Chapter 55: The Night of the Fox
After sensing the scene before him, Uchiha Akira immediately abandoned any thought of launching a direct spiritual assault. The Rinnegan's Preta Path was highly likely capable of interacting with or even restraining spiritual entities. With Nagato restored to full health, a reckless charge would likely end in disaster.
A spiritual body, while powerful, was not invincible or omnipresent like the Flying Thunder God. It could be blocked, contained by barriers, and the Rinnegan was known to possess techniques that targeted the soul itself.
A surprise attack on a crippled Nagato might have had a chance. But against a swift, fully mobile Nagato, now enhanced with Hashirama Senju's cells and wielding formidable power? The odds were unacceptable.
Perhaps a surprise attack on Uchiha Obito instead... The idea flashed through his mind, and he briefly considered it. Even without the Rinnegan, a spiritual ambush on Obito held potential.
No. Better to play it safe. His other Mangekyo Sharingan is already in my possession. With that eye, Uchiha Obito will fall into my hands eventually. At the last moment, caution prevailed. He lacked absolute certainty of a killing blow, and this particular trick could only be used once effectively. If it failed, there would be no second chance. This move had to be reserved for the perfect, decisive moment. Now was not it.
The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki... The Two-Tails... The Four-Tails... The Five-Tails... They're all still active. His spiritual perception brushed against the familiar chakra signatures of several Jinchuriki he had encountered on the battlefield. By remembering their unique chakra beforehand, he could now locate them through his spiritual sense—a crucial advantage.
Back in Konoha, the cross-legged Uchiha Akira opened his eyes, his spirit fully reintegrated with his body. The initial test of the Spiritual Transformation Technique left him deeply satisfied.
Perhaps Orochimaru's inspiration for the Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique came from studying something like this... he mused.
Time continued its relentless march. Soon, it was October.
"Finally... I have fully comprehended Uzumaki Kushina's sealing technique notes." A sense of profound accomplishment washed over him. For over half a year, he had dedicated a significant portion of his time to mastering the art of fuinjutsu. While labeled as Kushina's practice notes, they contained insights from both her and Namikaze Minato. There were no complete, ready-made seals, but rather their analytical breakdowns and hard-won understandings of sealing principles. By thoroughly digesting these notes, Akira found he could now reverse-engineer and reconstruct the seals described. His fuinjutsu skill had reached an elite level. In all of Konoha, few could now claim greater proficiency.
Of course, the pinnacle mastery of Minato and Kushina remained beyond his current reach. From Kushina's notes, he had managed to deduce the structure of the Four Symbols Seal. However, replicating Minato's feat of layering two Four Symbols Seals to create the complex Eight Trigrams Seal was still impossible.
My current skill is sufficient to seal a tailed beast, he assessed. The thought of tailed beasts triggered another. If I remember correctly, the tenth month is when Naruto was originally born. I wonder if the village leadership heeded the earlier warning.
A vague, nagging sense of unease settled in his gut.
Enough. I'll speak with Fugaku. Have him press Minato once more to increase security.
He found Uchiha Fugaku and explained his renewed concerns.
After listening, Fugaku wore a rare, frustrated smile. "Akira, let this matter rest. The village elders are... excessively cautious regarding our clan. After I relayed your warning to Minato, he confided in me later that the security for Kushina's delivery has been entirely assumed by the senior council." He shook his head. "With the birth imminent, it's unwise for us to appear overly involved."
"I see," Akira replied, momentarily taken aback. Then he gave a short, humorless laugh. "If that's the case, so be it."
"It's the only path available to us now," Fugaku said, his voice a mix of resignation and simmering resentment. He had done his part. The outcome now rested with Minato and the village elders.
The days ticked by. October 10th arrived.
The tenth. The original Naruto's birthday. Let's hope the butterfly effect is strong. Let's hope the Nine-Tails Night never comes.
As night fell, Uchiha Akira stood on his rooftop, gazing at the full, jade-like moon in a cloudless sky. He was on alert, ready to move at a moment's notice.
Time crept forward. Nine o'clock passed.
Past nine. Perhaps it really won't happen this time, he murmured, allowing himself a sliver of relief as he began to turn away.
A roar—primordial, brutal, and filled with infinite malice—shattered the night's peace, erupting from the village center.
Akira spun back, his expression hardening into a grim mask. Several kilometers away, an orange fox, tall as a mountain, materialized amidst Konoha's buildings.
As the roar echoed, a dark red pillar of pure chakra blasted into the sky. In an instant, chakra clouds the color of clotting blood coalesced overhead. The malign energy spread like a ruptured artery, flooding the village in a hazy, crimson mist within seconds.
The Nine-Tails' eyes glowed with the distinct, sinister pattern of the Sharingan. It was clearly under genjutsu control.
People nearby, looking up in terror, could make out two figures standing atop the gargantuan fox's head.
One wore a black cloak and a single-eyed, tiger-striped mask, a single scarlet Sharingan visible through the aperture.
Beside him stood a figure with red hair and an expression of utter coldness, clad in the signature black cloak with red clouds. A pair of chilling, violet Rinnegan were faintly visible.
BOOM!
The mountain-sized fox moved. It rose, and with every swing of its colossal paws, the earth split and houses were pulverized into dust.
Screams tore through the air instantly.
"Damn it..." Uchiha Akira cursed under his breath, his face dark with fury. He launched himself from the rooftop, a streak of motion aimed directly at the epicenter of the chaos.
He was not alone. Dozens of Uchiha jonin, reacting with equal speed, burst from their homes and surged toward the towering beast, their Sharingan already activated.
(End of Chapter)
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