Yoru stepped up to Senju Rinmu's side. He glanced at the gaping hole in Rinmu's abdomen, then placed two fingers on his carotid artery—pretending to check if the Senju clan head was still alive.
But through that contact, a large surge of chakra flowed from Yoru's hand into Rinmu's body.
His chakra carried a faint healing property, and Rinmu's clouded eyes quickly regained clarity.
Flat on his back, Rinmu looked up at the darkened sky, seeing the raging, crimson chakra of the Nine-Tails spread across it— a scene straight out of the world's end.
And suddenly, a memory surfaced.
He was a child again, playing in his father's study when Uncle Tobirama came to visit.
Tobirama said he wanted to unite the various shinobi clans and strengthen their bonds. It was too hard to change grown shinobi—they lived their entire lives loyal only to their clans, not to the village. Many joined Konoha only because it was powerful enough to sweep aside all opposition in the Land of Fire.
So, Tobirama said, he would found a Ninja Academy, where all children—clan-born or civilian—would grow up together.
He insisted the first class must become the symbol of Konoha itself, so that all the clans would recognize the village as their true home.
Among that first generation of students—Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Chōza Akimichi's ancestor, Homura Mitokado—Tobirama personally guided them himself.
Rinmu remembered that whenever Tobirama mentioned those students, there was a proud light in his eyes.
That first generation embodied Tobirama's hopes for the future.
For their sake, he had refused to take any more disciples from the Senju clan.
For their sake, he had even set aside his prejudice against the Uchiha, personally selecting and training Uchiha Kagami.
After Tobirama's death, Kagami once visited Rinmu.
Kagami told him, "As long as the Senju and Uchiha work together, Konoha will never fall."
Konoha's foundation was the great reconciliation between the two clans, led by the First Hokage.
Kagami truly believed that unity between Uchiha and Senju would ensure the village's everlasting prosperity.
The Sharingan reflects the user's heart— and Kagami's Mangekyō Sharingan had a unique power: to strengthen the Nine-Tails' armored form, the "Susanoo of Might."
If a new Great Ninja War ever came, the Senju could summon the Nine-Tails, and the Uchiha could cloak it in Susanoo's armor. With that combined power, no shinobi village could rival Konoha.
Kagami believed that through the Nine-Tails and the Susanoo of Might, Konoha could maintain its dominance even after Hashirama and Tobirama were gone.
But Kagami never saw that war—he died before it began.
His sudden death changed everything.
After his passing, the Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Toki, quickly distanced the clan from the Senju,
as if any connection would invite disaster.
Now, lying broken beneath the storming sky, Rinmu finally understood:
Kagami's Mangekyō had been taken by Danzō, and tonight it was being used to devastate the Senju clan.
Tobirama had entrusted the village to that first class of academy students.
Maybe, back then, men like Danzō truly did believe in the Will of Fire. But years had changed them all.
Except for Kagami, every one of them—Hiruzen, Danzō, Homura—had become twisted by power.
They were no longer the hopeful young men Tobirama had taught, but beasts wearing the masks of Konoha's leaders.
It didn't matter that they wanted to kill him. In their eyes, he was just a useless descendant with a prestigious name.
But how could they… how could they harm their own teacher's wife?
Rinmu thought of his father. The village was his father's life's work—
his uncle Tobirama's dream, his mother's lifelong devotion.
He could not give up.
The Nine-Tails' sealing must not fail!
The chakra flowing from Yoru's fingers ran perfectly through Rinmu's chakra pathways—
as if it were his own. His strength began to return.
He had long accepted his mediocrity; he would never reach the heights of his father or uncle.
But his death… could still stand beside theirs. He could still die for Konoha.
Hana, his sister… Tsunade, his daughter… Kushina…
Everything would be up to them now.
Rinmu clapped his hands together.
He had always admired the elegance of his father's effortless jutsu. And now, for the first time—he could do the same.
"Ahhhhhh!"
A massive Water Dragon Bullet erupted from the ground, soaring into the sky.
Yoru stepped back quickly.
He wanted Rinmu to live—but why was the man still fighting to the death?!
