Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou-Chapter 252: Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou []

Inside the barrier.

"Minato, I didn't expect you to make a decision this quickly."

Shirou displayed a look of surprise as well. He had thought Minato would decide only at the last moment, but he hadn't expected him to reach a conclusion so soon.

However, Minato seemed to have just shed a heavy burden, revealing a faint, relaxed smile.

"The village can no longer afford chaos. My Will of Fire has never wavered!"

From beginning to end, Minato adhered to his unwavering belief that Konoha must not fall into turmoil.

"Just as you said, someone in the shadows has been researching the Sharingan and Wood Release..."

Although Minato didn't explicitly state it, he had already formed a few guesses in his heart. Within the village, how many could possess both Wood Release and the Sharingan?

At this moment, Minato looked at Shirou, his expression heavy, and said in a solemn tone:

"I made this decision, first, because I don't want the village to face any further instability. Second, I hope you can lead Konoha to rise again. But until you possess absolute power, do not recklessly attempt to change this era..."

As the two conversed, the surrounding environment suddenly shifted in an instant. Their entire conversation had taken place within a genjutsu, while in the real world, only a moment had passed.

"Shirou-kun, let's join forces to subdue the Nine-Tails!"

With a loud shout, Minato formed hand seals, utilizing a sealing technique. Meanwhile, Shirou activated the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan, preparing to suppress the Nine-Tails.

In the blink of an eye, as the battle of ocular powers ensued, the Nine-Tails, now trapped, suddenly raised its head and roared furiously. Its crimson pupils briefly displayed the image of Sharingan tomoe.

But as quickly as the tomoe appeared, they dissipated. Just as the beast's eyes began to regain clarity, the Nine-Tails sensed something and roared in rage:

"Uchiha!"

With a resentful roar, the next moment, the Nine-Tails' eyes were once again controlled by the Sharingan. It was exasperated!

It had just broken free from one instance of Sharingan control, only to be ensnared again!

This was too much bullying! It was the most powerful of the tailed beasts, the mighty Nine-Tails!

With an indignant, furious roar, the beast's body lost its strength and collapsed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Shirou let out a subtle sigh of relief. The ocular power of Uchiha Obito was indeed formidable—awakening the Mangekyō right after having just two tomoe.

After merging his body with White Zetsu cells, Obito, at just 14 years old, had leaped from a Chūnin to a Kage-level powerhouse. Combined with his mysterious ocular abilities, his strength was absurdly high.

This alone demonstrated the extraordinary talent of Uchiha Obito's Sharingan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have caught the attention of Uchiha Madara.

"Minato, is this truly your choice?"

Looking at the unconscious backup Jinchūriki from the Root division, Minato's expression grew complicated. He wasn't sure if his choice was the right one.

After all, Shirou's ideology was too extreme. Without sufficient power, it could easily lead to disaster—just like the previous plan to destroy the Hidden Cloud.

If the Third Hokage had possessed the strength to kill the Third Raikage, then even if the plan had been exposed, what would it matter?

Whether they went to war outright or shifted the blame onto others, who would dare to object?

"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki..." Minato cast a deep gaze at the Nine-Tails, his expression unreadable.

The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki itself was the greatest catalyst for unrest. During the Third Hokage's tenure, the Jinchūriki wasn't under his control, which had always been a source of unease.

Now, Minato could not afford to make the same mistake.

"Shirou, we Uchiha and Tsunade's Senju clan don't have any backup Jinchūriki!"

At this moment, Mikoto's voice emerged. It was clear that even if the Nine-Tails were freed, it wasn't something they could easily handle.

After all, aside from the Hokage himself, who else would have prepared such contingencies?

"If there's no candidate, someone from the Root division could temporarily serve as a sealed container..."

This was the main reason Minato had brought along a backup Jinchūriki candidate from the Root. With a sigh, he shook his head. Though he didn't want to resort to this, the village could no longer afford instability.

If the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki fell back into the hands of the Third Hokage and his faction, the resulting conflict...

But as Minato's eyes revealed a tinge of sorrow, Shirou paused, then seemed to think of something. A smile crept onto his face.

"No! The Uchiha do have a suitable candidate! Also, Minato, your wife might still be saved. By sealing a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra, her Uzumaki clan's unique constitution might give her a chance to recover."

Upon hearing that his wife might still be saved, Minato's expression turned emotional.

"The Uzumaki clan's special constitution... sealing a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra..."

Shirou's smirk deepened as he recalled something. After all, in the original timeline, didn't Killer Bee survive the extraction of his tailed beast by relying on the chakra of an octopus tentacle?

