Watching the Fourth Hokage slowly dissipate under the restraint of his tentacles, Simu lightly pushed his glasses up.
"You truly live up to the legend of the Yellow Flash. To think you could leave a Flying Raijin formula on my tentacle in a single instant," Simu remarked with a sigh.
Indeed, the reason Minato Namikaze was able to appear beside him in a flash was that during their first clash, he had conveniently placed the formula the moment he severed the tentacle with his Flying Raijin: Slash.
Although Simu had regenerated that tentacle later, the Flying Raijin formula Minato left behind remained hidden upon it.
Thus, the moment Minato observed Simu retracting that specific tentacle, he activated the Flying Raijin.
Relying on the formula hidden on the tentacle, he transferred to Simu's side in an instant and blasted him into the lake with a Rasengan.
Had it not been for the massive boost provided by the Mangekyo, Minato's strike might truly have scattered the spiritual energy Simu had placed within this clone.
However, battles between shinobi are won or lost by the thinnest of margins.
The current result was Simu's victory. Furthermore, he had completely absorbed the final trace of chakra that the Fourth, Minato Namikaze, had sealed within his child's body.
Seeing that the battle was decided, the Nine-Tails excitedly struck the cage doors with its claws.
"Brat, I thought you were dead! Hurry up and open the gate for this great one!"
It was impatient to come out and slaughter everything in sight. The fury of being imprisoned for decades would turn into a heaven-shaking disaster the moment the seal broke, wreaking havoc upon the Hidden Leaf once more!
Simu made no response to the Nine-Tails' demand. His body drifted upward once more. Under the Nine-Tails' excited gaze, he peeled away the paper talisman sealing the center of the great gates.
The moment the paper was removed, the Nine-Tails' powerful and tyrannical chakra erupted from the gap between the gates like a surging tsunami. It sent Simu, who had just removed the seal, flying backward.
"Are you that impatient, Nine-Tails?"
Simu stabilized his form. The lake surface beneath his feet had already begun to fluctuate violently.
The Nine-Tails' crimson chakra constantly battered the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style left behind by Minato Namikaze. However, since the seal was incredibly sturdy, it would likely take some time to break through completely.
"But it seems there isn't much time left for you."
Simu's brow furrowed slightly. The scene before him vanished instantly, and his consciousness returned to his clone.
As the seal began to loosen, Naruto's body underwent a massive transformation.
Orange-red Tailed Beast chakra continuously seeped from every pore of Naruto's body. The whisker marks on his face became more pronounced, his eyes shifted from azure to a bloody crimson, and sharp claws sprouted from his fingers.
Two pointed fox ears emerged from the top of his head, and two tails made of pure chakra grew behind him!
The terrifying aura radiating from Naruto instantly formed a series of hurricanes, destroying everything in the room.
Furthermore, this ominous aura continued to spread outward.
The sky above the apartment became oppressive, the clouds turned gloomy, and gusts of cold wind swept through, making it feel like the end of the world.
Because of this change, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura sensed the disturbance immediately the moment the seal began to break.
Compared to a Mangekyo Sharingan, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was obviously far more important.
Consequently, Danzo, who had been preparing to play the role of the opportunist, abandoned the Mangekyo he might have obtained. He headed straight for this battlefield the moment he sensed the change.
The Third also dared not delay. The Uchiha Clan's coup was already troublesome enough. If the Nine-Tails went on a rampage now, the consequences would be unthinkable!
Moreover, numerous nearby Anbu also abandoned their current enemies and rushed toward Naruto's apartment.
The moment Simu's consciousness descended back into reality, the first wave of enemies had already arrived.
The originally solid ground beneath Simu's feet suddenly became muddy. A hand reached out from within like a ghost, grabbing his ankle.
But before the opponent could make another move, a tentacle shot out from beneath Simu's trench coat, striking into the swamp like lightning.
In less than a second, fresh red blood stained the marsh. A masked ninja surfaced from within, and the floor quickly returned to normal.
In his final moments, this ninja made one last effort.
"For Root."
