( Please show the novel some support with your Power Stones! The recent chapters haven't been receiving many, and your support genuinely helps keep me motivated to continue writing. Thank you for reading and supporting Naruto: The Uchiha Who Wields Haki! )
The Nine-Tails had finally escaped.
There was no way it would submit so easily.
This had to be an illusion.
Yes.
It was definitely an illusion.
It was the Nine-Tails. How could it possibly be this pathetic?
"Roar!"
The next moment, as if unable to accept reality, the Nine-Tails roared again.
An even greater wave of chakra and pressure erupted from its body, shaking all of Konoha.
Unfortunately, it still changed nothing.
The village trembled slightly, but the civilians and shinobi only became more excited.
Some even looked at the Nine-Tails as if they were watching an idiot.
Yes.
An idiot.
The Nine-Tails was a fox, but it was not stupid.
So it finally released its senses properly.
And the moment it did, it nearly froze.
Inside Konoha, it sensed the aura of the One-Tail jinchūriki.
Then the Two-Tails.
The Three-Tails.
The Five-Tails.
The Six-Tails.
The Seven-Tails.
And the Eight-Tails.
In other words, during the years it had been sealed inside Naruto, Konoha had somehow gathered nearly all the tailed beasts.
This was unbelievable.
Although its chakra exceeded the combined chakra of the other tailed beasts, the Nine-Tails knew their strength very well.
Yet now, all of them had been captured and brought to Konoha.
The more it thought about it, the more its tails stiffened.
Had it really become outdated?
Had the shinobi world moved on without it?
It remembered clearly that no single village had ever gathered so many tailed beasts.
Konoha during the Warring States Period could have done it, but Senju Hashirama had not cared to.
Now Konoha had collected this many tailed beasts.
What exactly were they planning?
An uneasy feeling appeared in the Nine-Tails' heart.
Of course, as the Nine-Tails, it would not surrender so quickly.
It had finally escaped.
If it did not rampage at least once, how could it live up to the name Nine-Tailed Demon Fox?
"Nine-Tails, are you stupid? Or do you just want to die?"
"Hahaha! The Nine-Tails really is an idiot. It chose this exact moment to act out. Isn't that just asking for death?"
"It's probably been sealed too long. It must have been sealed for too long."
"It even fired Tailed Beast Bombs. Doesn't it know that with the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, here, Tailed Beast Bombs are nothing but trash?"
At that moment, some of Konoha's civilians and shinobi could no longer hold back.
While watching the show, they began discussing the Nine-Tails openly.
Clearly, they were waiting to see it embarrass itself.
In truth, they had not expected the Nine-Tails jinchūriki to lose control at such a critical time either.
Now, everyone was simply waiting to see when the Fifth Hokage would make his move.
"Damn it…"
Listening to those voices, the Nine-Tails felt like it was going mad.
What was this?
In the past, when it became angry, countless shinobi and civilians trembled in fear.
Now they were laughing at it?
"Nine-Tails, are you an idiot?"
"Hurry up and surrender. Once Lord Fifth Hokage acts, you're finished."
"You even fired three Tailed Beast Bombs? You're dead. Nobody can save you now."
"Hey, come look! The Nine-Tails is making a fool of itself!"
Suddenly, more mocking voices sounded.
This time, they came from the other tailed beasts.
The One-Tail, Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Eight-Tails all sent voices that only tailed beasts could understand.
The Seven-Tails and Eight-Tails were especially direct.
They called the Nine-Tails a reckless fool.
"Damn you…"
"You dare call me a fool?"
The Nine-Tails gnashed its teeth.
"Just you wait. Fifth Hokage? Uchiha Ren? I—"
Before it could finish boasting, it froze.
Right before its eyes, the three Tailed Beast Bombs it had fired suddenly made a weak little popping sound.
Then they vanished.
Just like that.
They disappeared.
"How is that possible?"
The Nine-Tails was dumbfounded.
It even rubbed its eyes, unable to believe what it had seen.
But the result did not change.
The Tailed Beast Bombs were gone.
Why?
Those were Tailed Beast Bombs.
One of the ultimate techniques of the tailed beasts.
Especially when fired by the Nine-Tails, they possessed enough power to flatten everything in their path.
And yet now, its three bombs had disappeared like misfires.
"I didn't expect you to come out."
A ripple of space spread.
The Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, dressed in his Hokage robe, appeared directly in front of the Nine-Tails and looked at it calmly.
To be honest, Ren had not expected the Nine-Tails to break out at this moment either.
And worse, it had come out only to make a fool of itself.
"Wait…"
Seeing Ren up close and sensing the aura around him, the Nine-Tails suddenly remembered something.
Its expression changed.
"It was you."
"Last time I came out, you were the one who sent me flying!"
"Last time?"
Ren frowned slightly.
Then, after thinking for a moment, he understood.
The Nine-Tails was talking about the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.
Back then, Ren had worn a mask, appeared at the scene, and beaten the Nine-Tails down.
"That's right."
Ren nodded calmly.
"It was me."
"You…"
This time, the Nine-Tails was truly stunned.
It had finally found a chance to escape Naruto's body.
If it had to crawl back now, would that not be far too humiliating?
For a moment, the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox stood there in silence.
Its arrogance remained.
But its confidence had begun to crack.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios