As Neiki moved through the battlefield of the Uchiha compound, collecting Sharingan eyes, the situation on the outskirts with the Nine-Tails was escalating.
Fugaku, perhaps too weakened to restrain the Nine-Tails any longer—or perhaps deliberately loosening his control in a desperate bid to crush Hiruzen quickly—let the beast go on a rampage.
The Nine-Tails' attacks grew increasingly ferocious and indiscriminate. Its chakra cloak had thickened into fur that now covered nearly its entire body, and the pressure on Hiruzen, facing the almost fully transformed Nine-Tails alone, was immense.
"Boom—"
The Tailed Beast Ball exploded, its thunderous roar rolling across the land.
Hiruzen turned in time to see an entire mountainside leveled by the impact.
His face darkened. If that attack had been launched toward Konoha instead…
The village would have been wiped out.
"Fugaku, that bastard…"
He had lost count of how many times he'd cursed that name today. Even though they had thoroughly prepared for the Uchiha rebellion, everything had fallen apart the moment Naruto was captured. No one had anticipated Fugaku would be bold enough to go this far.
His ambitions were grand.
His methods, audacious.
If Fugaku had shown this level of resolve earlier, why had he waited until now to start a coup?
Why had he been pushed this far?
There was no time to think about it.
The Nine-Tails was already gathering another Tailed Beast Ball, its terrifying power making even a veteran like Hiruzen feel a chill.
Hiruzen had already ordered all Konoha shinobi to pull back. Now he stood alone on the outskirts, facing the nearly complete Nine-Tails.
At worst, we die together, he thought.
He took a deep breath, focusing his spirit, preparing to evade while shouting at the Nine-Tails:
"Naruto, are you still in there? Wake up!"
"Nine-Tails, I know you're regaining consciousness! Do you really want to be controlled by the Uchiha?!"
He yelled until his voice nearly gave out, but the only response from the Nine-Tails was the way its eyes burned even hotter with hatred every time it heard the word "Uchiha."
The Tailed Beast Ball rolled forward like an unstoppable war machine, flattening everything in its path.
Hiruzen's figure flickered again and again as he dodged.
This time, however, the Nine-Tails had learned. The Tailed Beast Ball detonated shortly after it was launched—far closer than before.
Hiruzen wasn't at the heart of the blast, but the shockwaves, like serrated wind blades, were impossible to fully evade.
The surrounding trees were practically sliced in half.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The blast tore through the earth wall. Hiruzen was hurled backward.
Enma's staff form stabbed into the ground, helping Hiruzen brace himself as he coughed up blood.
His condition was dire; his physical strength and chakra reserves were nearly exhausted.
Watching the Nine-Tails gather yet another Tailed Beast Ball, Hiruzen actually smiled.
The Nine-Tails had learned how to use that attack to truly hurt him. Dodging the next one would be even harder.
…So, this is it?
Is Fugaku actually going to outlast me, the Hokage?
Sighing, Hiruzen knew it was time.
He couldn't drag this on any longer.
"Sarutobi!" sensing his resolve, Enma couldn't help but speak.
"Enough," Hiruzen shook his head firmly. "We can't keep stalling. This is the only option left."
If he hesitated any longer, he might lose his chance to use the Reaper Death Seal at all.
Gazing at the Nine-Tails—perhaps seeing memories, perhaps just feeling the nearness of death—Hiruzen reflected:
"Honestly… I should have died during the last Nine-Tails attack."
"It should have been me using the Reaper Death Seal back then."
"Minato had just become Hokage… so young, with such a bright future ahead of him."
"If I'd taken his place… maybe this disaster today wouldn't have happened…"
Minato's student had been a boy from the Uchiha clan—even though Obito had supposedly died early during a mission. Because of that guilt, Minato had kept a much better relationship with the Uchiha than Hiruzen ever could.
Hiruzen felt that if he had been the one to use the Reaper Death Seal back then, the Uchiha might not have been driven to such a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble today. Even if they'd been discontent, they might have tried to talk to Minato instead of jumping straight to rebellion.
Now, no matter how he tried to play mediator, the Uchiha never once reached out to negotiate.
They had lost all faith in him. To them, he was the shadow behind their long-term suppression.
So of course he became one of the first people they wanted dead.
"I'm sorry, Naruto… Minato…" Hiruzen whispered.
In the distance, the Nine-Tails was almost done forming another Tailed Beast Ball. Hiruzen began weaving hand seals.
Snake—
Boar—
Ram—
Rabbit—
Dog—
Rat—
Bird—
As he reached the eighth seal, it felt like invisible hands covered his own, stopping him from completing the sequence.
A voice, like a whisper on the wind, echoed:
"Third Hokage…"
Hiruzen knew that voice.
He looked up, confused, and saw the Nine-Tails had halted its attack. Fully cloaked in fur, it was now in its complete form. At this stage, it should have completely devoured Naruto's consciousness.
So why—
Why had it stopped?
Ignoring Hiruzen, the Nine-Tails suddenly went berserk, rampaging through the surrounding mountains.
An entire mountain range was shredded. Countless trees were uprooted. Dust billowed into the sky, and the last faint remnants of the Sharingan reflection disappeared from the Nine-Tails' eyes, leaving only pure malice and hatred.
"Uchiha…"
"Minato…"
The Nine-Tails rumbled.
Those were the two names it despised most.
Hearing them, Hiruzen finally understood whose voice had reached him earlier.
Minato Namikaze.
But why…?
Confused, Hiruzen—prodded urgently by Enma—released the final two seals of the Reaper Death Seal and watched the Nine-Tails from afar.
Sure enough, moments later, with an unwilling roar, the Nine-Tails rapidly shrank back down into the form of a child.
Hiruzen, overjoyed, rushed forward and checked Naruto's body, confirming the seal was intact.
"Naruto?"
Naruto blinked awake and stared at him in confusion.
"Old man Third?"
"Was that… a dream?"
"I saw a guy with blond hair, like the Fourth on the Hokage Rock. He said he was my dad, and I just… cried in his arms…"
Suddenly alert, Naruto grabbed Hiruzen's hand.
"Old man, was it real?"
"Is the Fourth really my dad?"
Hiruzen didn't correct Naruto's way of addressing him. His feelings were tangled as he met the boy's hopeful gaze, the guilt of not using the Reaper Death Seal for Minato pressing even heavier on his chest.
He nodded.
"Yes. Your father is the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
Naruto froze, then tears rolled down his cheeks, no matter how hard he tried to stop them.
After a long while, he finally calmed his breathing and said:
"He also told me to tell you… 'It's okay. I will always respect you, Third Hokage.'"
Hiruzen went still, remembering that voice… and the hand that had stopped his seals.
His emotions surged.
He let out a long, shaky breath.
"Naruto…"
He wanted to say more, but an ANBU suddenly appeared and dropped to one knee.
"Hokage-sama… the Hyuga… the Hyuga clan is in trouble!"
If you Enjoyed Reading
Visit my p@treon for more chapters
Advance 80+ Chapters Available
patreon.com/Sagamaster789
If you really Enjoyed Reading. Give Power Stones and Reviews!