"Roar!"
Half of the Nine-Tails' chakra flew out and formed the Nine-Tails' physical body.
The other portion, the chakra that had not yet been fully extracted, began drilling back into Kushina's abdomen.
Hiss!
Kiyohara pressed his hand against Kushina's stomach. Chakra flames flared from his five fingertips as he reinforced her seal.
The blade he had used just now had also been coated with sealing formulas, specifically designed to deal with chakra aggregates like tailed beasts.
It was similar to how Minato Namikaze had used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to split the Nine-Tails into its Yin and Yang halves.
Kiyohara had absorbed a large amount of Uzumaki sealing knowledge, and his mastery in this area was extremely deep. That was why he had directly achieved chakra separation.
Rumble, rumble.
Broken stones crashed to the ground.
The Nine-Tails' enormous body appeared outside the cave, all nine tails spreading behind it and slowly swaying beneath the moonlight.
Its entire body was covered in crimson fur, and its bloody maw gaped wide.
"Roar!"
The Nine-Tails let out another roar.
A gale stirred up by chakra tore grass and trees from the ground, sending broken stones flying into the air.
Kiyohara stood where he was. His Hokage robe snapped loudly in the airflow, but his body remained as still as a mountain.
He raised his head and looked at the Nine-Tails, which was taller than a mountain, without the slightest change in expression.
"The operation was a success."
Kiyohara thought to himself.
Good. The current Nine-Tails was now the Yin Nine-Tails.
He would just seal this portion into Naruto later.
Naruto was the reincarnation of Asura's chakra, and his constitution was special to begin with. As long as an extra layer of seal was added, the Nine-Tails would have no way to break through it.
In the original story, it was only because the seal gradually loosened over time that the Nine-Tails had the chance to tempt Naruto, obtain his chakra, and eventually control him into going berserk.
"Kiyohara."
Seeing Kiyohara act, Minato Namikaze let out a breath of relief.
Thankfully, Kiyohara had arrived in time. Otherwise, he could only have watched helplessly as the complete Nine-Tails emerged from Kushina's body.
After all, once a tailed beast was extracted from a jinchūriki, death was certain.
Now that only half of the Nine-Tails had been extracted, Minato didn't know whether anything would happen to Kushina.
"Damn it!"
Obito looked at Kiyohara darkly.
Only now did he realize that Kiyohara was holding a Flying Thunder God kunai. Clearly, Kiyohara had placed a marker here beforehand, allowing him to arrive at any time.
"Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance!"
Obito first used Kamui to twist the surrounding space and create a violent storm.
Then the flames he spat from his mouth followed the distorted space.
In an instant, a vortex-like storm combined with rotating fire, forming a massive spiraling flame that spun faster and faster before the naked eye.
Every rotation expanded its size, until it nearly filled the entire cave.
"Kushina!"
Minato shouted in worry.
Naruto in his arms also sensed the danger and began crying instinctively.
Boom!
A golden chakra skeleton formed around Kiyohara, directly blocking Obito's flames.
Half-body Susanoo.
Then Kiyohara reached out with one hand toward Obito.
A huge golden chakra hand lunged toward him.
The massive hand passed straight through Obito's body, and Obito took the opportunity to use Kamui to leave.
When he appeared again, he was already standing on top of the Nine-Tails' head.
"Thank you…"
Kushina said weakly to Kiyohara.
"It's fine."
Kiyohara shook his head.
Then he removed the hand he had kept pressed against Kushina's abdomen.
The seal on her stomach was no longer leaking chakra. The black formulas had stabilized again.
"Where's Naruto?"
Kiyohara asked.
"He's fine."
Minato lowered his head and looked at the baby in his arms.
Naruto was only crying now. He was not injured.
"That's good."
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze.
He could feel a faint, almost intangible connection between himself and Naruto.
The Asura chakra inside Naruto seemed as if it wanted to leave Naruto's body and move into Kiyohara.
'Does it think I'm the main body?'
Kiyohara stroked his chin.
This was truly turning the hierarchy upside down.
The Asura chakra inside Kiyohara was definitely far greater than the Asura chakra that had just reincarnated inside Naruto.
That caused the Asura chakra inside Naruto to instinctively lean toward the larger portion.
Then Kiyohara looked back at the Nine-Tails.
It was clear that the Nine-Tails was not controlling its own body right now. Obito was controlling it.
