One by one, Konoha's shinobi shook off sleep and fear.
Out of duty and instinct, they rushed home, threw on combat gear, grabbed weapons, and sprinted toward the rampaging Nine-Tails under the anxious gazes of their families.
The tide swelled. Chūnin, jōnin, even fresh-faced genin poured into the streets, converging toward the beast.
But the younger ones didn't make it far. Veteran shinobi intercepted them along the way, forcing them back.
"Go! Help with the evacuation. This fight isn't for you."
They were right.
Against the Nine-Tails, a genin's jutsu was less than a mosquito bite. Even most chūnin could only sting it briefly before being crushed.
But at least their combined efforts, wind blades, fireballs, and earth spikes could draw the beast's attention for a few seconds at a time.
It still hurt to be pricked by a needle, after all.
The jōnin formed the backbone of resistance, coordinating in squads, weaving strategies that bought precious minutes. But the truth was cruel, once the Nine-Tails unleashed a Tailed Beast Ball, all their teamwork meant nothing.
Only Kage-level shinobi could decide this battle. And not just any Kage level, someone like Namikaze Minato, whose Flying Thunder God gave him speed and reach no ordinary technique could match.
Even the Third Hokage, with his reputation as the 'Professor of Ninjutsu,' could only twist trajectories with massive earth-style barriers. Once, twice, if his timing was flawless. But not forever.
Everyone understood; two or three full-powered Tailed Beast Balls, and Konoha would be nothing but ash and rubble.
So when Obito had sneered, "With the Nine-Tails unleashed, you have no hope at all," it hadn't been empty boasting.
The complete Nine-Tails stood on par with a Perfect Susanoo. Even without its ultimate attack, given time it could level any village.
Only Minato's Flying Thunder God, coupled with Kushina's sealing chains, gave Konoha a chance at all. Without them, it was already over.
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha compound, signal flares burst red in the sky.
On his rooftop, Uchiha Fugaku stood in combat gear, commanding his clan. The courtyard around him filled with police force shinobi, faces grim, eyes hard, the air heavy with tension.
Fugaku didn't waste time.
"Send word to those not here yet. Form teams. Begin evacuation immediately, our people first, then the villagers. One team stays to secure the clan, the other eight assist with the village."
"Understood!"
In a flash, they were gone, bounding over rooftops, voices ringing into the night as they rallied civilians to flee.
Gen did not follow them. He landed beside Fugaku instead.
"Clan leader, I have a suggestion."
Fugaku's stern face cracked into the faintest smile. "Go on."
"The village is in unprecedented danger. This is the Uchiha's chance to show we stand with Konoha. If we push harder than anyone else, if we protect more than anyone else, we'll win the trust of the clans and villagers. This is how we secure the future of a Hokage from our bloodline."
Fugaku's eyes sharpened. "You're right. What do you propose?"
"Evacuation doesn't need every jōnin. Others will join in anyway. Our elite should not stay idle. The Uchiha must be seen fighting at the front. Protecting the village itself."
He lowered his voice. "The Nine-Tails' eyes… some shinobi will have noticed the Sharingan's glow. If, when this is over, every clan has suffered and only the Uchiha remain untouched, suspicion will consume us. No one will care that we worked behind the scenes. They'll only remember what they saw."
Fugaku froze. He knew it was true.
The Nine-Tails' natural eyes were vertical slits, but under Obito's control they warped into three tomoe, then a full Mangekyō wheel.
Anyone sharp-eyed enough would notice. And without context, they'd blame the clan.
The truth is no Mangekyō alone could dominate the full Nine-Tails. Even strengthened with Hashirama's cells, Obito couldn't do it without Madara's contract seal.
Half a beast, yes.
The whole monster? Impossible.
But no villager would understand that nuance.
Fugaku clenched his fist. If they hid now, they were finished. If they fought openly, maybe they could rewrite the narrative.
His decision hardened. "Gen. Gather the jōnin. We fight for Konoha's survival tonight."
"Yes, Clan leader." Gen inclined his head, then paused. "One more thing. Lord Orochimaru's protection..."
Fugaku seized on it. "Yes! If Orochimaru shields us, casualties will be lessened. And with your connection and the funding we've provided, surely he won't refuse."
Gen shook his head. "Sensei isn't here. He left four days ago for a research base in the Land of Fire."
Fugaku's shoulders sagged. "So we face this alone… Very well. Go."
Gen bowed and vanished into the night.
Far beneath the mountain forests outside the village, in the dim stone halls of Root, Shimura Danzō listened to his operatives' reports.
Though stripped of his title and 'retired' under Hiruzen's orders, the truth hadn't changed.
Root still answered to him. Sarutobi never had the stomach to truly take it away.
And tonight, with the Nine-Tails loose, that shadow might finally find its chance to crawl back into the light.