Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 139 Nine-Tails and Wood Release

"roar!!"

A terrifying roar echoed near Konoha. Sensing the chakra rushing towards them from afar, the Konoha ninjas, already in a state of emergency, immediately looked into the distance with tense expressions.

A flame-like light flashed in the distance, rapidly approaching Konoha Village. Moments later, a gigantic fire fox, twenty or thirty meters tall, waving nine enormous tails, appeared before the numerous Konoha ninja.

"The Nine-Tails!! It's really appeared!"

"Where is the Fourth Hokage? Could it be that the Hokage has already...?"

"We can't let this beast get any closer to Konoha! It's close enough for it to unleash a Tailed Beast Ball! Everyone, quickly block the Nine-Tails!"

Just then, a roar was heard, and the retired Third Hokage, fully armed, rushed out and loudly commanded the other ninjas.

Hiruzen Sarutobi served as Hokage for decades, and although he has now retired, his prestige in Konoha remains unparalleled. After hearing his words, the many ninjas who were previously in a panic immediately felt reassured.

"All Chunin and Genin, hurry and organize the villagers to evacuate! Jonin, all of you, follow me!"

After giving the order, the Third Hokage led a group of Jonin to meet the Nine-Tails. Seeing that the Nine-Tails was about to rush into the village, and even beginning to form a Tailed Beast Ball in its mouth, the Third Hokage, without hesitation, pointed the Adamantine Staff, which had been transformed from Enma, at the enemy.

"Ape Demon! Grow longer!"

The enormous Vajra rod, as thick as a person could hug, instantly extended rapidly, landing squarely on the chest of the charging Nine-Tailed Fox and shoving it away.

The Tailed Beast Ball that was originally in the mouth of the Nine-Tails was also spat into the sky by this attack. With a thunderous explosion, a strong blast of air swept down, blowing away some of the roof tiles of the buildings in Konoha Village.

Looking up, the ninjas were somewhat horrified to find that the clouds in the sky had been shattered by the Tailed Beast Ball, and the entire sky looked clear and blue.

If this Tailed Beast Ball were to land in Konoha, it would probably just be a vast expanse of white, utterly desolate...

"No matter what, we can't let the Nine-Tails invade! Everyone, follow me and drive it out!"

At the Third Hokage's shout, all the Jonin of Konoha rushed forward. However, when Kurama steadied itself and stared at everyone with its cold gaze, even the Jonin of Konoha felt a tremor.

The tailed beasts are not much stronger than some Kage-level ninjas, but their intimidation far exceeds that of ordinary Kage-level ninjas. This huge mass of chakra, full of violence, is enough to make any ninja with slightly weaker strength tremble with fear.

Not to mention the Nine-Tails' strength, which is unparalleled among the tailed beasts. It is far stronger than ordinary Kage-level ninjas, and the oppressive feeling it brings is far greater than that of ordinary tailed beasts. If it weren't for the fact that the current Konoha ninjas are all seasoned battlefield veterans who have rolled around in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, if it were a ninja from a peaceful era, they would probably have been so scared that their legs would have gone limp and they would have been unable to move.

"roar!!"

With a furious roar from the Nine-Tails, the pure sound waves, accompanied by a massive amount of chakra, transformed into a whirlwind with power comparable to a large-scale B-rank wind-style ninjutsu, directly blowing many weaker ninjas backward.

"Damn it... that Nine-Tails is much more terrifying than I imagined?!"

The Third Hokage's expression was rather grim, and he inwardly groaned.

During the Second Shinobi World War, the Third Hokage had witnessed the power of other tailed beasts, so in his opinion, while the tailed beasts were powerful, they were by no means invincible.

However, the Third Hokage never expected that the Nine-Tails' strength was not on the same level as the other tailed beasts. After all, the Nine-Tails had been perfectly sealed by Mito Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki, and had never gone berserk or been on the battlefield. Therefore, in the Third Hokage's mind, the Nine-Tails' strength was probably similar to that of the other tailed beasts.

"The First Hokage didn't even warn us... Now we're really in deep trouble!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered a complaint, but recalling the demeanor of the First Hokage, he figured that in the First Hokage's eyes, the Nine-Tails was probably no different from any other tailed beast!

