At that moment, the torrential rain seemed to freeze in time. The large raindrops, smooth and clear, resembled polished mirrors.
In the dimly lit seal space, the small DVD player emitted white noise, and the massive Kyubi dozed off lazily. The flickering screen illuminated the fox's sleek, orange fur.
A roar from Naruto calling his name caused Kyubi to suddenly open his eyes.
He stared in disbelief as the Four Symbols Seal on the door slowly began to open, inch by inch. Glancing down at the mountain of DVDs, then back at the seal door that was about to open, Kyubi's expression turned fierce, baring his sharp teeth.
He suddenly raised his paw and placed it on top of the DVD player, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his large eyes.
"It'd be a shame to step on it."
Kyubi muttered, and carefully retracted his claws.
"Let's go out and get some fresh air!"
Back in the narrow alley, red Biju Chakra exploded outward. The intense heat instantly evaporated the falling rain, creating a dense mist that quickly spread.
Kisame instinctively tried to use Samehada to absorb the Chakra, but when he suddenly realized something was wrong, it was already too late. The massive surge of Kyubi's Chakra violently blasted both him and his sword away.
The entire alley was obliterated in an instant, and the loud noise attracted the Jonin and Anbu who were rushing over here. Since the Konoha Crush Plan, the Jonin and Anbu had been on almost constant patrol.
"What is that?"
The Anbu and almost all the Jonin were scattered on the roof, looking in the same direction at the same time. When they saw the colossal red fox within the mist, their hearts nearly stopped.
"We're in trouble…"
A powerful sense of dread gripped all of them as they stared, wide-eyed, at the gigantic, fiery-red fox in the distance.
Rainwater dripped down Kakashi's hair, soaking his mask.
"Stop the Kyubi from rampaging and evacuate the surrounding residents." An Anbu in a white robe appeared and commanded, his voice was extremely cold.
Seven or eight Anbu's members immediately vanished, heading off to follow orders. Kakashi turned to look at Guy, his voice more serious than ever.
"Guy, do me a favor."
"Kakashi," Guy nodded seriously, "Anything you need."
"Don't let my student fall into the hands of the Anbu."
Ino, who had been tightly held in Naruto's arms, was stunned. She opened her eyes and stared blankly at his profile, noticing his red eyes emitting an eerie, blood-red glow.
The oppressive aura from that monstrous man was overwhelming. Even though Ino didn't know who he was, she couldn't stop the fear from welling up inside her. Facing the brink of death, her mind went blank.
To die like this... it would be so unfair.
It turns out that right before death, all one can think about is what they planned to do tomorrow.
No matter how hard she tried, Ino can't imagine what it feels like to be hugged by someone. But at this moment, her heart felt like it was about to overflow.
The next second, Kyubi suddenly emerged.
He has a mountain-like figure, sharp teeth and long ears, and nine flaming red tails that keep swaying in the rain. He roared toward the sky in the rain, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.
Ino was flung aside and landed in a puddle.
Before Kisame could stand up, Kyubi slammed him into the ground with a powerful paw. As he tried to recover, Kyubi punched him again, his massive fist crushing the Chakra-empowered fish-man form of Kisame, causing him to cough up blood.
"Quick, stop it!"
"We can't let the village be destroyed!"
Kyubi, still intent on continuing his assault, began to gather a Bijudama in his mouth. However, the Anbu's members quickly responded by erecting Earth Release: Earth Flow Walls around Kyubi, attempting to contain him.
But the moment the Earth Flow Walls was formed, Kyubi shattered it with sheer brute force. He let out a furious roar as he charged toward Kisame.
At this time, Itachi suddenly appeared in front of Kisame, his Mangekyo Sharingan spinning wildly. He unleashed Amaterasu, which set Kyubi ablaze.
The small Bijudama in his mouth dissipated instantly, and Kyubi roared angrily and howled in pain.
"Kisame, let's go!"
"Itachi-san."
The two men quickly retreated, but a group of Anbu followed them. However, Kisame, though injured, managed to stall them temporarily with a powerful Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique, creating a massive barrier of water.
Kyubi, unable to withstand the burning Amaterasu, simply returned to the seal space on his own initiative to isolate himself from the Amaterasu.
As the heavy rain dispersed the white mist, Naruto was left unconscious, lying in a pool of water.
Guy and Kakashi arrived at Naruto's side one step ahead of the Anbu, then quickly positioned themselves protectively beside Naruto. Kakashi, with his usual deadpan expression, scanned the Anbu's members before speaking lazily, one hand in his pocket, "Well, it looks like Naruto didn't lose control, and since there were no casualties…"
"Hand over the Jinchuriki to us for containment." The white-robed Anbu interrupted Kakashi and said coldly.
"Don't refer to him as just a Jinchuriki. Naruto is my student. Since Sandaime-sama appointed me as his Jonin Instructor, then..." Kakashi had no intention of giving in.
"Until a direct order from the Hokage or the higher-ups is given, I'll be the one to look after Naruto."
"Sandaime-sama has died in the battle, and you..." The Anbu was a little annoyed and glared coldly to Kakashi.
"Then wait until the new Hokage is appointed, or until the two Advisors give the order." Kakashi glanced at the Anbu with his dead eye, "I've spent some time in the Root too."
"In this situation where the Anbu suffers serious losses and is short of personnel, theoretically, the Root's members can temporarily fill in the Anbu's roles without changing their affiliation."
The rain continued to pour down as the eight Anbu remained silent, staring at Kakashi.
After a long pause, the white-robed Anbu waved his hand, "Let's go."
All the Anbu had left, leaving only two Elite Jonin, Kakashi and Guy, standing at the scene. Naruto and Ino lay unconscious in different puddles, far apart from each other.
"Kakashi." Guy asked in surprise, "How do you know they are not Anbu?"
"That's Ino over there, right?" Kakashi signaled Guy to look to the other side. Ino was lying in a puddle, her blonde hair disheveled and soaked in the water, and rain is still falling on her face.
"Root only cares about the mission, and they wouldn't even care about the heir of the Yamanaka Clan."
…
Konoha Hospital.
Naruto opened his eyes.
Sunlight streamed through the bright hospital window, and the sharp scent of disinfectant filled the room, killing any appetite he might have had. The walls were pristine, so white they reflected the sun's rays, and the sheets smelled faintly of lavender.
"You're awake?"
A very familiar yet exceptionally cold voice sounded from one side. Naruto turned his head and saw the profile of Sasuke, whose upper body was wrapped in bandages, on another hospital bed.
Sasuke seemed more injured than before. Naruto could vaguely see the blood seeping through the bandages on his forehead.
It was only then that Naruto realized they were in the same room, separated by a white table with a vase of fresh white roses.
"What a coincidence, Sasuke." Naruto said as he raised his body and sat cross-legged on the bed. He pointed at the wounds on his body in an attempt to make Sasuke feel guilty, "It was Itachi who did this."
Sasuke didn't react at all. Instead, he turned his bruised and swollen face fully toward Naruto. With his eyes swollen, he coldly muttered, "Me too."