Just like that, the Nine-Tails had become Obito's summoned beast.
"This amount of chakra really is enormous, even if it's only half."
Kiyohara sighed inwardly.
As expected of the Nine-Tails.
Although the tailed beasts' strength was not absolutely ranked by tail count, the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails clearly possessed far more chakra than the One-Tail through Seven-Tails.
And the Ten-Tails stood alone in an entirely separate tier of chakra volume.
As long as someone became the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, they would almost immediately possess Six Paths-level battle power.
And that was still under the condition of forcibly controlling the Ten-Tails.
If the Ten-Tails could form a bond and resonance with its host the way the Nine-Tails did with Naruto, the effect it could produce would be even more terrifying.
"Obito, it's time to leave."
Black Zetsu, who had been hiding outside and observing, saw that Obito had finally gotten the Nine-Tails and hurriedly had White Zetsu notify him.
At the moment, several White Zetsu were residing inside Obito's body.
These White Zetsu allowed Black Zetsu to monitor Obito, and Obito could also replenish chakra from them.
"If you don't leave now, Kiyohara will be difficult to deal with."
Black Zetsu advised Obito to quit while he was ahead.
"Kiyohara? Hmph! I'll make sure he doesn't leave alive!"
Now that Obito was controlling the Nine-Tails, his confidence swelled rapidly.
Having never observed the Nine-Tails at such close range before, Obito had not expected its body to contain such an enormous amount of chakra.
No wonder Uchiha Madara, who had been so arrogant and looked down on everyone, had not forgotten to bring the Nine-Tails along when he went to challenge Senju Hashirama.
An existence like the Nine-Tails truly was an enormous asset to a ninja.
"Kiyohara, let me see how strong you are now."
Obito's figure vanished.
"Looks like he went into the village."
Kiyohara said.
"What do we do?"
Minato looked deeply worried.
If the Nine-Tails fought inside the village, the damage would be disastrous.
"Don't worry."
Kiyohara shook his head.
The villagers should be nearly evacuated by now.
Kiyohara thought to himself.
In that case, the barrier should be going up too.
As long as the village had a barrier, there would not be too many casualties.
"I'll deal with the Nine-Tails."
Kiyohara said.
The barrier was meant to prevent unexpected accidents.
For example, Obito summoning the Gedo Statue, or something else that could damage the village.
After all, Uchiha Madara had left Obito with many backup plans. Many of them simply had not been shown in the original story, but that did not mean they did not exist.
"Be careful."
Minato said.
"Mm."
Kiyohara nodded.
...
Konohagakure.
Warning bells rang throughout the village.
Along the streets, lights came on one after another.
The ninja of the Konoha Military Police were the first to move.
Wearing uniforms marked with the Uchiha fan crest, they poured out from their compound and quickly spread along the main roads.
Uchiha Inabi stood at the very front, forming hand seals as chakra surged, carrying the sound of the warning bells even farther.
"All villagers, evacuate immediately!"
With chakra amplifying his voice, it spread through every street.
"Proceed to the shelters! Do not panic! Do not crowd!"
Uchiha Shisui stood atop the high wall on the eastern side of the village. His crimson Sharingan turned in the darkness, scanning the outskirts.
Tonight, he was not wearing his green flak jacket. Instead, he wore an Anbu uniform, the black fabric clinging to his body and outlining the increasingly tall frame of the young man.
Beside him, several Anbu ninja knelt on one knee, awaiting orders.
"Shisui-sama, the villagers have now been fully evacuated."
The Anbu who spoke felt somewhat puzzled.
The villagers in this area had already been evacuated several days ago, with only a small number left behind.
After this final evacuation, not a single person remained. Everyone had moved to the other side of the village.
"I understand."
The three tomoe in Shisui's eyes rotated.
On the distant mountain, he saw many flames of chakra.
The Sharingan had the ability to see through chakra flow, so naturally it could also judge how many ninja had arrived by observing chakra.
And according to Shisui's observation, there were over a thousand.
"The enemy is here."
Uchiha Shisui said.
No wonder Kiyohara had kept ordering them to strengthen security. Enemies really had come.
"Prepare the barrier!"
Uchiha Shisui ordered.
"Yes!"
Several Uchiha ninja nodded and immediately prepared to form the Uchiha Flame Formation.
This barrier could be formed by multiple ninja at the same time and would be even more effective that way.
