Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou-Chapter 251: Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou []

"Lord Minato!"

When the Anbu arrived and saw the traces of destruction left by the battle, they were stunned by the scene before them. It was at this moment they finally understood why Minato Namikaze had not appeared to stop the Nine-Tails.

Because there was another enemy hidden in the shadows!

At this time, Minato, breathing heavily, looked at the scene before him in disbelief as the Anbu arrived.

On the ground lay a severed hand. The liquid from the hand, which he hadn't had time to seal, turned into vines upon contact with the soil.

Wood Release!

In that instant, the seed of doubt in his heart grew exponentially. He couldn't believe it—could it be that what Shirou said was true?

"Lord Minato, the Third Hokage is currently preparing to seal the Nine-Tails..."

Three Anbu members quickly reported the urgent situation, and upon hearing about the sealing of the Nine-Tails, Minato's expression changed dramatically. If the Nine-Tails were to be sealed, what would happen to his wife?

"I'll head there immediately!"

Although he didn't want to believe it, for the sake of the village, he had to uncover the truth!

The entire Hidden Leaf Village trembled with loud rumblings, and countless villagers hiding in shelters shivered in fear, looking anxiously at the trembling village.

"Damn it! What is happening to our Leaf Village?"

"We're supposed to be the strongest village! Why do we keep encountering Tailed Beasts?"

"Third Hokage! Where is the Third Hokage? Why is this happening?"

In the face of disaster, human willpower is at its weakest. With countless cries and sorrow spreading, anger and complaints began to surface everywhere.

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First the Three-Tails, now the Nine-Tails!

It wasn't just the villagers. Even the Leaf ninjas tasked with organizing evacuations and maintaining order looked grim.

Every time a crisis arose, their Third Hokage was absent!

Meanwhile, on the rooftops within the village, countless Leaf ninjas stood, staring in shock at the distant battle.

"What... what kind of monster's battle is this?"

"Even from this distance, just the shockwaves from the fight can have such an impact..."

The Leaf ninjas were utterly stunned. The distant battle's shockwaves alone were enough to create hurricanes, so one could only imagine how terrifying the actual battlefield must have been.

"My family!"

"Kakashi, is this the true power of Lord Shirou?"

These Leaf ninjas were forbidden from joining the battle.

Now, one by one, they stood on rooftops, observing the battlefield from afar. While shocked, they also resolved to act as the village's last line of defense.

Amidst the ruins, Asuma Sarutobi gazed blankly at the godlike giant suppressing the Nine-Tails in the distance. He muttered to himself:

"This... this is the Hokage the Leaf needs..."

Asuma's expression shifted from initial daze to gradual clarity. At this moment, he seemed to understand something. His face flushed as he turned to Ebisu beside him, trembling as he said:

"What the village needs now is a strong leader! A Hokage who strikes fear into all the other ninja villages! Only such a Hokage can deter enemies and protect the village! Not someone who merely chants hollow ideals like the 'Will of Fire'..."

"Do you get it? Do you understand why our village has ended up like this? It's because the Hokage has been ineffective... The countless major strategic mistakes during the Third Great Ninja War dragged the conflict on for over six years... so many comrades died..."

Asuma's voice grew louder as he vented his frustrations.

"If Lord Shirou had been Hokage before the Third Great Ninja War, how could the collapse plans against the other villages have failed? The Fourth Kazekage could have been killed! The Third Raikage could have been slain! Even if the Mist and Iwa knew, so what? None of this should have happened..."

Asuma's rant left Ebisu scrambling to calm him down.

"I understand, I understand, but Asuma, you—"

"What do you understand? The truth is that they lacked the strength to match their ambitions, and that's why the village is in this state. On the battlefield, I've seen countless comrades fall, even children younger than us who never returned..."

Asuma's eyes burned red with anger as he shouted, but deep down, he had finally come to terms with everything.

"The Leaf needs a strong Hokage—someone who can lead us to become the strongest ninja village once more!"

Asuma roared with conviction, his gaze fixed on the terrifyingly destructive giant in the distance. His eyes brimmed with fervor.

A strong leader like that could bring peace! Only such a leader could protect the village!

"Naiko!"

Amid the scattered stones of a stream, Uzumaki Naiko lay weakly on a rock. When Minato arrived, he was greeted by a heart-wrenching scene.

"Mi... Minato... the... the child..."

