Yoru stood atop the outer wall of the Senju Clan compound.
Within the grounds, a dark, oppressive aura drifted through the air, a cursed clan, its key members dying one after another.
On the brink of extinction, the more the Senju struggled, the faster they collapsed, like the dying years of an empire where every reform only hastens the end.
Arc of the Moon Activated!
Reward: One lottery draw.
1. S-rank Sealing Jutsu — Four Symbols Seal (Beginner)
2. Special Jōnin-level Chakra Capacity (stackable)
3. Uzumaki Clan Kekkei Genkai (High-Mid)
Judging from the reward list, he hadn't been killed by the Nine-Tails but by Uzumaki Kushina herself.
Likely because Kushina had sealed over half of the Nine-Tails within her.
The Special Jōnin-level Chakra option was immediately ruled out. Even if his chakra doubled, he still wouldn't have survived the Night of the Nine-Tails.
The Four Symbols Seal, an S-rank sealing technique, was incredibly valuable, second only to the Adamantine Chains among tailed-beast seals. With it, he could one day seize a Tailed Beast or even forge his own Jinchūriki.
But as a cold wind crept up his legs, and the faint malice of the Nine-Tails stirred within him,
he realized: even if he had that seal back then, how could he have used it amid that chaos?
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzō, ANBU, and the Senju, all were watching the Nine-Tails.
There would've been no chance to act.
Valuable as it was, that jutsu wouldn't have saved him. He still would've died under the Nine-Tails paw.
So, he chose the third option, the Uzumaki Clan's Kekkei Genkai.
If it could help Kushina even a little at that critical moment, there might yet be a sliver of hope.
The moment he made the choice, Yoru's body began to change. Every muscle writhed beneath his skin; only his bones stayed still. His mask seemed to sink lower — not because it loosened, but because the flesh beneath it was shifting.
After a full minute of agony, the pain ebbed. He immediately opened his status panel:
Host Status
Chakra Capacity: 2.5× Special Jōnin Level
Chakra Nature: Earth, Water, Yang
Bloodlines:Senju of the Forest (High-Mid), Uzumaki Clan (High-Mid)
Ninjutsu:Earth Style – Earth Spike Technique, etc.
Taijutsu:Body Flicker Technique (Proficient), etc.
Sealing Jutsu:Self-Cursing Seal (Proficient), etc.
Special Abilities: Reflex Overdrive (Second Breakthrough), Natural Chakra Growth, Slow Regeneration, Sealing Technique Affinity
The Uzumaki bloodline immediately began reshaping his body. His chakra capacity rose from 1.7× to 2.5× Special Jōnin Level, a huge leap.
The Uzumaki were renowned for their immense chakra reserves; without them, no one could suppress a Tailed Beast.
Next came a leap in sealing proficiency.
His Self-Cursing Seal advanced from beginner to expert level, now requiring just one hand seal instead of three, and its sealing radius extended from two meters to four, making it nearly a mid-range sealing technique.
Most importantly, his abilities now listed "Sealing Technique Affinity."
That meant his chakra itself carried innate sealing power.
Kushina had been chosen by both villages to be a Jinchūriki, precisely because her chakra naturally enhanced sealing jutsu. Her seals were stronger than anyone else's.
Yoru pondered this new bloodline, and slowly a plan formed in his mind, a way to survive the Night of the Nine-Tails.
He had to act, to preserve the Senju, to prevent Hiruzen and Danzō from growing unchecked.
If the Senju perished, Danzō would seize the Uzumaki's Sealing Scroll, gain the Tongue-Curse Seal, and rule the ANBU from the shadows.
Events unfolded just as before.
Outside the Senju compound, Danzō and Senju Rinmu quarreled bitterly. Hiruzen agreed to Rinmu's proposal, the Senju would take charge of the Nine-Tails' sealing.
Danzō vanished… only to reappear on the night of the seal. When he did, his right eye was already bandaged. At the critical moment of the sealing, Danzō unleashed the Mangekyō Sharingan hidden beneath that bandage, casting a brief illusory Susanoo over the Nine-Tails.
