During the outbreak of war, an additional team of Anbu was dispatched to protect the Nine-tailed Jinchuriki, totaling two squads of elite Anbu Ninjas.
This was intelligence that Hakushi had already gathered using Perception Ninjutsu.
"Pavilion Girl and Raidenmaru have already succeeded; it's time for us to act as well."
Pavilion Girl and Raidenmaru were responsible for initially drawing the enemy's fire, and once the attention of the Konoha Ninja was concentrated there, they would proceed with the plan to incite a Tailed Beast riot, further escalating the chaos.
Ruri didn't object and followed Hakushi, disappearing from the residential area's entrance with Instantaneous Body Jutsu, rushing towards the target location.
"What's happening over there?"
The Nine-tailed Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Kushina, with her long red hair, was awakened by the explosion in the distance. She ran to the window, pulled back the curtains, and opened the window. Chaos swept in with the breeze from outside.
The southeast was covered in flames.
Towering fire pillars mixed with billowing black smoke, and faintly, figures could be seen flying in the air, flashes of lightning cascading down from the sky.
"Don't worry, that disturbance will be resolved shortly."
An Anbu ninja dropped into the room and spoke to Kushina.
The voice revealed it was a female Anbu.
"Aren't you going to help?"
Kushina asked.
"Other Anbu will go, and the village's ninjas will join the battle. Our job is to protect you."
The female Anbu replied.
Kushina nodded, about to say something when suddenly the ground beneath her feet became soft, like a swamp.
"What is this?"
Kushina was startled, quickly jumping away from her spot, and the female Anbu immediately moved, rushing to Kushina's side. She pulled out her Ninja Blade from her back, placing Kushina behind her.
From the soft swamp emerged a humanoid figure constructed of mud.
"This guy is..."
The female Anbu's tone was surprised, as if she recognized the identity of the mud figure.
This mud figure was indeed the Earth General.
After it formed into a humanoid from the swamp, its hollow eyes emitted a dim golden light, staring intently at Kushina behind the female Anbu.
It paused for a moment, seemingly pondering something, then advanced directly without any disguise from the front.
Pff!
Pff!
Pff!
Three Anbu leapt out from the shadows, piercing three Ninja Blades from different directions into the Earth General's body, immobilizing it less than two meters from Kushina, fixing it to the ground with their blades.
Four more Anbu appeared at the four corners of the room to guard Kushina.
"Now it should settle down a bit. No one can surpass the defensive line we've set up."
One of the Anbu Ninja who subdued the Earth General said.
"￥...&*...%￥#￥%..."
The Earth General mumbled incoherently, then opened its mouth, releasing a strong light from inside.
With the burst of brilliant light from its mouth came a thick gunpowder smell dispersing in the air.
Boom!
Suddenly, without warning, the building was reduced to rubble, enveloping Kushina and eight Anbu in the explosion's blaze.
Eight charred Anbu bodies lay collapsed in the ruins, with fragments of their shattered masks still faintly burning with small flames.
Chunks of blackened mud scattered everywhere, slowly converging and coalescing into the Earth General's original form.
Moving towards the "target."
At this moment, Kushina was also covered in wounds, with extensive burn injuries. She lay battered in the ruins, barely conscious, just a sliver of awareness preventing her from passing out, her mouth occasionally emitting faint groans of pain.
The Earth General gave the grievously wounded Kushina a glance, then noticed something, turned its head, and looked around.
Hakushi and Ruri appeared simultaneously, scanning the surroundings, finding that all the Anbu protecting the Jinchuriki had fallen, and even the Jinchuriki herself lay severely injured and unmoving.
Seeing Hakushi and Ruri arrive, the Earth General quietly sank into the ground, disappearing from sight.
"You... why... are you doing this..."
Kushina struggled to open her eyes, as red-colored Chakra began to seep from her skin bit by bit.
This Chakra exuded an extremely cold and evil aura.
Nine-tailed Chakra.
This feeling of hatred was very similar to the One-tailed Shukaku's Chakra.
Hakushi came to Kushina's side, crouched down, and softly said to her:
"You don't need to know these things."
Not wasting any more time, Hakushi lifted the edge of Kushina's shirt, exposing her abdomen, with her navel at the center, where a Sealing Jutsu for the Nine-tailed was inscribed.
"What are you doing... No... Don't..."
The Nine-tailed... their target is the Nine-tailed...
When Hakushi lifted her shirt, Kushina understood his intent.
However, suppressing the Nine-tailed Chakra within her was already a struggle, leaving her unable to resist Hakushi.
Without saying a word, feeling no need to explain to Kushina, Hakushi started forming hand seals. After completing them, he pressed a hand onto the Sealing Jutsu on Kushina's stomach, channeling his Chakra.
"Release!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"
Kushina's agonizing screams echoed through the night.
This painful howl immediately surpassed the limits of what human endurance could reach.
It was likely that everyone in Konoha could hear her wailing.