Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Outbreak of the Nine-Tails Uprising
A bright full moon hung high in the sky. Under the night light, Kakashi—his head of silver hair gleaming—walked through the streets of Konoha with his hands in his pockets, side by side with Might Guy.
Having just finished the previous round of ANBU missions yesterday, Kakashi finally had a few rare days of vacation. That was why he had spent the night drinking with his close friend Guy at an izakaya until now.
As a famed prodigy ninja of Konoha, Kakashi had borne far too many blows and psychological burdens throughout his life.
When Kakashi was seven years old, his father, Sakumo Hatake—the "White Fang of Konoha"—chose to abandon a mission in order to save his comrades. Unable to withstand the village's criticism, Sakumo eventually took his own life.
His father's death dealt Kakashi a tremendous blow. From that point on, he became cold and taciturn, shutting away his emotions, and developed an extraordinary obsession with missions and rules.
Under Minato's leadership in Team Seven, Minato's careful guidance, along with Kakashi's friendship with Obito and Rin, helped him recover somewhat.
However, during the Third Great Ninja War, the successive deaths of Obito and Rin struck Kakashi hard once again, leaving his body, mind, and spirit tormented by relentless nightmares.
In order to dispel the darkness in Kakashi's heart, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, personally invited him to join the ANBU. He also assigned Kakashi to guard Uzumaki Kushina during her pregnancy, hoping that by witnessing the birth of new life, Kakashi could forget his past pain and emerge from the darkness.
After nearly a year of guard duty, Kakashi's inner wounds were indeed healed to a great extent.
Just yesterday, with Kushina's due date approaching, his mission had officially ended.
Because of this, Kakashi even made a special trip to the village's Memorial Stone, where he shared the good news with Obito and Rin at their graves.
What Kakashi did not yet know was that, because of a few extra words he spoke at the Memorial Stone yesterday, he was about to suffer the fourth great blow of his life.
After leaving the izakaya and walking down the street for a short while, Kakashi suddenly stopped, his gaze shifting slightly as an ominous feeling arose in his heart.
He felt as though a chill had seeped into the very air of the village.
"What's wrong, Kakashi?"
Guy asked in confusion when he saw Kakashi stop.
Kakashi shook his head and said nothing.
The unease in his heart continued to grow, yet the feeling had come so abruptly and inexplicably that he couldn't explain it.
Uchiha Clan Compound
The young Uchiha Itachi sat on a wooden corridor, anxiously looking up at the night sky.
Waaah—waaah—waaah!
At the moment, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto were not at home. Sasuke, not yet half a year old, was hanging against Itachi's chest, crying loudly no matter how much Itachi tried to soothe him.
Sasuke, no matter what happens, big brother will protect you!
Staring at the cold night sky, Itachi silently made a firm resolution in his heart.
In one corner of Konoha, ripples like waves appeared in empty air. Along with spatial fluctuations, a figure wearing a mask and a black cloak gradually emerged.
"There's nothing left in this world worth longing for."
The masked man swept a glance over the tranquil village of Konoha and murmured softly. Then his right hand rapidly formed seals and pressed toward the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Boom!
Contract markings spread rapidly outward from the masked man's hand, and a massive cloud of white smoke rose high above the village.
As the smoke dissipated, a gigantic crimson figure appeared.
This red silhouette stood over seventy meters tall, with nine blazing tails swaying behind it like flames in the wind.
It was none other than Konoha's strategic-level weapon—the Nine-Tails.
"Roar—!"
The moment the Nine-Tails appeared in Konoha, it let out a ferocious roar. Violent chakra and a tremendous shockwave blasted outward in all directions.
Under the moonlight, the power of the Sharingan projected within the Nine-Tails' eyes was clearly visible.
After that roar, the massive Nine-Tails began smashing nearby buildings with both its claws and tails. Every movement triggered earth-shaking tremors.
Rumble—rumble—!
Deafening explosions and crashes echoed throughout the night sky.
"Th-this is…!"
Seeing the rampaging Nine-Tails suddenly appear above the village, Guy was completely dumbfounded.
"This is bad!"
Beside him, Kakashi's expression had already changed drastically. In a flash, he vanished, racing straight toward the Hokage Tower.
At the Uchiha clan compound, young Itachi, with Sasuke hanging against his chest, began fleeing toward the shelter.
"Ah—!"
In the darkness, countless villagers of Konoha were awakened by the massive disturbance caused by the Nine-Tails. People streamed toward the shelters, while the village's ninja continuously flashed toward the Hokage Tower.
Inside an office of the Hokage Tower, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—temporarily stationed there due to Kushina's childbirth—cast a sharp gaze. Throwing aside the documents in his hand, he quickly changed into battle attire and rushed toward the area where the Nine-Tails was wreaking havoc.
"Is that… the power of the Sharingan?"
Standing atop the Hokage Rock, Hiruzen looked at the enormous Sharingan reflected in the Nine-Tails' eyes, his expression immediately darkening.
Deep beneath Konoha, in the ROOT base, a large group of ROOT ninja gathered in the main hall.
"Lord Danzō, should we deploy?"
One of the ROOT ninja asked for orders after sensing the violent upheaval in the village.
"No one is to move. Leave the village to the Third and Fourth Hokage to handle!"
Danzō coldly issued the command from above.
At the Police Force Headquarters, just as Uchiha Fugaku was about to lead the village's elite to assist in suppressing the Nine-Tails, a masked ANBU ninja flashed in front of him.
"Lord Fugaku, by order of the Third Hokage, the Police Force is to escort civilians during evacuation. You are not permitted to approach the Nine-Tails without authorization."
"Move!"
After a brief change in expression, Fugaku decisively waved his hand, leading the Police Force members to various parts of the village to assist civilians in taking shelter.
"So… the Nine-Tails incident has finally begun?"
Within the Akimichi clan compound, Ryūya—who had been cultivating in a secret chamber—was awakened by the massive disturbance. He looked toward the direction of the chakra fluctuations and murmured softly.
Since arriving in this world, Ryūya had been anxiously waiting for this day.
Because its arrival marked the opening of the grand storyline of the Naruto world.
Regarding this, Ryūya had always harbored conflicting feelings. He hoped the events of the ninja world would unfold along the path he knew, yet also hoped that his presence might change things.
For example, that the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—whom Ryūya admired—would not die here.
During the Nine-Tails incident, many in later generations could not understand or agree with Minato's choice.
Many believed that, given Minato's talent and strength, had he survived, the future of the ninja world might not have faced so many hardships, and Konoha might not have fallen into an awkward period of weakness afterward.
But Ryūya believed that, based on the limited information Minato possessed at the time, it was the best possible decision he could have made for Konoha.