The enormous water dragon rose higher than the Nine-Tails and came crashing down upon it.
"Seal!"
Even on the brink of death, Rinmu forced the sealing jutsu through. If the seal failed, every Senju shinobi would die—either at the hands of the Nine-Tails or Danzō.
Despite the gaping hole in his abdomen, he unleashed a jutsu of terrifying scale.
The water dragon smashed into the Nine-Tails, pinning it in place. As the dragon burst apart, the torrents became waterfalls that crashed violently across the battlefield.
The ANBU surrounding Kushina were forced to brace against the flood. The ground roared under the deluge.
"Incoming! Protect Lady Kushina!" shouted Captain Yellow Dog.
The village leaders wanted the Senju weakened—but not the Nine-Tails unleashed.
Yoru gathered what little chakra he had left, dodging the cascading torrents to once again collide with Kushina's Adamantine Chains.
She felt it again—that familiar chakra, unique to the Uzumaki, flowing through the chains.
Who is it?
Kushina forced herself to look up, but all she saw around her were masked ANBU.
Could it be… an Uzumaki hidden among them?
That mysterious ally was channeling vast chakra into her chains—chakra overflowing with sealing power.
With that surge, Kushina strengthened her seal one final time.
Above, Rinmu's final Water Release smashed down with divine force; below, Kushina's golden chains burst with renewed might.
The Nine-Tails let out a furious, fading roar—and vanished.
The beast was sealed.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Every shinobi could hear their own ragged breathing.
For a fleeting moment, regret crossed Hiruzen's face.
Over two hundred Senju still alive…
Too many survived. Far more than the plan allowed.
Rinmu's sister, Senju Hanaki, rushed to check on Kushina.
Finding her unconscious but the seal stable, Hanaki exhaled in relief and lifted her onto her back.
She then ordered two surviving Senju jōnin to secure the clan's Scrolls of Sealing—those of both the Senju and Uzumaki.
Dragging their exhausted bodies, the remaining Senju slowly gathered.
Uzumaki Mito.
Senju Rinmu.
Over six hundred Senju shinobi—dead upon the earth.
Yoru crawled out from the muddy wreckage left by his own Water Release, his heart still pounding.
Twice he had poured nearly all his chakra into Kushina. Twice he had helped seal the Nine-Tails.
Two hundred Senju remained alive. Surely, the village wouldn't risk another "accident" to finish the job.
The Senju were saved—and their Scrolls of Sealing were safe.
As long as Danzō didn't get his hands on them, Yoru would still have room to maneuver within the ANBU.
While the Senju tended to their dead, Yoru searched for his squad.
Spotting the Monkey mask, he blinked in surprise.
"You're alive?"
Purple Cat—of the Yamanaka clan—and White Ram—of the Hyūga—had survived by staying back from the front lines. That made sense.
But Monkey? He hadn't expected that.
Monkey froze. Why did his captain sound so shocked?
He looked down at himself. He wasn't a traitor or spy—he'd done nothing wrong.
Yoru sighed. "You've worn that mask for six months. Three or four men before you died wearing it.
Guess you're lucky. Luck's a kind of strength too."
Four of Fox Squad's members were dead—acceptable losses.
When the battlefield was cleared, Hiruzen and Danzō finally appeared at the center.
Bodies of Senju and ANBU lay everywhere. Over seventy ANBU were dead.
Hiruzen turned toward Senju Hanaki.
Her face twitched, and finally she bowed her head.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage, and Lord Danzō, for sending ANBU to help us seal the Nine-Tails. And thank you for repelling the Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Hiruzen nodded slightly, his expression softening.
"Tonight was perilous indeed. The Uchiha's Sharingan nearly took control of the Nine-Tails at a critical moment. I feared an unseen enemy was manipulating things from the shadows, but fortunately, he only appeared for an instant—then fled.
We'll bury our fallen with honor, and the village will investigate who truly sought to sabotage the seal, causing such heavy losses to both the Senju and ANBU."
Hanaki bowed again, eyes bloodshot.
"No matter what… the sealing of the Nine-Tails is complete."