Blood dripped from Naiko's mouth as she gave a pale, weak smile. In her arms, she cradled their infant child.

The trail of blood she had left was horrifying. After the Nine-Tails had been extracted, Naiko, on the brink of death, had crawled back into the cave and found her child.

It was clear she had intended to protect the child and hide in the nearby forest.

"Naiko!"

Minato rushed forward and held her in his arms. At that moment, his eyes filled with an unprecedented surge of emotion.

He had married Naiko for the sake of the village, and perhaps their love had grown from there. But at this moment, Minato's heart was deeply moved.

His wife was on the verge of death, and their child had barely survived!

"Minato!"

Just then, Danzo Shimura appeared, followed by several Root ninjas. His eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Minato, the village is currently sealing the Nine-Tails. Quickly... take the backup Jinchuriki from the Root and bring them over."

Danzo's flushed face betrayed his excitement. He hadn't expected such an opportunity to present itself.

With such a heavy responsibility falling on the Third Hokage, his influence would undoubtedly plummet. When the dust settled, would the Third even have the power to oppose him?

As for Minato, whose wife's status as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki had caused this disaster, he'd have no chance of becoming Hokage.

And the Uchiha? Danzo couldn't help but smirk coldly. The more arrogant the Uchiha were now, the harder they'd fall later.

The fact that the Nine-Tails had been controlled by the Sharingan tonight would make it nearly impossible for the Uchiha to maintain their position in the village.

Now, who else but Danzo Shimura could lead the Leaf?

Radiating an aura of self-assured dominance, Danzo rushed forward with the backup Jinchuriki in tow. Upon spotting Minato, his face lit up.

"Minato, the labor and birth of the Jinchuriki were top secret. Even I wasn't informed—only the Third knew. The appearance of the Nine-Tails clearly shows that it was controlled by the Sharingan. The Nine-Tails must not fall into Uchiha's hands..."

Danzo spoke with righteous vigor, but the excitement in his single exposed eye was impossible to conceal.

"Minato!"

Now, Danzo sought to recruit Minato as his ally, using this opportunity to step over both the Third Hokage and the Uchiha to rise to power.

The backup Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had long been prepared by the Root!

"Advisor Danzo!"

However, Danzo failed to notice the resolute glint in Minato's eyes that night.

"I understand. I'll take the Jinchuriki there..."

When Minato agreed, Danzo's excitement grew uncontrollable. But then, his single eye caught sight of the weakened Naiko and the infant in her arms, and a thought crossed his mind.

"For the sake of the village, Minato, if something happens to you, it wouldn't be inappropriate for your and Naiko's bloodline to serve as the next Jinchuriki. I promise I will ensure the safety of this child..."

He was so worried that the backup jinchūriki from the Root division might not be suitable or strong enough to handle the Nine-Tails' chakra that he set his sights on Minato Namikaze's newborn child.

"No... no... Minato, our child... no..."

At this moment, Naiko, lying in Minato Namikaze's arms, showed a look of terror. She didn't want her child to become a jinchūriki.

Because the suffocating pressure of being seen as a monster was something that only she, as a jinchūriki herself, truly understood.

"Minato!"

However, being deemed no longer useful, Naiko had lost her voice in this matter. Danzo Shimura stared straight at Minato Namikaze.

"I understand!"

But what responded to him was Minato Namikaze's resolute gaze. Holding his wife and child close, he said in a deep voice:

"My Flying Thunder God will take the backup jinchūriki from the Root division into the barrier..."

It all happened in an instant. Under Naiko's despairing gaze, with a sudden swish, the surrounding scene changed. Her hopeless eyes froze for a moment.

"Naiko!"

A gentle voice echoed in her ears, but Naiko's gaze remained blank as she looked around.

She was lying on a soft bed, and beside her was a crib. It was... a warm home.

"Minato Namikaze!"

However, the backup jinchūriki from Root, wearing a mask, growled in anger when he realized he had been brought to Minato Namikaze's house.

This brainwashed tool of war wanted to continue speaking, but suddenly his pupils constricted as he realized his body was no longer under his control.

"Naiko, you've been through so much."

With a sunny smile, Minato gently tucked his wife into the blanket while speaking solemnly:

"Naiko, don't worry. Our child will never become a jinchūriki. You can rest assured."

Having seen through the corruption of the system and made a firm decision, Minato took a deep breath. When he raised his head, his blue eyes were filled with determination.

