In Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened as he read the latest frontline report.
Kirigakure's plan to unleash the Three-Tails inside the village was not just reckless—it was unforgivable.
His pipe hit the desk with a sharp clack.
"They dare…?" The Third Hokage's eyes hardened. "Then they will pay."
Even so, mobilizing the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki to the front was no small matter. Hiruzen summoned the three elders to discuss it.
Danzo Shimura was the first to speak after reading the report. "Hidden Mist will pay in blood."
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a glance, then looked to Hiruzen.
His expression revealed nothing but they knew his mind was set. They voiced their agreement without further hesitation.
With consensus reached, the Hokage's orders went out at once. An ANBU operative delivered the proposal to Kushina Uzumaki personally. She scanned the mission details, then nodded without hesitation.
Half an hour later, under the shadow of night, Kushina departed Konoha. ANBU and Root operatives flanked her all the way, slipping past outposts and patrols.
The journey was uneventful by design.
When they were close enough to the front, the escort peeled away, leaving the final approach to Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique.
In an instant, Kushina appeared inside Konoha's frontline camp.
Her arrival was a secret known to only a handful of commanders. The fewer who knew, the fewer chances Kirigakure's spies had to warn their leaders.
Under Tsunade's quiet direction, Konoha's forces began loosening their pressure on the Mist.
The intention was clear; let the enemy's scattered units regroup, then wipe them out in a single strike with Kushina's power.
A single jinchūriki could do more in minutes than ordinary troops could in days, and every Mist soldier destroyed by a Tailed Beast Ball meant fewer Konoha casualties.
A few days later, the trap was nearly set. Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, noticed the anomaly first—fifteen percent more troops had returned to camp than expected. His gut twisted.
Something's wrong.
He trusted his instincts. "Once the last squad returns tomorrow, we pull back to the Land of Whirlpools. No delays."
But Konoha struck before he could.
That same afternoon, when most of the Mist forces had gathered, Konoha's lines shifted into an unmistakable attack formation.
Yagura scowled. Retreating without a fight would crush morale and they'd already abandoned Fire Country territory once.
The troops' confidence couldn't survive another bloodless withdrawal. The Land of Whirlpools was too valuable to give up without resistance.
He ordered his deputy to take an ANBU squad, circle the battlefield, and link up with the stragglers for a flanking strike.
On a low hill a few hundred meters from the Mist camp, two figures appeared... Minato and Kushina.
Their sudden arrival lit up every sensor in Kirigakure's command center. The perception-nin froze, eyes wide, cold sweat breaking across their brows.
"That chakra—!"
"It's Minato Namikaze… and a tailed beast!"
"No… the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki!"
The words sent a ripple of alarm through the Mist leadership.
Yagura hesitated only a moment before barking, "Disperse the troops!" But even with a sensor transmitting the order, the warning came too late.
Kushina stood beside Minato, her red hair whipping in the wind. The seal on her belly loosened. Dark red chakra erupted around her, coalescing into the form of a smaller Nine-Tails, five tails streaming behind her like living flames.
Above her, yin and yang chakra swirled together—red and blue blending into an ominous violet. Ten spheres, each the size of a baby's fist, hovered in the air.
A heartbeat later, the Tailed Beast Balls shot outward like bullets.
BOOM.
Ten simultaneous detonations ripped through the Mist camp. Mushroom clouds rose into the sky as shockwaves flattened tents, trees, and men alike.
In the blast zones, ninja simply ceased to exist, erased in an instant. Those caught farther out were hurled through the air, bleeding from ears, eyes, and mouths.
Within moments, the units Konoha had deliberately spared in recent days were annihilated—along with more besides.
From Konoha's lines, soldiers stared at the towering columns of flame.
"What just happened? We haven't even attacked yet!"
"Did their own explosives go off?"
Uchiha Gen, standing in the crowd, felt the chakra's weight and knew the truth.
Only a Tailed Beast Ball could do this.
Tsunade raised her arm, voice ringing across the ranks. "The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki has joined the battle! This is our chance, drive Kirigakure into the sea and end the war!"
Her words spread down the line like fire through dry grass.
"Defeat Kirigakure and end the war!"
"Defeat Kirigakure and end the war!"
The roar of thousands of voices rolled toward the Mist camp as Konoha's forces surged forward.
In the Mist command center, Yagura and his officers stood on the tent roofs, staring at the devastation. The ground where their camp had stood was now pitted craters and smoking ruin.
"Mizukage-sama… it's really her. And Minato is with her. Konoha will be here in thirty seconds."
Ao's Byakugan swept the battlefield. His jaw clenched. "Damn it… if only the Three-Tails were still here…"
Yagura's decision was instant. "Full retreat! Now!"
Blood-red signal flares exploded overhead; Kirigakure's order for an unconditional withdrawal. No gear, no wounded, just run.
The Mist soldiers didn't argue. The sight of Kushina's power had already broken their will to fight.
On the hill, Kushina's crimson form pulsed with chakra. A sixth tail unfurled behind her as yin and yang gathered once more.
Not over yet.