Inside the Root base.
Danzo watched as the Nine-Tails wreaked havoc within the village, a look of fear appearing on his face.
"So this is… the power of a Tailed Beast?"
Behind him, Torune Aburame knelt on one knee and reported in a deep voice:
"Danzo-sama, the Nine-Tails is rampaging through the village. Should we dispatch the Root Ninja to intercept it?"
Danzo did not answer.
His eyes were fixed on the raging Nine-Tails.
He saw a group of Chunin rush toward it.
More than a dozen people, kunai in hand, shouting something.
In the next moment, the Nine-Tails' claw came down.
Just one swipe.
Those dozen people turned into a pile of flesh and blood in an instant.
Danzo narrowed his eyes.
Then his expression darkened as he said:
"Pass down my order–every Root Ninja is to stand still!"
Torune was stunned for a moment and raised his head:
"But, Danzo-sama… the villagers of Konoha are under attack…"
Danzo suddenly turned his head.
"Hmm?"
Just a single word.
Yet Torune felt as if something had seized his throat, cold sweat breaking out all over his body.
"You… intend to disobey my order?"
"I wouldn't dare!"
Torune immediately lowered his head, his voice trembling clearly:
"This subordinate wouldn't dare!"
"So why aren't you delivering the order?"
"Yes… yes!"
Torune stood up and quickly exited the room.
After a moment of silence, Danzo muttered to himself:
"Root… must preserve its strength."
"For the future of Konoha… necessary sacrifices are unavoidable."
...
Inside Konoha Village.
Flames soared into the sky.
As the Nine-Tails' tail swept through, rows of houses collapsed like paper.
Rubble flew everywhere, crashing into the fleeing crowds.
"AHHH!!!"
Screams rose one after another.
Someone was pinned beneath a collapsed beam, half their body unable to move, only able to stretch out a hand in despair:
"Help… someone save me…"
More people were running.
Running desperately.
Albeit the Nine-Tails' tail swept over again.
Boom!
Another swath of houses collapsed, followed by another wave of screams.
"Danzo-sama!!!"
Someone cried out in despair.
"Danzo-sama said he would protect us!"
"Danzo-sama! Where are you!"
Yet the only response was the Nine-Tails' roar and the crackling of flames.
No one came.
Those Root Ninja they trusted, admired, and believed would rush to the front lines…
Not a single one appeared.
Fortunately, as time passed, rescue finally arrived–but not from Root.
Several black figures leapt across the rooftops–it was the Anbu directly under the Third Hokage.
They moved through the sea of fire and ruins, dragging injured civilians from collapsed houses and carrying them to safety.
"Quick! There are still survivors here!"
"Medical team! Where is the medical team?!"
"Take this child away! His parents already…"
At the same time, figures clad in Police Force uniforms also rushed into the flames.
Fugaku Uchiha charged at the front, his hands rapidly forming seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball slammed into a boulder flying toward the crowd, blasting it into fragments.
"Inabi! Take a team to the east!"
Fugaku shouted his orders.
"Tekka! The west is yours!"
"Yes!"
In addition, the great clans such as Ino–Shika–Cho also took action.
Members of the Yamanaka clan moved through the ruins, using their sensory abilities to locate buried survivors.
Members of the Akimichi clan transformed into giants, using their massive bodies to block falling debris headed for civilians.
Members of the Nara clan cast large shadows across the ground, binding those who couldn't escape in time and forcibly dragging them out of the Nine-Tails' attack range.
"Move!"
"Run that way! It's safe over there!"
"Don't look back! Hurry!"
...
Bang!
Another tail swept through.
A middle-aged man was struck in the leg by a flying rock, letting out a scream as he fell to the ground.
He desperately tried to get up, only to find his leg was broken, bone fragments piercing through flesh, blood pouring everywhere.
"Ahhh!!! It hurts so much!!!"
He lay on the ground, looking around in despair.
"Whoever it is… please come save me… I'm begging you…"
Suddenly, he remembered something, his face twisting into fury.
"Damn it! Where are the Uchiha?!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Aren't the Leaf Police Force just freeloaders?! Didn't you want to do some evacuation drill yesterday?!"
"Where the hell did the Uchiha go?!"
"Come save me!!!"
As soon as his words fell, a figure landed in front of him.
A green flak jacket, with the Uchiha clan's fan emblem embroidered on the back.
It was Inabi Uchiha.
He glanced at the man's broken leg, then, without a word, bent down to move the stone pressing on him.
The heavy rock was shifted bit by bit.
"Don't move."
Inabi said in a low voice.
"It'll be done soon."
At last, the rock was moved aside.
Inabi extended his hand:
"Come on, climb onto my back. I'll take you somewhere safe."
The man froze for a moment.
Then his first words were:
"Damn Uchiha, why didn't you come save me sooner?!"
Inabi's hand stopped.
He raised his head, looking at the face twisted by pain and fear.
The man continued cursing:
"If you had come earlier, my leg wouldn't be broken! This is all your fault!"
Inabi's gaze grew colder and colder.
He stood up, looking down at the man:
"Yesterday, Captain Fugaku asked you to participate in the evacuation drill. You refused."
"You said you didn't need the Uchiha. You said Danzo would protect you."
He paused, then asked:
"May I ask–where is Danzo now?"
The man opened his mouth, unable to respond for a moment.
But soon, his expression turned vicious again:
"I don't care! Protecting civilians is your Uchiha's duty! If you don't do it, I'll report you to the Hokage!"
Inabi stared at him for two seconds.
Then he smiled.
"Alright."
He nodded.
"In that case, go report it now."
After saying that, his figure flashed and disappeared.
The man froze.
He stared blankly in the direction Inabi had vanished, taking a long moment to react.
"You… you get back here!"
No one answered.
Panic began to set in.
"Damn Uchiha… if you won't save me, someone else will!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Help! Someone save me! I'm a villager of Konoha! Someone–"
Yet the only response was the distant roar of the Nine-Tails and the crackling of flames.
No one came.
The Anbu moving through the ruins and the clan ninja desperately saving lives were too far away.
He tried to move his body, but the intense pain in his leg made him give up immediately.
At that moment, the ground began to tremble.
He looked up, his pupils shrinking instantly.
The Nine-Tails was moving toward him.
That massive crimson body–each step made the earth quake.
Its nine wildly thrashing tails crushed everything in their path into fragments.
He finally began to panic.
"No… no…"
His voice trembled.
"Don't… don't come closer…"
The Nine-Tails drew nearer and nearer.
He completely broke down.
"I was wrong! I was wrong!!!"
He shouted with all his strength:
"Come back and save me! Please! I was wrong! I shouldn't have cursed you!"
...
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