked back the way he came.
"My apologies, Lady Hokage." Kakashi appeared, his visible eye unable to hide his own grief and pain. He pulled the crying Sakura to her feet and went after Sasuke.
No one wanted to believe it, but they had no choice.
The atmosphere grew heavy with sorrow.
"Hey, you've seen the body. Isn't it about time you entertained me?" the Nine-Tails' flippant voice broke the silence.
The expressions of the Third Hokage and the others instantly turned grave.
A fierce battle was about to begin. A battle that might inflict unprecedented losses upon Konoha. Not only that, but Danzo was still lurking in the shadows, a tiger waiting to pounce. The pressure on the Konoha leaders was immense.
"Hah." The Nine-Tails drew his sword, toying with it as a smile spread across his face. "Well then, let's begin. Be serious, now. Otherwise, you'll die."
Boom. A pillar of Reiatsu erupted from the Nine-Tails' body, dyeing the sky above a deep red.
Many of the weaker shinobi's legs gave out, and they collapsed to the ground, their eyes wide with fear. The Nine-Tails of today seemed even more terrifying than the one from a decade ago.
"He's abandoned his giant form and condensed all his power into such a small body. This Nine-Tails is not to be underestimated," Jiraiya said grimly. He immediately formed hand seals and slammed his palms on the ground.
Poof. Fukasaku and Shima appeared on his shoulders.
"Little Jiraiya, why have you summoned us again? There have been so many big battles late—huh? What's this…" Fukasaku's voice trailed off. "Naruto?" he asked in disbelief.
"How did Naruto die?" Shima also saw Naruto's lifeless body, rubbing her eyes as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Yes, honored sages. Naruto is dead. The Nine-Tails has broken its seal," Jiraiya said calmly, forcing back his grief.
"How did the Nine-Tails turn into a human?"
The two toad sages now noticed the little fox boy, their expressions turning serious. The aura coming from this Nine-Tails was several times more terrifying than before.
"All ANBU, on my command! Evacuate the villagers immediately!" Tsunade stepped forward, her voice booming. As the Hokage, she could not allow herself to be consumed by grief. "All units, prepare for battle!"
"Old man, your body can't handle a fight like this anymore. Leave this to Jiraiya and me," Tsunade said, looking at Jiraiya. "It's been a long time since we fought side-by-side, hasn't it?"
Jiraiya let out a loud, boisterous laugh. "It has! It's been decades, Tsunade! You haven't forgotten how to fight, have you?"
"Hahaha, I'm the Fifth Hokage! Just try not to hold me back!"
"It seems you're ready," the Nine-Tails said, standing up and stretching his limbs.
"Then let's begin," he said coldly. His red Reiatsu became almost tangible, pressing down on Jiraiya and Tsunade with immense force.
"What terrifying chakra," Tsunade and Jiraiya said, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. They stared grimly at the Nine-Tails.
"The Nine-Tails uses a sword?" They realized that their past understanding of the Nine-Tails was far too shallow.
"Little Jiraiya, you must be careful. The power inside this Nine-Tails doesn't seem to be simple chakra," the two sages warned, their sharp senses picking up on the abnormality.
Swish. The Nine-Tails was the first to move. His figure vanished, reappearing next to Jiraiya in the next instant and slashing with his sword.
"Nice try!" Jiraiya shouted, tapping his toes on the ground and elegantly dodging the attack. "Toad Oil Flame Bullet!" A sea of fire spewed from his mouth, engulfing the Nine-Tails.
Shing. A horizontal line of light suddenly flashed within the flames, and the sea of fire was split in two.
"Since when did the Nine-Tails have such exquisite swordsmanship?"
"This Nine-Tails is truly bizarre."
Though Jiraiya was amazed, his hands didn't stop moving. Working with the two sages, he unleashed an even more ferocious fire-style jutsu, swallowing the Nine-Tails once more.
But almost instantly, a ball of light appeared within the flames.
In the next moment, Jiraiya and Tsunade's expressions changed to ones of pure horror.
A Tailed Beast Bomb shot out from the Nine-Tails' palm, plowing through the sea of fire.
Jiraiya decisively used the Substitution Jutsu to escape.
The Tailed Beast Bomb carved a long trajectory through the air, landing on a small mountain in the distance.
BOOM. With a deafening explosion, countless rocks were sent flying, and nearly half the mountain was obliterated.
"Oh, dear~~ I really hate the Substitution Jutsu," the Nine-Tails said, his tone full of regret.
"No more dodging, now~~ I don't think you want those villagers to die, do you?" His gaze shifted to the direction where the villagers were retreating, his voice dripping with menace.