A lizard's tail isn't just an emergency tool for storing energy and escaping—it's also one of its most important weapons.
In nature, a lizard's tail is a symbol of strength and status. And with a body as massive as Lizardmaru's, the power behind his tail was downright terrifying.
Even something as enormous as the Nine-Tails couldn't avoid being forced back when that tail whipped across it.
The strike left a visible wound, and the beast's anger swelled even further.
Even without true self-awareness, its emotions still followed raw animal instinct.
Any beast that gets attacked will go berserk.
It threw its head back—
And once again, pitch-black chakra began to gather. That aura of absolute destruction bloomed again.
"Another Tailed Beast Bomb?" Hikaru immediately sensed what was coming.
But Lizardmaru had only just landed—he couldn't leap again right away.
That meant Hikaru couldn't rush straight into the Nine-Tails' face to stop it.
So Hikaru made his choice in an instant.
He began forming seals again—
And without needing to be told, Lizardmaru's chakra surged as well.
"Sage Art: Earth Release — Earth-Style Wall!"
"Earth Release: Ten-Thousand-Li Earth Wall!"
Hikaru and Lizardmaru released their techniques almost at the same time.
Hikaru's wall—infused with senjutsu chakra—erupted with five huge lizard heads forming along its structure.
At the same time, Lizardmaru unleashed an even larger defensive technique.
Lizardmaru didn't possess senjutsu, but as a lizard summon, he was naturally skilled in Earth Release.
Back when he guarded Shōsaki Castle as the Shōsaki Lord's contracted summon, defenses on that scale were exactly why Konoha hadn't simply flattened the fortress long ago.
Two enormous, thick walls rose like mountains—
Blocking the Nine-Tails and the hastily fired Tailed Beast Bomb outside the barrier.
But Hikaru still didn't relax.
He kept pouring chakra into the wall without stopping.
And thankfully, with his chakra now fully "unsealed," he could finally wield his power without restraint.
A moment later—
A blinding burst of light erupted, turning the night sky bright for an instant.
Hikaru felt the crushing force pressing against his defense and couldn't help but marvel.
So this is the Nine-Tails…
Even a rushed Tailed Beast Bomb carried terrifying power.
But what made Hikaru truly pleased was this:
His senjutsu held.
Even though his Earth Wall was now riddled with damage…
Even though Lizardmaru's wall had been pierced as well…
Both walls had their upper halves almost completely burned to ash—proof of just how monstrous that blast had been.
The ground shook violently.
The explosion was so fierce that several shinobi behind Hikaru lost their footing and fell.
Through the shattered remains of the wall, the Nine-Tails could be seen thrashing its nine tails, eyes locked on Hikaru like it wanted to tear him apart.
The Third Hokage and the others stared too.
They'd expected Hikaru might be able to hold the Nine-Tails back—
After all, he'd stirred chaos across the Land of Wind, and he had a summon like Lizardmaru.
Together, it sounded plausible.
But seeing it with their own eyes?
The power on display was still shocking.
Even those who knew Hikaru's identity felt it.
As for the shinobi outside ANBU—
They were completely stunned.
Earlier, Minato had redirected a Tailed Beast Bomb, and even from far away they'd felt its dreadful might.
Now an "unknown" ANBU member had done this right in front of them:
He'd summoned a beast nearly the Nine-Tails' size—
And with that summon, he'd blocked the Nine-Tails' attack.
Who is that kid?
Almost every Konoha shinobi stared at the young man standing atop the giant lizard.
They could tell from the uniform he was ANBU.
But beyond that… they had no idea who he was.
All they could do was think the same thing:
ANBU really was a place where monsters hid in the shadows.
"It's him… it's really him!"
Uchiha Shinya had been watching the entire time.
The moment the giant lizard appeared, he recognized the figure on its head.
They hadn't crossed paths many times, but every encounter had left a deep impression.
Even with the mask, that silhouette, that aura, that distinctive hair—
There was no way Shinya could be mistaken.
He'd always known Hikaru was ANBU.
He'd always known Hikaru wasn't ordinary.
That first meeting, especially, had been unforgettable.
A teahouse—quietly replaced, surrounded, and occupied by ANBU without him noticing.
The customers had all been swapped out.
Shinya could still imagine it clearly:
If he'd had even a slightly wrong thought that day, he'd be rotting in an ANBU prison right now—never seeing daylight again.
But before he could dwell on it further—
Something else happened.
A huge shift rippled across the battlefield.
Shinya snapped back to reality… and then froze.
His body trembled.