He whispered with his remaining strength, then detonated all the Paper Bombs on his person.
"Commendable loyalty," Simu commented. He immediately wrapped his entire body in his steel-like wings.
A terrifying explosion swept through the entire room.
With a loud bang, Naruto's small room was blasted open, and even the walls were ruthlessly shattered by the shockwave.
Rubbles flew everywhere as two figures shot out from the thick smoke and landed on the ground.
Simu spread his wings, tearing through the surrounding dust.
As for Naruto, wrapped in his Tailed Beast Cloak, he let out a roar of pure fury.
At this moment, Naruto's young mind had already succumbed to the Nine-Tails' hatred. Along with his angry venting, the tails behind him increased from two to three!
Simu observed this scene with curiosity.
Before this, the only Tailed Beast he had encountered was Shukaku, who only had one tail. Therefore, unsealing Shukaku was a short process and didn't require the tail-by-tail increase like Naruto's.
The airflow released from Naruto carried a frightening aura. The surrounding trees shook violently, and the gusts of wind made it nearly impossible to breathe.
Furthermore, Naruto's aura continued to grow stronger.
The Tailed Beast Cloak on his body boiled rapidly, producing a large amount of bubbles as another tail began to gestate within.
"We must not let the Jinchuriki enter his complete state! Stop him!"
A large number of Anbu and Root ninjas appeared in the vicinity. They released all sorts of ninjutsu, blasting them toward Naruto.
By contrast, Simu—the culprit behind it all—was ignored.
He was happy to let it be. Hiding in the shadows, he quietly took a swirl-patterned mask from his robe and put it on.
Fire, lightning, water...
Various ninjutsu continuously struck Naruto. However, under the protection of the Tailed Beast Cloak, the damage these techniques caused was quite limited. Instead, they further enraged the rampaging Naruto.
The fourth tail was about to form!
Just then, a raspy voice rang out.
"Everyone, fall back. I will handle the Nine-Tails."
The voice was old but filled with confidence, causing everyone's heart to tremble.
They turned their heads and found Elder Danzo, his half-body wrapped in bandages, standing behind them while leaning on a cane.
However, looking at him with his cane, could he really handle the Nine-Tails?
Sensing the hesitation of the other ninjas, Danzo snorted coldly and performed a one-handed seal.
"Wood Style: Great Spear Tree!"
Before everyone's shocked eyes, Danzo's arm suddenly expanded into a giant tree, slamming heavily into the Tailed-Beast-state Naruto.
The latter was knocked back into the apartment behind him before he could even react.
This powerful strike brought the entire apartment down. The massive tree firmly suppressed that ominous aura.
The surrounding Anbu ninjas were stunned. "He actually drove back the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in a single strike..."
The Root ninjas, however, spoke in worshiping tones. "As expected of Lord Danzo!"
Simu, now wearing his swirl mask, watched Danzo's performance and commented, "It seems the integration went well."
After saying that, the expression beneath Simu's mask immediately turned playful. "But if he thinks he can kill the Nine-Tails with just that, he's seriously underestimating the legendary strongest Tailed Beast."
Sensing the admiration of those around him, Danzo nodded with satisfaction.
But before he could become too complacent, an even stronger aura made him turn serious.
The giant tree suppressing the apartment ruins was actually lifted inch by inch. Naruto, covered in Nine-Tails chakra, revealed himself once more.
His body had expanded a size, growing from a child to the size of an adult.
More importantly, the orange-red Tailed Beast chakra originally wrapped around Naruto's body had vanished. It was replaced by dark red chakra that flowed like lava.
This chakra corroded Naruto's skin completely, and he officially entered the ranks of "monsters"!
"ARGH!!!"
The four-tailed Naruto let out a roar. He pressed his hands against Danzo's Wood Style tree and erupted with unimaginably terrifying strength.
CRACK!
A piercing sound rang out. Naruto had actually torn the tree constructed from Wood Style chakra in half!
"You've got to be joking..."
Although Danzo found it hard to accept, he quickly canceled the jutsu, detaching his arm from the tree.