There were many ninja squads nearby preparing barriers as well.
At the same time, Obito had already arrived in Konoha.
"Tonight is when everything changes."
Obito could hardly wait to teach Kiyohara a lesson.
He pressed his hand to the ground.
"Summoning Technique: Nine-Tails!"
Rumble!
The Nine-Tails in the distance was summoned over by Obito.
Just as Obito was about to command the Nine-Tails to destroy everything, he suddenly noticed a red barrier opening in the sky.
Immediately after, layer after layer of barriers wrapped around this place.
It was as if this area had been specifically targeted, turning this section into a cage.
"…There's even a barrier against space-time techniques?"
Obito frowned.
He discovered that many ninja were rushing toward his position.
"What's going on?"
Obito was puzzled.
He clearly had not leaked any information. Even if they were guarding against trouble during the jinchūriki's childbirth, there was no need to mobilize so many people.
Were they that certain someone would attack?
...
Elsewhere.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi woke from sleep, the first warning bell had just rung. He immediately threw off his blanket and stood.
He was not wearing sleepwear at all, but a full set of battle armor.
For the past few days, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been sleeping in armor.
Because Kiyohara had warned him in advance that during the days of the delivery, there was a very high chance of an attack.
Hiruzen had not asked many questions at the time. He had simply nodded.
He knew Kiyohara would not say such a thing without reason.
"Third-sama."
A ninja entered through the window and crouched before Hiruzen.
"Prepare to move."
Hiruzen said.
The armor on his body was very heavy, pressing his shoulders slightly downward, but that weight instead made him feel at ease.
Bang!
Hiruzen summoned Enma, who transformed into the Adamantine Staff in his hand.
Then Hiruzen led the Sarutobi clan's ninja out to reinforce the village.
The moment they stepped outside, they could see the sky stained crimson.
At the same time, an enormous and sinister chakra filled the air, brimming with violence.
"The Nine-Tails?"
Hiruzen frowned.
Behind him, ninja from the Sarutobi clan poured out of their own houses and followed him.
They all wore black combat uniforms, forehead protectors, and held kunai and shuriken in their hands. Their faces carried tension.
"Keep up!"
Hiruzen's voice came from the front.
"Do not fall behind!"
...
On the other side of the village, Uchiha Fugaku looked at the barrier opening ahead, and at the Nine-Tails inside the barrier, and tightened his grip on his katana.
Beside him, several Uchiha ninja knelt on one knee, awaiting orders.
"First squad, go to the eastern wall and support the Anbu."
"Second squad, go to the shelters and maintain order."
"Third squad, come with me to the village outskirts."
"Yes!"
Three figures vanished at the same time.
Uchiha Fugaku raised his head and looked toward the crimson sky in the distance.
The Nine-Tails' chakra was growing denser and denser. That pressure was like a massive boulder pressing against his chest, making it hard to breathe.
In his eyes, three tomoe slowly rotated.
The Uchiha Stone Tablet said that the Sharingan possessed the power to control the Nine-Tails, but the price was blindness.
Now, Uchiha Fugaku seriously doubted whether the Uchiha Stone Tablet had recorded nonsense.
Could chakra this enormous really be controlled?
"Fugaku-sama!"
Uchiha Tekka's voice came from behind.
"A large number of enemies have been discovered on the village outskirts. They've already engaged the village ninja!"
"I understand."
Uchiha Fugaku nodded.
But their mission today was to protect the already-evacuated crowds.
And it was not just them. Many ninja clans had also begun moving.
"Shikaku!"
Akimichi Chōza called out to Nara Shikaku.
"Did you feel it?"
"I felt it."
Nara Shikaku nodded.
He now understood why the village was so wary of the Nine-Tails and rarely used its power.
"Let's go. We'll help."
Nara Shikaku said.
Elsewhere, Inuzuka Tsume rode a black ninja dog toward the village outskirts.
At the moment, the Nine-Tails was trapped inside the village barrier, while White Zetsu kept attacking from outside.
Her nostrils twitched slightly, catching every trace of scent in the air.
"Tsume!"
Inuzuka Agō's voice came from behind.
"Did you sense it?"
"I did."
Inuzuka Tsume's voice was cold.
"Looks like there are a lot of enemies."
"Indeed."
Inuzuka Agō soothed his own ninja dog.
Elsewhere, the Hyūga clan's ninja had also set out.
