The Nine-Tails rampage was a brutal turning point for Konoha. Minato Namikaze—the civilian prodigy everyone had pinned their future on—died that night. A true genius like him doesn't come along often. Sometimes only once in a generation, sometimes less. For Konoha, Minato meant everything. Alive, he would've been their golden flash for decades. Without him, the village took a massive hit.
The Sannin were already aging. Hiruzen Sarutobi was older still. Could Konoha produce another genius in time? And it wasn't just Minato. Dozens of other elite shinobi died that night. The destruction was catastrophic. Countless families lost everything. Hiruzen lost his wife forever.
The entire village drowned in grief. One night of the Nine-Tails had shattered Konoha's future for years—maybe a decade or more. Iwagakure, the village Konoha had just beaten, might actually pull ahead now.
"Why did this happen?"
"Why is the world punishing Konoha like this?"
"It's not fair! We finally had peace!"
"Damn that Nine-Tails!"
People who lost loved ones sobbed in the streets. People who lost homes screamed in rage. "Even Lord Minato died trying to save us—save the whole village. Who can we count on now? The Third's too old. Lord Orochimaru isn't young anymore either."
Iwagakure celebrated openly.
"About damn time!"
"This is Konoha's karma!"
"They only won against us with dirty tricks. This is what they deserved."
"Good riddance to Minato—he killed too many of our people."
"One teacher, three students—now only Kakashi's left, and he's half-blind, borrowing someone else's eye. How much strength does Konoha even have left? Should we declare war and take back what's ours?"
Some Iwagakure shinobi looked hungry for blood. But Ōnoki stayed cold and calculating. "Konoha's power dropped hard, but their foundation is still there. Without Minato they've still got Orochimaru. If we attack now we just hand an opening to the other villages. Better to let Sunagakure and Konoha tear each other apart first."
He stared south, eyes sharp with opportunity.
Kumogakure. The Fourth Raikage felt conflicted. Minato's death weakened Konoha—that was good for Cloud. But Minato had been one of the few shinobi the Raikage actually respected. His death hit different. "A shinobi's life is fragile as hell. Minato survived the war only to die in peacetime. Tailed Beasts really are double-edged swords. Good thing we've got Killer B. No fancy bloodline, but he controls his beast better than anyone. The future belongs to Cloud."
Kirigakure. When one village falls, the others laugh. Kirigakure had plenty of history with Konoha—alliances, betrayals, the whole messy drama. "Minato was supposed to be so strong? Couldn't even beat one Tailed Beast without sacrificing himself and getting half the village killed first. Yagura might've been a shitty Mizukage, but at least he handled his beast right—sealed the Six-Tails and used its power perfectly. Minato better than Yagura? Where?"
Some defended Minato. "The Nine-Tails and Six-Tails aren't the same thing. It's like comparing a chunin to a jonin. Minato was strong. Dying to save the village was noble. Losing someone like that hurts the whole ninja world."
Konoha. Hokage Tower.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were bloodshot. He couldn't believe how fast everything had collapsed. His entire vision for the future lay in ruins. He'd pictured himself, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Minato, and Kushina as a perfect jinchuriki all standing together for decades. Five or six Kage-level shinobi in one village. Konoha would've been untouchable—second only to the era of Hashirama and Madara. Now it was all gone. Kushina dead. Minato dead. Dozens of elite jonin like Yuhi Kurenai's father gone too. And the fallout was only beginning.
"Who did this?"
"Who the hell did this?"
One shinobi spoke up. "I saw the Sharingan pattern in the Nine-Tails' eyes. This was the Uchiha's revenge—the ones who rebelled and fled."
"Exactly! The Sharingan can't be faked. They've been plotting this payback for months."
"Those Uchiha bastards deserve hell!"
Another voice cut in. "What if it was the Uchiha still inside the village? Minato was right there—strangers couldn't have gotten close without him noticing. Only someone he trusted could've pulled it off. Someone like Uchiha Fugaku. Or Uchiha Shisui—he was cozying up to Minato lately. They had the perfect opportunity."
The room exploded with rage. Everyone started shouting accusations at the Uchiha clan like the verdict was already in. Then one voice cut through the noise.
"The Uchiha? Could they even do something like this? If they had the power, why didn't they use it during the rebellion? Why wait until now?"