Chapter 58: Regrouping and Assessing
"Can you continue?" Uchiha Akira asked, his voice low as he kept one eye on the distant Nine-Tails and Nagato. He studied Fugaku, who was breathing heavily.
The clan head was a picture of strain. Twin streams of blood had dried into dark tracks beneath his eyes, and his clothes were torn and blackened from the near-miss of the Tailed Beast Ball explosion.
"It's manageable. It won't stop me from fighting," Fugaku replied, his tone firm despite the clear evidence of his exertion. He straightened his posture, the flickering skeletal form of his Susanoo solidifying slightly around him.
The sound of tearing air cut through the tense atmosphere. A figure sheathed in a vibrant, emerald-green aura shot across the ruined landscape, coming to a sudden stop beside them. Might Dai, his body steaming from the strain of his intense speed, faced the Third Hokage.
"My apologies, Lord Hokage," Dai said, bowing his head briefly. "I have disobeyed your order." The order had been explicit: all chunin and genin were to focus on evacuation, not frontline combat.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the taijutsu master, his expression weary but understanding. "Given the circumstances, Dai, and given that it is you... we will set that aside for now." The sheer scale of the threat made such protocols a secondary concern.
"Lord Hokage," Akira interjected, drawing everyone's attention. "We need to reassess our strategy for dealing with both the Nine-Tails and Nagato. We cannot fight them as two separate battles anymore; they occupy the same space."
All eyes turned to Hiruzen. Though he was no longer the sitting Hokage, in this moment of supreme crisis, his decades of experience and authority naturally commanded respect. He was still the village's guiding will.
Hiruzen gripped the Adamantine Staff, his gaze sweeping from the snarling Nine-Tails to the silent, imposing figure of Nagato atop his wooden fortress. After a moment of intense thought, he laid out his analysis.
"Nagato, with his Rinnegan, can absorb ninjutsu. Standard attacks are useless against him. Sage techniques might bypass that absorption, but physical attacks will definitely work." He then shifted his focus to the colossal fox. "The Uchiha Sharingan has a proven suppressive effect on the Nine-Tails, and the Rinnegan's control is said to be even greater. My proposal is this: Jonin Fugaku and Jonin Akira, use your abilities to contain and divert the Nine-Tails. Jiraiya, Dai, and I will combine our strength to eliminate Nagato with concentrated taijutsu and senjutsu. Once he is dealt with, we can all focus on subduing the beast."
Akira and Fugaku exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison. The logic was sound. Dividing their forces against two such overwhelming enemies was suicide. Focusing their three strongest close-range fighters on Nagato offered the best chance for a quick, decisive strike. Holding the Nine-Tails at bay, even for a few minutes, was a daunting but necessary task.
"Lord Hokage," Akira added, his voice carrying a grave weight. "There is another option. If the situation becomes truly unrecoverable—if the village itself is about to be lost—I will use my Mangekyō's ocular technique. I can kill the Nine-Tails."
A stunned silence fell over the group. Jiraiya's eyebrows shot up. Fugaku looked sharply at Akira, reassessing. To claim you could kill the strongest of the Tailed Beasts was not a boast made lightly. It implied a power of terrifying, absolute destruction.
Hiruzen was silent for a long moment, the weight of the decision pressing down on him. To lose the Nine-Tails would be a catastrophic blow to Konoha's strategic power. But a destroyed Konoha was worse. "If it comes to that... if there is no other path to save the village... then you have my authorization. A beast we cannot control must not fall into the hands of our enemies."
While Konoha's leaders formulated their desperate plan, their two adversaries were also calculating.
This level of Wood Release... it carries the scent of that man, Senju Hashirama. Is it the work of that Rinnegan boy? The Nine-Tails' massive eyes narrowed as it watched Nagato. The memory of being manhandled by the First Hokage's wooden constructs was a fresh, humiliating wound in its long memory. Between the Sharingan's control, the looming threat of the Rinnegan, and now Wood Release, the battlefield was becoming uncomfortably familiar in the worst way. For the first time since breaking free, the idea of retreat entered its ancient mind. It had many enemies here, all dangerous. The primary irritant was the Uchiha with the potent eyes, but the others were not to be underestimated. If this turns sour, I will simply leave. None here can truly capture me now...
On his wooden perch, Nagato felt the pressure mounting. The number of Konoha's elite shinobi was growing, and the combined chakra presence of Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and the green-clad man was immense. His power had grown, yes, but he was not yet invincible. His battle with the Third Hokage had proven the old man was a monster, his black staff capable of shattering his defenses. And where was "Madara"? Had the Fourth Hokage dealt with him?
As if summoned by his thought, the air beside Nagato twisted. Uchiha Obito, his tiger-striped mask unreadable, materialized silently, his single visible eye fixed coldly on the Konoha group.
Madara's chakra is disturbed. He faced a setback against the Fourth, Nagato observed internally. He followed Obito's gaze and saw the reason.
From the direction of the village outskirts, a flash of yellow light announced a return. Namikaze Minato stood before them, his Hokage cloak fluttering. Cradled in one arm was a pale, weakened Kushina Uzumaki. In her arms, swaddled tightly, was their newborn son.
Another of the Uzumaki... Nagato thought, a flicker of complex emotion crossing his face before it was schooled back into neutrality.
On Konoha's side, the sight of Minato and a living Kushina brought a wave of palpable relief.
"Minato! Report!" Hiruzen called out, his voice urgent.
Minato's expression was grim as he stared at the masked man beside Nagato. "The masked one claims to be Uchiha Madara. He wields Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan. His space-time ninjutsu is... exceptional. Without a specific counter, matching him would be extremely difficult."
"Is it truly Madara?" Hiruzen pressed, his face like stone.
"I don't believe so," Minato shook his head. "But he is dangerously knowledgeable. He anticipated many of my Flying Thunder God movements. Fortunately, he was not prepared for the secondary developments of the technique." He didn't elaborate further, but the tension in his shoulders spoke of a narrowly won engagement. "I struck him with a Rasengan, but the damage seemed... minimal."
"Minato, what is your intent now? Will you continue to engage this 'Madara' alone?" Hiruzen asked. Of everyone present, only the Yellow Flash had the speed to contend with such a spatial fighter.
"Leave him to me, Lord Third," Minato said, his usual warm tone replaced by a blade's edge. The memory of his wife's pain and his son's peril fueled a cold fury. "I have marked him. He carries my Flying Thunder God seal. When the moment is right, this 'Madara' will fall."
A spark of hope lit in Hiruzen's eyes. A Flying Thunder God mark was a death sentence waiting to be executed. If Minato had that advantage, the tide could still turn.
Akira and Fugaku shared another look, a silent conversation passing between them. After a beat, Fugaku gave a single, firm nod. The plan was set.
(End of Chapter)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
💕Patreon members get early access to chapters, bonus content, and voting power on future ideas.💕
Every bit of support helps me write more and faster. Thank you so much for reading! 🥰
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 200 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