Yagami stood before Senju Rinki, his gaze falling on the gaping hole in Rinki's abdomen. He pressed two fingers lightly against Rinki's carotid artery, pretending to check whether he was still alive.
A surge of chakra flowed from Yagami's fingertips into Rinki's body. Yagami's chakra carried healing properties, and Rinki's clouded eyes instantly cleared.
Senju Rinki stared up at the dark sky, seeing the raging, blood-red chakra of the Nine-Tails tearing through the heavens—like the end of the world itself.
A memory from his childhood surfaced.
He had been playing in his father's study when Uncle Tobirama came by to see him. Tobirama had said he wanted to unite all the great and small ninja clans, to strengthen their bonds.
Changing adults was difficult. Grown shinobi who had lived within their own clans all their lives recognized only their family names, not the Hidden Leaf.
Many clans joined the village only because it was powerful enough to sweep away every hostile force in the Land of Fire.
Uncle Tobirama had said he would establish a Ninja Academy so that all children—clan-born or commoner—could grow up together.
He said the very first class must become the symbol of the Hidden Leaf, the ones who would make all clans acknowledge the village.
The most talented of that first generation—Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Akimichi Torifu, and Mitokado Homura—were personally trained by Tobirama himself.
In Rinki's memories, whenever Tobirama spoke of Hiruzen or Danzo, there had always been pride in his eyes.
That first generation carried Tobirama's hope for the village.
For their sake, Tobirama had refused to take any new disciples from the Senju clan.
For their sake, he had even set aside his prejudice against the Uchiha and chosen to mentor Uchiha Kagami with great care.
After Tobirama's death, Uchiha Kagami had sought out Senju Rinki.
Kagami told him that as long as the Senju and the Uchiha worked together, the Hidden Leaf would never fall.
The foundation of the village had been built upon the great reconciliation led by the First Hokage between the Senju and the Uchiha.
Kagami truly believed that unity between the two clans would ensure Konoha's prosperity.
The Sharingan was the eye that reflected the heart.
Kagami's Mangekyō Sharingan was unique—it could empower the Nine-Tails with an armored Susanoo.
If another great shinobi war were to break out, with the Senju controlling the Nine-Tails and the Uchiha cloaking it in that Susanoo armor, no other village could possibly rival the Hidden Leaf.
Kagami believed that the combination of the Nine-Tails and Susanoo could fill the gap left by the deaths of powerhouses like the First and Second Hokage, allowing Konoha to continue dominating the shinobi world.
But Kagami never lived to see such a war—he died before it began.
After his unexpected death, everything began to fall apart.
The Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Tokei, quickly distanced himself from the Senju, as though merely being close to them would bring ruin.
At that moment, Senju Rinki finally understood: after Kagami's death, his Mangekyō Sharingan had fallen into Danzo's hands—and tonight, Danzo had used it to bring ruin to the Senju clan.
Tobirama had entrusted the village to that first class of Academy students.
Perhaps, back then, Danzo and the others truly believed in the Will of Fire, prepared to sacrifice themselves for the Leaf.
But over the years, people change.
Except for Kagami, the rest of them—Hiruzen, Danzo, and the other elders—had all become twisted by power.
They were no longer the bright-eyed students Tobirama once taught, they had turned into beasts corrupted by authority.
It didn't matter that they killed him—after all, in their eyes, he was just another useless second-generation Senju.
But how could they kill their own Founder's wife?
Rinki thought of his father.
The village was his father's life's work, Tobirama's hope, and his mother's lifelong faith.
He could not give up.
The Nine-Tails must be sealed!
Chakra surged from Rinki's neck and flowed perfectly through his own chakra pathways, making his body feel almost renewed.
Rinki had long accepted his mediocrity. He would never reach the heights of his father or uncle.
But his death… could stand equal to theirs. He could die for the Hidden Leaf.
His sister Hanaki, his daughter Tsunade, and Kushina—everything would have to be entrusted to them now.
Rinki clapped his hands together.
He had always admired the way his father could summon jutsu with a single clap of his hands.
This time, he did it too.
"Ah! Aaaaah!"
A massive Water Dragon Bullet roared to life, rising high into the sky.
Yagami quickly stepped back. He had wanted to save Rinki's life, but why was he still fighting?
The enormous water dragon soared past the Nine-Tails and came crashing down from above, slamming directly into the beast.
"Seal it!"
Even as he died, Senju Rinki had to complete the sealing of the Nine-Tails.
