In just a single moment, the Nine-Tails' eyes changed again.
A deeply buried thought in its subconscious was forcibly extracted—and made into its absolute, unshakable will.
Now, all it felt was a bone-deep exhaustion.
Sleep, it thought.
And with that, the great beast curled up into a ball, closed its eyes like a harmless pup…
and fell asleep.
The Nine-Tails had been subdued.
At that moment, all of Konoha was stunned.
For years, there had been rumors—
that the Uchiha clan's Sharingan genjutsu could control the Nine-Tails as if it were mere livestock.
But no one had truly believed it.
Until now.
They finally understood—
The rumors were true.
The Nine-Tails could be controlled.
Which meant…
"Did… did the Uchiha cause the Nine-Tails attack too?"
"How… how can they control something like that?"
"They're too dangerous…"
"The Uchiha can't be allowed to remain. They must be rooted out—completely."
Whispers spread like wildfire through the crowd.
Though the Uchiha had just saved the village, there was no gratitude.
Only fear.
Suspicion.
And the simmering hatred born from both.
"It worked, Lord Fourth!"
Shisui was elated. Kotoamatsukami had succeeded.
"The Nine-Tails won't cause any more trouble until my chakra runs out!"
He was thrilled — he truly believed he had saved the village.
"Well done, Shisui."
Homelander smiled warmly.
"As expected of my most trusted subordinate."
With that, he descended slowly from the sky.
"That should be enough time to prepare the sealing, right?"
He turned toward Minato Namikaze.
Minato had never imagined the Nine-Tails could be made so docile.
He was stunned.
But the truth was undeniable:
The beast had been neutralized.
The masked man — the one behind it all — had been defeated and marked with the Flying Thunder God seal.
All that remained was sealing the Nine-Tails.
Then they could finally capture the masked man and uncover the truth.
"It's more than enough."
Minato took a deep breath and began forming seals for the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring Kushina to the site.
The once-chaotic night had grown eerily silent.
But beneath the calm, murderous intent still lingered.
"I never thought your Kotoamatsukami would be so powerful, Shisui. I truly underestimated you."
A cold voice praised him from behind.
It was old and sharp, and for a moment, Shisui assumed it was the Third Hokage.
Embarrassed, he turned to thank him.
But instead—
He saw Danzo Shimura, grinning maliciously.
"You flatter me, Lord Danzo…"
Danzo's gaze sent a chill down Shisui's spine.
He began sweating nervously.
"No need for modesty, Shisui. You tamed the Nine-Tails. You saved the village. That's a monumental feat."
The Third Hokage appeared next to Danzo, squinting with a smile.
"Tell me—was it the Fourth who instructed you to do this?"
Shisui's heart skipped a beat.
The tone… the intent behind those words…
He suddenly understood what they were implying—but didn't know how to respond.
"You overestimate it, sirs."
A calm voice interrupted from behind.
It was Uchiha Fugaku, emerging with a respectful smile.
"Shisui is a member of our Uchiha clan. The Uchiha are an inseparable part of Konoha. Without Lord Fourth's orders, we would never dare act on our own."
But behind him, two younger Uchiha couldn't even hide their disdainful expressions as they looked at the elders.
And both Danzo and Hiruzen noticed.
"Having the Uchiha in Konoha truly is a blessing," the Third said politely.
Danzo, however, didn't even respond—
he simply turned and walked away.
Meanwhile, some younger shinobi rushed toward Homelander, asking if they could take a photo with him and the slumbering Nine-Tails.
Homelander gladly agreed.
They posed together, smiling in front of an old camera.
Villagers began to gather, wiping tears from their faces, letting the Hokage pat their heads.
"Comrades! We have triumphed!"
Homelander declared, his voice filled with righteous passion.
"You have overcome the Nine-Tails!"
"Thank you, Lord Fourth!"
"We owe you everything!"
"Because of you, we survived!"
The people were overcome with gratitude.
But not all of them.
Some watched in silence, their expressions cold.
They were unhappy—
Disapproving of how Homelander had relied on the Uchiha.
To them, a Hokage from the Senju clan showing kindness to their ancient enemies was unacceptable.
Fugaku and Shisui heard it all.
The murmurs.
The side-eyes.
The judgment.
"See, Shisui?" Fugaku muttered darkly.
"The people of Konoha will never thank the Uchiha. They fear us. They hate us. They will always see us as monsters."
Shisui could only nod silently.
But Fugaku wasn't done.
"That said… I must admit… following this man may have been the right call."
He sighed, gazing toward Homelander.
"Whether it's out of political naivety or a plan to use us for something greater… one thing is clear:
When the village needed help, he didn't hesitate to accept Uchiha support. That makes him… trustworthy."
"You really think so?"
Shisui looked at him with surprise and joy.
"I do. I'm starting to come around to your 'Uchiha–Konoha balance' theory."
Fugaku placed a firm hand on Shisui's shoulder.
"But to achieve that balance…"
"The Uchiha must grow strong enough to rival the entire village."
"Which means—this Fourth Hokage…
is someone we must build a relationship with."
"Stay close to him, Shisui."
"The future of the Uchiha… is in your hands."
With that, Fugaku — the man who'd always walked the fine line between loyalty to village and clan — turned and walked away.
Leaving Shisui to stare into the distance…
…at the mysterious and unreadable figure of Homelander.
---
The sealing of the Nine-Tails was led by Kushina, but because she had just given birth, her chakra was dangerously weak.
She had to rely on Minato, the Third Hokage, and even Homelander himself.
Although Homelander couldn't use traditional sealing jutsu, he mimicked the hand signs the others made and somehow managed to help Kushina absorb a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
He didn't even look winded.
His expression didn't change.
Even after Minato and Hiruzen completely drained their chakra—Homelander hadn't reached his limit.
"Senju chakra really is on another level…"
Kushina laughed as she praised him, her tone warm and teasing.
That offhand remark made Homelander pause.
And think.
What if… this transmigration came with something more than just the powers of a parody superhero?
What if… this time… I unlocked something new?
Like…
Wood Style?