But the Nine-Tails' revenge was clearly not over. It picked up half of the giant tree and swung it high, forming a massive shadow before smashing it down toward Danzo!
As the shadow enveloped him, Danzo's face turned grim.
"How presumptuous, Nine-Tails."
Having mastered Wood Style and the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, Danzo's ego had inflated to its peak. Not even the Nine-Tails could shake his confidence in his own strength.
He performed a one-handed seal, condensed chakra, and spat out a rapid jet of air.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!"
The extremely compressed wind blade easily sliced through the falling tree.
But before Danzo could breathe a sigh of relief, the four-tailed Naruto, wrapped in dark red chakra, charged at him from atop the severed tree.
"Curse you."
Danzo cursed and used a Wood Style jutsu again.
"Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!"
Countless wooden planks rose before him, forming a solid wall of wood.
The four-tailed Naruto slammed down from mid-air like a cannonball, his sharp claws striking the wooden wall with terrifying momentum!
And then...
With a boom, the wooden wall shattered.
The four-tailed Naruto's sharp claws shot through the gap in the wood, stabbing straight toward Danzo's face.
Just as Danzo was about to use his Mangekyo Sharingan, the four-tailed Naruto was suddenly sent flying by something, vanishing from his sight.
"Is that... Monkey?"
Danzo dispelled the Wood Locking Wall and looked into the distance.
Sure enough, an old man wearing a Hokage cloak was arriving at the battlefield, holding a long staff.
It was unknown exactly how long the staff in his hand was, but a single thrust had sent the four-tailed Naruto flying several hundred meters.
In the process, Naruto crashed through four or five houses before finally coming to a stop.
"It's Lord Third Hokage!"
"Lord Hokage is here! He will surely be able to handle the Nine-Tails!"
The arrival of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, undoubtedly boosted the morale of many ninjas.
Only the Third himself knew that in his current state, he could not handle the Nine-Tails if it were fully unsealed. Therefore, he had to seal it before the Nine-Tails completely broke free!
"Monkey, why are you here? Didn't I say to leave things here to me?"
Danzo showed no awareness of having been saved. Or perhaps he felt that even without the Third, he could have easily handled the four-tailed Naruto using his Mangekyo.
At this critical moment, the Third didn't care about Danzo's disrespectful tone. He only said coldly, "Danzo, now is not the time to argue. Don't forget, the Nine-Tails is not the only enemy present."
With that, the Third and Danzo looked together at Simu, who had been watching the battle.
"A swirl mask. As expected, the Jashin Religion is behind this conspiracy."
Danzo's gaze locked onto the masked Simu, murderous intent surging.
Masks had become almost synonymous with the Jashin Religion.
After all, during the two large-scale Jashin incidents in the Hidden Steam and Hidden Sand villages, those powerful members all wore masks.
This naturally led people to wonder if the executives of the Jashin Religion, like Anbu ninjas, each chose a unique mask.
Among them, this mysterious person with the swirl mask had appeared during the attack on the Hidden Sand.
"This is quite unfortunate. Noticed so soon?"
Simu scratched the mask on his face. Although his words sounded worried, his tone carried no actual concern at all.
"This fellow is yours, Danzo. I will handle the sealing of the Nine-Tails."
The Third took the initiative to lead the heavy task of sealing the Nine-Tails.
In such a moment, as the Hokage, he had to execute the most vital mission!
"I understand."
Danzo said nothing more, simply turning his body toward Simu.
"Member of the Jashin Religion, come with me to Root quietly."
He took a deep breath, compressing it in his mouth into a terrifying air bullet before spitting it out.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"
Seeing this, Simu quickly leaped high into the air. The wall beneath his feet was instantly blasted into dust by the high-speed air bullets.
Simu spun several times in mid-air and landed steadily. Patting his chest, he said mockingly, "Good thing I wasn't hit. Scared me to death."
This playful tone made Danzo's face turn even darker.
On the other side, Naruto stood up from the ruins once more. The four tails behind him had now become five!