First, my M key's kind of broken—it only works two out of three times.
Second… I forgot. Hehe~
——
*Boom—!*
A huge force suddenly slammed into the outer wall of Konohagakure. Chakra exploded on impact, and the entire wall was destroyed in an instant. That terrifying figure now stood clearly in everyone's view.
Inside the Hokage's office, the usually calm Tsunade turned her head in shock. Through the window, she saw the giant figure roaring up at the sky.
Tsunade couldn't help but panic. "Is… is that the Nine-Tails? Why is it attacking Konohagakure?"
The Nine-Tails had always been a friend of the village—polite and calm. It had come to Konohagakure many years ago because of Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju. Since then, it had lived inside the Jinchuriki as the village's protector.
It had only lost control once, when someone manipulated it. That was when the Fourth Hokage died. After that, the Nine-Tails got a lot of criticism and had mostly stayed out of sight over the years.
So why was it suddenly attacking the village again?
Was someone controlling it again?
Tsunade stood up in a panic, looking completely lost.
Just then, the door to the Hokage's office was pushed open, and an irritated Shizune stormed in. "Tsunade-sama! Konoha is under attack!"
Tsunade was startled and quickly turned around. "Sh-Shizune, what do we do now?"
At the edge of Konoha, the massive Nine-Tails loomed like a giant beast.
"We don't know why this is happening, but we have to fight back!" Shizune said without hesitation. "Gather all the shinobi! We need to stop the Nine-Tails outside the village!"
Tsunade froze, looking conflicted. "B-but the Nine-Tails is a good kid. If we do this…"
"Is this really the time for that?!" Shizune slammed her hand on the desk, her face red with frustration. "If we don't stop it now, we'll have another disaster like the one ten years ago! Back then, the Fourth Hokage was there to stop it. Who's going to do it this time? You?"
Shizune respected Tsunade, but even so, she had to admit—Tsunade wasn't suited for the front lines.
If Jiraiya-sama hadn't insisted on it back then, and if Tsunade didn't have such a strong reputation, there was no way she would have become the Fifth Hokage.
Tsunade shrank back slightly under Shizune's glare. "O-okay, I get it…"
"Then please gather all the shinobi and stop the Nine-Tails as soon as possible…"
Tsunade hesitated for a moment before adding, "If possible, try not to hurt it. After all, the Nine-Tails has done so much for Konoha. It's protected us for so many years."
"You don't have to tell me that." Shizune nodded in approval.
Just then, the door burst open again. Kakashi came rushing in, dragging a completely exhausted Guy behind him. As he ran, he shouted, "Tsunade-sama! Shizune-sama! I saw two people standing in front of the Nine-Tails!"
Kakashi pointed excitedly at his Sharingan. "Two insanely strong chakra signatures! Definitely top-tier fighters!"
Just thinking about it made Kakashi even more pumped. Fighting alongside such powerful opponents—it was the perfect way to express the fire of youth!
Kakashi was fired up!
Guy, on the other hand, looked exhausted. He glanced at Kakashi and let out a deep sigh. "We're not young anymore… Why are you still going on about 'youth' and 'burning spirit'? We burned out a long time ago."
"Guy! As long as you don't give up, the fire of youth will burn forever!" Kakashi's eyes blazed with determination.
Ignoring their antics, Shizune was more focused on something else.
She quickly walked to the window, standing beside Tsunade to look outside. From there, they could faintly see the edge of Konoha—two unusual chakra signatures standing right in front of the Nine-Tails.
Shizune's expression darkened. "That's some seriously strong chakra…"
Tsunade, however, looked relieved. "With ninjas that strong, Konoha will definitely be…"
"Don't be so quick to assume, Tsunade-sama," Shizune interrupted coldly. "What if they're the ones controlling the Nine-Tails? Don't trust unfamiliar shinobi so easily. Kakashi, tell everyone to stay on guard. Unless absolutely necessary, do not approach those two."
"Yes, ma'am!" Kakashi snapped to attention.
Tsunade raised her hand weakly. "But…"
"Shut up!" Shizune shot her a glare.
Tsunade lowered her head, pouting but not daring to say another word.
Shizune ignored her sulking and turned to Guy. "Guy, gather a team immediately. Get the Hyuga and Uchiha clans involved. We need to confirm whether those two are enemies, and if possible, find out who they are."
"After that, put the Akimichi clan in charge of leading the operation…"
"Coordinate with them to hold off the Nine-Tails. Prioritize your safety and the Nine-Tails' safety while eliminating the enemy. If that's not possible, you are allowed to remove your restraints and go all out."
Shizune's expression turned cold. "You're more reliable than Kakashi. Keep an eye on him—can you handle it?"
Guy let out a long sigh. "I'm getting old… so I can only say I'll do my best."
"Alright, move out immediately." Shizune waved her hand.
Guy sighed again, then grabbed Kakashi and disappeared in a flash.
Shizune watched them vanish, then turned back to the window, murmuring, "Guy always says he'll 'do his best,' but he's a dependable ninja. On the other hand, Kakashi tends to slack off at critical moments, so…"
She turned to Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, you need to have a clear understanding of the people under your command. That's the only way to handle the responsibilities of the Hokage properly."
Tsunade nodded, looking a bit wronged.
Sometimes, it felt like Shizune was more of a Hokage than she was. The subordinates followed Shizune's orders more than hers. If Shizune weren't so trustworthy, Jiraiya might have already come back to clean house.
Frustrated, exhausted, and helpless.
Tsunade sniffled. No big deal—I'll just work harder and improve!
…But first, let's try to avoid getting scolded by Shizune too much.
At the same time, near Konoha's outer wall, Naruto and Sasuke stood on opposite rooftops, facing the Nine-Tails. The sheer pressure from their presence alone kept the beast from advancing.
"The chakra is the same, but there's no Sage of Six Paths energy. That means this is the Nine-Tails of this world—not Kurama." Naruto crossed his arms, stating his conclusion.
"Agreed." Sasuke nodded, his Rinnegan's tomoe spinning slightly. "And you two hiding behind the Nine-Tails—did you really think we wouldn't notice?"
To be fair, when it came to sensory abilities, Naruto was second to none in the entire ninja world. Sasuke figured if Naruto was the best, he could confidently claim third place. He had Sage of Six Paths power too, even if it was just the Yin half. While he couldn't match Naruto in sensing, he was still far above most.
The Nine-Tails bared its fangs but didn't step forward. It froze for a moment at Sasuke's words, then instinctively glanced behind itself.
The next second, two figures stepped out from behind the Nine-Tails. Both wore black cloaks and masks, their bodies radiating powerful chakra.
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