Roar—!!!
The atmosphere trembled like a resonance, causing ripples to spread across the once calm surface of the water.
A massive figure blocked the moonlight, casting a shadow that brought a suffocating pressure to the air.
The Nine-Tailed Fox lowered its center of gravity, and in the depths of its elongated beastly pupils, two crimson glows shimmered. Three blood-red tomoe were clearly visible, exuding a brutal, fierce, and violent aura from the top of the food chain. This overwhelming force hit Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind like a tsunami.
"Is that... the shape of the Sharingan?"
It wasn't until this moment that Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed the tomoe within the Nine-Tails' eyes, sending a storm of shock through his heart.
Suddenly, it felt as if he had been struck by a giant hammer. A deafening hum echoed in his mind, and a terrifying thought crossed his mind: "Could it be... the Uchiha rebellion?!"
This suspicion wasn't without reason. In fact, as the disciple of the Second Hokage, he had heard about Uchiha Madara using the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails when he was young.
Now, encountering a similar situation, his mind naturally jumped to the Uchiha clan.
There was no time to think further, as the Nine-Tails let out a roar that shattered Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts.
The shockwaves from the roar seemed almost physical, expanding in layers and uprooting the surrounding trees. Dust flew wildly in the thunderous chaos.
Still, there was no movement at first, but when the beast moved, it was earth-shattering.
The gigantic fox suddenly exploded into motion with incredible speed, like a streak of orange-red flame. Its four hooves pounded the ground, kicking up howling winds, leaving a trail of massive air pressure behind it.
The dust billowed like a dragon, and the beast resembled a fire-red meteor racing across the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth trembled violently, and the air crashing forward felt like waves smashing against the shore.
"I told you, as long as I breathe, you will never step foot into Konoha again!" With every breath, Sarutobi Hiruzen's chakra surged, his body tightening like a drawn bowstring, unleashing immense brute force.
He leapt and landed on the ground, thrusting his staff forward with all his might: "Adamantine Staff · Strength Strike!"
In an instant, the Adamantine Staff grew, becoming thick enough to be embraced by dozens of people. It collided directly with the charging fox.
Boom!!!
The collision was truly terrifying.
The loud explosion sent waves of dust and air so powerful that it felt as though a trapped dragon was soaring into the sky with ease.
The deafening roar shook the surrounding area. Even homes several kilometers away were vibrating, their windows shattering into powder, causing a sharp pain in the ears.
This was a battle between one person and one beast, locked in a struggle for dominance.
It was like a sumo match, where pure brute force collided, each trying to overpower the other until one side gave way.
The earth groaned under the immense pressure, trembling violently. The clash of power split the ground open, creating countless intersecting cracks that spread in all directions, resembling a dense spiderweb.
To the Nine-Tails' surprise, it had used all its strength, yet it had only pushed forward a mere step.
That tiny figure seemed like an unbreakable wall, no matter how much it attacked, it could not surpass even a single step forward.
"This is what the tailed beasts are like," Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered, having been pushed back tens of meters, his feet leaving deep furrows in the earth. His hands, badly shaken, and his palms split from the impact, filled him with a sense of helplessness.
He couldn't help but think about the First Hokage, wondering if he could have handled this in his prime. It seemed that, in the end, age had caught up with him.
"I can't hold back anymore," Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a deep breath, his eyes sharpening. "I can't keep conserving chakra. If this goes on, my old bones will fall apart!"
He decided to stop conserving chakra and immediately created two Shadow Clones.
"Earth Style: Earth Swamp!"
A massive swamp suddenly appeared, engulfing the Nine-Tails' limbs and trapping it deep in the mud, unable to escape.
Then, two shadow clones that had been prepared in advance directly refined their chakra, gathering it in their mouths and transforming it into a fierce jutsu:
"Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Combined Ninjutsu: Lightning Water Dragon Bullet—!"
While trying to conserve chakra, Sarutobi Hiruzen chose to use the more suitable Lightning-Water combination jutsu.
