No one responded.
Around him, there was only the crackling of flames and the distant screams he could no longer hear clearly.
The Nine-Tails' tail swept over.
"No!!!"
Boom!
Everything fell silent.
In the distance, Inabi, who was rescuing people, heard that scream and paused for a moment.
He did not turn back.
He continued to carry an injured child on his back, running toward a safe area.
...
Suddenly, the Nine-Tails stopped moving.
It opened its mouth, and a massive black sphere began to gather in front of it.
Black and purple intertwined, its surface churning with violent chakra.
All the ninja present could feel the terrifying energy contained within that sphere.
It was a power capable of destroying everything.
"This is… a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Someone shouted in terror.
"Run! Run!"
But where could they run?
Once that Tailed Beast Bomb fell, the entire Konoha would cease to exist.
The Tailed Beast Bomb finished forming.
The Nine-Tails suddenly swung its head, hurling it fiercely toward the center of the village!
The black sphere tore through the night sky, carrying the force to destroy everything as it crashed toward Konoha.
Countless people looked up in despair.
It's over!
Just as the Tailed Beast Bomb was about to fall–
A flash of yellow streaked across.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, appeared directly in front of the Tailed Beast Bomb.
His hands formed seals as a massive spatial distortion spread open behind him.
"Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder!"
The Tailed Beast Bomb fell into that warped net of space, as if swallowed by something, vanishing without a trace.
The next second.
Outside the village, from the direction of the Forest of Death, came a world-shaking explosion.
A massive blaze shot into the sky, illuminating the entire night.
Everyone was stunned.
Then, they saw the figure standing above.
Golden hair, a white Hokage robe, and on his back the large characters "Fourth Hokage."
Minato stood there, looking down at the Nine-Tails below. His voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears:
"Betting on the name of Hokage, I will protect the families of this village."
"This is my duty."
He raised his head, staring into the Nine-Tails' crimson eyes.
"It must be sealed as soon as possible!"
As his words fell, a ripple of space appeared behind him.
The masked man slowly emerged from the distorted space.
"Your opponent is me."
"Kamui."
Space began to twist, enveloping the two of them.
Just as the intangibility was about to complete, Minato activated the Flying Thunder God.
With a flash of yellow light, he vanished from the warped space.
Immediately, the masked man's figure also slowly disappeared.
After a while-
The crimson eyes of the Nine-Tails suddenly changed.
The tomoe within its pupils gradually faded.
The Nine-Tails let out a sky-shaking roar, but the madness of control was gone, leaving only pure violence and fury.
Hiruzen stood atop the ruins, his pupils shrinking slightly:
"The Nine-Tails' control… has been released?"
There was no time to think further.
"It was Minato!"
He shouted loudly.
"Everyone, now's the chance!"
Before his words finished, he bit his finger and formed hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu, come forth, Enma!"
White smoke exploded as a massive ape appeared beside him.
The moment Enma landed, he grasped the situation:
"Hiruzen!"
"Use the Adamantine Staff!"
Enma nodded, his body flipping as he transformed into a massive iron staff that fell into Hiruzen's hands.
Hiruzen gripped the staff at his waist, planted his feet firmly, and took a deep breath.
"Extend!!!"
The staff suddenly lengthened, slamming fiercely into the Nine-Tails' abdomen.
The immense force made the Nine-Tails roar in anger, its enormous body being pushed back step by step.
The Nine-Tails was forcibly driven out of Konoha, leaving a deep trench carved into the ground.
Veins bulged on Hiruzen's forehead as he held tightly onto the staff, shouting orders:
"The Nine-Tails has been driven out of the village! Anbu, do not relax–continue the attack!"
"Yes!!!"
Countless black figures leapt out from the ruins, charging toward the Nine-Tails.
...
Elsewhere, the battle between Minato and the masked man finally came to an end.
Using the Flying Thunder God mark he had placed on the opponent during the fight, Minato seized an opening and struck the masked man with a palm.
"Contract Seal!"
The Nine-Tails' chakra on the masked man was instantly stripped away, and the connection between him and the Nine-Tails was completely severed.
The masked man let out a muffled groan, glanced down at his injuries, and knew that he could not succeed today.
"Fourth Hokage… you truly are formidable."
His body began to phase, his voice gradually fading away:
"But this is only the beginning."
After saying that, his figure completely disappeared into the distorted space.
Minato did not pursue.
He took a deep breath, formed hand seals, and sensed the Flying Thunder God marks left within the village.
In the next second, a flash of yellow light–he appeared above Konoha.
Outside the village, the Nine-Tails was roaring wildly.
Hiruzen led the Anbu, resisting with all their might.
