Yōkō arrived in front of Senju Rinoki, glanced at the large hole in his abdomen, then placed his fingers on Rinoki's carotid artery, pretending to check if he was dead.
A large amount of chakra flowed from Yōkō's fingers into Senju Rinoki's body.
Yōkō's chakra possessed self-healing properties, instantly clearing the haze from Senju Rinoki's eyes.
Senju Rinoki lay on his back, looking up at the dark sky and the menacing dark red Nine-Tails chakra.
It was a scene of utter devastation.
He suddenly recalled a scene from his childhood.
He was playing in his father's study when Uncle Tobirama came to see his father.
Uncle Tobirama said he wanted to bind the various shinobi clans, large and small, together, increasing their bonds.
Changing adult shinobi was too difficult. Adult shinobi had lived their whole lives within their clans; many recognized only their clan, not Konoha.
Many clans joined Konoha because Konoha was too powerful, capable of easily sweeping away all hostile forces within the Land of Fire.
Uncle Tobirama said he would establish a ninja academy, where all children, regardless of clan or civilian status, would grow up together.
Uncle Tobirama also said that the first class of the ninja academy must be cultivated into role models for Konoha, earning the recognition of all clans.
He personally taught the outstanding students of the first class: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Akimichi Torifu, Mitokado Homura, and others.
In his memory, Uncle Tobirama's eyes were always full of pride whenever he mentioned Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and the others.
Those first students carried Uncle Tobirama's hopes for the village.
For the sake of those students, Uncle Tobirama did not take any younger generation Senju as disciples.
For the sake of those students, Uncle Tobirama even set aside his prejudices against the Uchiha clan, selected Uchiha Kagami, and devoted himself to his training.
After Uncle Tobirama's sacrifice, Uchiha Kagami sought out Senju Rinoki.
Uchiha Kagami said that as long as the Senju and Uchiha clans worked together wholeheartedly, Konoha would never decline.
The foundation of Konoha was the great reconciliation between the Senju clan, led by the First Hokage, and the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Kagami firmly believed, from the bottom of his heart, that the union of the two clans could ensure Konoha's prosperity.
The Sharingan is the eye that reflects the heart.
Uchiha Kagami's Mangekyō Sharingan ability was extremely unique: the Armored Susano'o that enhanced the Nine-Tails.
If a great shinobi war broke out, the Senju clan could deploy the Nine-Tails, and the Uchiha clan could cloak it in the Armored Susano'o. No single shinobi village would be a match for Konoha.
Uchiha Kagami believed that the Nine-Tails combined with the Armored Susano'o could compensate for the loss of Konoha's top-tier combat power after the passing of powerhouses like the First and Second Hokages, allowing Konoha to continue dominating the shinobi world.
However, Uchiha Kagami did not live to see the great shinobi war, dying before it began.
The situation deteriorated rapidly after Uchiha Kagami's unexpected death.
After Uchiha Kagami's death, Clan Head Uchiha Kane quickly distanced himself from the Senju clan, as if proximity to the Senju would bring catastrophic disaster.
At this moment, Senju Rinoki finally confirmed that after Uchiha Kagami's accidental death, his Mangekyō had been seized by Danzo and was used to heavily damage the Senju clan tonight.
Uncle Tobirama entrusted the village to the first class of the ninja academy.
Perhaps the Shimura Danzo of those early days, and the others, each upheld the Will of Fire, willing to sacrifice for Konoha.
But after countless years, everyone had changed.
Except for Uchiha Kagami, the high-ranking officials like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo had all become repulsive figures.
These Konoha elders were no longer the first students of the ninja academy filled with dreams; they had each been distorted by power into beasts.
Killing him was one thing – in their eyes, he was just a worthless 'clan second generation' with only a famous surname.
But how could they cause the death of their teacher's wife?
Senju Rinoki thought of his father.
The village was his father's life's work, Uncle Tobirama's expectation, and his mother's spiritual support for decades, she steadfastly guarded.
He couldn't give up!
The Nine-Tails seal must not fail!
The chakra appearing at his carotid artery flowed perfectly through Senju Rinoki's chakra pathways, as if it were his own, making him feel much better.
Senju Rinoki had long accepted his mediocrity; he would never reach the heights of his father or uncle in this lifetime.
However, his death could be equal to that of his father's generation – dying for Konoha!
His sister Hanaki, his daughter Tsunade, and Kushina... he could only entrust everything to them...
Senju Rinoki clapped his hands together.
He had always admired his father's style of clapping his hands and effortlessly performing ninjutsu.
This time, he actually used ninjutsu just like his father.
"Ah! Aaaah!"
An exceptionally massive and thick Water Dragon Bullet erupted from the ground, shooting straight into the sky.
Yōkō quickly retreated. He wanted Senju Rinoki to survive, so why was he still fighting with his last breath?
The thick Water Dragon Bullet rose higher than the Nine-Tails, then descended from the sky, crashing fiercely onto the Nine-Tails!
"Seal!"
Before dying, Senju Rinoki had to complete the Nine-Tails' seal.
Otherwise, all the Senju shinobi would die here!
Either by the Nine-Tails' hand, or by Danzo's!
Despite the large hole in his abdomen, Senju Rinoki could still unleash a Water Release of astonishing scale; his vitality was truly remarkable.
The Nine-Tails, struck by the Water Dragon Bullet, was instantly immobilized.
The waterfall created by the dispersing Water Dragon Bullet still possessed immense force.
The ANBU guarding Uzumaki Kushina had to face the thick Water Release waterfall.
The earth roared amidst the sound of water.
Yellow Dog shouted: "Protect the Uzumaki Princess!"
The higher-ups' goal was to weaken the Senju clan, but they absolutely could not allow the Nine-Tails to run wild.
Yōkō extracted his last reserves of chakra.
Dodging the waterfall-like dispersing water columns, he once again pretended to collide with Uzumaki Kushina's Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Uzumaki Kushina once again felt the familiar chakra, the unique chakra possessed only by the Uzumaki clan.
Who was that person?
Uzumaki Kushina raised her head with difficulty, only seeing that the surrounding shinobi were all ANBU.
Was he hiding within the ANBU?
Was there a spy from the Uzumaki clan within Konoha Village?
That spy had transmitted a considerable amount of chakra to her at the critical moment.
The sealing power within this chakra was very strong.
With the help of the massive chakra, Uzumaki Kushina once again increased the strength of her sealing technique.
Above, there was Senju Rinoki's final attack, a momentary recovery before death. Below, there were Uzumaki Kushina's suddenly erupting Adamantine Sealing Chains.
After a roar of unwillingness, the Nine-Tails completely disappeared, sealed within Uzumaki Kushina.
The battlefield fell abruptly silent.
Everyone could hear their own panting, gasping breaths.
A flicker of regret passed over Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
There were still over two hundred Senju shinobi left...
Far too many compared to the plan.
Senju Rinoki's sister, Senju Hanaki, first went to check on Kushina.
Seeing that Kushina was unconscious but the seal was complete and very stable, Senju Hanaki breathed a sigh of relief and carried Uzumaki Kushina on her back.
She then directed two Senju Jōnin beside her to pick up the two large Sealing Scrolls of the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
The surviving Senju clansmen gathered slowly, dragging their heavy footsteps.
Uzumaki Mito, Senju Rinoki, and over six hundred Senju clan shinobi lay dead on the ground.
Yōkō, still shaken, slowly climbed out of the mud created by the Water Release.
In this battle, he had twice given most of his chakra to Uzumaki Kushina, finally sealing the Nine-Tails.
With over two hundred Senju shinobi surviving, surely the village couldn't stage 'accidents' to kill over two hundred people, could it?
The Senju clan was preserved. The Sealing Scrolls of the Senju and Uzumaki clans remained in the Senju clan's hands.
As long as Danzo didn't obtain the Sealing Scrolls, then Yōkō would have more room to maneuver within the ANBU.
While the Senju clan was collecting their clansmen's bodies, Yōkō also went to find his squadron.
Yōkō looked at Leaf Monkey, very surprised: "You're still alive?"
Purple Cat was a Yamanaka clansman, White Goat was a Hyūga clansman; neither of them would be on the front lines, staying on the periphery, so Yōkō wasn't surprised they survived.
He hadn't expected Leaf Monkey to survive.
Leaf Monkey was stunned. Why would the Squadron Leader say that?
He looked down at himself. He wasn't a rogue ninja or a spy; his conscience was clear.
Yōkō said: "Three or four people wearing this mask have died in the past six months. You're not bad, at the very least, your luck is good. Luck is also a form of strength."
The Fox Squadron had lost four members, casualties within an acceptable range.
After the battlefield was cleared up a bit, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo also came to the center of the battlefield.
The ground was littered with the bodies of Senju clansmen and Konoha ANBU.
Over seventy Konoha ANBU had died.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Senju Hanaki.
The muscles on Senju Hanaki's face twitched. Finally, she lowered her head and said:
"Thank you to the village for sending ANBU shinobi to help us complete the seal at the critical moment.
Also, thank you to the Hokage-sama and Danzo-sama for holding the rear and repelling the Uchiha shinobi who possessed the Mangekyō."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, his expression softening slightly, and said:
"The danger tonight was immense.
The Uchiha clan's Sharingan nearly controlled the Nine-Tails at the critical moment.
I was constantly guarding against that enemy hiding in the shadows. Fortunately, he only dared to appear for an instant and was finally forced to retreat.
Bury the sacrificed shinobi promptly. At the same time, the village will launch an investigation to find out who was secretly sabotaging the Nine-Tails, causing such heavy losses to both the Senju clan and the ANBU."
Senju Hanaki kept her head lowered, her eyes bloodshot:
"Regardless, the Nine-Tails transfer seal is finally complete."
(End of Chapter)