svetikya Chapter 402 The Night of the Nine-Tailed Fox
Chapter 402 The Night of the Nine-Tailed Fox
Chapter 402 The Night of the Nine-Tailed Fox (The End)
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the dead corpse suddenly began to appear illusory.
Then, to everyone's horror, the "corpse" shattered and vanished completely like a bubble with a "pop," leaving no trace!
"How...how is this possible?"
Kakashi gasped in shock. As the final striker, he could clearly feel the touch that pierced the enemy's chest; it was definitely not an illusion.
"Izanagi!"
Tsunade's voice carried a hint of solemnity.
"The forbidden technique of the Uchiha clan—the ultimate genjutsu that turns reality into illusion. It sacrifices the light of one Sharingan. Within the effective time of the technique, it transforms the caster's own death, injury, or other adverse factors into a dream, and transforms favorable factors into reality!"
Tsunade's voice was icy. She had read about this legendary technique in her family's ancient records, but she never expected to see it with her own eyes today!
She looked around and, sure enough, found the masked man had reappeared about two thousand meters away.
Obito stood up again, completely unharmed, not even his clothes were torn.
But only he knew that the transplanted left eye under the mask had completely lost its luster and turned into a lifeless gray-white. This was the price of activating Izanagi!
"Konoha—Minato Namikaze—Kakashi—" Obito's voice was hoarse and low, filled with deep-seated hatred and a hint of apprehension he himself didn't realize. "Consider yourselves lucky. But remember, this is just the beginning—"
"This time it was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, next time it might be one of you!"
With those harsh words, the space around Obito violently twisted and spun again, forming a pitch-black vortex. He gave everyone one last, deep look before his figure was swiftly swallowed by the spatial vortex and vanished without a trace.
"Don't even think about escaping!" Kakashi made a move to give chase.
"Kakashi." Minato grabbed his shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Don't pursue a cornered enemy! His space-time abilities are unpredictable and dangerous; it's too risky to chase him rashly! Besides—"
He looked toward Konoha Village, where there was still a big guy waiting to be dealt with.
"Leave this to Tsunade and Kakashi. Minato, use the Flying Thunder God Technique to take me back to the village. They need us more now."
Jiraiya then stepped forward, his tone urgent.
Minato didn't hesitate any longer. "Please, Lady Tsunade!" He glanced at Kakashi again. "Kakashi, I'm leaving this to you!"
After saying that, Minato put his hand on Jiraiya's arm, and the two of them disappeared instantly.
When Minato and Jiraiya arrived in the village, they rushed to the scene outside the village, only to find that it was not the scene of corpses lying everywhere that they had previously imagined.
The situation is even better than the best-case scenario expected.
The Nine-Tails has been subdued and bound to the ground in a rather humiliating manner.
Look at the chains embedded in the fluffy fur, the outstretched limbs, and the straightened nine tails.
Minato and Jiraiya exchanged bewildered glances, seemingly having missed a truly spectacular moment.
Getting even closer, Minato could hear Taiichi rambling on and on.
Taiyi, however, remained oblivious to what was happening behind him.
He stood before the massive head of the Nine-Tailed Fox, gazing up at its crimson beast eyes, burning with endless rage and humiliation.
Under his deliberate control, the white flames were maintained at a level that caused the Nine-Tailed Fox pain but did not cause any truly fatal damage.
"Now, can you calm down and listen to what I have to say, Nine-Tails?" Tai's voice rang out calmly, clearly reaching Nine-Tails' ears.
,
Nine-Tailed Fox responded with an even more violent struggle. The chains were stretched taut, making a teeth-grinding creaking sound, but the Vajra Lock remained unmoved, and the white flames shone even brighter, causing it to let out a painful groan.
"I know you hate it." Taiyi said to himself, as if he were having a heart-to-heart talk with an old friend who had just had a falling out. "Being sealed, losing your freedom, being used as a tool, and being controlled by illusions—if I were in your shoes, I would hate it too."
"But," he changed his tone, his voice now carrying a hint of advice, "hatred won't solve anything. It will only make you a tool for others, like that masked Uchiha. He can control you once today, and he can control you a second time tomorrow. You don't want to experience that feeling of being powerless, like a puppet on a string, again, do you?"
"————"
The Nine-Tails' struggle seemed to weaken slightly, but the hatred in its eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
"By following Konoha, we can at least guarantee your safety. Konoha needs your strength to maintain balance and deter other covetous forces."
In exchange, I can persuade the higher-ups to give you relative respect and freedom, and not lock you up in a dark and hopeless place like before.