Otherwise, every Senju shinobi here would die—
either at the hands of the Nine-Tails… or at the hands of Danzo.
Despite the hole in his abdomen, Rinki still managed to unleash a water-style jutsu of incredible scale—his life force was truly formidable.
The Nine-Tails froze the instant the Water Dragon Bullet struck it. The torrents that burst apart afterward still carried immense power.
The Anbu surrounding Uzumaki Kushina were forced to face the raging waterfalls created by the jutsu.
The ground trembled beneath the roar of water.
someone shouted.
"Protect the Uzumaki princess!"
The higher-ups wanted to weaken the Senju clan, but they couldn't risk letting the Nine-Tails go berserk.
Yagami gathered what little chakra he had left.
Dodging the falling torrents, he once again pretended to collide with Kushina's Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Kushina felt it—the familiar chakra of the Uzumaki clan.
Who was it?
She struggled to lift her head. All she could see around her were masked Anbu.
Was someone hiding among them?
Was there an Uzumaki spy inside the Leaf?
That spy, whoever they were, had transmitted an immense amount of chakra to her in the critical moment.
That chakra carried powerful sealing energy.
With that aid, Kushina managed to strengthen her sealing technique.
Above, Rinki's final surge of power collided with Kushina's exploding sealing chains.
With a final, resentful roar, the Nine-Tails vanished—sealed completely inside Uzumaki Kushina.
The battlefield fell silent.
Everyone could hear the sound of their own ragged breathing.
A flicker of regret crossed Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
More than two hundred Senju shinobi still lived—far more than the plan had allowed.
Senju Hanaki rushed to check on Kushina first.
Seeing that Kushina had fainted but the seal held steady, she exhaled in relief and carried her on her back.
She ordered two nearby Senju jonin to retrieve the two massive sealing scrolls belonging to the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
The surviving Senju gathered slowly, their steps heavy.
Uzumaki Mito, Senju Rinki, and over six hundred Senju shinobi lay dead upon the ground.
Yagami, shaken, climbed out of the muddy remnants left by the Water Style jutsu.
He had twice transferred nearly all of his chakra to Uzumaki Kushina to help seal the Nine-Tails.
Two hundred Senju had survived. The village couldn't very well "accidentally" eliminate them all now, could it?
The Senju had survived, and the sealing scrolls of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans were still in their hands.
As long as Danzo didn't get those scrolls, Yagami still had room to maneuver within the Anbu.
While the Senju began recovering their dead, Yagami went to look for his squad.
He spotted the Monkey and stared in disbelief. "You're still alive?"
Purple Cat was from the Yamanaka clan, and White Sheep from the Hyuga—they had both stayed on the outskirts, so it wasn't surprising they survived.
But the Monkey?
The Monkey froze. Why did his captain sound so surprised?
He glanced down at himself. He wasn't a traitor or a spy—his conscience was clear.
Yagami said, "Three or four people wearing your mask have died in the past six months. You're lucky. And luck," he added with a faint smile, "is also a kind of strength."
The Fox Squad had lost four members—acceptable losses for a battle like this.
As the battlefield was cleaned up, Hiruzen and Danzo finally arrived.
Bodies of Senju shinobi and Anbu littered the ground.
Over seventy Anbu were dead.
Hiruzen turned to Senju Hanaki.
Her face twitched before she lowered her head and said, "We thank the village for sending Anbu to help us complete the sealing at such a crucial moment.
We also thank Lord Hokage and Lord Danzo for holding the line from the rear and driving off the Uchiha with the Mangekyō."
Hiruzen nodded, his expression softening slightly. "Tonight was perilous indeed.
The Uchiha's Sharingan nearly took control of the Nine-Tails at a critical moment.
I've been on guard against that hidden enemy all along. Fortunately, he appeared only briefly before being forced to retreat.
Bury the fallen as soon as possible. The village will launch a full investigation—someone deliberately interfered with the Nine-Tails, leading to such heavy losses for both the Senju and the Anbu."
Senju Hanaki lowered her head. Her eyes were bloodshot. "Whatever the cause… the transfer of the Nine-Tails' seal is complete at last."
***
Raw Author's Note:
Some readers criticized me for making Uchiha Kagami's Mangekyō ability "Armored Susanoo," saying it's illogical. But I'm keeping it. I like Kagami as a character and wanted to make him more vivid despite his early death. For the sake of the village, Kagami used the power of his Sharingan to protect the Nine-Tails—and I think that's a worthy image.
***
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