Yagami's heart pounded wildly.
If he didn't act soon, the Senju Clan would be wiped out.
In the original timeline, the Senju's annihilation had been absolute—only the crippled, the elderly, and the young remained in their ancestral grounds. They couldn't even defend their family estate.
And the way they perished… no one could really blame anyone for it. Even Tsunade couldn't claim that the village leadership was wrong.
After all, Danzo had always insisted on having the Anbu perform the Nine-Tails' sealing. It was the Senju Clan who stubbornly insisted on sealing the beast independently.
The extermination of the Senju Clan was something Yagami refused to let happen.
But what could he do?
The Nine-Tails howled in agony toward the sky.
Its head, shoulders, and front limbs were still those of a colossal beast—but from the chest downward, its body shrank rapidly, funneling down until it connected to the frail back of Uzumaki Kushina.
Forcing the Nine-Tails into a human-sized vessel filled the monster's roars with pain and rage.
Its waist, bound like a twisted rope, was reduced to barely a hand's thickness—unbearable torment for a creature tens of meters tall.
The Nine-Tails lowered its head, slamming its claw down toward Kushina.
Senju Rinki's wife led the joint sealing ritual, while Rinki himself stood protectively before Kushina.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"
A towering wall of stone rose to block the descending claw.
Chunks of debris flew everywhere—some even struck Kushina.
Yagami exhaled in relief. They'd managed to block it. Rinmu's Earth Release was quite skilled.
The Senju's joint sealing technique surged again, every clan shinobi burning through their chakra reserves.
The sealing marks crawled over the Nine-Tails' body, freezing its movements for brief moments. Each swing of its massive claws required its full strength.
The Nine-Tails lashed out, smashing an entire line of Senju shinobi.
With one swipe, more than thirty died instantly.
When the Nine-Tails noticed that each death loosened the sealing marks binding it, it began to target them deliberately.
Within just a minute or two, over a hundred Senju shinobi had been crushed beneath its claws.
The Nine-Tails howled at the moon, frustrated by the inefficiency of its strikes. Its maw began to glow—the Tailed Beast Ball forming.
Kushina struggled to lift her head, whispering faintly, "I can't… let it… release that technique…"
Two golden chakra chains burst from her back, wrapping around the Nine-Tails' throat.
Its head jerked aside, causing the Tailed Beast Ball to veer off course. Instead of annihilating the Senju below, it shot into the distance and exploded.
The explosion lit the sky.
But the Nine-Tails had endless chakra. One failed shot didn't matter—it immediately began forming a second one.
Kushina, drained of strength, could only watch as the next sphere shot out to the side.
A horrifying blast followed—mushroom clouds rising as more than three hundred Senju shinobi were vaporized in an instant.
The ground quaked violently.
Each time the Nine-Tails struck the earth, the tremor rippled like an earthquake.
Dozens more Senju were smashed into paste.
Fear, despair, and tears filled the Senju's faces—but none fled.
Among the dead were their fathers, mothers, children, cousins, and childhood friends.
Still, every surviving shinobi held their position, pouring their remaining chakra into the joint sealing technique.
Slowly, the Nine-Tails began to shrink, being drawn back into Kushina's body.
But after Uzumaki Mito's death, the Senju had already lost more than half their numbers.
The sealing marks covering the beast's body were growing fewer and fewer.
After smashing through the forest with his adamantine staff, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned on it, watching the sealing effort.
Seeing the seal's worsening state, he finally raised his hand—then slowly lowered it again, issuing the order to attack.
Even if he had other thoughts, he dared not go too far. If the Nine-Tails completely lost control, it would be catastrophic.
Four Anbu squads charged forward at his signal.
"Suppress the Nine-Tails!" barked the squad leader, Hound. "Keep up the pressure—drain its chakra and ease the strain on the seal!"
As a squad captain, Yagami followed right behind Yellow Dog.
Fire Release techniques and explosive tags rained upon the beast.
The Nine-Tails' body was battered by wave after wave of attacks—it had to fend off the barrage with its claws.
Some Anbu leapt into the air, targeting the creature's eyes with explosive tags.
They never made it back down.
A single swipe sent them flying, bursting into clouds of blood and shattered organs midair.
Fragments of broken Anbu masks fell—no heads behind them.
The battlefield was hell.
No wonder, Yagami thought, the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage had scarred an entire generation. Its power was simply overwhelming, its defense beyond any ninja's reach.
Yellow Dog's Fire Release was exceptional—a blazing orb nearly half the size of the Nine-Tails itself.
Even the beast had to take it seriously.
When the fireball struck, it forced the Nine-Tails' attention downward.
Yellow Dog dashed forward, drawing the beast's focus directly under itself.
Its claw crashed down in pursuit—but he dodged.
Rinki's wife, however, did not.
She was crushed where she stood.
The Anbu's arrival, which had given Rinki a moment of relief, now turned to horror as he watched his wife's body shattered before his eyes.
Bloodshot, shaking, he looked at the Anbu in disbelief.
Why hadn't they protected her—the key anchor of the sealing formation?
The joint sealing technique collapsed in an instant.
The sealing marks vanished, the Nine-Tails regaining full mobility.
Kushina's golden chains faltered as well.
With a violent pull, the beast tore half its body free from her. She fell, screaming in agony.
The Nine-Tails seized the moment, forming another Tailed Beast Ball and firing it at the nearby Senju.
Another explosion—another hundred dead.
Rinki shouted, "The joint sealing has failed! All Senju shinobi, attack the Nine-Tails! We must weaken it!"
He almost added, Hold on until the Third Hokage strengthens the seal!—but the words caught in his throat.
Yellow Dog rushed to Kushina's side, finally staying put to guard her.
Yagami landed beside his squad leader.
Above them loomed the monstrous Nine-Tails, an overwhelming force of nature.
From below, he could only see its razor claws tearing through the air.
Each talon was as large as Yagami himself.
A claw slammed down. Yagami rolled aside, narrowly avoiding it.
He quickly formed hand signs.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
The stone spear shot up, striking the beast's claw. The skin dented slightly—then the spear shattered to dust.
The Nine-Tails' body was far too durable.
It was like trying to clean the dirt from under its nails with a stick.
The other claw followed immediately.
Yagami formed another series of seals.
This time, countless earthen spears rose like a thorn forest, binding the claw.
For a heartbeat, it held—but only for a heartbeat.
The beast flexed, and the entire earthen cage exploded into rubble.
Rocks flew everywhere.
Annoyed, the Nine-Tails swiped again, smacking away the masked shinobi who'd dared hinder it.
Yagami's bones shattered midair. He died before even hitting the ground.
[Host death detected. Arc of Moon System activating...]
The scene blurred. His vision shifted.
Yagami stood once more outside the Senju Clan's territory—on the night of the last full moon.
Cold sweat trickled down his temples.
Faced with such an overwhelming calamity, how could he possibly prevent the Senju Clan's destruction?
System, hurry up and give me a reward already! What are you waiting for?!
***
If you're interested and wish to support me, you can read advanced chapters:
p-atreon.com/Redestro666