After observing for a long time, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally concluded that the seal was very strong.
But what was this black thing?
Could it be some kind of backup plan left by Minato?
As he pondered this, several powerful members of the ANBU arrived at the scene one after another.
"Lord Sandaime, here..." the ANBU ninja began, but when he saw the corpses of the Fourth Hokage and his wife on the ground, he gasped in shock.
The Fourth-generation couple was dead!
"Spread the word: the Nine-Tails has been subdued, and the Fourth Hokage and his wife have tragically perished," Hiruzen Sarutobi declared. "They... are heroes of the village!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand slightly, then used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear from the spot.
He couldn't let anyone see the children left behind by the fourth generation.
Upon receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi's order, the group exchanged glances and then departed to inform the villagers that the Nine-Tails had been subdued and the village's crisis had been successfully resolved.
...
The Hokage's office.
The four most powerful figures in Konoha—Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane—all gathered together.
"The village suffered heavy losses in this Nine-Tails attack," Hiruzen Sarutobi said to Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. "I'll leave the matter of post-war reconstruction to you two."
As Homura Mitokado nodded, he asked, "Hiruzen, is the Fourth Hokage truly dead?"
Who would have thought that the Yellow Flash was the only one who had mastered the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique?
This being, who held a formidable reputation in the ninja world, had actually died at the hands of the Nine-Tails.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, his face filled with grief, said, "That's right."
Minato and Kushina had both perished.
However, no matter how much grief he felt, he had to bury it deep in his heart.
Konoha still needed him, and he must continue to contribute to Konoha, especially after the Fourth Hokage's death—he could not afford to fall.
Koharu Utatane said, "Then we need to contact the Daimyo as soon as possible to discuss the selection of the Fifth Hokage."
As the saying goes, a village cannot be without a shadow for even a day. With the fourth generation gone, the fifth generation would inevitably be born.
"I..."
Upon hearing that a Fifth Hokage was to be chosen, Shimura Danzo, who had remained silent until then, suddenly brightened up.
"We'll discuss this matter after the Daimyo arrives in Konoha," Hiruzen Sarutobi interjected.
"If all else fails, I will have no choice but to return to the mountains once again."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't give Danzo a chance to speak; his opening remarks immediately blocked Danzo's path to becoming Hokage.
"Hiruzen, now that you have abdicated, you should enjoy your retirement at home," Danzo Shimura said.
"Besides, after the Fourth Hokage, we'll definitely have to choose the Fifth Hokage. How can we let the Third Hokage come out of seclusion again? Wouldn't that make Konoha look like it has no one to rely on?"
Danzo Shimura really wanted to seize this opportunity, but it was clear that his old friend didn't want to give him one.
They had even gone so far as to try to move from the second tier back to the first tier.
After the fourth generation, it went back to the third generation. When would this kind of operation be possible again?
"Haha—Danzo, I'm not so old that I can't move," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with a hearty laugh. "If Konoha needs me, I can dedicate another ten or twenty years to the village."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's hearty laughter nearly made Danzo crush the cane in his hand.
But he also understood that as long as Sarutobi lived, he would always remain just the leader of Root and could never step into the open.
"Oh, right, that child..."
Koharu then noticed Naruto Uzumaki, who was lying in swaddling clothes beside her.
"That's Minato's child," Hiruzen Sarutobi explained. "The Nine-Tails is inside him. However, something seems wrong with the child's body. Since you're all here, you can help take a look."
As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he picked up Naruto Uzumaki.
Seeing Naruto Uzumaki with one half of his body normal and the other half black, Danzo Shimura subconsciously took a half-step back.
Half of his body was also abnormal. Could it be that Orochimaru had done something to this child?
No, this child had just been born today, and had been delivered by Hiruzen Sarutobi's wife, Biwako Sarutobi herself. Orochimaru would not have had a chance to cause trouble.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, upon seeing Naruto Uzumaki's half-black body, subconsciously glanced at Danzo.
Why were they all looking at this old man?
"I have no idea what this black stuff on his body is," Danzo said, tightening his clothes and speaking in a calm tone.
"Could it be that the Nine-Tails' chakra is leaking out?"
"But wasn't the Nine-Tails' chakra not this color?"
"Is it possible that this is a contingency plan left behind by the Fourth Hokage?"
"It's already abnormal that he's a Jinchūriki, and although he's become even stranger now, it shouldn't be a big problem."
Mitokado and Koharu discussed it for a long time but couldn't reach a conclusion.
In the end, they could only shake their heads and sigh as they looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, realizing that it was still up to the Third Hokage to make the decision.
"Hiruzen, hand him over to me!" Danzo Shimura demanded before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak.
"Only I can properly train a Jinchūriki, and besides, looking at his strange appearance, releasing him would easily frighten people."
"If I stay at his base, not only will his safety be guaranteed, but even if any problems arise, innocent people will not be harmed."
Danzo spoke first, demanding the child.
He had to keep the Jinchūriki in his own hands, as they were a key asset in his future quest for Hokage.
If he couldn't beat Hiruzen Sarutobi, he should be able to outlive him and then try to become the Fifth Hokage, right?
Danzo was secretly pleased with himself, but Hiruzen Sarutobi flatly refused him.
"No, this is the last surviving son of the Fourth Hokage, Danzo," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "You'd better not have any ulterior motives."
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, looking at Naruto Uzumaki in his arms. Although he was a bit strange, he still couldn't just hand him over to Danzo.
"Hehehe—"
"A fourth-generation orphan? Then I'll give you a gift."
Black Zetsu, who was possessing Naruto Uzumaki, had overheard their entire conversation.
Then, he extracted some of the overflowing chakra from the cage that sealed the Nine-Tails and released it through Naruto's body.
The mere Nine-Tails didn't dare to even breathe loudly in front of Black Zetsu.
One should not be fooled by Black Zetsu's seemingly incompetent and useless appearance.
That was just because he didn't want to take action. As Kaguya Otsutsuki's third son, he was 'strong' in the actual application of chakra.
Another highlight was, of course, his attack on Madara Uchiha's heart.
Even the mighty Madara Uchiha, after having his sword ripped out, was powerless to resist. This showed that when Black Zetsu didn't strike, it was a decisive blow that could turn the tide of the world and change the course of events.
Therefore, let alone drawing some of the Nine-Tails' chakra through the seal—even without the seal, the Nine-Tails wouldn't dare to jump in front of him.
At this moment, as the red Nine-Tails chakra emerged from Naruto Uzumaki, the violent aura caused the expressions of the four people present to change drastically.
"Not good!"
"The Nine-Tails is about to go berserk!"
Seeing that the situation was not good, Danzo and his two companions retreated quickly. Hiruzen Sarutobi was holding Naruto Uzumaki, but he didn't want to throw him away, yet he didn't dare to hold on to him. He was caught in a dilemma.
...
If you're enjoying the ride, please drop a Powerstone and a quick Review!