Mizukage's Pokémon Ninja Scroll

Chapter 531 The Night of the Nine-Tailed Fox (Part 4)

Meanwhile, inside Konoha Village.

The sudden appearance of the enormous Nine-Tails was like a natural disaster to the people living in Konoha Village.

The Nine-Tailed Fox's furious roar alone was like a howling gale, destroying all the surrounding trees and even buildings.

With a swipe of its claws, the stone and wood buildings were sent flying into the air like toys.

Its enormous tail swept across the ground with unrestrained force, easily uprooting trees.

Each strike caused the earth to tremble violently, sending soil and rocks flying and houses to collapse.

None of the Konoha ninjas who came to restrain the Nine-Tails could withstand a single blow from it.

The elite ninjas of Konoha appeared so small in front of this enormous figure.

With a mere wave of its hand, as if swatting a fly, the Nine-Tails smashed the ninja in front of it into a bloody mess that exploded in the air.

Amidst the firelight and chaos, the sleeping villagers were awakened from their dreams.

Screams and cries mingled together, echoing through the night sky.

In this chaotic situation, no one noticed that the furious and crazed giant monster actually only had eight tails left, which were now flailing wildly.

"Third Hokage, the Nine-Tails, the Nine-Tails has appeared in the village!"

At this time, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had already abandoned the white robe that symbolized his status as an elder and put on the armor he hadn't worn for a long time.

He raised his remaining left arm in front of him and bit down hard on the straps with his teeth to secure the arm armor firmly.

He gave the order in a firm tone.

"Leave this to me. Go and have Yamanaka Inoichi inform Minato!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled the speculations that Shikaku Nara had sent back yesterday.

It seems that the water spirit was intentionally or unintentionally giving a warning that something might happen in the next couple of days.

Just in case, the village had already prepared emergency communication with the front lines.

Nara Shikaku also abandoned the negotiations on the first day and stayed by the liaison, passing on any information to Namikaze Minato immediately.

Otherwise, if they were to rely on ordinary summoning hawks to transmit messages, just like at the last Five Kage Summit, Konoha would probably be almost wiped out.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't that he lacked confidence in dealing with the rampaging Nine-Tails, even with just himself and Jiraiya by his side.

Instead, they were worried about the enemy hiding behind the scenes who released the Nine-Tails.

"But given Minato's speed, he should be back soon!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that in his current state, all he could do was to hold off Kurama with all his might, minimize casualties, and buy time for Minato and Jiraiya.

Having figured all this out, he didn't hesitate and immediately leaped towards the Nine-Tailed Fox.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's determination to stop the Nine-Tails and protect the villagers at all costs does not mean that everyone shares his thoughts.

At this moment, in front of the Uchiha clan's gate.

Fugaku Uchiha, who had gathered his clansmen early on, was stopped by Danzo Shimura with a dozen or so Root members.

"The Uchiha clan's mission is to cover the evacuation of non-combatants from the village to the shelter, and no one is allowed to approach the Nine-Tails!"

Danzo Shimura looked calmly at Fugaku Uchiha, seemingly not taking the hundreds of angry Uchiha clansmen behind him seriously at all.

"Lord Danzo! The release of the Nine-Tails must have been done by that person impersonating Madara Uchiha; it really has nothing to do with our Uchiha clan!"

Even at this point, Fugaku Uchiha still wanted to clear up the misunderstanding through explanation.

However, Shimura Danzo's expression remained unchanged; he merely glanced at the well-equipped Uchiha soldiers behind Uchiha Fugaku.

"Then why was your Uchiha clan able to assemble so quickly before I arrived?"

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha froze on the spot, recalling the mysterious letter from earlier.

The letter was originally just a reminder that someone would be impersonating the Uchiha clan to launch a rebellion against Konoha that night, and that he should prepare in advance to avoid falling into someone else's trap.

Fugaku Uchiha then summoned all his clansmen, both to discuss countermeasures and to ensure that there were sufficient alibis.

Who would have thought that the so-called attack would actually be the release of the Nine-Tails to destroy the entire Hidden Leaf Village?

Such an attack only requires evidence of involvement from other members of the clan, as long as the Nine-Tails has the Sharingan mark in its eye.

"Chieftain!"

"Chieftain!"

Hearing the calls of his clansmen behind him, Fugaku Uchiha's expression twisted, and he looked at Danzo Shimura in front of him with a ferocious gaze.

"As long as we take out that old bastard Danzo and all his ANBU, with things so chaotic tonight, no one will suspect us!"

"At that time, the Uchiha clan will simply be seen as having gone to support other clans without orders, which will definitely clear them of suspicion of controlling the Nine-Tails!"

Crazy thoughts kept flashing through Fugaku Uchiha's mind.

He clenched his fists, his fingertips digging fiercely into his palms, and even the Sharingan with its three tomoe in his pupils was spinning rapidly.

However, in the end, Fugaku Uchiha's body slowly went limp.

He slowly released his hands and gave a difficult command to the people behind him.

"Execute orders to escort non-combatants within the village."

After saying this, Fugaku Uchiha felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and his body slumped slightly.

"Chieftain!"

"Execute the command!"

After reiterating the order, Fugaku Uchiha turned and walked away alone, not even daring to look up at the gazes of the other clansmen.

Standing opposite the Uchiha clansmen, Shimura Danzo looked at Uchiha Fugaku's dejected figure, a slightly mocking smile appearing in his one eye.

What no one present knew was...

Although Fugaku Uchiha didn't make the decision himself, others made it for him.

On a street in Konoha.

Several Konoha ninjas jumped rapidly from rooftop to rooftop against the flow of fleeing people, anxiously heading towards the direction where the Nine-Tails was wreaking havoc to provide support.

However, one of them suddenly stopped and called out to his companion with an incredulous look in his eyes.

"Captain! Look!!"

The other teammates who were traveling with him were anxious to get to his aid as soon as possible, but they still subconsciously looked in the direction he pointed.

Upon seeing what was revealed, the eyes of these Konoha ninjas widened in horror.

"Damn it! Uchiha Hikoji!! What are you doing?!"

The captain's gaze fell upon three ninjas who were laughing maniacally as they used fire-style ninjutsu and explosive tags to wreak havoc on everything around them.

Moreover, one of them was someone he knew, Uchiha Hikoji, who belonged to the Konoha Guard.

The other two, judging from the conspicuous fan-shaped family crests on their bodies, were clearly also ninjas from the Uchiha clan.

"Stop them!!!"

"asshole!"

The enraged squad leader roared and charged toward the three Uchiha who were still wreaking havoc in the distance.

However, by the time these people rushed close, the three Uchiha clansmen had already jumped off the house and disappeared into the streets and alleys.

The same scene was playing out simultaneously in several other locations within Konoha Village tonight.

(End of this chapter)