"Lord Hoshiyomi! Urgent news from the village!"
The Konoha forces that had just returned to camp were fast asleep when frantic shouts from afar woke them up.
One by one, the Konoha shinobi stumbled out of their tents, rubbing their sleepy eyes and glaring unhappily at the ANBU messengers who had disturbed their rest.
Hoshiyomi, Minato, and the others lifted their tent flaps and stepped outside. Seeing the anxious ANBU agents, Hoshiyomi asked curiously:
"What's going on? What happened in the village that required such an urgent report?"
The ANBU squad leader glanced around at the nearby Konoha shinobi, then stopped one of his subordinates who was about to speak.
"Lord Hoshiyomi, could we… speak privately?"
Hoshiyomi immediately understood their concern. He waved his hand to dismiss the others.
"Everyone, go back to sleep. I'll handle this."
He then brought the ANBU messengers — along with Minato and a few trusted subordinates — into his command tent.
As soon as they entered, the ANBU captain couldn't hold back any longer.
"Lord Hoshiyomi, yesterday afternoon, the Hokage received classified intelligence — the Uchiha clan intends to stage a coup at dawn today.
The Hokage didn't dare take chances, so she sent us to deliver the message as fast as possible.
By now, if the report is accurate, the Uchiha rebellion should already be underway.
We ask you to return to Konoha immediately to provide reinforcements."
Hearing this, Hoshiyomi, who had still been somewhat groggy, instantly became fully alert. He stared in shock at the personal letter from Tsunade handed to him by the Anbu shinobi.
Reading the details within about Itachi and Shisui, he felt his freshly awakened mind was completely insufficient to process it all.
How could the Uchiha rebellion have happened this early?
Aren't Itachi and Shisui still very young right now? I was planning to contact them after I returned to the village, once they'd matured a bit — but how could things have escalated already?
He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
No — now isn't the time to question that. What matters is that the Uchiha uprising has probably already begun.
Even with all his preparations, Hoshiyomi knew that the Uchiha were not to be underestimated.
Just thinking about techniques like Izanagi and Izanami made him realize that no amount of caution was too much.
He wasted no more time. Hoshiyomi handed the letter to his comrades and signaled for the three ANBU to explain the situation in more detail while he grabbed Minato by the arm and strode out of the tent.
The meaning was clear:
It's time for Minato to go to work — now.
Although Minato was listening somewhat confusedly, his expression was also grim. Hoshiyomi had been grooming him to be the Fifth Hokage, and naturally hadn't held back on informing him about Konoha's secrets.
Therefore, Minato understood perfectly well that if the Uchiha were to rebel, their first target would absolutely be Kushina!
Without needing any explanation from Hoshiyomi, he directly grabbed Hoshiyomi's arm and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
...
Within Konoha Village, Tsunade frowned deeply as she watched the rapidly advancing Nine-Tails. Ignoring the dissuasion of Pakura behind her, she charged forward and delivered a powerful punch squarely into the earth.
Thanks to the swift evacuation led by the ANBU, most of the civilians were already being moved toward the shelters — so Tsunade didn't have to worry about collateral damage.
The full-powered Chakra Enhanced Strength punch unleashed by Tsunade in her Creation Rebirth state was no joke. With this single punch, the ground before her instantly split open, creating a massive crater dozens of meters square.
The Nine-Tails, still being controlled by the Mangekyō Sharingan and lumbering toward the Hokage Building, didn't notice the gaping hole beneath its feet.
Its step faltered, and the beast stumbled forward, losing its balance and crashing heavily to the ground.
Tsunade showed no fear at the sight of the titanic creature falling.
She leapt backward, landing atop a nearby building, using its wall as a foothold to propel herself even higher — straight toward the beast's head.
From there, she could clearly see him — Uchiha Yamashiro, perched atop the Nine-Tails' head.
Seeing the crazed look on Uchiha Yamashiro's face, Tsunade's willow brows shot up in fury as she shouted:
"You bastard! Go to hell and repent!"
As she spoke, Tsunade raised her right leg high and brought it crashing down with all her might.
It was her most destructive technique — the Heavenly Foot of Pain (Tsūtenkyaku).
A single kick from this attack could split even a hundred-meter building clean in half.
If that kick landed solidly, not even Yamashiro's Susanoo — if he managed to manifest it — would necessarily withstand the blow.
Of course, Yamashiro had no intention of taking the strike head-on.
He immediately manipulated the Nine-Tails, swinging one massive claw toward Tsunade.
If he could just land one good hit on her, his mission would already be half complete.
In midair, Tsunade's descending kick and the Nine-Tails' enormous claw collided.
The sheer difference in their sizes made Pakura hold her breath in suspense.
But the very next second, she exhaled in relief — because though Tsunade was airborne, her reaction speed was lightning-fast.
Just as the Nine-Tails' claws came crashing down, Tsunade twisted her body in midair, spinning like a top.
With a movement similar to the Lion Combo, she narrowly dodged the claws and, in the same motion, slammed her foot down hard on the top of the beast's paw.
The Nine-Tails, struck by what seemed like a ridiculously small and delicate foot, let out an exaggerated roar towards the heavens. It was clear that this kick had genuinely caused it immense pain.
The Nine-Tails, originally under the control of the Mangekyō, now had eyes that turned increasingly crimson. It glared at Tsunade, the one who had hurt it in the air, and with a sweep of its tail, sent her flying.
Although Tsunade managed to block with her arms, she was still sent flying violently, crashing through numerous civilian houses in a row.
Pakura's heart clenched at the sight. Watching the huge cloud of dust kicked up by Tsunade being sent flying, she swallowed hard and shouted:
"Lady Tsunade! Are you all right?!"
Her only answer was a massive boulder whistling through the air.
It flew from within the dust cloud and smashed straight toward the Nine-Tails.
The controlled beast, reacting sluggishly, didn't even think to dodge — it tried to swat the rock away with a claw instead.
Though it deflected the stone, the motion reopened the wound Tsunade had inflicted earlier.
The pain made the Nine-Tails roar in anguish once again.
From within the dust, Tsunade emerged, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth and muttering angrily:
"Damn it, even a Chakra Enhanced Strength punch is difficult to deal any significant damage to it. This is going to be troublesome."
Looking up at the still-enraged Nine-Tails, Tsunade felt a wave of helpless frustration.
She hadn't expected her Chakra Enhanced Strength to be this ineffective against it.
This could get bad, she thought grimly.
As she was speaking, another figure arrived in the distance. It was Sarutobi Hiruzen. Seeing Tsunade over there, Hiruzen asked with concern:
"Are you all right, Tsunade?"
Tsunade flexed her sore arm and replied:
"I'm fine… but I can't do much against it. That beast is ridiculously tough."
Hiruzen glanced at the rampaging Nine-Tails, instinctively swallowing hard.
"Be that as it may, we have to hold it back. The villagers' evacuation isn't complete yet — if it keeps advancing, the casualties will be catastrophic."
...
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