It lasted only a heartbeat, but it disrupted Uzumaki Mito's seal, leading to her premature death and a failing containment.
When the Senju suffered heavy losses, the ANBU moved in.
Yoru had already died once within this moon cycle. A second death would be permanent.
He went towards Uzumaki Kushina's location.
When Rinmu's wife was struck dead by the Nine-Tails' paw, the beast tore even more chakra from Kushina's body.
This time, Yoru stayed cautious. He didn't provoke the Nine-Tails. Instead, he cast Water Style: Water Formation Wall, standing firm at Yellow Dog's back.
After Rinmu's wife fell, the Senju abandoned the joint sealing technique and, alongside the ANBU, began an all-out assault.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Rinmu's water style was fearsome — a hundred-meter-long water dragon burst forth,
coiling around the Nine-Tails and biting down on its forelimb.
To everyone's shock, the beast's massive claw was held fast by mere water.
The Nine-Tails stopped moving — and began forming another Tailed Beast Bomb.
Rinmu roared, pulling with all his might — the dragon yanked the Nine-Tails' arm sideways.
The Beast Bomb detonated at the edge of the battlefield, instantly killing dozens of Senju and ANBU alike.
Yoru's heart leapt.
Now!
Feigning evasive movement as the Nine-Tails stumbled, he leapt upward — straight toward the Adamantine Chains in midair.
Dust and debris filled the field.
Using the chaos as cover, he slammed his palm onto the chain's surface and poured nearly all his chakra into it.
On the ground, Kushina's eyes widened.
What—?!
That chakra…!
It's Uzumaki chakra!
Not just that — sealing chakra!
With the surge of Uzumaki energy flooding through the chains, Kushina instantly regained control.
The Nine-Tails' body shrank visibly — she pulled even more of it back inside.
Half its chest was now sealed. Only its shoulders and head remained outside.
"Kushina! Amazing!" shouted Senju Rinmu.
The surviving Senju cheered — over four hundred of them, fighting with renewed vigor and joy.
But from afar, Hiruzen and Danzō froze.
Why did Kushina suddenly surge in power? If she seals the Nine-Tails now, our entire plan falls apart!
This was supposed to be the perfect moment to cripple the Senju and claim both clans' sealing scrolls.
Hiruzen glanced at Danzō — Danzō nodded back.
Once again, he lifted his bandage.
The scarlet Sharingan beneath spun violently.
In the battlefield's center, the Nine-Tails' patience snapped.
It had long despised Rinmu's agility — that pesky Senju darting around like a flea.
Raising its massive claw, it struck downward.
Rinmu, familiar with its rhythm, braced his legs, ready to dodge.
But in that instant— his eyes froze.
His gaze pierced through the chaos of battle, past the Senju fighting for their lives,
past the ANBU throwing explosive tags— and locked onto a spinning Sharingan.
His movements faltered.
Danzō... transplanted a Sharingan?!
He's… trying to kill me?!
He remembered his visit to the Uchiha Clan before the sealing night. Only a Sharingan could interfere with the Nine-Tails' control.
Uchiha Clan Head Uchiha Toki had sworn the clan would not meddle, even offering aid if needed.
Rinmu, of course, refused — the Senju and Uchiha had too much bad blood. Some still whispered that the First Hokage's death was the result of Madara's provocations.
So where did Danzō get such a powerful eye?
The Nine-Tails' claw pierced Rinmu's chest.
Nearby, Yellow Dog called out:
"Fox! Check on the Senju Chief!"
Yoru's heart leapt with grim amusement. After all his diligence in the unit, the captain still trusted him most when it mattered.
In an instant, he used the Body Flicker to reach Rinmu's side.
Getting your bloodline powers is hard work, and I still have to act like your power bank —
first charging Kushina, now you.
He smirked inwardly.
Didn't see that coming, huh? My Senju bloodline's high-tier too —
complete with regeneration.