"Uchiha Fugaku, was the Nine-Tails' attack your doing?"
"The evil-hearted Uchiha clan meets its doom today!"
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu stood grimly among the Hyūga, the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance, the Inuzuka, and other Konoha clans. Their accusations fell like knives. First they blamed the entire Uchiha clan for the Nine-Tails' rampage, then they barked the order to surround and attack.
Both elders had studied under the Second Hokage and understood the Mangekyō Sharingan far better than most. They knew Susanoo's second form—while formidable—could not annihilate everything. If this fight dragged on, Fugaku would eventually collapse, though the price would be terrible. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, might die. Yet none of them could afford hesitation.
A sudden buzz split the air.
An ANBU operative knelt before the tense Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hokage-sama, the Two-Tails' jinchūriki from Kumogakure is attempting to kidnap the Nine-Tails' host. We're locked in a fierce battle. The situation is critical."
"What?" Hiruzen's eyes widened, anger swelling in his chest.
"Kumogakure… again."
His mind flashed through their past offenses: the attempt to abduct Kushina, the schemes against Neji and Hinata, and now a strike at Naruto himself. For a heartbeat rage consumed him. Then he exhaled and turned to the gathered clans.
"Kumogakure's ambitions know no bounds. If the Nine-Tails is seized or provoked into a frenzy, Konoha faces disaster. I need your aid—now."
Memories of the Nine-Tails' earlier devastation chilled the room. One by one, the clan leaders nodded. Their feud with the Uchiha mattered less than the threat of the beast breaking free.
Relieved, Hiruzen addressed his advisors. "Danzo, Homura, Koharu—the ANBU stay here. The Uchiha are in your hands."
Homura's eyes hardened. "Nothing must happen to the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."
Koharu clenched her fists. "Those Kumogakure scoundrels—bandits without honor."
Danzo said nothing. Behind his blank expression seethed frustration. His secret plan had been elegant: Root agents, disguised as ANBU, would distract Kakashi while Uchiha and Hokage loyalists clashed. In the chaos, they would spirit Naruto away. If the plan failed, the Uchiha would bear the blame, and Danzo would move one step closer to becoming Hokage.
He had not expected Kumogakure to arrive with the same goal.
Silently cursing, Danzo tightened his grip on his cane. "Hiruzen, we can't simply let—"
But Hiruzen was already gone, bounding southeast with a large force of elite ninja close behind.
Inside the spectral armor of his Susanoo, Fugaku watched the Hokage's departure, suspicion flickering in his eyes. Then he sensed the sudden surge of Yugito's chakra.
Why would Hiruzen lead a team personally? Could it be… the Nine-Tails?
He considered whether his clan should seize the Nine-Tails or even defect to Kumogakure, but quickly dismissed it. Controlling the beast with his Mangekyō was uncertain, and such a move would earn Konoha's undying hatred. The resulting bloodbath would dwarf today's conflict.
---
Through his Byakugan, Neji Hyūga saw the source of the chaos: Yugito, fully transformed into her monstrous cat-demon form, surrounded by hundreds of Konoha ninja. Her chakra flared like a beacon. Explosions thundered across the village as paper bombs and ninjutsu ignited the night. Smoke and flame billowed skyward.
Even without orders, half the village converged on the Hatake estate to contain the threat. Yugito fought fiercely, but the relentless bombardment began to wear her down.
Neji sprinted toward her—but two figures dropped from the rooftops to block his path.
Kurenai Yūhi stood poised, one hand on her hip, crimson eyes cold behind her dark hair. Beside her, Anko Mitarashi twirled a kunai with feral energy.
"You masked villain," Kurenai called, "surrender now. You can't escape."
"You'll pay for what you've done to the village!" Anko shouted.
Neji sighed behind his mask. Do I really look so easy to bully?
The black cloak and mask should have warned them he was no ordinary foe.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree-Binding Death!" Kurenai formed swift seals, projecting her clan's signature genjutsu.
