"Your speed may be fast," Kuugetsu said coldly, "but the smoke you stirred up was nowhere near as dramatic as it should've been. That's when your lie fell apart.
You were never moving at the speed of light. You were simply manipulating the light around you—creating an illusionary afterimage—while you used the cover to move in close and attack me directly.
When I pretended to collapse and played dead, I used that moment to test something… and that's when I discovered your second ability. I could feel the vibrations in the ground when you approached—but I didn't hear anything."
Listening to her deduction, Yamashiro's face twisted in pain and frustration.
"I really did underestimate you, girl," he said bitterly. "And that space-time ninjutsu of yours—it caught me completely off guard…"
Then, suddenly, a grin spread across the old Uchiha's bloodied face.
"But in the end, the one who wins tonight… is me!"
In an instant, Yamashiro's half-dead body began to turn translucent. The next second, his form flickered—and he appeared directly behind Kuugetsu.
Before she could react, his blade pierced straight through her body.
Kuugetsu's eyes widened in shock. She turned her head slowly, only to see Yamashiro's twisted, triumphant grin—and his left eye, now pale and lifeless.
Yamashiro laughed wildly.
"You truly don't understand the depth of the Uchiha's power!"
And he was right. Kuugetsu had never been part of the clan's inner circle; she didn't know of their darkest forbidden technique—Izanagi.
With that jutsu, Yamashiro had turned death itself into illusion and rewrote reality, giving himself one last chance to strike back.
As he pulled his blade free, Kuugetsu collapsed to the ground, her strength gone.
Yamashiro turned toward the distance, his remaining right eye locking onto Kushina—who had witnessed everything and was now trembling with rage.
The moment their eyes met, Kushina's mind went completely blank. Even the Nine-Tails within her fell silent and still.
There was no escaping it: the Mangekyō Sharingan's suppressive power over tailed beasts was simply too strong.
Under Yamashiro's genjutsu, Kushina's consciousness was completely erased. In her place emerged the controlled Nine-Tails.
Crimson chakra surged from her body in a torrent, thickening and expanding until it took the monstrous form of an enormous, orange-red fox.
At that moment, the Nine-Tails' eyes turned into Mangekyō patterns—a reflection of Yamashiro's control.
Staring up at the beast, Yamashiro's gaze flickered with mad delight—but the next second, he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood.
The battle with Kuugetsu, the use of Izanagi, and now the forced domination of the Nine-Tails—it was far too much. Even a healthy Uchiha would struggle to survive such strain. For an old man already at death's door, it was a miracle he was still standing.
Kneeling to the ground, clutching his chest and gasping for breath, Yamashiro thought grimly:
The Nine-Tails is mine. I'm only one step away from success… I can't die here.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a final secret drug from his robes — "Tiger-Beats-Wolf."
This was a secret medicine of the Tiger-Swallow clan. Though "Tiger-Beats-Wolf" was originally a hallucinogen, when mixed with certain other medicinal ingredients, it became a powerful painkiller capable of even suppressing the side effects of the Mangekyō — if only temporarily.
Swallowing the pill, Yamashiro managed to force a little more life back into his body.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself upright, grabbed hold of one of the Nine-Tails' tails, and climbed onto its back.
Just one more step…
If I can control the Nine-Tails to reach the Hokage building — if I can capture or kill Tsunade — everything will be over.
Under his control, the massive beast began marching toward the Hokage's office, crushing houses beneath its feet and killing countless civilians along the way.
—
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building, Tsunade and Pakura had only just managed to subdue Uchiha Iwa —
or rather, Iwa hadn't been defeated by them, but by something else entirely...
To be precise, Uchiha Iwa brought about his own death. His Mangekyō Sharingan ability was indeed troublesome, but the fool had completely lost control — using it over and over again without restraint.
Since those eyes weren't even originally his, such reckless use naturally led to a severe backlash.
Tsunade seized the opening — the instant he clutched his eyes and screamed in pain, she ended it with a single monstrous punch.
Looking down at Uchiha Iwa's corpse, Tsunade gave a disdainful snort. Turning around, she saw that the other Uchiha attackers were either dead or captured.
The entire Uchiha strike force that had assaulted the Hokage Building had been wiped out.
At that thought, Tsunade allowed herself a faint smile.
So the Uchiha weren't as terrifying as I imagined. If I just help Kuugetsu protect Kushina now, everything should be settled.
She even chuckled to herself.
Looks like I won't even need to trouble Hoshiyomi for help after all~ (ω<)★
Just as Tsunade was dispelling the sealing formation and feeling quite pleased with herself, an ANBU suddenly shouted in panic:
"W–What's that huge thing over there!?"
Tsunade froze for a moment, yanked the ANBU aside, and looked out the window — only to see a massive beast with nine thrashing tails charging rapidly in their direction.
Seeing the rampaging Nine-Tails, Tsunade slammed her fist into the windowsill in fury and barked out orders:
"Everyone, assemble immediately!
Jōnin will assist me in sealing the Nine-Tails!
Chūnin and Genin, begin evacuating the civilians to the shelters, now!"
Without wasting another second, Tsunade vaulted out of the Hokage Building and landed in the open plaza below, summoning her giant slug with a burst of smoke.
"Lady Katsuyu!" she called. "Please help treat the wounded!"
Then, turning to Nara Shikaku, she added quickly:
"If the Nine-Tails has been released, that means Kuugetsu must be in trouble.
Take Lady Katsuyu's clones to the Uzumaki compound immediately — see if Kuugetsu can still be saved!
And get in touch with the remaining Uzumaki — we'll need their clan's sealing jutsu to restrain the Nine-Tails!"
After saying this, Tsunade directly removed her outer Hokage robe, revealing the close-fitting short top beneath. The time had come for her, the Hokage, to fight with her life on the line.
After assigning everyone their tasks, Tsunade shed her usual playful demeanor. She solemnly formed hand seals:
"Yin Seal: Release!"
In that instant, the diamond mark on her forehead burst into a brilliant purple glow, and countless intricate black markings spread across her body.
Her chakra surged wildly — even Pakura, watching from behind, couldn't hide her astonishment.
Once Tsunade confirmed she'd reached her peak state, she took a deep breath and sprinted straight toward the rampaging Nine-Tails.
No matter what, she had to stop it before it destroyed the village any further.
–––
Meanwhile, over at the Sarutobi compound, the elderly Hiruzen Sarutobi was jolted awake by the noise outside.
Though old, his reflexes were still sharp — he immediately leapt to the window.
The sight of the raging Nine-Tails made his pupils contract sharply.
Turning to his wife, Biwako, he said in a grave tone:
"Take the clan members and head to the shelters at once!"
Then he quickly opened his wardrobe, pulling out a set of armor long untouched.
As he brushed off the dust, he gave a weary smile.
"Good grief… even in retirement, I can't catch a break."
Despite his words, his eyes burned with determination.
As a former Hokage, his resolve was no weaker than Tsunade's.