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In the night sky illuminated by raging fires, an intense white light flashed.
The people of Iwagakure instinctively looked up. They knew this was Tsuchikage Ōnoki taking action.
Ōnoki's signature technique: Dust Release.
"Let's go. Our mission is complete." Ōnoki had made his move. The Four-Tails' fate was sealed—it was doomed.
Without wasting time, Obito led his team away from the chaotic shambles that was Iwagakure. He was quite satisfied with this Four-Tails Night, though he regretted that the Four-Tails was a bit weak.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!!" With a final, furious roar, the Four-Tails, having just regained control of its body, realized in horror that a massive portion of it had been disintegrated by the Dust Release. No saving it now. Might as well dig a hole and bury it.
Obito glanced back one last time, felt no lingering attachment, and entered the Kamui dimension to depart. Compared to the Nine-Tails, the Four-Tails was indeed far weaker. Had it been the Nine-Tails, Ōnoki would have been in for a world of hurt. The controlled Four-Tails had been a sitting duck, taking a direct, devastating hit. By the time Obito released the control, it was too late. The Four-Tails had no chance to escape; Ōnoki's second Dust Release attack was already upon it.
"Whew... Whew..." Using two maximum-power Dust Release techniques in succession was an immense strain even for Ōnoki. His body couldn't handle such exertion; even slightly strenuous activity risked throwing his back out. Floating in the sky now, one hand supporting his waist, he panted heavily, gasping for breath.
"The Akatsuki!!!" Looking down at the ruins and inferno that was Iwagakure, Ōnoki nearly ground his teeth to dust. If only he knew the Akatsuki's hideout, he would have launched a devastating counter-attack.
An event of this magnitude in Iwagakure couldn't possibly be hidden from the spies embedded there to gather intelligence. Even the most amateur spy could collect information about this and transmit it by various means. Yet, Iwagakure was in utter chaos; no one had the capacity to monitor the spies' activities. Even if they knew, they couldn't spare the manpower—they were far too busy.
Countless buildings throughout Iwagakure had collapsed. Worse, due to the Four-Tails' unique nature, fires raged everywhere. To make matters even more troublesome, Iwagakure didn't have many ninja proficient in Water Release, making firefighting a struggle. Fortunately, where there's a will, there's a way. Without enough Water Release users, they resorted to Earth Release. Various earth techniques were employed in succession: high stone walls were erected to partition the fire, allowing for gradual extinguishment, or the ground was made to collapse, causing the fires to fall into pits where they were smothered by rock and earth. To put out the fires, the ninja of Iwagakure gritted their teeth and persevered.
Even before Iwagakure's disaster relief was over, other villages had received the news.
A decade after the Nine-Tails Night, the ninja world witnessed another "Tails Night"—this time, the victim shifted from Konoha to Iwagakure. The Akatsuki and Uchiha Obito were thrust back into the spotlight.
*****
Konoha.
Kazuki had just gotten up and was preparing breakfast at home. Having slept alone last night, there was no one to prepare food for him, so he had to do it himself. On a whim, he decided to make pork trotter noodles.
Soon, a steaming, fragrant bowl of noodles was ready. Kazuki picked up his chopsticks, poured on some special chili oil, and was just about to dig in. Even garlic was prepared on the table. As the saying goes, noodles without garlic lose half their flavor.
"Lord Advisor."
Just as he picked up the noodles and opened his mouth, Kazuki looked at the ANBU ninja who had barged into his home uninvited and couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. Being a high-ranking village official had its perks, but also many inconveniences. Like now: just as you're about to enjoy a delicious meal, an ANBU shows up at your door, looking urgent—clearly, something major had happened.
Glancing at the bowl of noodles, Kazuki sighed helplessly. "Give me five minutes."
"Yes, sir." The ANBU ninja also knew his timing was terrible and could only bow his head and stand by, waiting for Kazuki to finish his breakfast before they left together.
At the Hokage's office conference room, Konoha's high command had assembled. Everyone's expression was grave. The meeting hadn't started yet; they were all waiting because the Hokage's Advisor's seat was still empty.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Shortly after, Kazuki arrived, carrying a takeout bag.
"Freshly made. Eat it while it's hot; the noodles will get soggy otherwise."
Under a collective gaze of mild bewilderment, Kazuki placed the bag in front of Tsunade and took his seat.
"..." Is this really the time to bring out breakfast? Tsunade felt a flush of embarrassment. Eating breakfast during such an important, serious meeting... was that really okay? But it smelled so good. She really wanted to take a bite.
Smelling the aroma, Tsunade swallowed. Fortunately, Shikaku, ever the considerate one, spoke up. "Lord Hokage, the meeting hasn't started yet. You probably haven't eaten since getting up early. Perhaps you should have a bite? Meanwhile, the Advisor can review the documents."
"Well, if you insist..." Since someone had handed her the perfect excuse, Tsunade didn't hold back—mainly because she was starving. She'd been dragged out of bed half-asleep, then busy notifying high command, printing documents... after all that hustle, Kazuki shoving a takeout bag at her was practically a criminal temptation.
Glancing at the others and seeing no objections, Tsunade finally opened the bag and took out the bowl.
Time to eat!
Sitting next to Tsunade, the Third Hokage, with his pipe in his mouth, watched the scene with bemusement but didn't stop her. Having a bite to fill an empty stomach wasn't out of line. Though, it seemed like no one else had eaten either... Not that anyone dared to say anything.
"!" While Tsunade was busy eating, Kazuki opened the file and skimmed it. He was so startled he shot to his feet. 'Four-Tails? Uchiha Obito really dares to play this game again'
Regarding the pain of a Tailed Beast attack, Konoha had the most experience and the strongest voice. They had endured the Nine-Tails rampage, which was even more terrifying than the Four-Tails Night, given the Nine-Tails' vastly superior power.
Directly staging a Four-Tails rampage? Is the Akatsuki playing for such high stakes? Kazuki had been waiting for Iwagakure's internal issues to explode, but instead of a internal crisis, Obito had dropped a bomb on them, leaving Iwagakure utterly devastated.
This bomb had plunged Iwagakure's already strained finances into an abyss, making "adding insult to injury" an understatement for their current misery. It was a full-blown catastrophe.
Konoha had once faced a similar situation. Fortunately, Minato knew the Flying Thunder God Technique, which allowed him to teleport away the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball and even the Nine-Tails itself. Otherwise, Konoha's losses would have been far more horrifying.
Konoha had a Minato Namikaze who is capable to teleport the Tailed Beast away. Iwagakure had no one capable of such a feat.
*****
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