"Is this the power of the Nine-Tails...?"
Feeling the terrifying aura raging within the Root base's barrier, the five members of the Earth Branch—Kakashi, Pakura, Shisui, Ryoma, and Kakuzu—all wore expressions of shock.
Although they had encountered different tailed beasts on the battlefield or in the village before.
For example, Pakura had personally experienced the rampage of the One-Tail, Shukaku.
Kakashi and Shisui had faced the Four-Tails and Five-Tails of Iwagakure on the battlefield.
As for Ryoma, it went without saying—he was now the jinchūriki of the Five-Tails, Kokuō!
Yet, despite their extensive combat experience and familiarity with tailed beasts, the group's expressions turned grave the moment they felt the aura emanating from the Nine-Tails.
Because this aura and power were simply too overwhelming.
It was on a completely different level compared to the tailed beasts they had encountered before.
And this was through the filter of a jinchūriki. One could only imagine the horrifying scene Danzo and the couple, Minato and Kushina, were facing within Kushina's mental space.
The facts proved this to be true.
Inside the mental space, the moment the Nine-Tails broke free from its seal, it plummeted from the sky like a meteor!
Its massive body crashed into the water, and with a single movement of its mountain-like form, it effortlessly stirred up monstrous waves!
The anger the Nine-Tails had accumulated over years of imprisonment erupted into a terrifying killing intent.
"Let's see what kind of skills you have to dare covet my chakra!!"
With a roar of fury, the Nine-Tails raised its sharp claws without hesitation.
The claws on its hands were like a row of razor-sharp blades, effortlessly slicing through the air with a chilling sound as they aimed directly at Kushina!
As a tailed beast, the only way for the Nine-Tails to break free from its seal was to devour the will of its jinchūriki.
Only then could it return to the human world!
Thus, Kushina naturally became the Nine-Tails' primary target.
If it could devour Kushina and escape this physical prison, it would regain its full power.
At that point, unless Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha were reincarnated, no one in the entire ninja world would be its match!
The Nine-Tails was certain of this.
But if the Nine-Tails could think of this method, how could Danzo and Minato not anticipate it?
So, the moment the Nine-Tails landed, Danzo formed hand seals.
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Without hesitation, Danzo unleashed his strongest Wood Style ninjutsu.
Several wooden dragons surged out from the water beneath the Nine-Tails, wrapping around the charging beast with incredible agility.
"Damn it, this Wood Style again!"
The Nine-Tails' eyes gleamed with danger as foul air hissed between its sharp, white teeth.
It was clear that the Nine-Tails harbored deep hatred for Wood Style.
After all, the man who had once claimed it was too powerful and needed to be sealed had also used Wood Style!
And then he had lifted the Nine-Tails with one hand...
Soon, the Nine-Tails felt a familiar sensation.
The thick wooden dragons wrapped around its body were rapidly absorbing its chakra to strengthen themselves.
This was why Wood Style was known as the bane of tailed beasts.
The vast chakra reserves of tailed beasts seemed meaningless in the face of Wood Style.
But the Nine-Tails wasn't foolish enough to let the Wood Style continue absorbing its chakra.
It immediately raised its sharp claws and gripped the wooden dragons tightly.
Then, with a burst of terrifying strength, it tore the wooden dragons to pieces.
After breaking free, the Nine-Tails opened its mouth, and a terrifying roar shook the air violently.
"If this is all you've got, then just wait to die."
"Once I return to the human world, I'll kill every single one of you!"
"Not just you, but the entire Konoha, no, the entire ninja world will pay!"
The Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes, not hiding its killing intent in the slightest.
It roared and crouched low, then opened its mouth as a terrifying aura began to gather within.
Danzo was no stranger to this feeling.
This was the precursor to a tailed beast bomb!
Sure enough, as the yin and yang chakra gathered in the Nine-Tails' mouth, a pitch-black sphere quickly formed.
However, Danzo's face showed no trace of fear, remaining as calm as ever.
He merely muttered softly:
"As expected, even an S-rank Wood Style isn't enough to pose a real threat to the Nine-Tails."
Danzo wasn't surprised by this.
He wasn't naive enough to think that the legendary strongest tailed beast could be easily dealt with by a mere Wood Dragon Technique.
Even someone as powerful as Hashirama Senju had to use a sealing technique like the Hokage-Style Technique — Kakuan's Entrance to the Pure Land to suppress it.
Thus, Danzo's move was nothing more than a feint.
The real killing blow was yet to come!
The dark tailed beast bomb emitted a terrifying aura, causing the surrounding air to feel as if it had solidified.
Suddenly, on a piece of broken wood, the words "Sword of the Love of Shinobi" appeared.
In the next moment, Minato's figure appeared above the Nine-Tails.
He raised one hand to the sky, the orange markings around his eyes making him look even more mysterious.
Countless senjutsu chakra gathered in Minato's palm, spinning at a terrifying speed.
Eventually, it formed a massive Rasengan with a diameter of four to five meters.
Calling it a "ball" was no longer accurate.
To be precise, it was more like a small sun emitting a deep blue light!
This was the technique Minato had developed under Danzo's guidance, infusing senjutsu chakra into the Rasengan—
Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan! (Senpo: Choodama Rasengan)
Minato had originally planned to name it the "Ultra-Big Crushing Jade Rasengan Flash Blue Stream Three-Type."
But since the technique was an innovation based on the Rasengan, he decided to respect Danzo's suggestion and name it the "Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan."
In a way, Danzo had indeed stifled a part of Minato's creative nature.
Sensing the impending danger from above, the Nine-Tails suddenly looked up.
Its eyes reflected the deep blue light of the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan, but it showed no fear.
Instead, a smirk of disdain appeared on its face.
Although it could sense that this attack possessed considerable power, compared to its own tailed beast bomb, it was nothing more than a minor trick.
Thus, the Nine-Tails immediately shifted the target of its tailed beast bomb from Danzo to Minato.
At that moment, Kushina made her move.
"Stay still, Nine-Tails!"
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Kushina's red hair fluttered as her chakra surged.
Eight golden chains shot out from her back, accurately binding the Nine-Tails as it prepared to launch its tailed beast bomb!
To prevent it from firing the bomb, Kushina specifically targeted the Nine-Tails' mouth, attempting to seal it shut with the chains.
But at the last moment, the Nine-Tails managed to fire the tailed beast bomb before Kushina's chains could fully restrain it.
"Die, you brat!"
It bared its teeth in a cruel grin.
Killing the man Kushina loved should awaken her hatred and anger, right?
Perhaps it would even lead to her being consumed by the Nine-Tails...
With this thought, the Nine-Tails fired the tailed beast bomb prematurely, before it had reached its full power.
Even an incomplete tailed beast bomb was more than enough to kill most of the strongest ninja in the world!
Including Minato Namikaze.
After all, his defensive capabilities were far from impressive.
Compared to other powerful ninja, one could even say he had no defensive abilities at all.
But...
He was fast!
As the famous "Yellow Flash," Minato instantly activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and disappeared from sight, still holding the Rasengan.
The black tailed beast bomb, now unstoppable, flew into the "sky" under everyone's watchful eyes.
Then, it exploded with unimaginable force!
It was as if a new sun had exploded in the sky, causing the entire mental space to tremble and churn like a raging sea.
It seemed as if the space itself might collapse at any moment.
Before the Nine-Tails could admire its handiwork, Minato's figure appeared at its side.
"Sorry, Nine-Tails."
Minato's gentle voice rang out, followed by the ruthless slam of the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan directly into the Nine-Tails' face.
The immense force distorted the Nine-Tails' expression, and its massive body was sent crashing to the ground!
But that wasn't all!
From a distance, Danzo seized the opportunity and activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. A massive green giant rose from the ground.
Under Danzo's control, the green Susanoo immediately opened its ribcage.
In the next moment, an orange-red magatama shot out.
Yasakani no Magatama!
The Nine-Tails was still reeling from the blow when Danzo's Susanoo magatama struck.
"Boom!!"
A blinding white light exploded, and the shockwave created a massive crater in the water.
The waves spreading outward were so powerful they nearly turned into a tsunami, overwhelming anyone in their path.
"Is this the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Minato watched the dissipating light with awe.
Kushina was equally impressed. It was the first time she had seen the Nine-Tails in such a sorry state.
But before they could relax, the Nine-Tails' roar echoed from the center of the explosion.
Clearly, the combined assault of Kushina, Minato, and Danzo hadn't left the Nine-Tails incapacitated.
"You... really..."
"Pissed me off!!"
As two red lights flashed, the Nine-Tails tore through the surrounding mist with its claws.
Its mountain-like body moved like a beast, charging toward Danzo on all fours at top speed!
It had decided that while Kushina could wait, this damned old man had to die first!
As it charged, the Nine-Tails opened its mouth, firing a barrage of chakra energy bullets at Danzo and the others.
The energy bullets, formed from the Nine-Tails' chakra, exploded on the water's surface, sending massive columns of water into the air.
Seeing this, Danzo had no intention of waiting idly.
He drew the tanto from his waist and charged straight at the Nine-Tails!
Soon, several energy bullets locked onto him.
Danzo's response to the incoming projectiles was simple.
He raised his hand!
The moment the energy bullets touched Danzo, they were effortlessly absorbed using the Preta Path's ability.
The process was so swift that the energy bullets seemed to vanish as if erased by some mysterious force!
"That chakra-absorbing ability again?"
The Nine-Tails felt a familiar sensation.
It had encountered this ability during its previous encounter with Danzo.
"In that case, let's try sheer force!"
The Nine-Tails suddenly leaped high into the air, then slammed its fist down toward Danzo.
Danzo didn't hesitate either, activating his Susanoo to engage the Nine-Tails in a contest of strength.
The results proved that the Nine-Tails' massive size wasn't just for show.
Due to its overwhelming physical advantage, Danzo's Susanoo was no match, quickly being pushed back.
Finally, the Susanoo was smashed into the water by the Nine-Tails' fist!!
Fortunately, Minato and Kushina arrived just in time.
"It's time, Kushina!!"
Minato stared in the direction where Danzo had disappeared and made a decisive judgment.
"Understood."
Following Minato's instructions, Kushina didn't hesitate. She leaped into the air.
Once again, she activated the Uzumaki clan's ancestral sealing technique.
The wooden stakes and chains that remained on the molten sphere shot down from the sky like meteors at Kushina's command.
These chain-linked stakes pierced the Nine-Tails' body like arrows.
The long chains instantly emitted a golden light, the sealing power within them greatly suppressing the Nine-Tails' chakra.
At the same time, Minato followed Danzo's battle plan, forming hand seals and creating ten shadow clones!
Thanks to his ability to continuously absorb natural energy and convert it into senjutsu chakra, Minato had an ample supply of chakra within the mental space.
Under these conditions, Minato didn't hesitate to have all ten shadow clones simultaneously form Ultra-Big Ball Rasengans.
Thus, including Minato's main body, a total of eleven Ultra-Big Ball Rasengans slammed into the Nine-Tails.
"Boom!!"
Under the barrage of eleven Ultra-Big Ball Rasengans, even the Nine-Tails couldn't avoid being stunned.
Turbulent air currents swept chaotically in all directions, and the surrounding water seemed to boil.
After completing this, Minato quickly activated the Flying Thunder God Technique to create distance.
He looked toward the Nine-Tails and said softly:
"The rest is up to you, Senior Danzo!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Danzo's figure burst out of the water.
He held a tanto in his hand, weaving through the chaotic air currents.
Thick wind-style chakra coated the blade, its sharpness turning the originally bright white blade into a pitch-black streak.
From a distance, it looked as if Danzo was dragging a black lightning bolt!
The dozens of meters of distance were covered in an instant.
Danzo appeared above the Nine-Tails, the sharp tanto in his hand seemingly capable of cutting through space itself.
Under the Nine-Tails' disbelieving gaze, the blade came down!
Wind Release Secret Technique: Void Slash!
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