[NTU] [ARC-09-KYUUBI] Chapter : 130 (Patreon)

"Who are you?" Minato demanded, his eyes fixed on the masked man before him.

When the masked man remained silent, Minato pressed on, "Where did you get the Sharingan in your eyes?"

The enemy not only possessed the long-lost Wood Style bloodline from Konoha but also a Sharingan. Moreover, he was proficient in space-time ninjutsu, making him a formidable adversary.

"These eyes? I acquired them during the Third Great Ninja War," Obito replied, feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction at seeing his former sensei's troubled expression.

Despite Rin's plea not to hold a grudge against the village, Obito found it impossible to forgive after losing her. Much like Sasuke in the original series, who sought revenge against the village after learning the truth about his brother, Obito made a similar choice.

"Could that eye of yours be..." Minato began, a realization dawning on him.

Obito's heart skipped a beat, fearing his sensei might recognize him. He wasn't ready to face his past.

"Were you the one who attacked the Root ninjas and stole Obito’s Sharingan?" Minato asked, pressing further. "With Wood Style, you must be from Konoha. Why attack the village?"

"Who knows?" Obito shrugged. "Maybe it's for war, maybe peace, or maybe just on a whim."

Relieved that his identity remained concealed, Obito couldn't help but inwardly scoff at Minato’s inability to recognize him. The legendary Yellow Flash, it seemed, had his limits.

"It appears Konoha has some capable ninjas after all," Obito mused, noticing a figure standing on the back of a giant lizard in the distance. "They actually managed to drive the Nine-Tails out of the village. I underestimated them."

Seizing the opportunity of the enemy's gaze elsewhere, Minato launched an attack with his Flying Thunder God Kunai, hoping to capitalize on Obito's distraction.

...

"Hiruzen, that old fox, isn't planning to trick me, is he?" Toshiro grumbled, standing atop Shiromari’s head. He hadn't expected the Sandaime Hokage to struggle so much against the Nine-Tails.

"Is the strongest Hokage really this weak?" Toshiro muttered in disbelief.

"Enma! What’s going on with the Sandaime? If he doesn’t prepare the seal soon, he'll be alive and kicking, but we will be martyrs in a ditch!" Toshiro called out, glancing at the Adamatine staff Shiromari held.

He suspected there was a telepathic connection between the old monkey and the Sandaime, one that might reveal more about the current situation.

"It's almost ready!"

"Also... kid, not everyone is as insidious as you Uchiha."

"How could Sarutobi plot against his comrades? You're too suspicious..."

"Tch... relying on your old age to preach me huh!"

After being scolded by Enma, Toshiro grumbled but didn't dwell on it. The Nine-Tails' relentless attacks left him no time to argue.

"I didn't expect the Nine-Tails to be so skilled with fire jutsu!" Toshiro muttered, watching the beast spew flames that scorched and cracked the ground.

The Nine-Tails had attempted to launch Tailed Beast Bombs several times, but Toshiro, along with Shiromari and Enma, had managed to deflect them. Now, the Kyuubi had switched tactics, attacking with intense flames instead.

"Water Release: Explosive Water Wave!" Toshiro shouted.

Despite the simplicity of the fire being spewed, the Nine-Tails' immense chakra made it devastating. Toshiro had no choice but to use a large-scale water release jutsu, similar to Kisame's, to protect himself and Shiromari.

"Damn it... Enma, tell the Sandaime if he's not ready yet, I'm running away!" Toshiro panted. "Then you and that old man can face the Nine-Tails together!"

The explosive water wave consumed a significant amount of chakra, draining Toshiro's remaining senjutsu chakra. Another fire attack from the Nine-Tails, and he'd be done for.

"Here it comes..."

Before Toshiro could catch his breath, a massive, fiery red claw slashed through the battlefield, aiming for him.

Clang!

The deafening sound of metal against metal echoed, causing Toshiro's ears to bleed. The Nine-Tails' claws clashed with the Adamantine staff, sparks flying from the impact.

The beast's numerous tails followed, blowing away the water vapor and toppling nearby trees.

"Enma!"

The Nine-Tails' close-range assault was overwhelming. Even Shiromari beneath Toshiro couldn't hold out for long. The beast's tails were too powerful.

Just as Toshiro instructed Enma to transform into an Adamantine cage for protection, the Nine-Tails' movements suddenly paused.

"Huh... what is this?"

From within a square cage of interlocked Adamantine staffs, Toshiro watched as the magatama in the Nine-Tails' eyes slowly rotated and then vanished. This signaled that the Yondaime's battle was nearing its end.

At that moment, a red signal flare cut through the water vapor, catching Toshiro's eye.

"Perfect timing! Shiromari and Enma are on their last legs. Let's get the Nine-Tails to the Sandaime and finish this!"