Outside the barrier, countless Konoha shinobi anxiously observed the events inside.

"The dust cloud is too thick! Has the Nine-Tails been sealed yet?!"

"Lord Third Hokage..."

Outside the barrier, Hiruzen Sarutobi was panting heavily as he shouted orders to the surrounding Konoha shinobi, preparing for the worst while silently praying.

"Minato! Don't fail me!"

Hiruzen's determined gaze revealed his resolve. He had already decided to take full responsibility for the outcome and to drag the Uchiha clan down with him over the Nine-Tails incident.

Then, Minato would ascend as Hokage!

The thought of the Uchiha clan secretly concealing a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan filled Hiruzen with both fear and anger. The Uchiha were too dangerous.

Especially after the information passed along by the ANBU regarding the Nine-Tails rampage tonight. Was it orchestrated by the Uchiha themselves, or was there a larger conspiracy at play?

"Konoha must never fall into the hands of the Uchiha clan!"

Hiruzen resolved in his heart that the Uchiha must not gain control of Konoha.

"Hiruzen!"

At this moment, Danzo Shimura arrived with a group of Root operatives.

"The Root has already evacuated all Konoha civilians to the shelters..."

The moment he arrived, Danzo immediately began reporting the actions of the Root, clearly intending to gain credit. His words were also meant to be heard by others.

At this moment, Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged glances. Hiruzen's eyes burned with anger. If the situation weren't so dire, he would have reprimanded Danzo on the spot.

After the Nine-Tails appeared, the Root had been conspicuously absent. Danzo had been holding back his forces.

Danzo, in turn, lowered his head, avoiding Hiruzen's gaze, but internally, he was brimming with excitement.

Hiruzen! Just wait. It's finally my turn to become Hokage!

As Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged tense looks, a loud shout of "Sealing!" echoed from within the barrier through the rising smoke.

The Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique.

Inside the barrier, amidst the swirling dust, Shirou and Minato both shouted as they performed the same sealing technique. The massive chakra of the Nine-Tails raged violently.

As the sealing progressed, the Nine-Tails broke free from the Mangekyō's control. Regaining clarity, the beast roared in anger and fury.

"Curse you, Uchiha! Damn you, Konoh!"

The Nine-Tails was beyond enraged. It had already been split in two by Uzumaki Mito, and now they dared to divide it further.

This was outrageous! They were bullying a fox too much!

On the sealing altar, one black-haired baby began to wail loudly as the enormous chakra of the Nine-Tails was sealed into its tiny body.

Meanwhile, another figure, the severely weakened Uzumaki Naiko, began to stabilize as the influx of chakra halted her life force from slipping away.

"Seal!"

Seeing his wife's life stabilize, Minato immediately formed another seal, halting the process. This left Shirou with a puzzled expression.

Minato, breathing heavily, supported his wife while turning to look at Shirou. In a firm tone, he said:

"This amount of the Nine-Tails' chakra is enough to sustain Naiko's life. Besides, possessing too much power isn't always a good thing."

After experiencing the darkness and conspiracies of the village, Minato underwent a profound transformation upon making a choice—or rather, he made his own decision.

At this moment, Minato believed that if he continued to wield the power of the Nine-Tails, he would inevitably become a target of fear in the future.

After all, history had proven this time and again.

It must be said, that after making his decision, Minato immediately stepped into his role without the slightest hesitation.

"I see. While I'd like to say you're overthinking it, I must admit, this is a wise choice," Shirou said with admiration. Minato truly lived up to his reputation as the perfect shinobi. No wonder he was deeply trusted by the Third Hokage.

Because he was simply too perfect!

Once Minato set his sights on becoming Hokage, every decision he made was rooted in the interests of the village.

In the original story, to ensure the village's stability and avoid unrest, he willingly allowed the Third Hokage to manipulate everything from behind the scenes while he quietly and steadily cultivated his strength.

It was all to avoid turmoil. Whether it was building his power or dealing with the Uchiha, he always chose the most stable approach.

Now, even without the goal of becoming Hokage, Minato still prioritized the village's stability and steadfastly avoided touching what should not be touched.

He refused to stir up any fear or suspicion.

"But this child is...?"

Seeing Minato's confused expression, Shirou smiled and shook his head.

"This child is different by nature, just like your own child. However, some things will have to wait to be explained later..."

"Curse you! Uchiha...!"

The Nine-Tails roared in unwilling fury as its remaining chakra was sealed within the crying, black-haired Sasuke.

"Seal!"

