The masked man attempted to use his intangibility to catch Minato Namikaze and Sakumo Hatake off guard. However, in the next moment, he was struck by a Rasengan, which left a sealing formula imprinted on him. The control over the Nine-Tails was broken as a result. The masked man phased away to escape, but the real battle was just beginning.
"Lord Hiruzen, please buy me some time. I will—" Minato began.
"Ah… Huff… Huff…" Sarutobi Hiruzen panted heavily, sweat dripping down his face. "I'm… I'm getting old."
Minato and Sakumo had no choice. They had to act on their own. Minato knelt down and picked up the barely conscious Kushina Uzumaki.
"Minato… I'm sorry…" Kushina whispered weakly, gently brushing her fingers through his golden hair.
"It's okay. I've already made sure Naruto is safe. Leave the rest to me." Minato forced a smile, but inside, his heart was bleeding. He could feel Kushina's life force growing weaker, but there was no time to grieve now.
"Lord Hokage, please, I need you to buy me more time!"
But there was no response.
"Lord Hokage?"
"Enough!" Sakumo snapped as he leaped onto Gamabunta's head. "How do you plan to deal with the Nine-Tails?"
Minato fell silent. The Nine-Tails was the strongest of the Tailed Beasts and also Konoha's greatest strategic weapon—a double-edged sword. Since the passing of the First Hokage's generation, no one had truly been able to suppress it.
"Lord Hokage, I need to move it outside the village."
"And then?"
"Then…" Minato's voice caught in his throat. He looked down at his dying wife and thought of his newborn son, Naruto. Was he really going to let Naruto grow up without parents?
"Lord Hokage, I've made up my mind. I can't let the Nine-Tails rampage any longer. I have to seal it again!"
Sakumo, however, didn't respond. He had learned the Reaper Death Seal after becoming Hokage. If anyone should be sacrificing themselves for this, it was him. But now was not the time.
"Lord Hokage, you—?" Minato's eyes widened as he saw Sakumo roll up his sleeve, revealing the Flying Thunder God seal imprinted on his arm.
"What are you waiting for? Your Flying Thunder God should be able to link with mine. Hurry!"
"This isn't… my…" Minato muttered. He realized that this was a mark left by someone else. Was the Hokage planning to call for help from an outsider? A Kage of Konoha relying on external aid—was that really the right choice?
Minato had no time to hesitate. He pressed one hand onto Sakumo's seal while forming the hand sign for the Flying Thunder God: Mutual Teleportation.
Two minutes later, as the Nine-Tails continued its rampage through Konoha—
Boom! A massive white cloud of smoke appeared, halting the beast's advance. Out of the smoke emerged a giant slug—Slug Katsuyu.
Standing atop Katsuyu's head was Kakuzu. He scanned the battlefield, quickly assessing the situation.
Whoosh! Minato and Sakumo appeared beside him, with Minato still holding the dying Kushina in his arms.
"Lord Kakuzu… It's you…" Minato breathed.
Kakuzu waved dismissively. "No need for formalities. The Tailed Beast has broken free from its Jinchuriki. She won't survive, will she?"
Minato said nothing, but Sakumo sighed heavily.
"No… There might still be a way to bring her back," Kakuzu said.
Minato and Sakumo's eyes lit up with hope.
"Just reseal the Nine-Tails inside her."
Their expressions instantly froze in shock.
Before they could process it further—
"Yaaaaah! This is a disaster! I should never have come along on this mess! The Nine-Tails is charging straight at us! Kakuzu, what do we do?!" Katsuyu shrieked.
The Nine-Tails, mid-charge, caught sight of Kakuzu. Its pupils dilated in fury.
"YOU! It's you, you bastard! I'll kill you today!!!"
Kakuzu chuckled. "Still holding a grudge, huh? It's been years. You really should let it go."
His words did nothing to soothe the beast. In fact, they only made its rage burn hotter. The Nine-Tails didn't hate Kakuzu just because of an argument. No, the true reason was the consequences of that argument—the iron whip of Mito Uzumaki, the first Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. That pain had been seared into its memory forever.
And today, it would have its revenge!
"ROOOOAAAAARRR!!!" The Nine-Tails let out an earth-shaking howl, its hatred piercing the sky.
Boom!Boom!
Kakuzu, now airborne, threw a punch downward. The Nine-Tails' furious face was driven straight into the ground.
"Impossible!" The beast growled, struggling to lift its head. Its gaze met Kakuzu's once more, standing atop its very head.
"Now then," Kakuzu said, extending a hand towards Minato. "Are you going to go back on your own, or shall I send you back myself?"
"Damn you! You wish!!"
"If you insist…" Kakuzu smirked.
Clap! He brought his hands together in a sharp motion.
If the backlash from using the Thousand-Armed Kannon was too strong, he really didn't feel like spending the next year recovering from it.
"Let's try combining those two techniques!"
Dark markings spread across Kakuzu's face.
Sage Art: Shikkotsu, Activate!
A golden, horizontal pupil appeared in his eyes.
Sage Art: Myoboku, Activate!
The moment the two Sage Arts fused together, Kakuzu's body trembled slightly. Then, he slammed one hand onto the ground.
"Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
A massive, bearded wooden dragon erupted from the earth, swiftly coiling around the Nine-Tails and binding it tightly.
The beast's eyes widened in fury. This jutsu—he knew it all too well.
"Kakuzu... you damned bastard!!"
Kakuzu formed a one-handed Ram seal.
"Are you going to go back on your own or not?"
"Not a chance!"
"Alright then."
Kakuzu furrowed his brow, his chakra surging.
"ROOOOAAARRR!!!"
This time, the Nine-Tails' roar didn't come from its own mouth—it came from the wooden dragon itself.
"W-What?! How is this happening?!"
Bound tightly, the Nine-Tails' eyes were bloodshot, its entire body trembling uncontrollably. He had experienced this jutsu before—but this time, the chakra-draining force was far stronger than ever.
This wooden dragon... it wasn't just infused with Shikkotsu's Sage Art; it also contained Myoboku's Sage Art. The fusion of body and spirit had amplified its natural chakra-absorbing abilities to terrifying new heights.
Drip!
Kakuzu landed directly on the Nine-Tails' head, looking down at it.
"Are you going back on your own, or do I have to send you back myself?"
This was Kakuzu's final ultimatum—the last chance for the Nine-Tails to make its own decision before its remaining chakra was completely drained.
The beast struggled but finally began to move, each step heavy and reluctant as it made its way toward Minato Namikaze.
Just before it was fully drawn into the sealing vortex and returned to Kushina Uzumaki's body, the Nine-Tails turned back to look at Kakuzu—its gaze filled with pure, murderous intent.
It was the kind of look only the strongest Tailed Beast in the ninja world could give—a death glare that had once been reserved for the likes of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.
Kakuzu chuckled.
"Heh… Nine-Tails, does that look mean you finally acknowledge me?"
Once, that honor had belonged only to legends.
But now… it seemed he had joined their ranks.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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