They're both the same kind of trash that I could easily crush with a slap. What? You're asking for a difference? Uh, maybe the Nine-Tails requires me to use a little more chakra?

"Looks like today might be the day I have to use that trick!"

Recalling a sealing technique he had used in a desperate attempt, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face hardened with determination. Just then, he suddenly heard a loud shout coming from behind Kurama:

"Wood Release: Advent of the World of Trees!"

Amidst the rumbling sound, countless trees sprouted from the earth. These thick trees twisted like giant pythons and wrapped themselves around the Nine-Tailed Fox's body.

The Nine-Tails struggled desperately, unleashing a terrifying burst of chakra. Although it shattered a large number of trees, it also absorbed a large amount of chakra, causing the trees to grow back faster the more they were broken, and soon they wrapped around half of the Nine-Tails' body.

"Am I dreaming?! Why am I seeing Tsunade using Wood Release?!"

The Third Hokage stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the imposing blonde woman. If he wasn't mistaken, that must be Tsunade, one of her three disciples.

"Lord Hokage, you're not mistaken, that is indeed the Senju clan's Wood Release technique!"

Kakashi, standing next to the Third Hokage, uttered a surprised remark. At the same time, the people of Konoha behind him began to discuss and even cheer.

"Wood Release! That's Wood Release!"

"Princess Tsunade, have you awakened the Wood Release bloodline limit?"

"The legendary ninjutsu of the First Hokage, who supposedly pacified the world, is so powerful that even tailed beasts can't break free from it!"

After listening to their discussion, the Third Hokage was certain he hadn't misread it, but... Tsunade had awakened Wood Release?! How could that be?!

The Third Hokage, who once conducted a research project on the awakening of Wood Release, can be said to be one of the ninjas who understands Wood Release, a bloodline limit, the most. He is very clear about one thing: Wood Release does not belong to the Senju bloodline limit, but only to Hashirama Senju!

Putting aside everything else, just looking at the Wood Release cells left behind by Hashirama Senju, one can see that Wood Release is completely different from ordinary bloodline limits. It has gone beyond the level of bloodline awakening and can almost be called a genetic mutation.

Under normal circumstances, no matter how much the Senju clan trains, they could never possess the bloodline of Hashirama Senju. Otherwise, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, would not have started the Wood Release experiment. He could have simply had his clansmen train in the Wood Release that combines water and earth.

"Could it be that Tsunade also conducted human experiments? Hmm... given her level of medical ninjutsu, such results wouldn't be surprising, but considering her personality, would she really do something like that?"

After a moment of random thoughts, the Third Hokage calmed himself down. Regardless of how Tsunade awakened Wood Release, the most important thing now was to seal the Nine-Tails!

While Wood Release is extremely effective against any tailed beast, Kurama, being the strongest of all the tailed beasts, is naturally not easily subdued by a technique like Advent of a World of Trees. Even though a large amount of its chakra has been absorbed, it is now almost free.

With that thought in mind, the Third Hokage formed hand seals and created four shadow clones, beginning to refine chakra:

"Five Elements - Great Combo Bullet Technique!"

Water, fire, earth, wind, and thunder—these five powerful escape techniques follow the principle of mutual generation and mutual restraint, mutually stimulating each other's power and transforming into a world-destroying shockwave that directly struck the Nine-Tails!

The Nine-Tails roared and was blasted open, leaving it covered in wounds and a large hole in its body. Fortunately, these tailed beasts are energy bodies formed from chakra. Although they have some flesh and blood characteristics, they are still much more resilient than ordinary creatures. Otherwise, they would probably have been wiped out in one hit.

As a semi-artillery-type ninja, the Third Hokage might not be as good as the Second and Fourth Hokage in one-on-one combat, but in terms of pure destructive power, only Jiraiya in Sage Mode can rival him in the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

After taking several powerful blows, Kurama roared to the sky, its nine tails flailing wildly, unleashing terrifying chakra energy that formed an attack that resembled an energy storm.

In addition, a large number of small Tailed Beast Balls condensed in front of it again. This time, Kurama did not condense chakra again, but directly blasted these small Tailed Beast Balls out.

"Joint Defense! Earth Release: Thousand-Mile Earth Flow Wall!!"

With a shout from the Third Hokage, many Konoha villagers simultaneously formed hand seals, and a wall as steep as a cliff rose from the ground, blocking the Tailed Beast Ball.