With a loud shout from Shirou, an Eight Trigrams Seal pattern appeared on Sasuke's abdomen, and the boy cried out in pain.

Sealing a tailed beast was by no means simple—especially when the host, the jinchūriki, was Shirou's clear choice for the reincarnation of Asura and Indra's chakra in this lifetime.

This was why he dared to seal the Nine-Tails into Sasuke.

As the sealing process concluded, Shirou wiped the sweat from his forehead. Breathing heavily, he revealed an excited smile.

"It's finally done!"

Now that the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki belonged to the Uchiha.

"The Nine-Tails has disappeared! The sealing was successful!"

With the Nine-Tails gone, the Konoha shinobi from the sealing squad cried out in relief and excitement, exhausted but overjoyed.

As the dust cleared, all that remained were traces of the Nine-Tails' massive form on the ground, especially the impressions left by its claws.

"Minato!"

"Dispel the barrier immediately!"

As the barrier slowly dissolved, figures emerged from within. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura immediately barked orders:

"Anbu, Root, stay on high alert. Everyone else, maintain your positions!"

In a flash, the dark-clad figures of the Anbu and Root surrounded the area.

However, as the smoke cleared, Hiruzen and Danzo's eyes were filled with confusion and surprise when they saw Uzumaki Naiko on the sealing altar.

"Third Hokage-sama, Root's candidate for the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki rejected the chakra too strongly. But Naiko is still alive, so I decided to test a theory. As it turns out, my hypothesis was correct:

If the jinchūriki survives the extraction of a tailed beast, resealing the beast will not endanger their life."

Supporting his wife, Minato apologized as he explained to the Third Hokage. Meanwhile, Danzo's eyes flashed with anger as he watched this unfold.

"Damn it! The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was almost in my hands!"

Though filled with resentment, Danzo suppressed his rage, glaring at Minato with intense frustration.

"Minato, it's good to see you're safe," Hiruzen said, stepping forward in genuine concern for Minato and the jinchūriki's condition.

Meanwhile, Shirou's eyes flickered with a mocking glint before he turned to the surrounding Police Force and Uchiha shinobi, barking orders:

"All members of the Police Force, begin rescue operations immediately! Uchiha shinobi, assist in rescue and restoration efforts. The threat has been neutralized!"

Shirou's commanding presence, issuing orders like a Hokage, drew mixed reactions from the Konoha shinobi.

Even the Third Hokage's expression showed a trace of unease as he, too, shouted:

"Anbu, escort Minato back to the village at once! Also, lift the village's highest security alert!"

Yet this moment left many Konoha shinobi feeling disappointed. In comparison, Uchiha Shirou seemed more fitting for the role of Hokage.

The Third Hokage's strategy of prioritizing persuasion and manipulation often worked wonders for winning loyalty, but in a situation like this, it paled in contrast.

Shirou understood someone like Minato. While showing concern might warm his heart, focusing immediately on the village's recovery would earn his respect. That, in Minato's eyes, was what a Hokage should do.

"Root, hurry, and—"

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Danzo, unwilling to be outdone, issued his cold commands. At this moment, he was still dreaming of becoming Hokage.

Shirou, however, sneered disdainfully and ignored both Hiruzen and Danzo, leading the Uchiha shinobi back toward the village without hesitation.

"Hiruzen, the Uchiha..."

Danzo was about to act, but Hiruzen's expression darkened, and he raised a hand to stop him. Instead, he ordered the immediate stabilization of Konoha.

"Hiruzen, the Nine-Tails' actions have ties to the Uchiha..." Danzo's unwilling voice echoed, but Hiruzen replied hoarsely, "Now is not the time!"

As Hiruzen ran toward the village under Anbu's escort, his eyes gleamed with determination.

Many Konoha shinobi hurried back to the village, but it was clear to them that during tonight's chaos, Uchiha Shirou had outshone the Third Hokage.

Hiruzen was fully aware of this, but he showed no concern. Tonight's incident involving the Sharingan would be enough to bring down the Uchiha.

"Danzo, the village must be stabilized tonight..."

Hiruzen's stern order prompted a knowing nod from Danzo, who rasped, "Understood. By tomorrow morning, the village will be secure!"

This statement carried an implicit message: by morning, the story of the Nine-Tails being controlled by the Sharingan would spread among the jonin.

The Uchiha! This incident would not only implicate them but might also drag the Senju into the fallout.

Hiruzen believed he could elevate Minato to power, unaware that Danzo was already planning to use this opportunity to step over him, the Uchiha, and even Minato to claim the Hokage seat.