It was another quiet night. Nine months had passed since Minato became Hokage, and Konoha had entered its 48th year since its founding.
Rumble!
A massive wave of energy swept through the center of Konoha, radiating in all directions.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The highest state of emergency siren wailed throughout Konoha. The moment the sound hit, every ninja in the village snapped awake from the darkness, their hearts pounding. This alarm only sounded when the very survival of the village was at stake.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Ninjas leaped onto rooftops to observe the situation and await orders. Those near the source of the noise could already see the gargantuan figure. Nine tails swayed violently above the Konoha skyline.
"What... what kind of monster is that?"
With every sweep of a tail, massive sections of Konoha's architecture were leveled, and countless residents were killed instantly.
"Son, what is that?" Tosei stood on the roof with Tonbo, staring at the sky-high beast.
Tonbo sighed inwardly. Is it finally here?
"That should be the Nine-Tails. Dad, go evacuate the residents. Follow the emergency protocols for the village—you remember them, right?" Tonbo directed.
Tosei nodded. He had been a Chunin once; he knew the procedure. When the highest alert was triggered, all Chunin were to guide civilians to the shelters.
"Make sure Ayame and Uncle Teuchi are safe!" Tonbo added before moving rapidly toward the Nine-Tails.
He wasn't the only one. Every ninja of Chunin rank and above was mobilizing. Genin were placed under the command of Chunin to assist in the evacuation.
"Emergency order! Everyone, protect non-combatants..." Shikaku Nara's voice echoed in the ears of every ninja through the communication network. Orders were being barked out one after another.
At the site of the Nine-Tails, a large group of ninjas was already trying to restrain it. The first to arrive were the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, with commands relayed via Inoichi's Telepathy Jutsu. Shuriken, kunai, and paper bombs rained down—but the combined attack of the ninjas was like tickling the beast. Not only was it useless, it only served to further enrage the Nine-Tails.
Boom!
"I bear the title of Hokage. I swear to protect the village with my life." Minato looked at the towering beast.
The Nine-Tails' gaze locked onto him. It opened its mouth, and a massive black sphere began to form.
"I won't let you hurt the village. That massive energy... I have to choose the impact point carefully." Facing the massive Tailed Beast Bomb, Minato wove hand seals, using a space-time barrier to warp the explosion away.
Thud!
A colossal explosion rose outside the village. The sheer magnitude of the energy felt through the air made Tonbo's heart race.
Terrifying. If that hit you, there wouldn't be enough left of you to bury. It looks like the Fourth is dealing with Obito right now. Good. I need to demonstrate my own Will of Fire.
After over a year of training, Tonbo was no longer the green Genin who had just stepped onto the battlefield. He wanted to help minimize the casualties.
As he neared the Nine-Tails, he saw waves of ninjas trying to distract it. The beast was far more horrifying than it appeared in the anime. The sheer aura it emitted was oppressive.
"Guy, Kakashi! What's the status?" he asked, landing beside them.
"This thing seems to be controlled by the Sharingan," Kakashi said, staring at the beast's eyes.
"Yossh! Then it's time for me to burn my youthful energy!" Guy struck a pose, looking ready to challenge the beast head-on.
"The Third and the two Elders have arrived." Tonbo's sensory range expanded. The massive mass of the Nine-Tails' chakra could no longer disrupt his focus. He sensed three... no, four figures approaching.
The Nine-Tails was too durable for the ninjas to defeat, but they could suppress it temporarily. One figure grew to a massive size, engaging the beast directly.
"Oh! It's Choza-sensei! So cool! So youthful!" Guy watched his teacher, his eyes burning with fire. Seeing his mentor fight such a giant beast made his blood boil.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Choza was no match for the Nine-Tails, but his giant form limited the beast's area-of-effect attacks, preventing further civilian casualties. Other ninjas swarmed in—Shadow Possession, Mind Transfer, mountains of paper bombs...
"Alright, let's go too," Kakashi said.
"Burn, my hot-blooded energy!" Guy shouted.
Swoosh!
"Stop! You are to report to the assembly hall," a figure with a sword on his back blocked their path.
"Hayama, why?"
"Orders from the Third Hokage," Hayama Shirakumo replied flatly.
"We can help," Tonbo argued. He truly felt he could contribute, perhaps by using his new Secret Technique to distract it slightly like Choza and the others.
"It's an order," Hayama said, leaving no room for debate.
"Tch. Let's go. An order is an order, and the Third is already on site anyway." Tonbo realized that with the Third and the Elders there, his power was indeed inferior. Besides, he didn't know if his Genjutsu Secret Technique would even work on the Nine-Tails. Best not to cause trouble.
Guy and Kakashi followed with dissatisfaction as they headed toward the assembly point.
"Damn it! Hayama makes us leave, then runs off to help himself!" Guy grumbled along the way.
Tonbo replied, "Stop complaining. Let's get to the assembly hall; there might be other orders. Besides, Hayama is a Jonin. I'm just surprised they ordered Kakashi to leave too!"
Kakashi didn't say much; he just looked back once at the Nine-Tails.
They soon reached the assembly point, but to their disappointment, their orders were to protect the residents rather than join the battle. Tonbo sighed with a mix of regret and relief. Protecting civilians was important work, even if he had wanted to test his new technique on the Nine-Tails.
The civilians were in total chaos, their faces masks of terror. Tonbo separated from Guy and the others to evacuate people in different sectors, but he kept his sensory focus on the battlefield.
The Third and his teammates had made their move. It was the first time Tonbo had seen the two Elders fight. He recognized the Third's moves from the anime—five-element elemental attacks, composite strikes, and the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.
But Mitokado Homura was an eye-opener. Countless giant weapons rained from the sky, temporarily pinning the Nine-Tails, while scrolls unfurled to launch a barrage of attacks covered in paper bombs. It made the beast howl in pain.
Even Danzo Shimura made a move, his Wind Style slicing into the Nine-Tails, making it even more berserk. Utatane Koharu focused on support and medical duties.
Oh, so Homura is a weapon master type, like Tenten.
Tonbo also noticed that the Sharingan pattern had vanished from the Nine-Tails' eyes. The Fourth had clearly done his part.
Even so, the combined efforts of the ninjas were only enough to stall it. Finally, the Third used his Summoning Jutsu, creating the iconic scene of the Adamantine Staff slamming into the Nine-Tails and pushing it out of the village.
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