He stared at what he was seeing, unable to speak.
Not just Shinya.
Everyone present went rigid.
An eerie silence spread through Konoha itself.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi stood there, staring blankly.
It took him a long moment before he spoke, voice shaking:
"…That is… Wood Release."
Outside Konoha, near the wooden cabin where Minato had once teleported with the newborn—
BANG.
A figure hit the ground.
In the span of a blink, the man rolled up to his feet, instantly alert and scanning his surroundings.
No pursuers… for the moment.
It was Minato Namikaze.
That suction force earlier—there weren't many in the world who could escape it.
Only someone with space-time ninjutsu could.
And Minato happened to be one of them.
"I can basically confirm how his space-time technique works now," Minato thought as he stayed on guard.
"He likely has some kind of mysterious sub-dimension, and he uses it to avoid damage."
"But it shouldn't be absolute. There must be openings."
"I just didn't have time to get more intel from Hikaru."
"Still… I can assume this much: he can't attack while he's fully inside that dimension."
"And I can't hit him when he's fully inside it either."
"But if he attacks… does that force him to 'exit' the dimension?"
"If so, that's when I can hit him."
Minato's combat analysis was razor-sharp—top-class.
It wouldn't be surprising if Kakashi's later analytical ability was something he'd learned from Minato.
But as Minato's thoughts raced—
Ripples suddenly spread across the space in front of him.
A spiral formed.
And at the center, a figure became clear at frightening speed.
"Hmph. You ran fast," the masked man—Uchiha Obito—chuckled. His tone carried something hidden… complicated.
Confident—yet also something hard to describe.
Minato didn't answer.
He simply raised his kunai into a fighting stance, eyes calm… while his mind continued to piece everything together.
"This man knows the secret that a jinchūriki becomes weak during childbirth."
"He broke the Nine-Tails' seal… and even tamed it."
"Putting it all together… within what I know, there's only one person it could be."
Minato's gaze sharpened.
He asked directly:
"Are you… Uchiha Madara?"
The masked man didn't respond with words.
He only lifted his hood further, letting that presence speak for itself.
Minato's guess was "correct"… yet also absurd.
That contradiction made Obito feel both disappointed—and strangely relieved.
Because he wasn't Uchiha Obito anymore.
Not in his own mind.
He was the one carrying out "the right thing."
He was—
Uchiha Madara.
But Minato's expression changed again.
"No… that can't be."
"Madara died at the Valley of the End."
"Even if some forbidden technique kept him alive, by age alone he should have been dead long ago."
"And when you fought ANBU—under Nightingale's pressure—you didn't show the power someone like that should have."
"You were even nearly killed."
"Who knows," the masked man said calmly, neither confirming nor denying. "Age catches up to everyone. Not being able to use much strength would be normal."
Minato's eyes turned colder.
"Enough."
"At this point, it doesn't matter who you are."
"I'm curious why you're targeting Konoha… but either way, you won't succeed."
"If I have to give a reason," the masked man said, voice low as he raised his head, "then call it impulse… and long planning."
"It's for war."
"And for peace."
As he spoke, chains snapped into place from within his sleeve.
Minato's face tightened.
He recognized those chains immediately—
They were the same kind Kushina had used to restrain the Nine-Tails.
Minato's certainty grew:
Even if this wasn't Madara himself…
It had to be someone connected to him.
"Someone who can control the Nine-Tails."
"Someone with space-time ninjutsu like mine… like the Second Hokage's."
"Someone with a mind this dangerous…"
"I have to stop him here."
Minato drew in a breath, fully committing.
"If I don't kill him, the consequences will be endless."
"And Kushina is waiting for me."
"I have to win—for Konoha… and for Kushina."
The masked man shifted into an attacking stance.
"Enough talk. Are you ready to meet your end, Fourth Hokage?"
Minato tightened his grip.
"Then let's find out."
He surged forward.
Obito moved too.
Their distance vanished in an instant.
Minato's eyes were ice-calm.
The moment he entered range, his kunai stabbed forward—
Obito's hand reached out—
And as expected, Minato's blade passed straight through Obito's body.
They separated.
Minato saw Obito strike back—
And the chain caught him.
"So it's exactly like I thought…"
Minato flashed away with Flying Thunder God, escaping cleanly, eyes fixed on Obito.
"And he doesn't want a drawn-out fight."
"He wants to destroy Konoha."
"Good."
"I don't want a drawn-out fight either."
Minato's gaze became completely emotionless.
"Whose attack is faster… will decide everything."
He raised his kunai again and charged.
