The massive meteorite suspended above Konoha, casting a shadow of death over the entire village.
Given its sheer size and proximity, even most jōnin-level shinobi would find it impossible to escape without space-related jutsu—let alone the tens of thousands of ordinary villagers below.
And this wasn't the "late-stage" version of Konoha either; faced with a meteor of that magnitude, the village at this point in time truly had no effective means to respond.
In one corner of Konoha, a middle-aged man with a bright green jumpsuit gazed up at the descending meteor. One hand pressed solemnly against his chest, as if performing some kind of ritual.
Meanwhile, Danzō had finally snapped out of his daze. He turned sharply toward the Third Hokage and barked,
"Hiruzen! This is the Nine-Tails' doing, isn't it!? Damn it! This is all your son's fault—you're the one who should take responsibility!"
The Third's long-suppressed emotions finally burst out. He grabbed Danzō by the collar and roared,
"This isn't the time to point fingers! We need to deal with that meteor first!"
It had been a long time since Danzō had seen the Third so furious. He was briefly stunned. But before he could reply, Hiruzen shoved him aside and muttered while staring up at the sky,
"Could this be a jutsu formed from combining the Nine-Tails' chakra with Dark Release...? What terrifying power..."
Danzō clenched his fist tightly. If such power could be his to command, he was confident he could lead Konoha to rule over the entire ninja world!
But that meteor still hanging in the sky reminded him—if they didn't solve this crisis now, there might soon be no Konoha left to rule.
After a moment's thought, Danzō said coldly,
"If that meteor is connected to the Nine-Tails, then send someone to find Uzumaki Naruto immediately. He's the key to solving this!"
Seeing that Danzō was finally focused on the real problem, Hiruzen felt a trace of relief and replied,
"Right now we don't even know Naruto's condition. The Nine-Tails may have already taken over his body again. It's best if we both go personally."
Danzō nodded. Without another word, the two vanished in a flash.
...
Inside a rundown apartment building, Naruto was still fast asleep on his bed. The noise outside didn't disturb him in the slightest.
Just as he turned over, the window creaked open. Two figures appeared silently inside—it was Hiruzen and Danzō.
Seeing Naruto sleeping so soundly, both men twitched at the corners of their mouths, momentarily wondering if this incident had anything to do with him at all.
After a brief hesitation, Danzō strode toward Naruto to wake him. This time, Hiruzen didn't stop him—he simply narrowed his eyes and watched.
But just as Danzō reached out to touch Naruto, a pitch-black hand suddenly emerged from beneath the boy, seizing Danzō's wrist in an iron grip.
Danzō's pupils contracted. Before he could react, a tremendous force flung him across the room.
Hiruzen moved swiftly, flashing forward to catch the tumbling Danzō. He staggered back a few steps before managing to steady them both.
The two men's posture looked rather awkward in the dimly lit room, but neither paid it any mind. Their attention was entirely fixed on the dark hand emerging from under Naruto's body.
Before their eyes, the hand extended further, pulling up the rest of its form—finally revealing a tall, shadowy figure before Naruto's bed. It was Carl, in his shadow form.
To Danzō and Hiruzen, however, this was the physical manifestation of the Nine-Tails' chakra—essentially the beast itself.
Carl folded his arms and tilted his head slightly, eyeing the two old men.
"So, what are you two geezers doing sneaking in here at this hour?"
Hiruzen immediately released Danzō and stepped back. Danzō straightened his robes, his face as stiff as ever, and said coldly,
"Nine-Tails, that meteor outside is your doing, isn't it? We've come to negotiate."
Hiruzen feared Danzō's tone might provoke Carl again, so he quickly interjected,
"I've thought over the condition you mentioned earlier—it's acceptable! Please, just remove that meteor first!"
Carl didn't bother denying it. He said casually,
"You seem to be mistaken. That wasn't a negotiation. The Fourth's house already belongs to this idiot."
Naruto was still sleeping soundly on the bed, completely unaffected by their voices.
Of course, that was because Carl had cast the technique—Naruto was completely lost in a pleasant dream.
But Hiruzen was truly desperate now. Even if that meteor didn't fall, its very presence above the village was enough to plunge Konoha into chaos. As Hokage, he had to make it disappear.
He hurriedly asked,
"Then what will it take for you to cancel your ability?"
Danzō frowned. In his eyes, Hiruzen's desperation was the worst possible thing to show in a negotiation—it completely surrendered the initiative.
But Hiruzen knew that too. The problem was that Carl's leverage was simply too overwhelming. He had no choice but to yield.
Carl clasped his hands behind his back and strolled up to the Third. Danzō's hand quietly inched toward his waist—
"You plan to use that kunai against a shadow?"
Carl's calm voice froze Danzō mid-motion. Keeping his expression unchanged, Danzō slowly withdrew his hand.
"It's merely an instinctive reaction of a shinobi."
"Heh. Shinobi... You sewer rats really do live up to the name—always enduring."
"You—!"
Before Danzō could explode, Hiruzen shot him a warning glare. Then, taking a deep breath, he turned back to Carl and said earnestly,
"State your condition."
Carl spread his hands slightly.
"My condition is simple—hand over the Scroll of Seals. For three days."
"No way!"
Before Hiruzen could answer, Danzō immediately barked in protest. The next instant, a column of darkness surged up beneath him, and Danzō's body vanished into nothingness.
Hiruzen's eyes widened. As he watched the dark vortex fade into the floor, powerful chakra erupted from his body, cracking the walls and floor like spiderwebs.
Facing the enraged Hokage, Carl remained utterly calm.
"I'll take one life for now. Next time, I'll collect the rest."