Neji blinked once. His pale eyes glowed faintly—and the illusion shattered before it even settled.
"What—how?" Kurenai's breath caught. Even simple genjutsu required time or pain to break. Yet this masked man hadn't moved a muscle.
The Tenseigan's passive resistance surpassed even the Mangekyō's. Neji allowed himself a moment of inward satisfaction.
"Child," he said evenly, "your genjutsu cannot touch me."
Kurenai scowled. "We'll see. Genjutsu: Triple Cherry Blossom!"
A breeze of petals swirled around them. Her lips curved in triumph as Neji seemed to stiffen.
Anko lunged, kunai flashing. But before the blade found its mark, Neji's arm shot up, blocking her strike with effortless precision.
Anko's eyes widened. "Impossible—"
Neji gave her no chance to recover. He pivoted and struck with a gentle-fist palm, the force sending her skidding across the tiles. Then he extended a hand toward Kurenai. Invisible gravity tugged her forward as if an unseen giant seized her. She gasped, hurling shuriken in panic.
Neji vaulted upward, spinning into a swift kick that sent her sprawling. Without another glance he accelerated toward the Hatake estate.
Kurenai struggled to her knees, clutching her abdomen. "Why…why can't I stop him?"
Anko, grimacing beside her, had no answer. Both women, prodigies of genjutsu and stealth, had been humbled in seconds.
---
By the time Neji arrived, the battle around Yugito had intensified. His Tenseigan swept across the estate, cataloging every fighter: one hundred thirty-two shinobi, from seasoned jōnin to hardened chūnin. He spotted Kakashi weaving through the melee with Chidori crackling, Might Guy radiating fierce blue steam from the Eight Inner Gates, and even the legendary "eternal genin," Kosuke Maruboshi, wielding an iron pot like a weapon.
And there—Naruto Uzumaki, still fast asleep, protected by a dozen guards.
If Yugito can secure Naruto, she can withdraw. I need to clear her path.
Neji's fingers flashed through seals. "Storm Release: Laser Circus!"
A dozen searing beams lanced outward, spiraling unpredictably through the night. Guards cried warnings, some diving aside, others too slow. The lasers curved mid-flight, chasing their targets like living lightning. Explosions lit the courtyard.
"Earth Release—!" someone shouted.
Several ninja managed quick defenses, but the relentless beams sliced through their jutsu with surgical precision. Storm Release lacked the raw power of Chidori Stream, yet its agility left ordinary elemental attacks helpless.
With the perimeter shattered, Neji leapt to the roof and dropped beside the slumbering Naruto.
"Earth Release: Four-Pillar Prison!"
Four massive walls of stone erupted around him, each carved with snarling dog heads.
Kakashi's voice followed immediately: "Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
An orange inferno roared downward from the opening above. Most would have instinctively leapt skyward—and been engulfed.
But Neji had already read Kakashi's intent. Instead of climbing, he clapped his hands, black lightning sparking. "Lightning Art: Black Panther!"
A crackling panther burst forth, tearing a gaping hole through one wall. Neji slid through the breach just as a sharp whir cut the air.
Might Guy descended like a comet, the air itself screaming from his kick.
The Fifth Gate—maybe higher. Neji dove into a roll as Guy's strike obliterated the earthen prison behind him, shards flying like glass.
Emerging from the dust, Neji watched Guy's silhouette whirl in the storm of his own momentum.
He respected the taijutsu master. The Eight Gates were deadly; if Guy reached the Seventh, Neji could only dodge. The Eighth—certain death to both attacker and opponent—was unlikely, but not impossible.
Kakashi landed beside his friend, Sharingan glowing. Together they closed in, unrelenting.
Neji tightened his stance. Time was running out. The Third Hokage would arrive any minute, and Naruto remained beyond his grasp.
Across the field, Yugito sensed the shift. With Kakashi and Guy focused on Neji, her own pressure eased. She launched a renewed assault, striking down opponents with feline ferocity.
But Neji's mind raced. I must break through quickly—or this mission is lost.
---
To be continued…
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