Chapter 183: The Ghost of Fear
Sigh… Finally done. Tsunade leaned back in her chair, the stiff muscles in her back protesting after a long day buried in paperwork. A long, hot bath is the only thing that can save me now.
She rose and walked to the office window, hoping the familiar sight of her village would ease her weariness. But instead of comfort, a cold, sharp dread prickled at the base of her spine, stronger and more insistent than before. Outside, Konoha was a tapestry of light and life—lanterns glowed, laughter spilled from taverns, and the distant chatter of citizens created a harmonious nighttime hum. It was peaceful. It was normal.
And yet, the feeling would not subside.
I must be overthinking this, she told herself, gripping the windowsill. It's just fatigue.
"Shizune!" she called out, not turning from the window.
The door opened promptly. "Yes, Lady Tsunade?"
"We're finished for the day. Clean this up; we're heading home." Her eyes remained fixed on the village, her heart a turbulent sea of anxiety. Please, let nothing happen tonight.
She was not alone in her unease. In a quiet apartment elsewhere in the village, Kakashi Hatake paused while unrolling his sleeping mat. A familiar, chilling sensation crawled up his neck—the same feeling he'd had on the night of the Kyuubi's attack years ago. He moved to his window, his single visible eye narrowing as he scanned the bustling streets below. Nothing was amiss, but the instinct honed by decades of survival screamed that a storm was coming.
For the average villager, however, it was just another night. The undercurrent of fear was perceptible only to the most seasoned shinobi. That illusion of normalcy was about to be shattered.
***
Deep within the forest behind the abandoned Uchiha compound, five figures materialized from the shadows. The air was still and heavy with the memory of the clan that once lived there.
"Boss, are we inside Konoha's perimeter?" Suigetsu whispered, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"We are," Ren replied, his voice cold as the night air. "This is the forest behind the Uchiha lands. The Konoha elders saw fit to isolate my clan here, on the village's edge. A foolish decision they will soon regret. I trained here in secret for years, leaving markers for just this occasion. Their prejudice has given us the perfect point of entry."
"I see," Sasuke murmured, his gaze sweeping over the familiar, yet haunting, surroundings.
"Enough talk," Ren said, his tone shifting to one of command. "I will create the diversion. The moment chaos erupt, you move. Locate the Root base and execute the plan. Is that clear?"
A series of grim nods was his answer.
"Then let us begin...*Summoning Jutsu!*"
Ren bit his thumb and slammed his palm onto the ground. A complex seal spread out from his hand, and with an explosive cloud of smoke that blotted out the moon, a monstrous presence erupted into being.
The roar that followed was not of this world. It was a sound of pure, primordial hatred that tore through the tranquil night, silencing laughter, halting conversations, and freezing the blood of every living soul in Konoha.
On the streets, drunkards sobered instantly. Families enjoying a late-night stroll stood paralyzed. In their homes, people were jolted from sleep, their hearts hammering with a fear they hadn't felt in over a decade. They stumbled to their windows, their curses dying in their throats as they saw it.
There, looming over the distant Uchiha district, was a silhouette of nightmare made real. A gargantuan figure of crimson chakra, wreathed in malice, with nine sinuous tails lashing the air and eyes that burned with the fury of a demon. The raging chakra emanating from it whipped up a violent wind, carrying dust and debris through the village.
That... that is...
It can't be... It's back!
The memory, buried deep by years of peace, surged to the forefront of every mind. The destruction. The death. The helplessness.
"It's the Nine-Tails!" a voice shrieked, breaking the stunned silence.
Panic erupted like a volcano. The orderly streets dissolved into bedlam as screams of pure terror filled the air. Civilians scrambled over each other, their only thought to flee, to find the shelters that had not been needed for so long. The ghost of a fear they thought was long dead had returned, and it was more terrifying than ever.
***
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade's fist came down on her desk, splintering the heavy wood into pieces. "Damn it! The Nine-Tails!"
Her mind raced, grappling with the impossible. How? Naruto has it sealed within him! This shouldn't be happening!
But there was no time for questions. The beast was inside the village barrier. Every second counted.
"Anbu!" she roared.
Two masked figures appeared instantly, kneeling before her.
"Evacuate the civilians to the shelters immediately! Mobilize all available jōnin and chūnin! Their orders are to delay the Nine-Tails and keep it from the village center at all costs!"
"Hai!"
"And find Uzumaki Naruto! Wherever he is, secure him and bring him to me! Now!"
The Anbu vanished in a swirl of leaves. Alone with a pale-faced Shizune, Tsunade stared out the window at the towering beast, its roar a promise of devastation.
"So this is what I felt," she whispered, her knuckles white. "Nine-Tails... why? How have you returned?"
The night of Konoha's greatest fear had begun again.
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