Hyūga Hiashi's pale eyes reflected the distant Nine-Tails.
The power of the Byakugan allowed him, even from this distance, to see the enormous flow of chakra within the Nine-Tails clearly. It made cold sweat seep from Hiashi's skin.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again.
"Hiashi-sama!"
Hyūga Natsu's urgent voice came from below.
"The clan members have assembled!"
"I know."
Hyūga Hiashi leaped down from the rooftop and landed on the ground.
He wore a ninja combat uniform rather than the usual robes of the Hyūga clan.
"Ginka, send people toward the Nine-Tails. Be ready to provide support at any moment. At the same time, be careful of enemies infiltrating from the village outskirts."
"Yes."
Hyūga Ginka nodded slowly.
She was also deeply wary of the Nine-Tails.
No one in the Hyūga clan could withstand the Nine-Tails.
So who would solve the current crisis?
For some reason, Hyūga Ginka thought of Kiyohara.
If it was that man, surely nothing would happen.
...
"You knew in advance that I was coming?"
Obito looked at Kiyohara, who had suddenly appeared inside the barrier.
"It's normal to make some preparations, isn't it?"
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
"Hmph."
Obito did not think this was preparation. It looked more like a targeted trap.
"Nine-Tails."
Obito stepped on the Nine-Tails' head.
"Tailed Beast Bomb."
The Nine-Tails opened its massive mouth.
Positive and negative chakra gathered deep in its throat, finally forming a pitch-black sphere.
"Tailed Beast Bomb…!"
Nara Shikaku, who was nearly there, looked at the Nine-Tails.
He also wasn't sure how many Tailed Beast Bombs this barrier could withstand.
"If it fires that, the village is finished."
Akimichi Chōza frowned.
"Hokage-sama… can he block it?"
Many ninja had already arrived outside the barrier, watching Kiyohara confront Obito inside.
The next moment, the Nine-Tails opened its mouth, and the pitch-black sphere shot from its throat.
The Tailed Beast Bomb dragged a crimson tail of light as it flew toward Kiyohara.
"Ashihara no Yūsei."
Kiyohara said calmly. Strange patterns appeared in his crimson eyes.
He activated the dōjutsu in his right eye.
After evolving into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Kiyohara's dōjutsu had also been strengthened.
Whoosh!
A tiny black point appeared where Kiyohara's gaze focused. Immediately after, space began to collapse inward, like a miniature gravitational singularity.
The gravity around the Tailed Beast Bomb instantly changed.
Boom!
Under the influence of the singularity, the Tailed Beast Bomb flew straight into the sky and exploded among the clouds.
In truth, Kiyohara could also have used this technique to directly collapse the Tailed Beast Bomb, forcing Obito to eat the blast at close range.
But doing so would have destroyed the surrounding terrain, so Kiyohara chose to knock it into the sky instead.
A mushroom cloud exploded dozens of miles away.
The shockwave shredded the clouds, and even the earth trembled slightly.
The ninja outside the barrier stared blankly at all of this.
None of them had expected such a terrifying Tailed Beast Bomb to be neutralized so easily by Kiyohara.
"!"
Obito had not expected this either, and he looked at Kiyohara in surprise.
Very quickly, he noticed that the Mangekyō pattern in Kiyohara's eyes had changed.
"Kiyohara has no blood relatives, so how did he awaken the Eternal…"
Obito's heart filled with doubt and alarm.
Although he had not awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, under the support of Hashirama cells, his eyes were effectively no different from that state.
He had also heard about the Eternal Eye from Uchiha Madara.
One had to transplant the eyes of a brother or close blood relative to break the Mangekyō's curse and obtain the Eternal Eye.
"Cloning?"
Obito thought of that possibility.
"Leave quickly, Obito."
Black Zetsu was still urging Obito.
"Shut up."
Obito directly told Black Zetsu to be quiet. Then he pressed his hand against the Nine-Tails' fur and used ninjutsu to extract the Nine-Tails' chakra to replenish his own consumption.
"Confused, are you?"
Kiyohara had also noticed Obito's hesitation.
But he did not explain anything. Instead, he directly activated Susanoo.
A massive golden giant appeared in front of the Nine-Tails, and its body was even larger than the Nine-Tails by a full size.
Kiyohara stood at Susanoo's forehead, wrapped in golden chakra.
~~~