In the shadows of Konoha's central street, Obito appeared silently, scanning his surroundings.
Then he decisively activated the Summoning Jutsu. Black runes spread outward, forming a circular array.
Poof.
A massive cloud of smoke rose. A terrifying, twisted chakra aura erupted.
A colossal shadow materialized within the smoke. Two scarlet eyes ignited.
The invisible shockwave blasted surrounding buildings into collapse. Civilians were thrown through the air.
Those watching from afar wore expressions of pure horror.
"How could this be?"
"The Nine-Tails! It's the Nine-Tails!"
"Run!"
A few older civilians shouted the name. The others scattered in immediate panic.
"It's the Nine-Tails! This is exactly the time to burn my youth!" Might Guy roared, face alight with passionate intensity.
Kakashi hurriedly restrained him. An ANBU ninja appeared, issued orders, and took both away.
In Root headquarters, Danzo Shimura had already gathered most of his subordinates. He gazed up at the giant Nine-Tails in the distance.
His attention locked onto its eyes. The unmistakable pattern of the Sharingan blazed within those fox irises.
Danzo had originally planned to hold his position—using this crisis to strike at the Fourth Hokage's faction, even hoping for Minato's death.
But seeing those eyes, his thoughts turned to the Uchiha clan.
Foolish creatures. How could the evil Uchiha ever truly integrate into the village?
Minato Namikaze, originally from the civilian faction, would completely secure his Hokage position if he managed to recruit the Uchiha.
"Head to the Uchiha compound immediately. Keep them under surveillance."
"Yes!" Most of the Root ninjas sprang into action.
Danzo, taking a few guards, was about to follow when his steps suddenly paused. He turned and glanced at the underground base behind him.
A glint flashed in his narrowed eye. A bold idea formed.
He issued the order without hesitation.
"Send an elite squad to the Zenshu family. Keep watch. If there's an opportunity—take them down."
"Yes!" A Jonin guard nodded immediately.
The guard's figure flickered as he moved forward. Moments later, over a dozen Root ninjas turned a corner and broke away from the main group.
That old thing has vomited blood several times this year. He shouldn't have much strength left.
Danzo frowned slightly, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Withdrawing his thoughts, he focused on the priority: targeting the Uchiha clan. He hurried after his guards.
Without his personal presence, they might not be able to intimidate Fugaku Uchiha.
On another front, Hiruzen Sarutobi led ANBU ninjas toward the battlefield. He also saw the Sharingan blazing in the Nine-Tails' eyes.
His heart jolted. His expression shifted.
He didn't think of the Uchiha clan.
He thought of Zenji and Zenshu.
Not good.
Horror flashed through him.
That youth Zenji possessed the Sharingan. What about Zenshu, who also mastered Idle Transfiguration?
The other party might also control the Sharingan.
The Fourth Hokage still hadn't appeared. With his Flying Thunder God Technique, it absolutely couldn't be because he couldn't arrive in time.
Only one possibility remained: an enemy had delayed him.
"Send a squad to Advisor Zenshu's residence immediately. See if he's present. If not, return and report at once."
"If he is there... keep them under covert surveillance."
Hiruzen pondered for a moment before finishing.
"Yes, Lord Third!" An ANBU Jonin immediately led a squad—four people total—and departed in another direction.
The Fourth Hokage had only been in office for a year. These ANBU ninjas had all formerly served under the Third Hokage's direct command.
The ANBU directly loyal to the Fourth were still being cultivated. In such an emergency, Hiruzen could issue orders without question.
A massive cloud of smoke filled the area. Various debris tumbled through the chaos.
Only two streets remained protected by layered barriers—conspicuously intact amidst the surrounding ruins.
Zenshu slowly floated upward. After reaching a certain height and emerging from the barrier, he suddenly accelerated and dashed into the distance.
The Root ninjas hiding nearby focused their attention. The Jonin captain immediately made hand signals.
The group of over a dozen moved out, quickly arriving beside the barrier.
Two members proficient in Barrier Techniques stepped forward, preparing to undo it or break through.
Inside the barrier.
Gojo Satoru hovered, half-reclining in boredom.
"Boring. I really want to go out and meet that nine-tailed fox."
He flipped over, looked at Zenji, and rolled his eyes.
"Young Clan Head, since that old thing is about to die anyway, you'll be calling the shots from now on. Why don't we go out ourselves?"
Zenji almost wanted to roll his eyes. As if the "old thing" being discussed wasn't also him.
Just as he prepared a dismissive reply, Tengen's voice came from behind.
"Someone is cracking the barrier."
"Who?" Zenji's gaze sharpened.
Gojo Satoru looked directly toward the disturbance. His blue eyes flickered with faint light.
"Thirteen people. All masked. A few have animal masks—the rest all have striped patterns."
"Hmm? There are four more with animal masks rushing over from the distance too. Looks like their target is also our place."
"Interesting."
His eyes lit up slightly. Excitement colored his voice.
"This group clearly harbors ill intentions. Why don't we let them in?"
Zenji glanced at Gojo Satoru's eager expression. His own interest stirred.
"Tengen. Let them in."
Upon receiving the order, Tengen immediately adjusted the barrier—weakening the outermost street protection.
Gojo Satoru couldn't wait. He flew directly out of the courtyard barrier and stopped in the middle of the street.
Zenji sank into his shadow. In the blink of an eye, he emerged from darkness on the street surface.
This new version of the Ten Shadows Technique has been ready for a while. Time to bring it out.
His gaze fixed on the barrier at the distant intersection.
Two Root ninjas exerted all their strength and finally opened a hole. The squad of thirteen rushed through.
Simultaneously, the ANBU ninjas in the rear noticed the anomaly.
They'd watched Zenshu fly toward the battlefield. Just as they prepared to return and report, they witnessed this scene.
"Are those Root ninjas?" The squad leader's voice dropped low. "Why aren't they supporting Lord Hokage? What are they doing here?"
"What do we do now? Return and report?"
"Lord Third's order was to see if Advisor Zenshu is present. He clearly was—just now."
"But he's not here anymore."
"You should understand this mission's purpose. Right now, it's enough to prove Lord Zenshu isn't the enemy."
The argument happened quickly. The Jonin squad leader frowned deeply.
He knew this team member—who possessed Jonin-level strength—spoke reasonably. But he couldn't ignore that the man was a student of Zenji's training class.
Let's observe first. See what those Root ninjas are trying to do.
After a moment's thought, the squad leader made his decision.
At this point, it was indeed sufficient to clear Lord Zenshu's suspicion.
More importantly, the squad leader himself had only enrolled in the training class two or three months ago. He hadn't finished learning all the techniques yet.
In the eyes of a battlefield veteran like him, that training class wasn't just a simple money-making business.
For civilian ninjas, family ninjas, and small clan ninjas with no resources and average talent—it was a kind of salvation.
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