Chapter 2 002: Night of the Nine-Tails
Roars of a beast and deafening explosions shattered the silence. In an instant, all of Konoha plunged into panic. Countless people were jolted awake from their dreams, while an unknown number lost their lives in their sleep.
The colossal beast roared and bellowed, its nine long tails thrashing about, causing massive devastation.
Beneath those tails, houses were as fragile as paper, easily torn to shreds. The villagers inside were crushed by the violent impact before they could even let out a scream.
Ninjas leaped onto the rooftops, reacting swiftly. They immediately looked toward the source of the commotion, but upon seeing the gigantic beast, their expressions drastically changed.
"No!!"
"Th-that's..."
"It's the Nine-Tails!!"
"Damn it, why is the Nine-Tails in the village?!"
Anyone who recognized the Nine-Tails, civilian or ninja, was filled with boundless fear and despair in that moment.
The sight made them feel as though they were trapped in a nightmare.
However, their duty as ninjas drove them to act.
The bravest charged forward first, desperately casting ninjutsu in an attempt to stop the Nine-Tails.
But the gap in power was simply too vast.
The ninjutsu landed on the Nine-Tails without even singeing its fur. The gale-force winds whipped up by the casual thrashing of its nine tails were enough to blow away any approaching ninjas.
Fortunately, this sight finally snapped the dazed onlookers out of their stupor.
Some gulped, some trembled, and others were utterly terrified.
But eventually, people began to move.
"We can't let the Nine-Tails stay in the village."
"Right, we need to find a way to drive it out first!"
Shouts echoed from all directions as more and more ninjas sprang into action.
In the northern part of Konoha, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had already changed into his battle attire. Several Anbu ninjas knelt on one knee around him.
"What is happening outside?"
One of them immediately replied, "Lord Hokage, it's the Nine-Tails. For some unknown reason, it has appeared inside the village."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed, his tone growing urgent. "Oh no, Biwako..."
Suppressing his unease, he quickly issued orders. "Immediately send personnel to organize the villagers' evacuation. Notify the ninjas of all clans to assemble. Get every ninja in the village moving. We must stop the Nine-Tails from destroying the village!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Anbu responded in unison before swiftly vanishing with the Body Flicker Technique.
"The Nine-Tails!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen wore a solemn expression. Without any hesitation, he left the area.
This unfolding scene fell into Uchiha Taiga's eyes, causing him to pause slightly and glance over.
With his visual prowess, he could clearly see the Sharingan reflected in the Nine-Tails' eyes. Possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan himself, he naturally knew this was the result of a genjutsu overlay.
In other words, the Nine-Tails was currently being controlled by a Sharingan genjutsu.
"Tsk, Konoha really is plagued by disasters."
Uchiha Taiga merely took a few extra glances without any other thoughts.
Whether it was the Nine-Tails' rampage or the birth of the Child of Prophecy, it had little to do with him. As long as it didn't disrupt his peaceful life, he didn't care.
Anyway, the Nine-Tails would be driven out of the village, the chaos would pass, and Konoha would be rebuilt.
After tonight, life would return to its usual tranquility, and that was enough for him.
As for having the power to save others?
Give me a break.
When he was young, he didn't see anyone come to save his parents.
People die eventually; sooner or later, it's all the same.
With these thoughts in mind, Uchiha Taiga withdrew his gaze and continued walking toward his home, acting as if the massive commotion over there had nothing to do with him.
However, his path was soon blocked.
"Uchiha Taiga, by the order of the Third Hokage, you are forbidden from approaching the Nine-Tails."
A squad of ninjas appeared in front of Uchiha Taiga. Each wore a mask, dressed in standard Anbu attire.
He stopped and looked at the leader.
"Who the fuck are you?"
The leader didn't seem to show any emotional fluctuation, but he still paused for a moment before speaking. "I am a subordinate of the Anbu Vice Commander. Codename: Axe."
"And who the fuck is that?"
The man paused for another moment. "The Anbu Vice Commander..."
Before he could finish, Uchiha Taiga interrupted him.
"I don't give a shit who he is. Get out of my way!"
With that, he simply bypassed the man and continued walking forward.
The squad instinctively reached for the ninja swords at their waists, moving to encircle Uchiha Taiga. Yet, the latter kept walking forward as if completely oblivious to their actions.
"Stand down, all of you."
At that moment, several people emerged from the shadows of an adjacent alley. The leader had brown hair with neatly trimmed sideburns. His head and right eye were wrapped in bandages, leaving only a narrow left eye exposed. He had an X-shaped scar on his chin.
As his words fell, the squad stepped aside, allowing the newcomer to walk up to Uchiha Taiga.
Uchiha Taiga recognized the man's identity at a glance. It was Konoha's ultimate scapegoat, the man known as the Darkness of the Shinobi—Shimura Danzo.
"Uchiha Taiga, in my capacity as an advisor to the Hokage and the leader of Root, I order you to..."
Uchiha Taiga didn't stop walking. He continued forward, closing the distance between them.
Seemingly not expecting this kind of reaction from Uchiha Taiga—not even a pause in his steps—Shimura Danzo's words hitched, a sinister glint flashing in his eye.
"Piss off, you old dog. Don't make me slap you out of boredom."
Uchiha Taiga didn't give Shimura Danzo any face whatsoever, as there was already bad blood between them.
After all, given Uchiha Taiga's uniqueness, it was impossible for an old dog like Shimura Danzo not to notice him. What happened next was only natural.
Shimura Danzo had once set his sights on Uchiha Taiga. When Taiga was eight years old, Danzo sent men to abduct him and bring him to the Root base.
Then, when Shimura Danzo showed up and tried to do something to him, Uchiha Taiga exploded.
In that single blast, Shimura Danzo was severely injured, one of his arms was blown off, and the Root base was destroyed.
Afterward, Uchiha Taiga casually walked out of the ruined base. Facing Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had rushed over with his men, he simply explained why he was there.
"That old dog Danzo tried to mess with me, so I hit him hard. If you go in now, you might still be able to save him."
With that, he left.
Since then, Shimura Danzo had never appeared in front of him again.
Until this very moment.
Hearing his words, Shimura Danzo's expression darkened drastically.
"Halt!"
It was obvious that Shimura Danzo was getting angry.
As soon as he spoke, the "Anbu" who had previously stepped aside quickly closed in to surround him.
"Sigh..."
Uchiha Taiga finally stopped walking and let out a soft sigh.
"Why is it that you never listen to a word I say, you old dog? It was like this last time, and it's like this again. I told you that if you tried anything else, I'd make you regret it. Why didn't you believe me?"
At those words, Shimura Danzo's expression shifted, and he instinctively took a step back.
He was deeply wary of Uchiha Taiga's abilities. That tendency to "self-destruct" at the drop of a hat packed immense destructive power, and no one else could control it.
Fuinjutsu might work.
But how could anyone seal an explosion comparable to a Tailed Beast Bomb?
This was exactly why he feared Uchiha Taiga.
"Remember your place, Uchiha Taiga!"
Shimura Danzo's face was grim. "I suspect the appearance of the Nine-Tails is connected to the Uchiha clan. Since you are the most unique among the Uchiha, you need to be investigated!"
It was a high-sounding excuse.
But Uchiha Taiga merely turned his head to look at him. "I hope you don't regret this..."
Before he could finish his sentence, another earth-shattering roar echoed from afar. Accompanied by the trembling ground and deafening rumbles, a terrifying shockwave swept over them. The Nine-Tails had somehow charged in their direction.
The massive commotion interrupted Uchiha Taiga's words.
Shimura Danzo's expression changed drastically. Without a second thought, he used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish from the spot. The rest of the "Anbu" did the same, retreating decisively.
Only Uchiha Taiga remained, facing the charging Nine-Tails head-on.
"I told you..."
Uchiha Taiga's figure vanished.
The next moment, he appeared directly beneath the Nine-Tails and stomped his foot on the ground.
Boom!
The earth caved in and fractured.
Uchiha Taiga shot into the sky like a bolt of lightning. Twisting his body, he swung his long leg like a whip, striking upward right into the Nine-Tails' massive jaw.
Bang!
"Roar!"
A roar of sheer agony tore through the air.
The Nine-Tails' enormous head jerked upward as if struck by a heavy sledgehammer. The force carried its upper body, and then its entire massive frame, launching the beast thirty to forty meters into the air before it crashed backward.
"...not to bother me!!!"
The remaining half of his sentence finally escaped Uchiha Taiga's lips.