"Roar!"
Kushina could no longer suppress the Nine-Tails' power. Her skin was eroded by crimson Chakra, a Tailed Beast's Chakra Cloak instantly covering her entire body. Six tails danced wildly behind her as the ground crumbled beneath her feet.
'Six tails right from the start?!' Minato's expression was grave. A Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki in the sixth tail state already surpassed most other Tailed Beasts.
Kushina's eyes were blood-red as she rampaged, destroying everything around her.
'I must find a way to reinforce the seal!' Minato naturally didn't want to harm Kushina. While dodging at high speed, he continuously searched for an opening.
Minato's reflexes were incredibly sharp. He soon found an opportunity to get close to Kushina. "Four Symbols Seal!"
However, the moment his fingertips touched Kushina's body, he was sent flying by the violently surging Chakra.
Whoosh-
Another tail burst forth.
Kushina's consciousness was completely submerged by the rampant Chakra. A roar unlike any human sound emanated from deep within her throat.
Minato's heart sank. He knew that if this continued, Kushina would be completely consumed by the Nine-Tails.
Just then, several figures arrived instantly.
"Minato, stand down!" Hiruzen, holding the Adamantine Staff, arrived with a large squad of Anbu.
"Is the Nine-Tails rampaging?" Tsunade, making a rare appearance on the battlefield, looked grim. "Old man, it's time to go all out!"
The Third Hokage had no time to ask what happened. He issued orders decisively. "Everyone, suppress the Nine-Tails!"
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
The Third Hokage and dozens of elite Ninjas attacked simultaneously, attempting to seal off the Nine-Tails' movements.
However, the eighth tail erupted violently.
A terrifying shockwave instantly repelled all Ninjutsu. The Anbu's members were thrown to the ground. Even Tsunade was forced back several steps.
"Already reached the eighth tail state this quickly?!" Hiruzen's eyes were extremely grave.
"Is this the power of the Nine-Tails?" Tsunade sighed inwardly, 'I can't even match the Nine-Tails in its eighth tail state, yet in Grandpa's hands, the real Nine-Tails was practically a pet.'
Kushina's body was now completely enveloped by the crimson Chakra. Beast-like features became increasingly pronounced. A low growl rumbled deep in her throat.
"Kill… Kill you all…"
Hiruzen's face changed drastically. "This is bad… If this continues, the Nine-Tails will break the seal completely."
Although this wasn't the center of Konoha, once the Nine-Tails broke free, it would undoubtedly go on a rampage and destroy the village.
"There's only… one move left!"
He tore open his Hokage robe, revealing his chest, and his hands rapidly formed seals-
Minato's pupils contracted sharply. "Hokage-sama, no!"
He had been the one to teach Hiruzen the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, along with Kushina. He knew the consequences all too well.
Once this technique was performed, both the user and the Nine-Tails would be consumed by the Shinigami.
The Third Hokage would die. Most importantly, Kushina would die too.
"Hokage-sama! Tsunade-sama! Please hold off the Nine-Tails a little longer! I'll go find reinforcements!"
"Reinforcements? You mean Setsuna?" Hiruzen hesitated. If it were any Tailed Beast other than the Nine-Tails, he wouldn't doubt Setsuna's ability to suppress it.
But the Nine-Tails was simply too powerful. If they missed this chance, he feared it would become impossible to seal it again.
But looking at Minato's pleading eyes, he finally sighed. "You must be quick."
"Tsunade, we'll use shadow clones to form the Four Red Yang Formation. Buy Minato some time."
Normally, the Four Red Yang Formation required four top-tier Ninja with Kage-level Chakra Reserves to perform together. But if they only needed to maintain it for a short time, the two of them should be able to manage it barely.
"I understand." Tsunade nodded. As long as she didn't see blood, her combat prowess was still very reliable.
Back at the main command tent on the border of the Land of Grass, Minato, who had just left moments ago, teleported back in.
"Huh? So soon?" Setsuna was stunned.
A trace of contempt flashed in Rasa's eyes, 'This man finishes as fast as he teleports. No wonder some people call him the Yellow Flash.'
"Setsuna, the Nine-Tails has broken the seal. You're our only hope." Minato was brief and to the point. He grabbed Setsuna and teleported away again.
But the sheer weight of the information in his words sent Rasa's mind reeling, 'The Nine-Tails broke its seal?!'
But he soon noticed a discrepancy, 'Why did the Nine-Tails suddenly break its seal just minutes after Minato Namikaze went back?'
'Could it be... this guy wanted to fight the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki in her partial transformation state and accidentally went too far?' Rasa felt a wave of horror. 'I heard he's Jiraiya's student, but he probably isn't that perverted, right?'
When Setsuna arrived at the Konoha's outskirts, he was shocked by the scene before him.
Kushina, with eight Chakra Tails whipping wildly behind her, was ravaging the land.
"My dear friend," Setsuna addressed Don Slime in his mind, "Didn't you say the Nine-Tails not only sealed itself but also told Kushina to reinforce the seal? How did it deteriorate to this point in such a short time? Are you reliable or not?"
"I was deceived!" Don Slime fumed. "That cunning little fox must have been feigning weakness on purpose." It then shouted aggressively, "Setsuna! Lend me your body! Let me go teach it a lesson! Let that wretched fox know the consequences of deceiving me!"
"Don't rush. The Nine-Tails is a rare opponent. Let me have some fun first." Despite his words, Setsuna wouldn't underestimate the Nine-Tails.
Naruto in a mere fourth tail partial transformation had severely injured Jiraiya. While Jiraiya was holding back to avoid hurting Naruto, that was only the Yang half of the Nine-Tails, with its power halved by the seal.
What he faced now was the complete Nine-Tails in an eighth tail state, just one step away from full transformation.
While Setsuna and Don Slime were discussing how to beat up the Nine-Tails, an ear-splitting roar accompanied the violent eruption of Kushina's ninth tail.
The rampant Chakra Storm tore through the barrier. Hiruzen and Tsunade were sent flying, crashing heavily into a distant mountainside.
"I hope they're okay." Setsuna felt somewhat awkward. He had only wasted a few seconds, but he didn't expect this knock-off Four Red Yang Formation to be so ineffective.
Kushina was now on all fours like a beast. Crimson Chakra burned around her like flames. Nine massive tails thrashed wildly behind her.
Her face was covered by the Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak, leaving only a pair of savage beast-like pupils glowing in the darkness. Her fingers had transformed into sharp claws, each swipe capable of shredding mountain rock.
"This is bad, the ninth tail has appeared…" Minato's face paled.
Setsuna instantly opened the Fifth Gate, but still felt it wasn't secure enough. "Slime, lend me your Senjutsu Chakra."
Boom!
Setsuna's figure shot forward like a bolt of lightning, appearing instantly above the Nine-Tails' head. His right fist descended like a meteor.
"Thud!"
The terrifying impact force slammed the Nine-Tails' head hard into the ground. The earth within a hundred-meter radius churned like ocean waves, forcibly creating a massive crater.
Minato watched, his heart aching. After all, that was Kushina's body. But he also knew that without doing this, it would be impossible to subdue the Nine-Tails.