Just imagine, you can bask in the sun and sleep all day without worrying about finding food or being plotted against by other humans. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Taiyi even adopted a slightly persuasive tone, "It's better than being out there living in fear, constantly worried about being kidnapped by that masked man or some other scheming guy, right?"
"Furthermore," Taiyi pointed to the still-burning white flames on Nine-Tails' body, "I have many more reasons" to explain to you slowly. For example, how long do you think this fire can burn? Or, just how strong do you think my Adamantine Sealing Chains are in terms of binding power?"
Taiyi spoke eloquently, from the safety guarantee of "all food and lodging included" to the spiritual need of "respect for freedom", then to the beast life plan of "sustainable development", and finally began to look forward to the beautiful blueprint of "tailed beasts and humans coexisting in harmony".
His calm and logical voice (at least in his own eyes) echoed across the silent wasteland, intertwining with the heavy breathing of the nine-tailed fox and the slight hum of the chains, creating an extremely eerie scene.
The ferocious crimson in the Nine-Tails' enormous eyes was gradually fading, replaced by an increasingly profound sense of bewilderment.
Its simple mind, composed of pure chakra, was completely dumbfounded by these unheard-of "principles".
The hatred still churned, and the humiliation still burned in his heart, but a deeper, more primal instinct to "survive," and the slight possibility of "not being used as a tool" described in Taiyi's words, began to entwine the roots of his anger like tiny vines.
None of the Hokage or Jinchuriki in the past were willing to talk to it much; they simply suppressed and sealed it to make it obedient.
Today's experience was truly a first for me, and while it was novel, it also gave me a lot to think about.
Its struggles grew weaker and weaker, and the low growls in its throat gradually turned into meaningless gurgling sounds. Its massive body exuded a sense of exhaustion, as if it had been mentally overloaded by being bombarded with "reasoning".
Just then, several figures silently landed on the scorched earth not far behind Taiichi. Minato Namikaze's blond hair was still striking in the night, though it was stained with dust and blood, and his brows bore an indelible weariness and solemnity.
Behind him, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaned on his Vajra Staff, while Orochimaru and Jiraiya lagged half a step behind. However, their eyes were filled with an extremely rare, blank, and astonished look.
They glanced at the flattened Nine-Tails, then at the figure earnestly trying to reason with the Tailed Beast, and their lips twitched uncontrollably.
The expressions of Nara Shikaku, Aburame Shiki, and others further back were even more varied, as if they had collectively stumbled into the set of some absurd drama.
"—So you see, cooperation and mutual benefit are the key. You provide some chakra protection, and we provide a safe and comfortable environment and respect. No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation."
Taiyi was still giving his final concluding remarks, his tone becoming increasingly sincere, like a top-performing insurance salesman.
"Cough! Cough cough!" Minato couldn't stand it anymore and coughed twice forcefully, the sound particularly abrupt and loud in this bizarre environment.
Taiichi, whose "persuasion" had been interrupted, turned around with some dissatisfaction. When he saw Minato, the Third Hokage, and the others, the serious expression on his face that said "I'm doing this for your own good" instantly disappeared, and he returned to his usual indifference, even with a hint of "Why did you take so long to arrive?"
"Oh, you've arrived. Perfect timing, we've just made some progress in our 'ideological work' with Kurama."
He even tapped the vacant Nine-Tails on the ground with his chin, looking like he was saying, "See, I can handle this."
The Third Hokage tightened his grip on the Vajra Staff, his white beard trembling almost imperceptibly. Orochimaru's lips twitched again, and he turned his face away. Minato took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the intense sense of absurdity in his heart, and quickly stepped forward, his voice low and tinged with embarrassment.
"Taiyi, the attacker at the birthplace—has escaped."
Tai's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he looked Minato up and down.
"The masked man?" he asked, his voice turning somber.
Minato nodded solemnly, his gaze sweeping over the Konoha ninjas who were gradually gathering around him, including some Uchiha clan members.
He deliberately avoided the most crucial information: "The other party—his methods are unpredictable; he used some costly substitution technique to escape from a seemingly inescapable situation. I couldn't stop him."
He deliberately obscured the name "Izanagi," which is easily associated with certain things. At this moment, any leak of details about the "forbidden Sharingan technique" could push the Uchiha clan, which had just calmed down due to Yangping's fierce battle, back into the spotlight.
Fugaku listened from a short distance away, his tense back relaxing slightly.
