"…The Nine-Tails…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen had only just returned to the Hokage Building, ready to rally the Anbu and Root operatives to stop the Uchiha clan's coup, when he felt it—an immense, overwhelmingly sinister chakra erupting somewhere inside the village.
And it was a chakra he knew all too well.
The Nine-Tailed Fox!
"Damn you, Uchiha!" Hiruzen trembled with rage. If they had merely intended to wash the village's leadership in blood through a coup, that would have been one thing—an internal clash between the Uchiha and the Hokage faction.
But now, the rampaging Nine-Tails threatened every single person in the village. Whether ninja, civilian, or child, none would be spared from its indiscriminate attacks.
Last time, to stop the Nine-Tails, Namikaze Minato had resorted to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, sacrificing himself to save the village.
The seal…
Hiruzen suddenly realized the situation this time was entirely different. Back then, the Nine-Tails had gone berserk after being torn from Kushina during childbirth. Now, it seemed Uzumaki Naruto's consciousness had been consumed, triggering a transformation into his tailed beast form.
In other words—even if Hiruzen sacrificed himself—there was no way to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to end this rampage.
"Get Senju Haruto here immediately!" Hiruzen barked to Yamanaka Kaze.
As a sensory-type bodyguard, Kaze was the perfect choice to locate Haruto quickly. But Hiruzen also knew Haruto had gone to Naka Shrine with Itachi to stop the Uchiha coup. It might be a while before they could return.
"Aburame Torune!"
After assigning Kaze his mission, Hiruzen turned to Torune. The insects Torune carried could swiftly relay messages to Root and the Aburame clan's network.
"Evacuate all civilians and any ninja below jōnin level!"
"Yes!" Torune answered without hesitation. Both he and Kaze vanished in a blur, leaving Hiruzen with the remaining guards.
Hiruzen inhaled deeply. Though he had mastered all five basic chakra natures, space-time ninjutsu had never been his forte. In Minato's time, the Flying Thunder God had been used to warp the Nine-Tails away from the village. Hiruzen had no such option.
"Looks like I'll have to rely on pure strength this time…" His gaze hardened. He never thought that, at his age, he would have to face the Nine-Tails once more.
"All for the sake of the village."
He bit his thumb hard, drew a bloody slash across his palm, and rapidly formed a series of seals.
"Summoning Jutsu — Monkey King, Enma!"
With a sharp shout, Hiruzen slammed his palm to the ground.
Bang!
A billow of white smoke erupted, and the white-furred, armor-clad Monkey King Enma appeared before him, arms crossed. Before he could even ask who they were facing, Enma felt it—a massive, malevolent chakra. Even he recognized it instantly.
"The Nine-Tails?" Enma froze. The events of years past were still fresh in his memory.
"No time to explain," Hiruzen said curtly, immediately transforming Enma into a thick, jet-black staff—
The adamantine staff, King Kong Nyoi Bō. Nearly indestructible, with the ability to extend and retract at will.
"Let's go!"
Gripping the staff tightly, Hiruzen charged forward, sparing no glance behind him to see if anyone followed. Beyond stopping the Nine-Tails, he didn't want Naruto hurt—after all, he was the orphan of Minato Namikaze, the very man Hiruzen himself had recommended as Hokage.
"I must stop this…"
Bursting from the Hokage Building, Hiruzen made for the source of the rampage.
"Is that… Naruto?"
Soon, his eyes locked onto the target. The Nine-Tails' power was surging wildly within Naruto, but he had not fully transformed into the complete beast. Naruto's form was roughly adult-sized, shrouded in blackish-red chakra, six fox tails lashing behind him, his body armored in pale, bony plates.
"Tailed Beast Transformation…" Hiruzen's heart eased slightly. Had it been the full Nine-Tails from the start, he might not have been able to hold it off.
"Haruto… hurry."
He made a quick hand signal, ordering the Anbu with him into formation to surround Naruto. With both Yamato and Kakashi unconscious, relying on Wood Release wasn't an option. For now, Hiruzen could only pray Haruto arrived soon to use Wood Release's sealing power to suppress Naruto.
"But until then, I have to hold this ground."
He swung the staff with precision, aiming directly for Naruto's chest.
"Enma!"
Whoosh!
At his low shout, Enma's staff form extended in a blur, lunging straight for Naruto. If they could knock him clear out of the village, the danger to the civilians would drop significantly.
But though this wasn't the Nine-Tails' full body, as a jinchūriki Naruto's strength and speed were monstrous. Hiruzen wasn't facing the beast's pure will—he was facing Naruto, corrupted by its influence.
Just as the staff closed in, Naruto exhaled a visible white breath and twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the strike.
"ROAR!"
A bestial bellow shook the night as Naruto leapt, landing on the staff and sprinting straight toward Hiruzen.
"You brat!"
Enma's voice rumbled from the staff as muscular arms shot out, reaching for Naruto's leg to pin him down. But at the last moment, one of Naruto's chakra tails lashed out like it had a mind of its own, striking Enma hard. The blow sent pain through him, forcing the staff downward.
Seeing Naruto about to break through, the surrounding Anbu rapidly formed hand seals, unleashing Water Dragon Bullets to drive him back.
The roaring torrents took shape as dragons, surging toward Naruto with snapping jaws.
But Naruto plowed through the water with sheer brute force, barely slowing. In the same motion, he raised a hand high and swung for Hiruzen's neck with lethal intent.
**********************************************************************************************
Hey everyone! Want to read ahead and unlock up to 100 early-access chapters? 📖Plus, enjoy even more exclusive novels! Join my Patreon now and dive into the adventure!
patreon.com/Rawink00
Exclusive 20% Discount – Live Now