Obito rushed at him as well.
In mid-sprint, Minato threw his kunai—
Obito ignored it, reaching only for Minato.
The kunai stabbed into Obito's forehead—
And did nothing.
Like it hit air.
"Got you," Obito muttered, fingers brushing Minato's sleeve.
Everything happened in less than a thousandth of a second—
And in the moment Obito spoke—
Minato vanished.
Pain exploded in Obito's back.
A crushing impact like a high-speed drill—
BOOM!
Obito was slammed into the ground.
Dust and碎 stone flew everywhere.
In the smoke, a brilliant white sphere spun—
Rasengan, blazing like a miniature star.
"He teleported to the kunai… damn it," Obito realized instantly.
Even if he wanted to say it was only carelessness—
He had to admit it.
Minato was terrifying.
That reaction speed.
That attack speed.
That analysis.
The Yellow Flash, indeed.
Obito phased out and retreated to higher ground, clutching his arm—
White, sticky fluid dripped.
His hand came loose, almost rubbery, as if the body wasn't fully human.
But he didn't even have time to breathe—
Minato appeared again, right in front of him.
The sound of flesh being sliced reached Obito's ears.
He didn't even feel the pain yet.
But he knew—
Minato had struck again.
"Flying Thunder God… he marked me."
"Was it earlier?"
Obito's thoughts snapped together.
Too late.
Because a sealing pattern flared across his body—
And he felt it:
His link to the Nine-Tails was being torn away.
"Contract Seal…?"
Shock filled Obito's voice, along with a deep frustration—like every step he'd taken had been calculated and countered.
"You're separating me from the Nine-Tails?"
Minato's voice was cold enough to freeze blood.
"Then it's no longer yours."
"Rest."
Obito stared.
He'd never seen his teacher like this before.
For a moment, something inside him wavered—like something was slipping away, leaving distance behind.
But Obito recovered fast.
He phased out and broke free.
"Not bad… Fourth Hokage."
He stood on a tree, ignoring the ruined arm.
"You underestimated me—that was your mistake."
"But how long can you protect this broken village?"
"You've cut the Nine-Tails away from me, yes."
"But it will return to my hands eventually."
"And even without me controlling it, the Nine-Tails will keep destroying everything."
"Even if you survive tonight…"
"Next time, you won't be so lucky."
Space around him twisted.
And then he vanished into the void.
His voice lingered like an echo:
"I'm the one who will unify the world."
"I have plenty of methods."
"Next time, I'll take what's mine."
Minato watched the empty air and clicked his tongue.
But he didn't feel even slightly relieved.
Yes—the Nine-Tails problem was "half" solved.
But Obito escaped.
That was a future disaster waiting to happen.
And the Nine-Tails still needed to be sealed.
Minato wasn't anywhere close to finished.
Back in Konoha, Hikaru stared at the Nine-Tails.
At those violent eyes.
That raging chakra.
He couldn't help but think:
No wonder it's the strongest tailed beast.
It had just fired a Tailed Beast Bomb. Most beasts would need time to recover.
But the Nine-Tails looked like it didn't care at all.
Sometimes Hikaru wondered if the Sage of Six Paths had "split" the Ten-Tails and simply kept handing more chakra to the Nine-Tails as he went.
Look at Shukaku—Hikaru didn't even remember it firing a proper Tailed Beast Bomb.
The other beasts might not say it openly, but you could feel it:
They respected—and feared—the Nine-Tails.
Because its strength had left them far behind.
"No wonder Hashirama was willing to distribute the other beasts," Hikaru thought.
"Sure, Konoha sold them for resources and peace…"
"But even if every other village's tailed beast teamed up… they might still not beat the Nine-Tails."
And of course—another reason was simple:
Konoha had Hashirama.
They didn't need more beasts to hold power.
But now?
With Hashirama dead—and with Konoha's leadership no longer trusting the Uchiha—
There were fewer and fewer ways to suppress the Nine-Tails.
Only Uzumaki sealing could truly hold it down.
And right now, Kushina's condition was catastrophic.
Sealing the Nine-Tails wasn't possible yet.
Hikaru's eyes narrowed.
"Maybe that's why Hiruzen's people dug up Hashirama's remains… to find a way to control the Nine-Tails."
He didn't know.
And honestly—he didn't care.
If something became a lever in his hands, right and wrong were secondary.
Power mattered.
"Besides…"
"I already have Wood Release."
"And it's time to make a statement."
Hikaru's chakra surged violently.
Tonight, he wasn't just "helping."
He was showing everyone who he was.
