It was glaringly obvious that the Hyuga clan handing over all their youth to Neji to lead them out of Konoha could not be hidden from anyone.
Furthermore, Neji had never intended to hide it from the start.
In the beginning, a few members of the Anbu, acting under the direct orders of the high-ranking officials, leapt out to intercept them. However, after they were slaughtered without mercy, the remaining observers chose a collective silence.
Just two days prior, Kumogakure had notified their other three allies of a devastating blow: the Raikage had been killed, and their forces had suffered catastrophic losses.
Now, the entire world knew that Neji Hyuga was no longer just the brilliant genius who had dazzled everyone during the Chunin Exams. He was a powerhouse capable of single-handedly intercepting and annihilating a Kumo pursuit force.
The results of that battle were nothing short of legendary.
The renowned "AB Combo," along with a vast number of young elites, had been utterly defeated in a single engagement. Aside from the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, not a single intact corpse remained.
The intelligence reports were harrowing – dense chakra threads erupted directly from his tenketsu (pressure points), capable of shredding most offensive and defensive ninjutsu with ease. Once hit, a target was reduced to a mist of blood.
Given Konoha's current state, the village lacked the strength to obstruct such a master. They could only stand by and watch him leave.
Beyond that, there was another reason for the lack of intervention: the two village councilors had just breathed their last, lying in pools of their own blood.
Their executioner was none other than Sasuke, holding a keen blade.
The Uchiha avenger flicked the blood from his sword with a practiced motion. He looked down at the gathering crowd with a cold, haughty gaze. "This is a private grudge between them and me. I advise you not to interfere, or I won't mind washing this building in blood. Besides, you've all heard the truth about Naruto's parentage. In a village this corrupt, dark, and filthy, do you truly wish to offer up your precious lives for it?"
"Sasuke! You bastard!" Iruka's eyes flickered with a complex swirl of emotions.
As someone thoroughly indoctrinated by the "Will of Fire," he could not fathom his student turning back to destroy the village. Yet, simultaneously, he felt a searing rage toward the leadership for concealing Naruto's identity and allowing him to endure over a decade of discrimination.
Regardless, the assassination of two councilors was a blatant humiliation and a provocation against Konoha. Any ninja who still felt a shred of belonging to the village would not let the murderer walk away so easily.
"Iruka-sensei, the times have changed. Shinobi and hidden villages will eventually fade from the stage of history, just as the Samurai did. Your persistence is meaningless, just as today's ninja care nothing for the desperate resistance the Samurai once put up."
Sasuke casually tossed the two corpses out of the window.
A second later...
Thud! Thud!
The mangled remains of the two councilors were exposed to the civilians gathered outside the Hokage Residence. Instantly, the entire plaza fell into a deathly silence.
Sasuke took advantage of the shock to vanish from the spot. Though his original plan involved widespread destruction, he now preferred to slowly savor the process of Konoha's decline and eventual demise. The longer it dragged on, the more the high-ranking officials would suffer in despair.
…
Meanwhile, deep in the woods outside the village, the Nine-Tails had completely taken over Naruto's consciousness. It was unleashing a frenzied vengeance upon the ninja organization that had captured and imprisoned it for nearly a century.
Though it had successfully retaliated over a decade ago, it had been under the control of the Sharingan then. This time, it was acting of its own volition, the two scenarios were incomparable.
"Die! Humans!"
The Nine-Tails roared, firing a Tailed Beast Bomb that pulverized everything within hundreds of meters. At least six or seven ninja who failed to escape the blast radius were killed instantly.
Unlike the other eight Tailed Beasts, which possessed specific elemental natures, the Nine-Tails was the closest existence to the legendary Ten-Tails God Tree. Its chakra consisted of Yin-Yang Release rather than the five basic elements of Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning, or their derived Kekkei Genkai.
Consequently, unless one possessed Yin-Yang Release, or specific counters like the Mangekyō Sharingan, Wood Release, or Uzumaki sealing techniques, most ninjutsu were utterly ineffective against it. Even Sage Mode, at best, could only hope to reach a stalemate with a full-power Nine-Tails.
"Dammit! If this keeps up, we won't be able to hold out!"
Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, clenched her fists, her face a mask of desperation and helplessness. She knew all too well how dire the situation was, yet she lacked a decisive solution. Her primary role was that of a Medical Ninja, usually handling logistics and healing.
As for combat power... while she was formidable in the eyes of an average ninja, she fell slightly short when compared to the absolute top-tier elites of the world.
In the past, when Konoha was teeming with talent, this gap wasn't obvious. But now, with Jiraiya in a coma following his fight with Nagato, and Kakashi's strength significantly diminished after losing his Kamui Sharingan, Tsunade had unexpectedly become the village's strongest active fighter.
As for Might Guy, who had lost an arm, he had attempted to open the Eight Gates several times to suppress the Nine-Tails, but he was stopped each time.
Konoha was besieged by enemies on all sides: the rampaging Jinchuriki, the vengeful Sasuke Uchiha, the Resistance blooming throughout the Land of Fire, and the Akatsuki organization, led by the wielder of the Rinnegan, who sought to revive the Ten-Tails.
"Hokage-sama! Order the rank-and-file ninja to retreat. We cannot allow more senseless sacrifice. I will lure the Nine-Tails to an uninhabited area and try to talk to Naruto once he regains consciousness."
In this critical moment, Kakashi stepped forward to take on a mission with a ninety percent mortality rate.
But before Tsunade could respond, a golden figure suddenly manifested, emerging from the Nine-Tails' midsection.
"Se... Sensei?!!!"
Kakashi's eyes widened in total disbelief. Around him, others looked up in shock at the golden silhouette standing in mid-air.
"The Fourth! Isn't he supposed to be dead?" Tsunade's face contorted with shock and awe.
The figure was none other than the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, the "Yellow Flash," Minato Namikaze, Naruto's father.
As the Nine-Tails' will completely broke free and seized control of the Jinchuriki, the portion of Minato's chakra sealed within Naruto's gut had finally been awakened.
Surveying the chaotic battlefield, Minato frowned, murmuring to himself, "What happened? Why did Naruto lose control so suddenly? I can feel nothing but sadness, rage, and hatred in his emotions..."
"Hahahaha! Minato! You want the truth?" The Nine-Tails laughed maniacally. "Then ask the very villagers you sacrificed your life to protect! They'll tell you exactly why this child chose to hand his body over to me!"