From a bird's-eye view, a fox as large as a mountain appeared in the Leaf Village.
"Roar!"
It roared towards the sky, its nine tails wildly thrashing about, destroying the surrounding buildings and causing hurricane-like waves of air that uprooted the nearby trees.
The Leaf ninjas in the distance were blown about by the incoming gusts. The expressions on their faces were filled with extreme horror.
The Nine-Tails incident years ago had become a shadow over the hearts of countless Leaf ninjas and villagers, and it had not dissipated to this day.
Many people would feel a lingering fear and trembling legs whenever they thought of that night.
And today, the Nine-Tails had descended once again, reminding everyone of the fear it once instilled.
"That's... Danzō!"
Someone with sharp eyes exclaimed, noticing Danzō standing atop the Nine-Tails with his cane.
The Uchiha were right.
Danzō had indeed been secretly released by the Third Hokage. Was he manipulating the Nine-Tails with Shisui's eyes to deal with the Uchiha clan?
The appearance of the Nine-Tails caused the fierce battle in front of the Hokage building to temporarily cease.
Both the Uchiha and the Anbu looked towards the Nine-Tails in surprise.
Then they saw— under Danzō's control, the Nine-Tails' crimson eyes were fixed on the people in front of the Hokage building.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
It opened its mouth and fired countless chakra energy balls, raining down towards the Hokage building like a downpour.
Fugaku's pupils contracted, and he shouted at his clan members:
"Quick, get behind me!"
He used Susanoo to protect his clan, manifesting a large chakra shield, like a high wall, at the forefront.
The next second.
Boom, boom, boom.
Numerous energy balls bombarded Susanoo, causing its light to dim, and Fugaku staggered back, looking rather uncomfortable.
Fortunately, no clan members were injured.
However, the Leaf ninjas who were also within the range of the energy balls were not so lucky.
In a series of violent explosions and screams.
At least a hundred Leaf ninjas died in this attack by the Nine-Tails, including many from the Anbu.
Those who survived were filled with a mix of shock and anger, and they cast angry glances at Danzō.
The major ninja clans watching from a distance also felt a chill when they saw this scene.
Danzō didn't care about the lives of the Leaf ninjas.
"Huh, it actually blocked it. It seems I underestimated Susanoo. Then, how about this next move?" Danzō muttered to himself, his gaze turned cold, and he once again commanded the Nine-Tails.
Hum, hum, hum. The Nine-Tails raised its head, opened its mouth wide, and endless chakra gathered and spun rapidly, soon forming a high-density black energy ball in its mouth.
Tailed Beast Bomb.
This is the most powerful ability of the Tailed Beasts, mixing Yin and Yang chakra in a 2:8 ratio to form an energy ball, which is then fired. The power of the explosion is enough to blast away several mountains or destroy a village.
Danzō's true intentions were finally revealed.
He wanted to evaporate the Uchiha clan, the Anbu, and the entire Hokage building where the Third Hokage was, all at once.
As long as he got rid of all obstacles, he could firmly control the Leaf in his hands, and then he could fulfill his wish to become... the Fifth Hokage.
Thinking of such a future right in front of him, even Danzō, who usually kept his emotions hidden, couldn't help but feel ecstatic, his whole body trembling with excitement.
Die, all of you!
He roared in his heart.
Just then.
Whoosh.
A nimble figure was leaping between the rooftops of the Leaf Village, quickly approaching the Nine-Tails.
It was Uchiha Itachi.
Hum.
During this process, his Mangekyō Sharingan released a strong ocular shock, entering the Nine-Tails' eyes.
"Roar."
The Nine-Tails immediately let out a painful roar, its massive body struggling, and the Tailed Beast Bomb that was about to be launched was forcibly interrupted.
"What?!"
Danzō was taken aback, realizing that Itachi had ruined his plan, and he was burning with rage.
Itachi saw Danzō's right eye.
Yes, it was Shisui's eye.
His gaze was immediately filled with a fierce killing intent, wishing he could tear Danzō to pieces, but suddenly, Itachi felt a wave of dizziness, and blood once again flowed from his eyes.
This was a sign of overuse of ocular power in a short period of time.
Itachi had just activated the Mangekyō, and he had used the power of these eyes too frequently. Moreover, he hadn't transplanted Hashirama's cells, so his ocular power couldn't recover fast enough.
Seeing this, Danzō was overjoyed, his eyes filled with greedy and fervent light, and he immediately commanded the Nine-Tails to stretch out a claw and grab at Itachi:
"Just right, give your eyes to me as well."
Seeing this scene.
"Tetsuhi, quickly support Itachi and seize control of the Nine-Tails!" Fugaku deactivated Susanoo and shouted at Tetsuhi. The two of them immediately used the Body Flicker Technique and rushed towards Danzō and the Nine-Tails.
Hum, hum.
During this process, both of them, like Itachi before, used their respective Mangekyō Sharingan to cast a genjutsu on the Nine-Tails.
Not only them, but also Obito. He quietly appeared near the Nine-Tails.
He had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for Danzō to make a move, waiting for the Nine-Tails to descend upon the world once again.
Heh, Danzō, this foolish old man. Did he think that by obtaining one of Shisui's eyes, he could manipulate the Nine-Tails at will? Too naive.
The reason Obito could control the Nine-Tails with a single eye, besides relying on the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan and Hashirama's cells, was more importantly, the secret technique he learned from Uchiha Madara.
After all, in those years, the Nine-Tails was practically a toy in Madara's hands. As for how to control the Nine-Tails, Madara had already fully developed it.
So Obito was confident that he could snatch the Nine-Tails away.
Swish, swish, swish.
The figures of Itachi, Fugaku, and Tetsuhi appeared in the depths of a dark space.
This was the consciousness space of the Nine-Tails.
The three Mangekyō Uchiha had entered here with their respective mental powers.
"Danzō!" Itachi spotted Danzō not far away. The latter saw the three of them invading this space with their minds and immediately backed away several steps, his face drastically changing.
At this moment.
Swish.
Obito also arrived, standing in a triangular position with the three Uchiha and Danzō, forming a standoff.
Danzō quickly turned his eyes and urgently said to Obito: "Obito, join forces with me to drive them out. Then we can control the Nine-Tails together and completely eradicate the Uchiha clan!"
It seemed that both he and Tobi only had one Mangekyō Sharingan, while the Uchiha trio had both eyes, giving them a significant advantage. If he and Tobi didn't join forces, they would undoubtedly lose.
"Alright."
Obito's gaze hardened as he agreed in a deep voice.
As soon as he finished speaking.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
The Mangekyō Sharingan of the five individuals simultaneously burst forth with a strange red light, releasing a terrifying ocular power that clashed and surged like a tide in this dark space.
Both sides began a fierce struggle for control over the consciousness space of the Nine-Tails.
Back in the real world.
Thousands of Leaf Village ninjas watched from a distance as the previously raging Nine-Tails suddenly calmed down, motionless as if it had fallen asleep.
But upon closer inspection, one would notice that its pair of crimson eyes were constantly changing into various patterns.
Sometimes it was a four-cornered shuriken, sometimes a red cross, sometimes a pinwheel, and sometimes a triangular blade...
Clearly.
The five pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan were vying for control of the Nine-Tails.
Who would win?
To everyone's surprise, no one emerged as the final victor.
Because, after being attended to by five pairs of Mangekyō, the Nine-Tails couldn't take it anymore before the five could determine a winner.
"Roar!"
A roar filled with extreme anger echoed in the dark consciousness space, forming a violent mental storm that swept across the entire space.
Not good.
The five individuals who were clashing with their mental powers were all taken aback at this moment. They were subsequently torn apart by the mental storm and expelled from the consciousness space by the Nine-Tails.
Above the Nine-Tails Danzō's figure swayed, a line of blood tears flowed from his right eye, and then he let go of his cane and knelt down with a thud.
He had lost control of the Nine-Tails.
"Lord Danzō!" Seeing the situation was not good, Tatsuma immediately appeared, supporting Danzō and escaping with the Body Flicker Technique.
Want to leave?
Itachi pursued without hesitation, vowing to kill Danzō and retrieve Shisui's right eye.
As for the Nine-Tails left in place.
Its pair of eyes were no longer any Sharingan pattern, and finally returned to their original state - a pair of crimson vertical pupils.
Then, it went berserk.
The Nine-Tails, no longer bound by anyone, vented its resentment and anger in the most straightforward way.
Boom!
It completely entered a state of frenzy, its nine tails wildly dancing behind it, and it even launched energy bombs from its mouth, launching indiscriminate attacks on its surroundings.
From this moment on, no one could control the Nine-Tails anymore.
In the face of its rampage.
Obito calmly phased himself, dodging a sweep of the Nine-Tails' tail, then revealed a cold smile.
Although he seemed to have failed, unable to seize control of the Nine-Tails with his ocular power, the Nine-Tails becoming like this was undoubtedly good news for Tobi.
It would destroy everything.
On the other side.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Fugaku and Tetsuhi, dodging the energy bombs fired by the Nine-Tails, retreated back to their clansmen.
"Clan leader, what should we do now?"
Hachida hurriedly stepped forward, asking with a serious face.
The Uchiha couldn't ignore the rampaging Nine-Tails and continue attacking the Hokage Building, could they?
Upon hearing this, Fugaku's gaze swept over his clansmen. He found that only half of them were still standing, and almost everyone was injured.
If they continued to fight like this, the Uchiha clan was destined to be annihilated.
He suddenly raised his head to look at the third floor of the Hokage Building, where Dan was still standing by the window, calmly overlooking the battlefield.
At this moment, Fugaku couldn't help but recall the future he had seen when he activated Amaterasu. The current situation was slightly different from Amaterasu's prophecy, but they were largely the same.
Especially Dan, who was almost the same as in the prophecy, never personally intervening in the process of the Uchiha clan's coup.
Why?
Why didn't Dan take action?
Fugaku couldn't understand. But he knew that they couldn't go on like this.
"Roar!"
The roar of the Nine-Tails came from behind him again. It swung its claws, knocking down buildings and approaching the Hokage Building.
"Take the eyes of our fallen clansmen and retreat!"
Fugaku finally made a decision, shouting an order to the surviving Uchiha.
More than half of the Uchiha had been killed or injured in this war.
Given the current critical situation, it was impossible to evacuate with the bodies of all the fallen clansmen, but the Uchiha's Sharingan could not fall into the hands of outsiders under any circumstances.
So, Tetsuhi squatted in front of Inohi's body, trembling as he dug out his friend's eyes.
The same scene was happening among other clansmen. They suppressed their grief and personally dug out the Sharingan of their companions, siblings, and even parents.
However, the eyes of some clansmen were taken away by the enemy.
Whoosh.
Under Fugaku's leadership, the Uchiha clan broke through the encirclement in one direction and quickly fled to the distance.
"Lord Jiraiya, should we pursue them?"
A member of the Anbu asked Jiraiya. As Jiraiya was hesitating, he noticed that the Nine-Tails was targeting the Hokage Building, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced this way.
Not good. He felt a chill in his heart and quickly formed hand seals.
Whoosh.
A colossal figure suddenly appeared in the sky above the Leaf Village, falling to the ground like a meteor at an extremely fast speed.
It was a giant red toad, with a pipe in its mouth, bandages around its waist, and a short sword stuck in it, named - Gamabunta.
And right below it was the rampaging Nine-Tails.
Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique.
Boom.
Gamabunta fell from the sky, sitting directly on the Nine-Tails, instantly pressing the latter to the ground, causing the ground to shake violently and dust to fill the sky.
Years ago during the Nine-Tails' attack, the Fourth Hokage had summoned it in the same way to flatten the Nine-Tails.
Now Jiraiya was repeating the same technique.
Moreover, this time Jiraiya not only summoned Gamabunta, but also its two brothers - Gamaken and Gamahiro, all summoned from Mount Myōboku.
"You actually summoned all three of us toads at once, Jiraiya, you better have an emergency, or this old toad won't be polite to you!"
Gamabunta looked down at Jiraiya on the ground, speaking in a condescending manner.
Huh? As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the Nine-Tails under his butt, and was immediately startled, exclaiming: "You've got to be kidding me, not this guy again!"
He still remembered the hardships he had suffered during his last battle with the Nine-Tails.
Jiraiya didn't have time to argue with Gamabunta, and with a serious face, he pleaded: "Please hold off the Nine-Tails. I need to enter Sage Mode and summon the elders, Fukasaku and Shima."
After saying this, he quickly bit his finger and drew a sage technique pattern under his eyes with blood. Then, he clapped his hands together.
As soon as he finished speaking.
Boom!
The furious Nine-Tails erupted with terrifying power, flipping Gamabunta off its back on the spot. Then, with a sweep of its tail, it sent Gamaken and Gamahiro flying as well.
The three giant toads instantly destroyed a large part of the Leaf Village's buildings.
This was why Jiraiya didn't summon them at the beginning.
These giant summoned creatures fighting in the center of the Leaf Village would inevitably cause massive destruction. But now, to deal with the Nine-Tails, there was no other way.
At this moment, the major ninja clans of the Leaf Village, who had been watching from a distance, could no longer stand by.
After all the Uchiha clan only wanted to overthrow the Leaf Village's upper echelons and kill the Third Hokage and Danzō, while the Nine-Tails wanted to destroy the entire Leaf Village, sparing no one.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
All the Leaf Village ninjas rushed over from all directions, joining the battle in an attempt to subdue the Nine-Tails.
The great battle erupted once again.
From the third floor of the Hokage Building.
The Leaf Village was engulfed in flames and explosions, with fires and thick smoke rising everywhere.
A large number of Leaf Village ninjas died under the Nine-Tails' claws and massive tail.
"Why... why has it come to this..."
The Third Hokage was heartbroken, watching as Leaf Village ninjas died one by one, watching as the prosperous village turned into ruins. The scene before his eyes was like hell.
He really didn't understand.
While some cried, others laughed.
In stark contrast to the grief on the Third Hokage's face was Dan's expression.
At this moment.
The burning Leaf Village was reflected in Dans eyes, and the corners of his mouth gradually stretched into a grin, revealing two rows of white teeth, and finally... a brilliant smile.
"Hehe, haha, hahaha..."
He held his forehead with one hand, letting out a signature maniacal laugh, laughing and saying, "I'm... having the time of my life!"
At this moment, Dan experienced an unprecedented joy.
And his pair of Sharingan, along with his laughter, quietly underwent some kind of change.