After breaking free from the Swamp of the Underworld, Rengoku did not go after Jiraiya.
Instead, he immediately rushed toward the direction where his clone Senku was.
Rengoku still maintained Sage Mode on his body, his speed extremely fast.
His whole figure vanished like a mirage in the blink of an eye.
The reason he used Sage Mode today was mainly to test it in real combat and see how long the Sage Chakra mixed with his clone's chakra could last.
When the fighting outside was over, Kakashi and Anko walked out of the tall tower.
With shock written all over their faces, they looked at the corpses strewn across the ground and crouched down to examine them.
Having spent so long in the Anbu, Kakashi could tell at a glance. These were the elite personal troops directly under the Third Hokage.
After he told Anko this, she asked in horror, "The Third Hokage wants to seize the Nine-Tails?"
"I'm afraid that's exactly it."
Kakashi stood up and looked over the corpses all around.
This time, the mask was truly torn off. The old-guard Konoha faction represented by the Third Hokage had officially come into open conflict with Lord Rengoku.
Kakashi had seen battlefields before, but a single person killing this many people? This was his first time witnessing such a thing.
Anko looked at the dead bodies, her eyes full of complicated emotions.
In this world, people, to satisfy their own desires, would stop at absolutely nothing.
Just to seize the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the Third had his own personal troops throw away their lives just to slow Rengoku down.
These elite soldiers didn't die on the battlefield, didn't die at the hands of enemy nations, they died in the struggle for power and profit.
The cruel and dark side of Konoha Village that once lay hidden was now laid bare before Anko's eyes, bloody and real.
She was deeply shaken.
And she began to seriously think about whether she should keep living the same careless, half-hearted life as before.
———
By the time Rengoku arrived, Naruto had already been captured.
Hinata hadn't run far either, that shadow clone of hers had been casually blasted apart by Senku.
When Karin woke up, she had already gathered everyone together.
Now, everyone was awake, though all were covered in dirt and dust, their faces pale and gray.
Especially Sasuke, his eyes were lifeless, staring up at the sky, looking utterly violated and hollow.
Since Rengoku himself had been the one to act, he of course knew how to control his strength. All of them had lost the ability to move.
Sasuke in particular had received extra "attention", he'd at least broken two ribs and couldn't move at all.
Kimimaro and Haku didn't look good either. Though their strength was already among the best of their generation, under Senku's hands, they hadn't lasted even a single move.
This kind of master who knew sealing and formation techniques didn't even need a second strike to beat them.
If the opponent hadn't been a monk, they would all likely have died.
The moment Rengoku appeared, light returned to Sasuke's and Gaara's eyes.
But just as they were about to speak, Karin's voice cut in.
Seeing Rengoku appear, Karin, aggrieved to the point of tears, reached out and threw herself into his arms.
Her mouth quivered, and then she burst into tears with a wail, "Shishou, Naruto's been taken! Sob! Sob! Sob!"
"Everyone's hurt! Sob! Sob! Sob!"
Rengoku was a little confused as to why Karin hadn't healed them yet, but now wasn't the time to chat.
He rubbed Karin's hair to comfort her, "It's fine. I'll bring Naruto back safe and sound."
Seeing that Hinata still hadn't woken up, he took a small bottle from his clothes and handed it to her, "Have Haku set Hinata's bones. The others who are badly injured, give them some to drink. I'll go save Naruto first, we'll deal with the rest after."
Of course, Karin knew exactly what was in Rengoku's hand, so she obediently let go.
Rengoku flashed past Kimimaro and Haku, and Kimimaro suddenly felt his body lighten.
The sealing formation on the ground shattered, and Haku also felt his chakra flow back, instantly feeling much better.
"Save them. Don't follow."
With a flicker, Rengoku shot off in pursuit of Senku's direction.
Haku, who not only loved studying herbs but also had learned trauma treatment, went with Karin to Hinata's side. He tore open the fabric of Hinata's pant leg and began inspecting her calf.
Karin slid her hand under Hinata's clothes to feel along her ribs, checking for displacement.
Though Hinata's tibia was fractured and misaligned, her ribs were fine.
Haku twisted Hinata's leg, gave it a pull, and Kimimaro handed over two of his own white bones, which Haku skillfully used to splint and fix Hinata's leg.
Once Karin confirmed Hinata's ribs were fine, she pinched Hinata's mouth open and poured in some of the "Water of Life."
This was the raw liquid, its effect astonishing. After just a few breaths, Hinata opened her eyes.
She shook her head, but Karin pressed her down, "Don't move. Your ribs and shinbone are both broken."
Hinata looked left and right, "Where's Naruto?"
Karin wiped her face, "Shishou's gone after them. Don't worry, he said he'll bring Naruto back safe."
Hinata bit her lip gently and nodded, a trace of worry in her expression.
Kimimaro looked toward the direction Rengoku had gone, his eyes flickering, no one knew what he was thinking.
Haku busied himself checking everyone's wounds.
Gaara watched anxiously toward where Rengoku had disappeared. Of course Naruto was important, but right now, even Rengoku's hair had turned half-white, Gaara was worried about him too.
Sasuke's expression was dark and gloomy. Compared to Karin, his state was even worse.
Rengoku hadn't even asked about him when he passed by, and Naruto had been taken right in front of his eyes.
The blow to Sasuke's spirit was immense. His whole body radiated a chilling aura, like someone dragged up from the bottom of a cold lake.
———
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Senku held his tin staff in one hand and the unconscious Naruto in the other, moving rapidly through the forest.
He could extract the Nine-Tails anytime he wanted, but right now, he was waiting for the preparations on the Nine-Tails' side to be ready.
Inside Naruto's spiritual space, the Nine-Tails' chakra kept surging outward, and after some time, it gathered beside him to form another massive Nine-Tails.
But his own body began to shrink continuously, finally becoming the size of a human-height fox.
Kurama jumped onto the chakra-formed Nine-Tails and slowly infused it with a fragment of his own consciousness, a separated, beastly consciousness.
The fake Nine-Tails slowly opened its eyes, but it was extremely violent, pacing restlessly inside the prison and roaring nonstop.
Kurama snorted coldly.
"Grrr!"
The fake Nine-Tails trembled all over, whimpering like a child before an angry father, shrinking into a corner and not daring to move.
This fake Nine-Tails carried forty percent of Kurama's chakra, enough to fool anyone.
After all, even in Jinchuriki form, that was about the maximum chakra amount people had ever seen.
Who really knew what the full Nine-Tails looked like?
Minato Namikaze did not rush into the seal. He already knew what Rengoku's plan was.
Seeing the Nine-Tails split to create a fake version, he couldn't help but think that Rengoku truly had a clever mind.
Once the division was done, the original body's chakra condensed back, forming an ultra-dense mass of chakra.
Then, with a sudden tremor, the chakra sent a signal to Senku outside, the preparations were complete.
Minato looked at the two Nine-Tails before him, one real and one fake, deep in thought.
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