The moment Uchiha Obito summoned the Nine-Tails into the heart of Konoha, the beast's colossal body crushed countless homes beneath it.
It was nighttime—most of the villagers, with little to do after dark, had long since returned home. Now, as entire rows of houses were flattened under the weight of the tailed beast, no one could say how many corpses would lie buried beneath the rubble by dawn.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
The Nine-Tails' thunderous roar burst forth as a shockwave that swept through the village like a hurricane. Buildings near its massive form were reduced to splinters in an instant.
Only now did the people of Konoha realize the horror that had befallen them—a tailed beast had appeared inside the village itself.
Its vast, seething chakra and terrifying silhouette blazed like a second sun in the night sky. No one could fail to notice its presence.
Even more chilling were the spinning Sharingan reflected in the beast's eyes—an ominous sight that sent waves of dread through the shinobi who caught sight of them.
Tonight was meant to be a night of celebration—the night Uzumaki Kushina gave birth. The higher-ups had deliberately arranged for her delivery to take place outside the village to avoid incidents like this. Still, the village's internal security had been tightened to its highest level.
So when the Nine-Tails appeared, many Konoha ninja didn't even wait for orders from the Hokage. Acting on pure instinct, they rushed toward the direction of the attack.
At the same time, the villagers—veterans of the war years—fell back on long-practiced emergency drills. Families clutched their children and fled toward the shelters beneath the Hokage Rock.
Chaos engulfed the streets.
Stones and debris blasted into the air by the beast's roar rained down upon the bustling districts. Even this aftershock—far from the center of destruction—was enough to kill. A single chunk of falling rubble could crush a person instantly.
Cries and screams echoed through the night. Some people stopped amid the panic to help the injured. Others, driven by primal terror, abandoned even their families in their desperate bid to escape.
In moments like this, both the selfishness and the brilliance of human nature were laid bare.
The true scale of the tailed beast's power hadn't even been unleashed yet, and already Konoha teetered on the brink of ruin.
Even the strongest ninja looked insignificant before such a calamity.
Under Obito's control, the Nine-Tails began lumbering toward the Hokage Tower, crushing everything in its path.
Those who tried to intercept it—hurling kunai and shuriken—found their weapons useless against the beast's hide. Even powerful jutsu barely made it flinch, serving only to enrage it further.
The Nine-Tails lashed its nine tails like divine whips of judgment, carving deep, smoking ravines into the earth with every strike.
It was pure destruction incarnate.
As scores of Konoha shinobi fell before the monster's might, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, finally arrived on the battlefield with the ANBU at his back.
Though long past his prime, the aging Hokage did not hesitate to step forward in defense of his village.
Upon arrival, he summoned Enma, the Monkey King, who transformed into the Adamantine Staff. With a mighty strike, Hiruzen drove the Nine-Tails out of Konoha, blasting the giant fox through the village walls and into the surrounding forest.
The Nine-Tails skidded across the ground, roaring in fury.
But distance meant nothing to it. As it gathered chakra within its maw, a black orb began to form—the Tailed Beast Bomb, aimed directly at the Hokage Rock.
That was where the civilians had sought refuge.
Obito, once a Konoha ninja himself, knew exactly where to strike to inflict the greatest damage. He intended to leave nothing behind.
Now that Minato knew his identity, destroying Konoha would be the perfect way to erase any trace of himself.
Even if the village wasn't wiped off the map, crippling it would be enough to plunge the shinobi world into chaos. Other villages would seize the opportunity to attack, and Konoha would never recover.
The Tailed Beast Bomb grew rapidly, until it was a massive sphere of condensed, churning darkness.
With a flash, it launched into the night sky—streaking toward the Hokage Rock like a falling star of death.
Just before impact, a pattern of black sealing runes appeared in the air before the mountain.
The sphere halted mid-flight, frozen in place.
Space itself warped—and in the next moment, the Tailed Beast Bomb was swallowed whole by an invisible vortex, vanishing completely.
Sensing the distortion behind him, Hiruzen turned toward the Hokage Rock. He couldn't see the man clearly through the darkness—but there was only one person in Konoha capable of such a feat.
"Minato… you've finally come."
A glint of relief crossed the Third's eyes, followed quickly by grim resolve.
The Nine-Tails' presence here meant one thing—something had happened to Kushina.
And beneath his outward composure, Hiruzen also feared for his wife, Biwako.
"BOOM!!!"
A blinding explosion erupted in the distance as the Tailed Beast Bomb reappeared outside the village and detonated. The blast illuminated half the sky. Moments later, a rolling thunderclap echoed across the land, followed by a searing gust of heat that washed over all of Konoha.
Outside the village.
A massive toad appeared atop the Nine-Tails' head—Gamabunta, summoned by Minato. The Fourth Hokage's Summoning: Toad Flattening Technique pinned the beast down for an instant.
Then, in a flash of golden light, both Gamabunta and the Nine-Tails vanished from the battlefield—teleported far away by Minato's Flying Thunder God.
Inside a secure shelter.
Hyuga Satoru had witnessed nearly the entire exchange between Minato and the Nine-Tails through his Byakugan. The moment he sensed the beast disappear—teleported by the Fourth—he finally exhaled in relief.
But even as calm returned, his fists clenched tightly, his heart heavy with frustration.
To see a tailed beast with his own eyes—to feel its oppressive might—had driven home a brutal truth.
He was powerless.
His Gentle Fist, his Rotation, even the Flying Thunder God—none of it would matter against a monster like that.
Against such overwhelming power, everything he had was meaningless.
And yet… even the tailed beasts were not the pinnacle of this world's strength. Before the true giants, they were little more than tools—pets—to be commanded at will.
"I have to grow stronger…" Satoru muttered, his voice trembling. "Even if it costs me my life—I must become stronger!"
"Only by growing stronger can I protect my family… and control my own fate."
"Otherwise… I'll always be standing here, helpless, watching everything slip away."
His body quivered—not from fear, but from the surge of emotion burning within him.
Was it terror? Excitement? He couldn't tell.
But one thing was certain—never in his life had Hyuga Satoru wanted power this badly.
Vague threats were one thing; seeing disaster with his own eyes was another.
He had always worked hard—but now, for the first time, his resolve to become stronger was absolute, unwavering, and all-consuming.
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