Murashima Takumi was dead.
ANBU's top seat was now empty.
Hikaru had built his reputation for this moment—
For that seat.
He formed seals again.
Sage Mode remained active, because he knew raw Wood Release alone wouldn't be enough.
Even being better than Yamato wasn't guaranteed.
Trying to restrain a rampaging Nine-Tails with "half-baked" Wood Release would be humiliating.
But Wood Release plus senjutsu?
That was different.
"Even if I'm nowhere near Hashirama…"
"With senjutsu—and Yang Release—my Wood Release will be far stronger than Yamato's."
The seals completed.
Chakra exploded.
The earth trembled.
"Sage Art: Wood Release — Deep Forest Emergence!"
A thunderous rumble shook the ground.
In an instant, countless plants ripped up through the earth and grew like madness.
Towering trees shot into the sky.
Vines erupted like living spears, surging toward the Nine-Tails to bind it.
The Nine-Tails' rage spiked.
Those trees triggered something—some ancient, hateful memory.
Even under control, its instincts roared.
Its nine tails lashed like afterimages.
It sprang backward, swiping and tearing at the incoming vines.
Many were snapped apart instantly.
The Nine-Tails' physical power was monstrous.
But not all of them broke.
A few vines wrapped tight around its body.
And in that moment, Hikaru felt it—
His Wood Release swelled again, fed by the Nine-Tails' chakra.
The vines were absorbing that chakra as nourishment.
"Wood Release really is something else…"
"Or rather—senjutsu really is one of the strongest powers in the system."
"Even my imperfect Wood Release can do this."
Hikaru was thrilled.
The chakra cost was heavy—
But his recovery made it manageable.
And the performance was better than he'd expected.
"For now… drive it out of Konoha."
He formed seals again.
"Sage Art: Wood Release — Wood Spikes Technique!"
The towering forest he summoned immediately birthed countless sharpened branches—
Needle-like, deadly, and fast.
They shot toward the Nine-Tails' body like a storm of spears.
The Nine-Tails howled and tried to evade—
But it was already bound.
And it wasn't at full peak after being tortured by Kushina's seal for so long.
Then it lost chakra to the vines.
Its movements slowed.
The spikes pierced in.
The Nine-Tails screamed again—
This time it sounded closer to a wail than a roar.
"It hit!"
"So this is Wood Release?!"
"Finally—something that works against the Nine-Tails!"
"No wonder it ended the Warring States Era!"
"Wait… Wood Release is the First Hokage's bloodline!"
"So who is that ANBU kid?!"
Cheers erupted across the battlefield.
But some shinobi—especially from major clans—went silent, staring with tightened expressions.
Inoichi Yamanaka looked especially grim.
He knew things others didn't.
He'd tested Hikaru personally.
He'd guided him into revealing information.
He knew Hikaru was Senju—
But he never imagined this young Senju ANBU had reached this level.
Wood Release…
A boy who dreamed of becoming Hokage had awakened Wood Release.
That was terrifying.
"I need to talk with Shikaku," Inoichi thought.
"Soon."
He glanced at Shikaku Nara, then couldn't help looking toward Hiruzen in the distance.
Hiruzen's face was unreadable.
He was shaken.
He had always known Hikaru had immense ambition.
He had never fully trusted him.
But tonight shattered his expectations.
Hikaru's earlier strength was already enough to cause headaches.
Now—
this was worse.
Hiruzen had once thought:
Hikaru's ability resembled his teacher…
And his "personality" resembled the First Hokage.
But what Hikaru showed tonight seemed to say:
His power wasn't just like Tobirama's—
It was like Hashirama's.
And a darker thought clawed up in Hiruzen's mind:
If the personality Hikaru usually shows is only a mask…
Then what stands before them might be…
A Tobirama with Hashirama's power.
And with Owl and Murashima Takumi still missing—
a bad premonition was already taking shape.
Uchiha Shinya stared in horror.
"Senju…"
"Senju…?!"
He couldn't believe it.
The person he'd worked with—the one who had lit the fire in his heart—
was the Uchiha's ancient enemy.
A Senju.
What was Hikaru's real aim?
Why say those things to him?
Shinya felt cold run down his spine.
If Hikaru were just a capable shinobi, that would be one thing.
Even an elite ANBU wouldn't matter.
But Senju—
that name was like a thousand-pound weight crushing his chest.
He didn't know anymore whether what he'd done was right…
Or a fatal mistake.
And right when Konoha's minds were drowning in that chaos—
another figure appeared atop the lizard's head.
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