"For Konoha!"

"Minato, you..."

Although she didn't know what had happened to her husband, Naiko's trembling tears began to flow. Her child wouldn't have to become a jinchūriki. Even if he were just an ordinary ninja, it would be better than living a tragic life as a monster.

"You're defying..."

The brainwashed Root backup jinchūriki tried to angrily rebuke Minato, but all that awaited him was Minato's cold and decisive chop to the back of his neck.

"Naiko, take good care of Naruto. I'll be back soon."

This time, Minato was unusually resolute. After knocking out the backup jinchūriki, he disappeared from the house with a Flying Thunder God technique.

Left alone on the soft bed, Naiko was already in tears.

"Naruto, you must grow up well..."

...

Outside Konoha Village, the crimson barrier of the Uchiha Fire Formation could be seen clearly from a distance.

Inside the barrier, loud explosions echoed continuously, while outside, Konoha's ninjas shouted commands and began setting up defensive measures.

"Everyone, stay alert! We must not let the Nine-Tails escape."

"Be careful! The Nine-Tails is being controlled. My Mangekyō Sharingan will take a little more time to break it..."

Mikoto's stern voice rang out as her pair of Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly.

There was no need to hide anything now—the Nine-Tails were under control! This was Shirou's final trump card.

"Sealing Team..."

With Shirou's loud command, the terrifying Susano'o pinned the Nine-Tails to the ground. The three-headed, six-armed giant held down the Nine-Tails' limbs and neck.

"Prepare to seal the Nine-Tails!"

The Nine-Tails roared and struggled wildly, unleashing a Tailed Beast Bomb from its mouth. However, in the next second, Mikoto, wielding the Gunbai, appeared directly in front of it.

"Uchiha Reflection!"

Boom!

The explosion was deafening as the Tailed Beast Bomb was reflected back at point-blank range, lighting up the entire barrier.

The battle with the Tailed Beast was nothing short of apocalyptic, and the sealing team suffered heavy casualties.

"Hurry! Protect Lord Third and get him out of the barrier..."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, gasped for breath as he watched the terrifying Nine-Tails with shock and anger.

The Nine-Tails' power was overwhelming. Even though only half of its chakra was present, it made him feel powerless.

At fifty-six years old, Hiruzen knew that even at his peak, he wouldn't have been a match for the Nine-Tails.

There were only three ways to counter a Tailed Beast—sealing techniques, Wood Release, or the Sharingan.

"Lord Minato has arrived!"

At that moment, Minato Namikaze appeared on the battlefield, causing Hiruzen Sarutobi to reveal a look of relief.

"Lord Third, the hidden enemy has been repelled. Now, allow me to seal the Nine-Tails into a jinchūriki!"

Seeing Minato Namikaze and the Root backup jinchūriki behind him, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in excitement:

"Excellent! Minato, you're finally here!"

Seeing the backup jinchūriki and Minato arrive, Hiruzen's worries were finally put to rest. He shouted:

"Everyone, retreat from the barrier! Minato and the Uchiha sealing team will handle the Nine-Tails' sealing!"

Looking at the Third Hokage, Minato's eyes flashed with a complicated expression. He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and respectfully said:

"I'll take care of things here. The outside still needs your command, Lord Third."

"Very well! Sealing team, follow Minato's orders."

With Hiruzen Sarutobi's reassuring command, he directed the others to withdraw from the barrier.

As long as the jinchūriki belonged to him, everything would be fine.

In an instant, the sealing team's ninjas shouted angrily, releasing chains infused with sealing power. Within moments, the Nine-Tails was bound.

With the Uchiha's terrifying Susano'o suppressing it, the Nine-Tails could only roar in fury.

"Shirou! You handle the sealing of the Nine-Tails. Leave the rest to me!"

Under Mikoto's stern command, her Mangekyō Sharingan spun, and a purple Susano'o appeared, taking over the task of suppressing the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails roared and thrashed wildly, but Konoha's combined forces finally managed to temporarily subdue it.

"Shirou!"

Unexpectedly, amidst the smoke and dust stirred up by the Nine-Tails' furious roars, Minato Namikaze's calm face turned to Shirou.

Behind him, the Root backup jinchūriki lay unconscious on the ground. The surrounding sealing team members were still focused on restraining the Nine-Tails, unaware of what was happening.