Ninjutsu rained down upon the Nine-Tails like a storm, yet they could not stop this ferocious Tailed Beast.
Every time its tail swept through, dozens of ninja were sent flying, coughing up blood.
"Damn it! Where is Minato?"
Hiruzen gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.
"At this rate…"
Before he could finish speaking, the Nine-Tails opened its mouth.
Black and purple chakra gathered frantically, a massive Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly forming within its jaws.
The terrifying energy made everyone present tremble.
It's over.
If that Tailed Beast Bomb falls…
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive cloud of white smoke exploded as a toad the size of a mountain descended from the sky, slamming heavily onto the Nine-Tails!
Boom!!!
The Nine-Tails was crushed down onto the ground.
Gamabunta clenched a pipe in his mouth, firmly pinning the Nine-Tails in place.
Minato looked at the Tailed Beast Bomb still forming in the Nine-Tails' mouth, a trace of resolve flashing in his eyes.
"Sorry, I can't let you run wild."
His hands formed seals.
"Flying Thunder God!"
With a flash of yellow light-the Nine-Tails' enormous body, along with the Tailed Beast Bomb in its mouth, vanished from the spot.
The next second-
Farther away from the village, a world-shaking explosion erupted.
A massive blaze shot into the sky, the shockwave sweeping across all of Konoha like a violent wind, knocking countless people off their feet.
When the aftermath of the explosion faded, Minato's figure appeared once more.
He held Kushina and Naruto in his arms, landing not far from the Nine-Tails.
Having missed again, the Nine-Tails roared in fury.
But before it could act, it was firmly bound by golden chains.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Kushina lay on the ground, so weak she could barely lift her head.
Golden chains extended from her body, binding the Nine-Tails firmly in place.
"I… I can still manage, Minato."
She gasped, her voice broken and intermittent.
Minato looked at her, his eyes reddening.
He knew that Kushina had already reached her limit.
With the Nine-Tails extracted and forcibly using the Adamantine Sealing Chains, her life could fade at any moment.
Kushina lifted her head, looking at Minato, forcing a weak smile:
"I'm going to pull the Nine-Tails… back into my body and die together with it."
"That way, the time before the Nine-Tails revives will be extended."
She paused, her gaze shifting to Naruto in Minato's arms, her eyes filled with tenderness:
"With the little chakra I have left… this is the only way I can help you."
"Minato, thank you… for everything."
Her voice grew softer and softer, tears glimmering in her eyes:
"If there's any regret… it's that I really want… to see Naruto when he grows up."
Tears streamed from Minato's eyes.
"Kushina… you don't have to die together with the Nine-Tails."
"I will combine your remaining chakra into the Eight Trigrams Seal and seal it all into Naruto."
"That way, at some point in the future, you will be able to meet the grown-up Naruto."
He took a deep breath, his gaze turning resolute:
"As for the Nine-Tails… leave it to me."
He quickly formed hand seals.
"Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal!"
A massive Shinigami phantom slowly emerged behind him.
A pale body, a ferocious face, a short blade clenched in its mouth, and a ghastly hand piercing through Minato's body.
Minato's face instantly turned pale.
The Shinigami's other hand thrust into the Nine-Tails, tearing fiercely.
Half of the Nine-Tails' chakra was forcibly ripped out and sealed into Minato's body.
The Nine-Tails let out an unwilling roar:
"You bastard… Fourth Hokage!!!"
Enduring the intense pain, Minato formed hand seals once more.
A sealing platform appeared–the ritual formation used to seal Tailed Beasts.
The Nine-Tails' pupils shrank as it instantly understood his intention.
"You bastard! You want to seal me again… and inside that brat?!"
It struggled frantically, but the Adamantine Sealing Chains held it tightly in place.
At that moment-
Kushina's body could no longer hold on.
Her chakra faltered for a brief instant, and the golden chains loosened slightly.
The Nine-Tails seized that fleeting opportunity!
"Now!!!"
It raised its massive claw and slammed it toward Naruto!
That strike carried all of its rage.
Minato's expression changed drastically.
He had no time to think, lunging toward Naruto.
Puchi!!!
The Nine-Tails' claw pierced through his chest.
Blood burst forth, dripping down along the massive claw.
Still, the Nine-Tails did not stop.
The claw continued forward.
Kushina also immediately moved to shield Naruto!
Just as the blood-soaked giant claw was about to pierce through her as well–
At that moment, a figure appeared beside the Nine-Tails like a ghost.
It was Gento!
Seeing the scene, his pupils shrank.
There was no time to think–chakra surged wildly into his left eye.
"Yomotsu!"
...
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