Carl paused for a moment, unable to recall anyone by that name in the world of the shinobi. He shook his head slightly, while his hand pressed gently against the top of Terai's head, slowly stroking it.
The sensation on his head sent a chilling shiver through Terai. As a member of the Anbu, his instincts immediately sensed danger. He opened his mouth to say something, but before a word could escape, a black glow flashed across Carl's hand. A powerful suction force yanked Terai's head clean off his neck.
Blood gushed from Terai's severed neck, but strangely, before it could splatter, it gathered in the air, merging together and finally flowing into Carl's fingertips.
Carl's complexion brightened noticeably as he chuckled softly.
"Let's use the blood of this Leaf shinobi to help restore your body."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than two masked figures suddenly burst into the room. When they saw the headless body before Carl, their pupils constricted, and they immediately drew the long swords strapped to their backs, aiming them at him.
Carl rose slowly, showing no hint of surprise at the sudden intrusion. His Observation Haki had already made him aware of their presence.
"This place is lively tonight," he remarked. "Judging by you two, you're not with him… right? Anbu, I take it?"
As Carl guessed, the newcomers were indeed Anbu members. They exchanged a glance, then, unlike Terai, they didn't bother hiding their identities and nodded in acknowledgment. Though called Anbu, this organization operated openly within Konoha.
Carl gestured at Terai's now-shrunken body.
"Then I'll trouble you two to clean this up. This guy is Terai, from Root."
The Anbu exchanged shocked glances—this was a serious matter.
Seeing them hesitate, Carl waved his hand impatiently.
"Don't just stand there—report this to Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately."
A faint black aura still emanated from Carl's back. The two Anbu, who had been planning to bring him in as well, wisely swallowed their words.
There was no mistaking it: this was not Uzumaki Naruto. This was the Nine-Tails Fox that had nearly destroyed the village!
Sensing Carl's rising anger, the two Anbu quickly hoisted Terai's body and vanished in a flash.
Once alone, Carl calmly climbed into bed. He closed his eyes, and before long, he was asleep.
...
Meanwhile, the Hokage's office was far from quiet.
The Third Hokage, having finished his work and about to head home, ran into the two Anbu carrying the headless body. He frowned. These were the agents he had sent to observe Naruto secretly; their sudden return clearly meant there was an urgent situation to report.
He immediately regretted having stopped monitoring Naruto earlier with the crystal ball. He had seen Naruto seemingly asleep and ceased observation, but apparently something unusual had happened in the time he had shut it off. The headless corpse before him confirmed it.
The Third Hokage nodded grimly to the two Anbu and returned to his office.
Once the door closed, he demanded in a sharp voice,
"What happened with Naruto? Whose body is that?"
One of the Anbu hurriedly reported everything they had learned at Naruto's house. The Third Hokage's expression shifted continuously as he listened. When the report concluded, his gaze fell on the fully cold, headless corpse on the floor.
Anger surged through him. He had just explicitly told Danzo not to touch Naruto, yet Danzo had acted anyway. This was already a violation of his bottom line—and now someone was dead.
According to the Anbu, Naruto's body had once again been occupied by the Nine-Tails. If the Nine-Tails were provoked into another rampage, Danzo would truly have no excuse left.
Taking a deep breath to control his rage, the Third Hokage addressed one of the Anbu in as calm a voice as possible:
"Go to Danzo and have him come to me immediately."
The Anbu obeyed and vanished. The other hesitated, then asked cautiously,
"Hokage-sama, should we take the body away first?"
The Third Hokage shook his head.
"No. Leave the corpse here. Let Danzo claim it himself. You may leave."
He closed his eyes and furrowed his brows. Time ticked by, and just as his patience was wearing thin, Danzo arrived alone, precisely on time.
He clearly knew his plot to capture Naruto had been exposed. Yet there was no trace of shame on his face—only that same ominous coffin-like expression.
The Third Hokage opened his eyes, staring at Danzo with a voice devoid of emotion.
"Danzo, you've gone too far today."
Danzo glanced at the headless corpse and replied coolly,
"I don't think there was anything wrong with what I did. It just… failed."
"Just failed? Have you considered the consequences?"
"At least the Leaf Village is still calm, and the Nine-Tails hasn't gone berserk."
As expected of an old comrade, Danzo immediately clarified what the Third Hokage meant by "consequences." The Hokage could no longer suppress his fury.
"You've gone too far! Danzo!!"
Danzo narrowed his eyes and sneered coldly,
"Sarutobi, you're the one who's grown too rigid. Your handling of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was flawed from the start. He's not meant to have feelings—he's meant to be the strongest tool to protect Konoha!"
"If what you say is true, then Naruto could never have developed Dark Release!"
This made Danzo falter slightly. After a moment of silence, he slowly said,
"The emergence of Dark Release… truly exceeded my expectations. Should I say he really is the son of Minato Namikaze?"
"You know he's Minato's child?? Minato was a hero of Konoha! He sacrificed himself for the village!"
Danzo seized the opportunity to strike back.
"So Naruto's life over the years… is that what the descendant of a hero deserves?"
The Third Hokage's face froze. His expression darkened beyond measure, and he said nothing for a long while.
Danzo continued,
"Also, besides criticizing me, haven't you noticed something else from tonight? The Nine-Tails is already on the brink of losing control!!"
...
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg