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Just as Toshiro sensed something amiss, Namikaze Minato, holding a small figure, dashed out of a house enveloped in a barrier.
"I fell for the opponent's plan to separate me from Kushina!"
He casually pulled out the wooden thorn, piercing his foot. The young Yondaime glanced back at the destroyed house behind him, his expression darker than ever.
A week ago, he received information that someone would attack Kushina, and he made preparations. However, he didn't expect the enemy to possess wood release and space-time ninjutsu that could bypass his sealing barrier.
The adversary seemed well-informed about his hiraishin, including Kushina's weakened seal during childbirth and his own defensive measures. Disguised as ANBU personnel, the enemy's accomplices ambushed Kushina, trapping Minato.
"Wa! Wa! Wa!"
"Naruto, are you scared?"
Hearing his baby's loud cries, Minato quickly comforted him, holding him tighter. But now wasn't the time for reassurance. He needed to reach Kushina immediately, or the consequences would be dire.
The next moment, his figure vanished, leaving just a small trail of dust.
Meanwhile, in the heart of Konoha, just two streets away from Toshiro's location, a figure in a black hood and an orange-striped mask appeared silently. He drew blood using a kunai and performed a summoning jutsu.
A massive smoke screen rose, and a terrifying, violent presence emanated from the center of Konoha.
"What happened?"
A huge roar disrupted Ebisu, who almost fell into the hot spring. Struggling to maintain his balance, he saw Toshiro and Genma staring in shock. Turning around, he saw a colossal orange-red fox less than a kilometer away.
"This is… the Nine-Tails?"
Staring at the monstrous figure, Ebisu's small, sharp eyes widened behind his sunglasses, his face filled with disbelief.
"Why is the Nine-Tails here?"
Genma Shiranui, a member of Namikaze Minato's Shadow Guard, was the first to react. As a guard of the Fourth Hokage, he knew about Kushina's status as the jinchuuriki. Today, for special reasons, the younger members of the guards had the day off. But with the Nine-Tails here, he feared for the situation with Minato and Kushina.
"Toshiro-senpai, Ebisu, I'm leaving first!"
With that, Genma leaped out of the hot spring and rushed towards the Hokage Building.
"Genma, even if you're anxious and angry, you still need to wear clothes before going anywhere!"
"Uh..."
Realizing the chill beneath him, Genma paused and rushed to where his clothes were stored. But before he could take a few steps, a strong hand grabbed his arm. Simultaneously, gusts of wind from heavy objects being flung away swept past, causing goosebumps to form on his skin.
Boom!
A loud crash resonated as heavy objects hit the ground, scattering debris everywhere.
"You're really lucky!"
With Genma and Ebisu hiding nearby, they glanced at their clogs and yukata, feeling the cold seeping through. Toshiro shook his head. He never expected Obito to summon the Nine-Tails near Pleasure Street. It was a truly chaotic situation.
If Toshiro hadn't pulled him back, Genma, who went to retrieve his clothes, would have been buried under the debris blown away by the Nine-Tails.
"Fireball jutsu!"
Forming a seal with his hand, Toshiro launched a fireball into the sky, dispersing the approaching debris.
"Go this way!"
After assessing the surroundings, Toshiro led the panicking duo out of the Nine-Tails' attack range, eventually standing on a rooftop two or three kilometers away. They quietly observed the rampaging Nine-Tails.
Obito was ruthless this time. It wasn't just Toshiro and his friends who suffered; many others were caught in the chaos. This was Konoha's most prosperous district, Commercial Alley. With the Nine-Tails wreaking havoc here, no village could withstand such destruction.
The Nine-Tails' casual tail swipes left deep marks on the ground, demolishing nearby wooden buildings. The structures were flung through the air, crashing into distant buildings and people, causing heavy casualties.
"I can't stay here any longer. Toshiro-senpai, I'll leave Ebisu to you. I need to check on the Hokage-sama!"
With that, Genma rushed barefoot towards the Hokage Building, ignoring his current disheveled appearance. It seemed his usual laziness was completely gone; he truly cared about the village and his comrades.
"What should we do, Senpai? Should we find a place to take shelter now, or..."
Looking at Toshiro, who seemed eager to act, Ebisu swallowed nervously and stammered. He kept glancing at the distant Nine-Tails, a cold sweat covering his brow.
"Ebisu, find a place to take shelter or do what you can to help the civilians!"
Staring at the Nine-Tails, Toshiro contemplated activating Sage Mode. He believed he could hold his own for a while. By the time either the Third or Fourth Hokage arrived, the situation might be more manageable. He just hoped his efforts wouldn't be in vain.
"The Kyuubi actually was released in the vilalge center..."
In the Hokage's office, the elderly Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, looked at the rampaging Kyuubi in the distance, struggling to steady his breath. With a serious expression, he began issuing orders to arrange the village's defenses.
"Deploy forces to prevent impulsive young ninjas from getting involved..."
"Summon the ANBU, police forces, Root, guard units, and the sealing squad..."
"Open the shelters and ensure everyone in the village takes refuge there..."
Despite Minato Namikaze's prior warning, the reality of Kyuubi's escape and the beast's violent chakra and power left the Third Hokage visibly shaken, his voice trembling slightly as he commanded his subordinates.
"Yes, sir..."
Following his orders, masked ANBU figures disappeared like shadows around him.
"Hiruzen, Uchiha must not be involved in this matter. Their Sharingan can control the Kyuubi."
As the Third Hokage busied himself with countermeasures against the Kyuubi, Shimura Danzo, leaning on his cane, spoke in a sinister tone.
"Danzo... you still have the nerve to say such things at this time and show your face?"
The sight of Danzo made the Third Hokage's anger flare. Earlier, when the Fourth Hokage proposed mobilizing more manpower to strengthen the village's defenses, it was Danzo who obstructed it, accusing Minato of using the situation to seize power. This hesitation had left them ill-prepared for the current crisis.
And now, here he was again.
"Hiruzen, don't forget how 'that man' manipulated the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha!"
Ignoring the Third Hokage's anger, Danzo continued, "Remember Tobirama-sensei's instructions and warnings!"
Danzo's real motive wasn't just his distrust of Uchiha; he was also unwilling to deploy his Root forces to the front lines against the Kyuubi. Losing his assets would diminish his power and thwart his ambitions for the Hokage seat.
Moreover, this incident presented an opportunity. If something happened to Minato Namikaze, wouldn't that be his chance? Even if Minato survived, his association with the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, who was wreaking havoc, would tarnish his reputation.
Danzo believed he could use this situation to undermine Minato and seize the position of Hokage. But for that, he needed to preserve his own forces.
"Uchiha..."
The mention of 'that man' brought to the Third Hokage's mind a stern figure in a black robe.
"Let Uchiha assist in protecting the villagers and civilians," the Third Hokage decided after a moment. "Since you suggested it, you can oversee it."
With that, he dismissed Danzo and headed towards the ANBU and Jōnin gathering point, focusing on the more urgent tasks at hand.
...
"What did you say? We're not allowed to intercept the Kyuubi?"
Upon hearing the news, the battle-ready Uchihas felt a deep sense of betrayal, their faces red with shock and anger.
"We have received an order that the Uchiha clan must not participate in the Nine-Tails interception mission, otherwise..."
The Root member didn't need to finish his sentence; the unsheathed blades of his comrades conveyed the threat clearly enough.
"Whose orders did you receive?"
As Fugaku hesitated, a clear voice interrupted his thoughts.
"The Fourth Hokage is in power now, and he hasn't issued such an order. Where did you get this directive? Does it have the Yondaime Hokage's approval?"
Toshiro's shout brought a sudden silence. All eyes turned to the ANBU who had appeared, questioning their authority.
Uchiha Hana, standing beside Toshiro, felt a wave of nervousness. She knew her boss's volatile nature and worried about the consequences.
"The order comes from the top of the village!"
The leading Root member dismissed the Uchiha's doubts. Root followed Danzo's orders without question.
"Follow the orders of the village's higher-ups!"
Fugaku looked around at his clan members and then at the ANBU. He pondered the futility of resisting. Even if they broke through the blockade, how much strength would they have left? Reluctantly, he considered compliance.
"Fugaku-sama?"
This time it wasn't just Toshiro; almost all the Uchiha present voiced their dissatisfaction.
"Follow orders!" Fugaku commanded, his hesitation showing despite the urgency.
Toshiro sighed. "Well... this is a bit awkward, but... I'm actually a shadow clone! My main body is dealing with something urgent, so I'll be leaving now!"
With that, the shadow clone vanished in a puff of smoke.
"..."
Everyone was stunned, from the Uchiha to the Root Ninjas. Using shadow clones to slack off was common, but doing so in such an emergency was unthinkable.
"Hana, what's going on? Where is Toshiro?"
Despite Toshiro's disappearance, the focus shifted to Toshiro's secretary.
"Uh..."
Caught off guard by her boss's antics, Hana had no choice but to explain honestly that Toshiro had used his shadow clone to slack off and had gone to pleasure district.
Before the Uchiha clan could process this, an orange-red barrier rose in the village's center, surrounding the nine-tails.
"It's... the Uchiha fire barrier formation!"
Recognizing the barrier designed to restrict giant summoning beasts.
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