In an instant, a surge of waves formed into a dragon-shaped creature, wrapped in shining lightning, roaring as it collided with the Nine-Tails.
The rampant electricity surged over its orange fur, causing a burnt smell, and the Water Release spread the electrical power throughout the fox's body, paralyzing it.
"Now's our chance!"
As the Nine-Tails was temporarily controlled, three figures quickly appeared at four key positions.
Forming hand seals, Sarutobi Hiruzen growled, "Sealing Jutsu: Triangle Seal!"
From the east, south, and west, green transparent curtains rose, forming a pyramid-shaped barrier that surrounded the Nine-Tails.
Boom!
The Nine-Tails, now freed, struck the barrier in fury.
The violent shock caused the barrier to crack, and Sarutobi Hiruzen, the caster, was severely injured. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he remained silent.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto the Nine-Tails within the barrier, and the veins on his forehead bulged as he whispered through clenched teeth: "Before I die… you will never escape!"
No matter how the Nine-Tails attacked, the seemingly fragile, cracked pyramid barrier stood firm.
With each powerful blow, Sarutobi Hiruzen's life force weakened, like a candle flickering in the wind.
Meanwhile, the battle on the other side was leaning heavily in one direction.
The Beyonder abilities of the Sequence 5 Wraith were indeed bizarre. It could penetrate various attacks, launch silent sneak attacks, and even possess bodies and flashing between mirrors.
However, whether it's bad luck or the result of his countless misdeeds, Obito's luck has always been pretty terrible.
The biggest advantage of being in the Wraith Form is that you can phase through obstacles and ignore attacks, but he just happened to run into Minato, whose Sage Mode natural energy perfectly counters him.
The punches landed with full force, beating Obito so badly that his face was swollen and bruised, leaving him looking miserable.
However, despite Minato having the upper hand, he couldn't turn it into a victory. It wasn't that he lacked determination, but simply that Obito was just too hard to kill.
His body was as tough as steel, his movements swift and agile, and his recovery speed was shockingly fast. He even summoned "ghosts" and "zombies" from time to time to delay the battle.
Sensing the weakening energy from Obito's side, Minato grew anxious, knowing he couldn't afford to delay any longer. Without hesitation, he bit his thumb and pressed it to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
"Hahaha, at this point, do you think summoning a beast can solve me?" Obito laughed. Though it looked like he was beaten badly, he had actually taken no real damage.
His goal was to drag out the fight, watching as Minato sank deeper into despair, fulfilling his deep-seated thirst for revenge.
But the next moment, Obito was stunned to see that the smoke didn't reveal a summoning beast.
Instead, a tall and burly figure emerged from the mist, with wild white hair spread out like a lion's mane. Two small frogs stood on his shoulders, and he radiated an imposing aura.
"I never expected Konoha to change like this after so long."
The man wore the "Oil" forehead protector, a red cloak, wooden sandals, and carried a large scroll on his back.
His calm gaze landed on Obito. After a brief pause, the tall and muscular man sighed softly and spoke, "Minato, is this the disciple you mentioned?"
"Yes, sensei."
Minato stepped forward, his head slightly lowered, and softly said, "I couldn't handle him alone, so I had to send a messenger frog to contact you."
"Enough talk, Jiraiya, Minato!"
The small frog on Jiraiya's shoulder clapped its hands, interrupting their conversation. "I still need to go back and cook for the kids. Come on, Fukasaku, hurry up and deal with him!"
"Got it, Shima."
Fukasaku smiled and looked at the two people beside him, sighing, "How many years has it been? I never thought I'd see two Sage Mode users working together again."
"Then... let's do it."
Jiraiya kicked off his sandals, his gaze suddenly sharp: "Kid, let's see how it feels to anger a Sage!"
At that moment, Obito lost his composure, sweat pouring down his forehead in large beads.
What the heck?
One Minato Namikaze was already tough enough, and now Jiraiya shows up too?
Is Konoha playing fair?!
We agreed on a one-on-one fight, but now it's turning into a tag team match!
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