The sky collapses, the earth caves in?
No.
When the horizontal slash carrying all of Hakken Yoru's spiritual pressure turned into a Cero-like blast, everything before him vanished. From the Konoha Hospital behind him to the dense forests beyond the village outskirts—all gone.
This was his strongest attack. True destructive power. A single slash unleashed with every drop of energy he could muster.
He had been preparing for this strike from the very beginning. The ability to mobilize all his energy in an instant—he still hadn't mastered it completely.
First, he called upon his instincts to activate the White Hollow template. Then the spiritual pressure of the Oni fused with the power of the White Hollow. On top of that, the chakra within his body gathered into the chakra blade formed on his Zanpakutō.
For now, this was Hakken's strongest horizontal slash.
Obito? Nothing remained before him but a vast, empty ravine.
Clang.
The Zanpakutō sank into the ground. Hakken's body began to tremble. A wave of weakness surged from within—not physical fatigue, but the hollow emptiness of drained spiritual pressure. It would take several days to recover.
But his goal was achieved.
Looking toward the village, at the now still Nine-Tails, Hakken smiled faintly and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
It was over. The damn Nine-Tails incident.
He dropped to the ground with a thud and yawned. Exhaustion was inevitable. There were still things left to handle, but for now, a short rest was the right call.
Just as he decided to take a break, he gave a dry laugh. Inside Konoha, the spiritual fluctuation of a certain soul suddenly turned strange.
"Come on, Minato-sensei, that was a bit too fast, don't you think?"
He sighed and dragged his weary body toward the village. But the weakness grew worse, and he almost stumbled.
"Ken-san."
A familiar figure appeared before him, surprising Hakken.
"I'll carry you."
"The enemies who attacked Konoha have been completely wiped out. I was worried, so I came to check on you."
Itachi turned his head slightly to look at Hakken.
"Though it feels a bit awkward, Hakken-san, this time it's my turn to stand in front of you."
"You're exhausted. Get some sleep."
Sleep my ass. Things aren't over yet.
Hakken rolled his eyes.
...
Inside Konohagakure.
Kurama glared at the stares from those around him, wanting to swish his tail in annoyance. But just as he started to move, he held back. That brat said not to act recklessly. He gave a proud little snort and settled into a comfortable crouch on the ground.
A man, ignoring his warning, charged toward him at breakneck speed, apparently intent on grabbing his beautiful tail.
"Stay away from me, you jerk."
The displeased Kurama backed up and accidentally knocked over a few rooms.
Ugh. This isn't my fault. Something's off with the Nine-Tails.
Minato stared blankly at the enormous Tailed Beast. Truth be told, he'd noticed this peculiarity the moment he'd settled Kushina and Naruto. The tailed beast, reputed to embody hatred and malice, hadn't rampaged through Konoha upon its emergence. Apart from its initial, uncontrolled thrashing while under control, now that the genjutsu had faded, it simply sat there obediently, not moving an inch.
What was going on? Was it preparing some massive attack? Minato's mind filled with question marks.
It wasn't his fault. Kushina, having received the Sage Seal, was resting and hadn't told Minato about Hakken and the Nine-Tails. Besides, she'd been quite far away that day and didn't know the specifics either. So now the Nine-Tails stood there freely breathing, in plain sight.
"Fourth Hokage, we're ready!"
Confused shinobi gathered around. Whether to attack hinged on the Fourth's command. But Kurama clearly sensed their intentions. It sprang to its feet, claws extended.
"Who dares lay a hand on me!"
After all this trouble to get out, you want to fight me? Do you really think I won't fight back?
Puffing out its cheeks, a massive sphere slowly formed before Kurama. The Tailed Beast Ball was taking shape. Its imposing roar instantly put Minato on edge. Without hesitation he charged forward.
Seeing Kurama preparing to spin its tail and form the Tailed Beast Ball, Minato's expression turned grave. The Flying Thunder God Technique could divert the Tailed Beast Ball. But if Kurama spun its body to unleash a full Tailed Beast Ball, every shinobi nearby would likely die.