With a deafening roar, the entire Earth Flow Wall was blasted to ashes. Fortunately, thanks to the Earth Flow Wall's obstruction, the Tailed Beast Balls did not cause any casualties.

Those who fought against the Nine-Tails alongside the Third Hokage were all Jonin. They might not be able to withstand the Tailed Beast Ball, but the aftershocks of some rubble were obviously no problem for them.

The Nine-Tails opened its mouth again, seemingly wanting to use the Tailed Beast Ball again, but at that moment, a rumbling sound came from the forest behind it.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

With a soft shout from Tsunade, the trees that had grown from the Tree World Advent intertwined and spun together, coalescing into a giant wooden dragon that bared its fangs and claws and pounced directly on Kurama!

Almost instantly, Kurama could feel its chakra being continuously drained by the wooden dragon. Enraged, it opened its mouth wide and bit the wooden dragon's neck.

But the Wood Dragon is basically just a large clump of trees, with no vital points whatsoever. Even the damage caused by the Nine-Tails' struggle was immediately restored by the continuous absorption of chakra.

With the balance shifting, and considering that the Nine-Tails was already severely injured, after having its chakra absorbed by the Wood Dragon for two minutes, it finally let out a resentful roar and gradually shrank back.

After the Nine-Tails disappeared, what was revealed was Kushina Uzumaki, who was unconscious with her eyes closed. The wooden dragon stretched out its claws, picked up Kushina in its hands, swam back to Tsunade's side, and placed Kushina in her arms.

The Third Hokage arrived with a group of Jonin and surrounded Tsunade. Although he wanted to ask Tsunade about her Wood Release technique, he was more concerned about the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in the current situation.

"Tsunade, what exactly happened? I heard from Kakashi that you were attacked by the enemy?"

Tsunade nodded gravely and said:

"The opponent possesses space-time ninjutsu, suddenly appeared in Kushina's delivery room, and triggered the Nine-Tails' rampage..."

"The Fourth Hokage has already gone to pursue the enemy. I don't know how the final battle will go. Well, I awakened Wood Release. Otherwise, I might not have been able to suppress the Nine-Tails."

"Space-time ninjutsu... Is it confirmed? Does the opponent really know this kind of ninjutsu?"

"It's certain. Like the Fourth Hokage, he can use space-time ninjutsu. Apart from Minato, probably no one in the entire Hidden Leaf Village can deal with him!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage frowned even more deeply and let out a long sigh:

"Hopefully Minato can catch this guy! A ninja who is hostile to Konoha and possesses space-time ninjutsu... Konoha really can't afford any more trouble right now..."

However, things didn't go as planned. Even after the Third Hokage returned to the village and lifted the guard, Minato Namikaze still hadn't returned after a full day and night.

The next morning, Kushina Uzumaki, who had been tormented by the Nine-Tails, "woke up," and Tsunade went out for a walk and brought back Naruto, who was crying loudly.

"Naruto?! That's great, I'm so glad Naruto's alright!"

Kushina Uzumaki carried her child back, her body trembling slightly, her eyes reddening.

Although Uchiha Touyu was selfish, ruthless, and absolutely a demon, he wouldn't actually harm an infant. However, he did use the Devouring Heaven Demon Art to drain the Ashura chakra hidden deep within Naruto's soul.

This will have a significant impact on Naruto's physique and mental state. At the very least, Naruto will never be able to possess a Nine-Tails-level chakra like in the original story. His physique will also weaken considerably, at most becoming similar to an ordinary member of the Uzumaki clan, or even worse.

However, it was already good enough that he was able to keep his life. Moreover, after his origin was devoured by the Devouring Heaven Demon Art, Naruto did not appear to have any injuries, which relieved Kushina Uzumaki.

Although she had completely transformed into the appearance of Uchiha Tou, Kushina Uzumaki still harbored deep affection for her child.

Now that she saw that Naruto was alright, or at least on the surface, Kushina was very happy and even felt grateful to Tou Uchiha.

"Tsunade, where did you find Naruto? Did you find any news about Minato?"

After learning that Tsunade had found Naruto, the Third Hokage came over immediately and asked anxiously.

"I found Naruto in the ruins of the delivery room. As for Minato, I still haven't found out anything."

(End of this chapter)