To prepare for the final fight, Toshiro dispelled another shadow clone and re-entered sage mode.

"This is?"

Just out of Obito's control, the Nine-Tails didn't react immediately and was momentarily stunned. However, it quickly focused on Toshiro, Shiromari, and the Enma before it. Yet, it didn't really care. The Nine-Tails understood what had just happened. Although it was controlled by the Uchiha who had suddenly appeared, it still retained its memories.

The fox didn't pay much attention to these memories. It was elated by the thought of regaining its long-lost freedom. Without hesitation, it resolved to kill these Konoha shinobi.

"...Hope i'm not too late!"

Just as Toshiro had released another shadow clone and was ready for a good fight with the Nine-Tails, the Sandaime Hokage finally arrived, albeit belatedly.

"No! You're just in time." Seeing the Nine-Tails regaining consciousness and the Sandaime rushing over, Toshiro instructed Shiromari, "Keep your distance from the Nine-Tails. I'm preparing a large scale jutsu!"

While directing Shiromari, Toshiro asked the Sandaime Hokage, "How are the preparations? Have you brought the alternate Jinchūriki?"

The Sandaime Hokage, taken aback, realized he had only prepared the sealing team and hadn't arranged for a new Jinchūriki. He was stunned by Toshiro's question. Without Kushina's unique bloodline that could suppress the tailed beast's chakra, it would be nearly impossible to control the Nine-Tails for long.

"No alternate Jinchūriki?"

Toshiro was incredulous. In such a large ninja village, surely there should be at least one or two candidates for Jinchūriki. "Have you never considered the possibility of the Nine-Tails breaking free and needing to be re-sealed?"

The Sandaime felt embarrassed. Since Mito-sama took over as Jinchūriki, Konoha has always been safe. Moreover, Kushina's growth had far exceeded their expectations, so the elders and he had never considered preparing a new Jinchūriki. Even after Kushina's outburst in the Hokage's office, the issue hadn't been addressed. In such a hurry, where could they find a suitable candidate?

"How about... let me try?" Toshiro joked with the Sandaime Hokage, curious about his reaction.

"This..."

The Sandaime was flabbergasted. Even though he knew Toshiro was teasing, the very suggestion was alarming. If Toshiro took the offer seriously, the situation could become dire.

"It's better to weaken and seal the Kyuubi's movements first! We'll wait until the Yondaime arrives before making any decisions."

"I believe the Fourth Hokage can resolve this matter effectively."

In truth, when Uzumaki Naruto was born, a significant responsibility was placed upon him: to become the next Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki in case something happened to Kushina.

"So be it."

Seeing the Third Hokage use the Fourth as an excuse, Toshiro decided not to press the matter further. He raised his arms high, and as a bolt of lightning shot into the clouds, the dark clouds over Konoha began to emit dazzling light. Ninjas and civilians below watched in awe, heads tilted back, mouths agape at the massive thunder dragon forming in the sky.

Even the Kyuubi, who had previously dismissed Toshiro and the others, now sensed danger. The giant fox curled up, wrapping itself tightly with its tails in its strongest defensive posture.

"Destroy everything.. Kirin!"

With a deafening thunderclap, the ground where the Kyuubi stood was reduced to ruins for several hundred meters. The orange fox lay on the ground, twitching uncontrollably. It wasn’t so much the damage from the attack but the numbing effect of the lightning that spread through its body.

"It's really...electrifying."

"Shiromari, what are you waiting for!" Toshiro shouted, snapping his distracted summoning beast back to action.

Kyuubi had used a lot of chakra, creating seas of fire and enduring Toshiro's Uchiha Fire barrier, making the power of Kirin even more devastating.

"Understood!"

Shiromari sprinted to Kyuubi's side, grabbed its right foot, and dragged it towards the location designated by the Third Hokage.

"You...damn...guy...and that bastard Uchiha!" Kyuubi growled. "Don't let me get out of here, or I'll eat all of you!"

Never before had the Nine-Tails been treated this way. Even Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama hadn't shown such disrespect. Its anger and humiliation were palpable, but no one paid attention to its threats.

"Quick, get to your positions! Everyone in your formation, no mistakes!"

"Sandaime, the Kyuubi’s recovery speed is astonishing. At this rate, it will regain mobility in just a few seconds."

Observing the Nine-Tails through his Sharingan, Toshiro saw the panic among the sealing team. He had to remind the Third Hokage of the urgency. If things continued like this, the situation could turn dire.

The sealing team, accustomed to peaceful times, were now extremely nervous facing Kyuubi's might.

"We need Toshiro to have Shiromari continue suppressing the Kyuubi, or else it might cause trouble," the Third Hokage muttered, frustrated with the ineffectiveness of his sealing team. He could only hope that Toshiro's summoning beast could keep the Kyuubi subdued.