join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories
"Boom—!"
Almost the instant Kushina's words fell.
On the surface of the outermost barrier technique in the distance, a deafening sound suddenly exploded, as if a giant glass cover obscuring the sky had been easily shattered.
Then came the second layer, the third layer...
Konoha's Sealing Technique and Barrier Technique attainments were both inherited from Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the First Hokage, and were at the pinnacle even among the entire Ninja World.
To protect the precious Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, and also to prevent the Nine-Tailed from suddenly going berserk, the entire Konoha Sealing Squad, with dozens of Ninja, had set up five layers of sealing barriers within this street area.
Even if the Nine-Tailed was truly unsealed, these barrier techniques, built over many years, would be enough to hold out until others arrived to reinforce.
Not even the rumored Biju Bomb could completely shatter it.
Yet now...
Those layers of barrier techniques, under an attack from an unknown source, were like mere bubbles.
Brute force breach!
Almost the moment this 'attack' appeared, an entire Anbu squad within this barrier area began to move.
The two white-robed Anbu squad leaders, who were at least Jonin level, specifically guarding Kushina, immediately appeared, each grabbing one of Kushina's arms, while simultaneously instructing Namikaze Minato beside them:
"Jonin Minato, please immediately cover the Jinchuriki's retreat!"
"Yes!"
Only then did Minato suddenly react, dispersing the Chakra ball in the center of his palm.
"Hey!"
"I can run myself, you guys stop pulling me!"
Uzumaki Kushina struggled twice in dissatisfaction, glanced at Minato beside her, and forcefully pulled her arms free from their grasp, looking quite annoyed.
However, they had only run for a short while when one of the Anbu squad leaders suddenly covered his ear, as if receiving some news, and stopped.
"It's fine?"
"What do you mean?"
He seemed somewhat puzzled as he conversed with the other side.
"Yes."
The Anbu on the other end had already arrived at the 'attack site', looking at the gully on the ground that stretched straight for several kilometers into the barrier, their expression tense, and their voice filled with unstoppable astonishment:
"We only found traces of the attack at the scene, estimated straight-line distance is..."
"Five kilometers."
"The attack came from at least five kilometers away."
"Now others are heading to the source of the attack to search, and Lord Third has been notified."
The Anbu squad leader on the other end of the Body of Mind and Heart Transmission Technique was also stunned.
What kind of attack could penetrate five layers of barrier techniques in one go, while crossing a distance of at least five kilometers?
A Biju Bomb?
No!
He was knowledgeable.
Even the Eight-Tails' full power Biju Bomb couldn't break through so many barriers, could it?
If that's the case, doesn't it mean...
He trembled faintly deep inside.
"Wait a minute?"
"Isn't this a huge problem, you know!"
Kushina immediately noticed something was wrong, pulling that Anbu and asking repeatedly, urgently saying: "It couldn't be a large force from another Ninja village attacking, could it?"
"No, no attacker found."
Only then did that Anbu squad leader suddenly come to his senses, speaking with a solemn expression.
"Eh?"
Kushina and Minato were both stunned.
Yes.
Listening to the description of the traces from the front line, if judged rationally, this strike was less of an 'attack' and more like someone accidentally destroying this hidden barrier while practicing Ninjutsu.
However, this judgment itself was the most irrational judgment.
Is there really someone in this world who can do such a thing?
"Then let's go quickly and see!"
After a moment of daze, Kushina suddenly became excited, breaking free from the others and about to run towards that direction.
Minato, however, immediately pulled her back, reminding her:
"Kushina, wait a little longer!"
"It could also be an ambush."
"Eh—?"
Kushina pouted somewhat unhappily; she had been stuck in this broken barrier for so long, she was bored to death every day.
However, Minato was exceptionally strict when it came to Kushina's safety, raising a finger as if lecturing a child:
"No, you can't."
"Yes, yes~"
Kushina pouted discontentedly.
It wasn't until a few minutes later that news came from the Anbu on the front line.
"Squad leader, attacker found!"
In the deepest part of the dim darkness.
Sawara Kiri's mind had fallen into a bottomless silence.
Like constantly sinking to the bottom of the sea.
That pervasive emptiness throughout his body inexplicably reminded him of the most profound first time in his memories of his previous life.
It was a frustrating summer.
Fresh out of society, with the unfamiliarity of just entering the adult world, he was easily hooked by the 'sea queen' at his company, like a naive crab.
The only thing that probably surprised the 'sea queen' was that this young and inexperienced kid, in order not to show fear on the first night, used his powerful internet search skills to find and use four types of 'yang-boosting' concoctions with buffs in advance.
That night, the memory of how he, with laughably monotonous and shoddy technique, intermittently tormented Miss 'Sea Queen' for six or seven hours until she cried for her parents, was actually no longer very clear.
In the end, it seemed to be just like now, suddenly losing consciousness.
However, the emptiness that left him limp for four consecutive days after waking up the next day; the decadence that caused arrhythmia and made him weak and prone to cold; the blankness in his mind no matter what he did; and the 'sage mode' that lasted for nearly a month...
All left a particularly deep impression on him.
It's back, it's all back!
Is this what it feels like when Chakra is drained to its limit?
"Guh..."
Sawara Kiri struggled to open his eyes.
The dappled sunlight was a bit dazzling.
He didn't know how much time had passed; overusing the Six Eyes even made his vision somewhat blurry and temporarily difficult to focus.
However, as his vision gradually cleared.
Sawara Kiri couldn't help but be startled.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hatake Sakumo, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, and a group of fully armed Anbu Ninja behind them, were surrounding him in the center.
At this moment, all of them were looking down at him.
He hesitated for a long while before carefully asking in a somewhat confused tone:
"Excuse me, is there something I can help with?"
"..."
The fully armed Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his head, looking at the dozens of giant trees that had fallen in disarray like grass cut by a scythe around him, and the charred marks left on the ground, a circular gully spanning nearly a hundred meters.
His mind was in turmoil.
These people had stood here waiting for so long, no matter how they observed, they could only come to one conclusion.
This kid was really just practicing Ninjutsu.
But...
That was a full five kilometers!
What kind of Ninjutsu could cause such widespread destructive power?!
Connecting this to the perfunctory treatment of this kid earlier, and the mess Danzo had caused, as well as the recent conflicts with Tsunade, he suddenly felt a bit regretful.
He should have gotten this trump card into his hands earlier.
Danzo misled me!
But, there's still a chance to salvage this!
As he pondered this, the expression on his old face gradually became kind and warm:
"Kiri-kun, how are you feeling?"
"Barely able to move."
Sawara Kiri responded subconsciously, looking at the people around him with some confusion:
"But, why are you here?"
Clearly, he hadn't realized what he had accidentally broken just now.
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to explain something, he heard a commotion from the crowd behind him.
In a short while, Namikaze Minato was seen nodding apologetically to the people around him as he came to the front of the crowd—he was still firmly holding a young red-haired girl by the hand.
Seemingly noticing his presence, Minato quietly waved in Sawara Kiri's direction to signal.
However, before Minato could remind him of anything else.
Kushina suddenly broke free from his hand and strode purposefully to Sarutobi Hiruzen's side, crossing her arms, and aggressively said:
"Hey!"
"You were the one who beat up Minato last time, right?"
Her tone was quite impolite.
Minato, on the contrary, blushed.
However, just as Sawara Kiri thought she was there to demand an explanation, he heard the girl's tone shift, and she suddenly revealed a wide, carefree smile, putting one hand on her hip and giving him a thumbs up:
"Not bad! Very spirited."
"Thanks to you, I can finally go for a stroll!"
"..."
"Hmm?"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories