Ren Asakura could tell that the Nine-Tails was exceptionally defiant.
Nearby, the projection of Lu Mingfei crouched down, observing the situation.
They say a dog relies on its master's power—at this moment, Lu Mingfei was acting particularly arrogant.
"A little fox, how ridiculous! Still so defiant? A few slaps and it'll behave in no time!"
Ren Asakura shook his head, his face showing a gentle expression.
"This is about reconciliation. We should use a softer approach. But if the Nine-Tails refuses to listen, I might as well send it to see the Sage of Six Paths. I'm sure it'll listen to him."
Lu Mingfei definitely knew where the Sage of Six Paths was right now—resting in the afterlife's pure land.
Sending the Nine-Tails there was just a fancy way of saying killing it.
"As expected of our group leader!" Lu Mingfei said, full of admiration.
"I refuse to accept this! If you have the guts, release me and let's fight fair! You ambushed me—that's despicable!"
Ren Asakura, completely unfazed, replied casually,
"So what if I ambushed you? You're still under my control!"
The Nine-Tails, now visibly exhausted, growled weakly.
"You coward! Let me go if you dare!"
The moment those words left its mouth, Lu Mingfei immediately stepped aside, quietly mourning for the fox.
"Nine-Tails, good luck!"
Ren Asakura's mouth twitched slightly.
"What did you just call me?"
"A coward!" the Nine-Tails replied without hesitation, even adding a hint of disdain.
Ren Asakura's smile was anything but warm.
"Looks like you still need some discipline!"
With a wave of his hand, he released the Nine-Tails.
The ten golden swords pinning it down vanished into thin air.
The Nine-Tails was free.
"ROAR!"
The moment it regained its freedom, the beast let out a furious roar.
Minato Namikaze, being the wise man he was, immediately left the battlefield to check on his wife and child.
Before leaving, he could only silently wish the Nine-Tails good luck—hoping it wouldn't actually die.
Elsewhere, Tsunade was personally treating Kushina Uzumaki.
As the strongest healer in the entire history of the Leaf Village, she was unmatched in medical ninjutsu.
Meanwhile, the medical team was providing emergency treatment for Shisui Uchiha's injured arm.
At that moment, Fugaku Uchiha arrived.
"I'm sorry, Clan Leader."
Fugaku simply sighed and said nothing.
What had happened had happened.
Blaming others was pointless—what mattered now was finding a way to fix the situation.
Tsunade, on the other hand, frowned deeply.
Even though the Uzumaki Clan was known for their immense life force, losing a Tailed Beast was something not even they could survive.
Naruto Uzumaki remained quietly in Kakashi's arms.
Looking at his teacher's child, Kakashi's eyes were filled with concern.
"Sensei, I hope you make it back safely. And I hope Sensei's wife can survive this crisis."
Elsewhere, the Third Hokage stood clad in his battle armor, bearing fresh scars from combat.
"Sigh… Konoha cannot afford another disaster."
The Third Shinobi War had just ended.
Before the village could even catch its breath, an enemy invasion and a Nine-Tails rampage had struck.
If both the Fourth Hokage and the village's Jinchūriki died now…
Konoha would be doomed.
The next Hokage would likely be chosen from the Three Legendary Sannin.
Danzo was already done for, and most of Konoha's higher-ups were way too old to handle the position.
That left only three real candidates.
In the Third Hokage's opinion, the best choice for the Fifth Hokage was Tsunade.
Her status, strength, and even her heart made her the most suitable candidate.
Sure, she was a notorious gambler and Konoha's biggest money-losing machine, but she never failed when things got serious.
Not to mention, she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the princess of the Senju Clan, and a genuinely kind person.
"Forget it, no point overthinking. Let's just hope Minato makes it back safely."
The Third had already made up his mind—he was going to fully retire.
The world now belonged to the younger generation.
---
The Nine-Tails roared furiously, glaring down at Ren Asakura, who was no bigger than one of its claws.
Without hesitation, it swiped down with a massive paw.
The ground shook violently, sending debris flying everywhere.
"Weak little human!"
Its nine tails swept through the surrounding mountains, leveling them instantly.
Now that it was free, the Nine-Tails was thrilled.
"What exactly are you so happy about?"
A voice suddenly rang in its ear.
"A human?"
Ren Asakura was standing right on top of the Nine-Tails' head, raising his hand.
"Smack!"
A solid slap landed across the fox's massive face.
For a brief moment, the Nine-Tails felt as if something had smashed into its skull, and its body instinctively tilted sideways.
It hurt, but more than the pain, it felt humiliated.
That one tiny slap had caused massive psychological damage.
Its colossal body crashed into the ground, sending up a thick cloud of dust.
"Human! You've truly angered me now!"
The Nine-Tails roared and immediately began charging a Tailed Beast Bomb.
A massive black sphere of energy formed in the air—once it detonated, everything within a thousand meters would be obliterated.
A mushroom cloud would rise from the explosion.
Ren Asakura, however, seemed amused rather than worried.
He simply watched as the Nine-Tails prepared its attack.
"Nine-Tails, have you ever watched Tom and Jerry? I used to love that show as a kid. Back then, we didn't have computers at home, so every day, I'd sit in front of the TV, waiting for the cartoon to air. Even in kindergarten, our teachers would play it for us! Oh, I remember one episode in particular…"
As he spoke, Ren Asakura casually floated above the Tailed Beast Bomb—then stepped onto it.
The Nine-Tails, mouth open, glared up at him.
Its nine tails stood on end, funneling chakra into the attack.
Just as the bomb reached its limit and was about to detonate—
Ren Asakura gently jumped.
Then, he landed lightly.
"Watch my Thousand-Pound Drop!"
The moment his foot touched the bomb, it was as if gravity had increased tenfold.
The Tailed Beast Bomb plummeted—straight into the Nine-Tails' mouth.
And got stuck in its throat.
"Mmmph! Mmmph!!!"
The Nine-Tails was slammed into the ground.
"Oops, too big—it got stuck! Let me help you out."
Ren Asakura lightly stomped his foot.
The bomb slid straight down.
"There we go! But it's about to explode now!"
Ren Asakura pressed his hands together.
The Nine-Tails' giant mouth snapped shut.
And Ren Asakura held it firmly closed.
"Mmmph!!!"
The Nine-Tails struggled wildly, but no matter how much it thrashed, it couldn't open its mouth.
"Mmmph! Mmmph!!!"
Inside its stomach, the bomb was seconds away from detonation.
It had swallowed its own Tailed Beast Bomb before—but that was a controlled attack, meant to concentrate the explosion into a powerful energy beam.
But this time, it couldn't release the energy.
That meant the full force of the explosion would have to be absorbed—inside its own body.
The Nine-Tails knew how deadly its own attack was.
If it actually exploded inside, it was done for.
It needed to release it.
Its mouth was locked shut…
But there was another opening.
Just… a lot smaller.
"BOOM!!!"
It exploded.
°°°
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