Taiichi didn't press for details, but simply gave Minato a deep look and nodded, understanding Minato's concerns.
His gaze shifted towards Konoha Village, and the powerful perception of Sage Mode, like an invisible tide, instantly covered a vast area.
The situation inside the village was clearly reflected back: amidst the ruins, countless ninjas and civilians were desperately digging and rescuing people, their painful groans, anxious shouts, and hoarse commands to direct the rescue efforts intertwined.
The entire central area was basically destroyed during the period when the Nine-Tails appeared.
"The village suffered heavy losses," Taiichi said in a low voice. "The Nine-Tails' destructive power far exceeded expectations."
He looked at the Third Hokage, "Third Hokage, commanding the village and the rescue efforts are of utmost urgency. Nine-Tails—"
He glanced at the Nine-Tailed Fox on the ground, which had completely given up struggling and whose eyes were empty as if it were contemplating its beastly existence. "Leave it to me for now. It needs to calm down and think carefully about what I just said."
"9
The Third Hokage looked at the Nine-Tails, who was bound and unable to move, with a vacant look in her eyes, and then at Taiichi, who looked completely at ease.
The thought, "It doesn't need to calm down, it's that you've driven it to a mental breakdown," rolled in my throat, but I swallowed it back down, turning it into a heavy and complex sigh.
He swung his Vajra Staff with unrestrained force, revealing the old Hokage's domineering aura: "All ninja, return to the village immediately! Organize rescue efforts, assess losses, and reassure the people! Barrier teams and medical teams, operate at full speed! Hurry!"
The command, like a boulder thrown into water, instantly shattered the brief silence of the wasteland.
The ninjas, as if waking from a dream, suppressed their fear of the Nine-Tails and, exhausted and wounded, transformed into streaks of black shadow, silently and swiftly heading towards Konoha.
Far from this core battlefield, atop a tall, ancient tree, two figures stood silently, like phantoms blending into the night.
Wearing an orange spiral mask, Obito Uchiha's only exposed right eye had a complex windmill pattern spinning silently, its gaze fixed on the enormous figure bound by golden chains in the center of the wasteland.
At this moment, what he saw in his eyes was not hatred, but rather an undisguised surprise and deep apprehension.
Black Zetsu's deep voice rang out at this moment, but there was a slight tremor in it.
"Everything went smoothly when the plan started. I summoned the Nine-Tails in Konoha." Black Zetsu paused, as if searching for the right words. "The Nine-Tails went berserk. Although the people of Konoha tried their best to stop it, you saw the effect."
Obito remained silent. He had indeed seen the destruction of Konoha and could only say that the predetermined goal had been achieved. However, Black Zetsu changed the subject.
"Then Matsushita Taichi arrived, and things changed. He single-handedly blocked the Nine-Tails' attack. No, he single-handedly drove the Nine-Tails back."
At this point, Black Zetsu also felt a headache coming on. After Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, Konoha had actually produced another powerful ninja with the potential to become a "God of Shinobi," which was definitely a heavy blow to their plans.
"What happened next, you saw it when you came." Zetsu pointed to the Nine-Tails bound in the distance, no longer wanting to say anything more.
A deathly silence spread through the treetops, broken only by the mournful whistling of the night wind through the treetops.
On the distant wasteland, Taiichi seemed to be giving instructions to the remaining Anbu members, and the chakra glow on his body gradually subsided.
After a long while, Obito's scarlet Sharingan flashed violently, and a cold voice came from under the mask, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
"The operation—it wasn't a failure." He seemed to be convincing himself. "Kushina, having had her tailed beast extracted, definitely wouldn't have survived. Konoha was severely damaged and its strength greatly diminished. Prejudice has been sown in people's hearts; suspicion towards the Uchiha won't disappear. Kurama—"
He stared at the figure bound by chains, his words still as resolute as ever, "It has finally been released, and this fear will forever be etched into Konoha. The core objective of the plan—has been achieved."
But these words sounded so weak and powerless. Black Zetsu remained silent, offering no response.
Obito's gaze returned to the figure in the distance, a sense of urgency he had never felt before welling up inside him.
He spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly: "Matsushita Taichi, he's growing too fast. Our plan—must be moved up. We can't give him any more time to mature!"
His voice suddenly rose, carrying a desperate madness, "Matsushita Taichi—must disappear! Before he becomes an insurmountable obstacle, he must be wiped off this chessboard. Go back and inform Nagato and Konan; we need to rethink everything!"
That last sentence was almost a roar, filled with the ferocity of a wild beast driven to the brink of despair.