Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

"Naruto, these people are all under control. If there's no way to free them quickly, then capture the ringleader first!"

Almost the instant Minato returned to the inner world, his voice was relayed to Naruto through Kurama.

"That's exactly what I was thinking!"

After knocking back the ANBU around him, Naruto glanced toward Uchiha Shisui, who was currently being escorted toward the exit of the underground chamber under the protection of more than a dozen ANBU.

The other ANBU noticed the change in Naruto's movements as well and immediately moved to intercept him.

However, the Shadow Clones Naruto had created blocked their path, while his original body turned and gave chase.

Yet before he could take more than a few steps, several of the ANBU guarding Shisui suddenly stopped.

They turned around.

One after another, they drew their weapons.

Their masked faces remained fixed on Naruto.

It was obvious.

They intended to stay behind and buy time.

"You won't be able to stop me—"

Naruto was just about to force his way through.

Then the ANBU's next action made him stop dead in his tracks.

Pshhk!

The foremost ANBU standing at the stairway leading outside suddenly drew a kunai and slashed it viciously across his own throat.

A torrent of bright red blood burst from his severed carotid artery, splattering the walls and floor of the stairwell.

Even in Fox Sage Mode, Naruto's pupils contracted violently.

The wound before his eyes was unquestionably fatal!

Yet the ANBU himself appeared completely unconcerned.

Through the eyeholes of his mask, he stared unblinkingly at the stunned Naruto.

"If I... can't stop... you..."

"I'd rather... die..."

"Have you lost your mind!?"

Naruto roared.

Before he could rush forward, the ANBU behind him on the stairs also drew their kunai.

They said nothing.

But their actions made their intentions crystal clear.

They were using their own lives to threaten Naruto.

If he pursued Shisui—

They would kill themselves.

"That's impossible. Why would their behavior suddenly change this drastically? Weren't their common-sense perceptions merely altered?"

Watching through Kurama's linked vision, even Minato was shocked.

"Unless the caster modified them again. But wasn't he already trapped by Old Man—?"

"Hm?"

After helping retrieve Naruto's consciousness and switching control back from Minato, Kurama hadn't paid much attention to the mental world.

Now, however, he turned toward the seal.

And froze.

Inside the pure white mental space, there were only two beings left.

Himself.

And Minato.

Along with...

An empty cage.

"The stone statue of Uchiha Shisui's consciousness—where did it go!?"

"You said you'd already trapped him..."

"He escaped? Even though the seal wasn't broken?"

During the time Minato had been controlling Naruto's body, he hadn't witnessed Kurama's confrontation with Shisui.

Kurama had only told him that Shisui's consciousness had been petrified.

"...That kind of consciousness petrification can't be broken through by the victim themselves."

"And the amount of natural energy I used was several times greater than what Naruto experienced before."

"Ordinary damage wouldn't wake him up. It would require something practically fatal."

"But without any way to communicate with the outside world, how could those brainwashed ANBU possibly inflict that level of damage on him?"

Kurama briefly explained his method.

"The seal prevented his consciousness from returning to reality."

"The natural energy petrified his mind and stripped away his ability to think."

"An impressive method, Nine-Tails-sama. Under normal circumstances, it's practically foolproof."

Minato's praise was sincere.

"But he still escaped."

Minato's expression became grave.

After a moment of thought, he arrived at a conclusion.

"There's no way he could have saved himself."

"That leaves only one possibility."

"You mean—?"

Minato paused.

Then, looking at Kurama's expression, he immediately understood.

"Just like Naruto has us..."

"There may be another existence inside Uchiha Shisui helping him."

"Or perhaps... controlling him."

Meanwhile—

Shisui, currently being carried away from Naka Shrine under the protection of several elite ANBU, remained in a dazed and stiff state.

The petrification caused by natural energy had left his consciousness sluggish.

His body could barely respond.

He could only rely on several physically capable ANBU to carry him while retreating.

At this moment, Shisui's body was no longer deathly pale.

Half of it had turned a strange black color.

The black substance spread across part of his face, surrounding his Mangekyō Sharingan and assisting its operation.

"What exactly happened to you?"

"I thought you'd simply take control of the Nine-Tails."

"Instead, not only did you fail to control it, but the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki is still perfectly fine."

"And after using your Mangekyō ability, you were the one who got controlled instead?"

The voice echoed once more inside Shisui's mind.

It sounded ancient and eerie.

Neither distinctly male nor female.

Yet the astonishment and curiosity within it were obvious.

"...Still... not... safe... Black Zetsu..."

Shisui's consciousness responded intermittently.

Although Black Zetsu had realized Shisui's consciousness had been captured, it had no means of forcibly pulling him back the way Kurama could.

After waiting and confirming Shisui couldn't free himself, Black Zetsu had begun trying every method it could think of.

Manipulating chakra.

Stimulating nerves.

Various bizarre techniques.

Finally, by cautiously triggering a small portion of the destructive seal embedded in Shisui's heart, it had managed to drag his consciousness back.

Though in the process, it had nearly destroyed the body.

As a result, Black Zetsu was now handling most of the control itself.

Fortunately, Shisui's body was far from ordinary.

Not only had Obito infused it with a large quantity of Hashirama Cells.

Numerous White Zetsu organs had also been implanted throughout it, making remote manipulation and synchronization far easier for Black Zetsu.

As a result, injuries that would be fatal to others weren't enough to kill Shisui.

Even so—

His consciousness and body were both heavily damaged.

They needed to find a secure place to hide and recover as soon as possible.

"You all, stop right there."

Just as they thought they had escaped danger, a voice suddenly called out ahead of them.

Several ANBU immediately moved in front of Shisui protectively.

Then four figures descended before them.

One adult.

Three children.

The leader frowned slightly when he saw the masks they wore.

"An ANBU squad?"

The newcomers were Kakashi, Hinata, Sasuke, and the ninja hound Pakkun.

Sasuke's brow furrowed as well.

Unlike Kakashi, however, he was focused on something else.

Following Pakkun's scent trail had gradually led them closer and closer to what used to be the Uchiha Clan district.

"Hatake Kakashi."

One of the ANBU recognized him.

Under the effects of Kotoamatsukami, protecting Shisui had become his highest directive.

By deliberately speaking Kakashi's name aloud, he achieved two objectives.

First, he alerted Shisui to who had arrived.

Second, he prevented any nearby ANBU who might not recognize Kakashi from acting rashly.

The instant Kakashi's identity was confirmed, both Black Zetsu and Shisui abandoned any thought of using the Sharingan on him.

Kotoamatsukami had already been pushed far beyond its limits.

In their current condition, they lacked the ocular power necessary to control someone who also possessed a Sharingan.

At the same time, Kakashi noticed that the squad seemed to be protecting something behind them.

He first glanced at Hinata.

The girl's expression was unusually tense.

After activating her Byakugan and checking the situation, she shook her head.

[Just a coincidence?]

After confirming that the hidden figure wasn't Naruto, Kakashi chose not to ask any further questions.

As a former ANBU captain, he understood the rules well enough.

You didn't casually pry into another ANBU team's mission.

"Sorry."

"Please continue."

"Didn't mean to interrupt."

Kakashi nodded politely and prepared to leave.

Naruto's disappearance for this long had already convinced them something had gone wrong.

Since they were all familiar with Flying Thunder God, they knew this situation wasn't normal.

Just when Shisui's group thought they had escaped disaster—

"Hey, Kakashi."

Pakkun suddenly sniffed the air.

Then his expression changed.

"Even though it's faint..."

"I can smell Naruto on the people behind them."

"And it's fresh."

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