There was no choice. The Yellow Flash's gaze hardened with resolve. There was no time left for hesitation. His hands formed seals at lightning speed. The duty to protect the village compelled him to step forward. He must seal it before the Tailed Beast Ball was complete. He was Konoha's Hokage—protecting the village was his mission—even if it cost him his life.
"Hakken, I leave the village to you!"
"Fūinjutsu!"
"Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"
"Holy shit!"
The righteous sealing ritual had barely begun when a vast Shinigami specter slowly materialized. Yet that baffling "holy shit" rang out jarringly.
"Sensei, you could've at least exchanged a few blows before sealing it!"
"I already made a deal with it. See? It hasn't caused any trouble, right?"
Hakken, riding Itachi, rushed as fast as he could but ultimately arrived a step too late. Pointing at the Nine-Tails, he said with a hint of resignation.
"Here we go. This little brat."
With a snort, the proud Kurama swallowed the Tailed Beast Ball whole. A muffled boom echoed as gas began spreading outward. Instantly all the surrounding shinobi covered their mouths.
"What the hell is that smell?"
"Like eating shit."
"It stinks so much."
Hah. Foolish humans. Didn't expect that, did you? The Tailed Beast Ball was fake. I just wanted to put on a show. Getting some fresh air without scaring people makes me feel uncomfortable. Who told you to attack me? You deserve to be gassed to death.
Minato's mouth twitched. Sometimes being too quick with hand seals isn't such a good thing. Confused, he glanced at the Nine-Tails, obediently crouched nearby, then at the shadowy Shinigami figure behind him. Minato fell into deep thought.
In that moment he understood. He seemed to have... missed the mark. The Nine-Tails was on his side. The atmosphere turned awkward.
Hakken sighed, patted Itachi, and leaped off his back. Given the current situation, it wasn't too late. If the ritual had been completed, Minato might have truly suffered. But now there was still time.
"Hey, you can get lost."
Unlike the others who could only vaguely sense the oppressive atmosphere, Hakken—being a Shinigami himself—saw everything clearly. He was a Shinigami. A real Shinigami. With a Zanpakutō. Things like souls couldn't hide from his eyes.
The deep growl startled Minato. Hakken could actually see the Shinigami? Wasn't it said only those who signed a contract could see him? As if provoked, the Shinigami clawed wildly, drawing the blade that severed souls, seemingly ready to strike at Minato.
Swish.
This insolent bastard!
The Zanpakutō flashed brilliantly. The soaring Getsuga Tenshō instantly cleaved the Shinigami in two. A piercing wail rent the sky, making even the shinobi who couldn't see the Shinigami cover their ears.
Finally the Shinigami's phantom vanished from the air.
"Just as I expected."
Exactly as Hakken had surmised. Against any soul entity, the Zanpakutō was an unmatched nemesis. With the Shinigami gone the sensation of his soul being grasped vanished. Minato stood stunned, unable to speak.
Boom.
Having watched the spectacle, Kurama stretched lazily, ruffled a few more houses, then began to shrink. Once reduced to a miniature fox, he bounded over to Hakken.
"Hey, kid. I kept my promise. When are you going to keep yours?"
The adorably clueless fox asked, extending a paw.
"Seems you don't grasp the severity. Why didn't you shrink earlier? Had to do it now? Don't you realize you're crushing things?"
"And..."
Hakken grabbed Kurama's ears like a little chicken, hoisted him into the air, and pressed his mouth against those huge ears. The boy's chest puffed out as he mustered every ounce of strength to shout.
"Who the hell told you to use the Tailed Beast Ball to scare people!"
In that instant Kurama seemed to hear a mountain roar and ocean crash. Its eyes rolled back, its legs buckled, and it fainted. As its eyes closed, Hakken heard only a faint murmur.
"I'm not good at... restraint..."
"Kid... if I could actually beat you..."
...
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