Bereavement (Third Update)

"Yue, beautifully done!"

The Third Hokage leaped over to Xu Yue’s side. Seeing Xu Yue covered in senjutsu Chakra, his hands still locked in a seal, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

In an actual fight, even if Xu Yue used this mode, the Third Hokage was confident he could defeat him. But against a troublesome thing like the Nine-Tails, only a ninjutsu like Wood Style could stand against it!

The appearance of the Wood Realm filled not only the Third Hokage, but even the ordinary ninjas charging forward like moths into a flame with excitement.

Konoha’s very name was inextricably tied to Wood Style.

So this was the First Hokage’s ninjutsu?!

"Lord Third Hokage, although it’s a little rude to interrupt you, I still need to remind you…"

Xu Yue spoke with a faintly bitter smile, his hands maintaining the final seal while his body trembled continuously.

The Third Hokage immediately had a vague sense that something was wrong.

"I could originally maintain this state for nearly two minutes at most, but the Nine-Tails’ power is simply too overbearing. I estimate I won’t be able to hold on for more than another thirty seconds. The Sealing Team probably won’t make it in time…"

Once Xu Yue finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s expression changed drastically.

The Nine-Tails was no ordinary Tailed Beast. It was the Nine-Tails, possessing endless Chakra!

Complete the sealing in thirty seconds?

What kind of joke was that?!

"Can’t you hold on any longer?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi wished he could immediately stuff all his Chakra into Xu Yue’s body, but Chakra simply didn’t work that way…

"I’ll do my best…"

Xu Yue let out a sigh, then closed his eyes.

Yet the bulging veins on his forehead and the trembling hands maintaining the seal clearly showed that he could not last much longer.

If it had been any other Tailed Beast, being bound by the Wood Realm in Sage Mode would have either drained it dry or severely weakened it.

But this was the Nine-Tails—one controlled by the Sharingan, and one that had not yet been split in half. Even as the Wood Realm frantically absorbed its Chakra, it only made the beast struggle more fiercely, like a crazed wild horse.

Its struggles grew increasingly violent.

It kept gathering Tailed Beast Bombs in its mouth!

Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was right beside it. Every time the Nine-Tails began gathering energy, he would strike it with his staff.

Even so, the Nine-Tails’ movements became larger and more frenzied.

Beneath the wildly growing trees, Xu Yue’s body shook constantly as more and more scales appeared across it.

The few Anbu assigned to protect him nearby grew increasingly anxious.

Yet there was nothing they could do.

Xu Yue himself was doing everything he could to maintain it. This was the moment when he needed to exert himself the most, and he did not relax in the slightest.

The proportion of natural energy had gradually surpassed the spiritual and physical energy in his body. The snake scales beginning to spread across his surface were the best proof.

But just then, Xu Yue, who had been maintaining the hand seal to sustain the Wood Realm, suddenly felt the pressure ease.

The originally violent Nine-Tails seemed to be struggling much less.

The Nine-Tails possessed nearly limitless Chakra. It obviously could not have been drained dry by him in such a short time.

Looking up, Xu Yue saw that the Sharingan pattern in the Nine-Tails’ eyes had vanished.

It seemed the Fourth Hokage had already dealt with Obito and severed his connection to the Nine-Tails.

Having awakened from the Sharingan’s control, the Nine-Tails seemed rather confused.

Who am I? Where am I? What did you people do to me?

The First Hokage’s Wood Style?

What an unpleasant memory…

Then the Nine-Tails rolled its eyes and looked at Xu Yue, who was binding it and nearing his limit.

It opened its mouth again, gathering energy…

Boom!

A gigantic frog fell from the sky and landed squarely on the Nine-Tails, dispersing its Tailed Beast Bomb once more.

Feeling that something beneath him was prickly and hot, Gamabunta lowered his head to look at what he was sitting on. Sweat immediately began pouring down his forehead.

I have one fucking sentence to say, and I’ve already said it…

Having dealt with Obito and completed the Contract Seal, Minato Namikaze dragged his injured, exhausted body back to the scene.

Seeing the Nine-Tails bound by Wood Style, he also relaxed slightly.

Although the damage had been tremendous, it was far lighter than he had imagined. He had really troubled his junior disciple. Had he known this would happen, he would have let his junior disciple in even if it meant having him deliver the baby!

Looking at the devastated Konoha, Minato felt a trace of regret.

"Bearing the name of Hokage, this is precisely the moment when I must protect my family in the village. Leave it to me!"

As soon as he spoke, both the Nine-Tails and Minato Namikaze vanished at the same time.

Then Gamabunta fell into the Wood Realm and was tied up by the trees…

Having exited Sage Mode, Xu Yue dropped to the ground on his backside. Some of the scales on his face did not completely disappear along with Sage Mode, leaving traces behind.

It was as though they had truly grown from his body.

This was the burden of overusing Sage Mode. Fortunately, Xu Yue had a Sage Body and strong resistance. If he scraped off the scales, he would recover before long.

If anyone else messed around like this, they might directly turn into a snake.

At that moment, a violent Tailed Beast Bomb explosion sounded from far away. That should have been the location where the Fourth Hokage had teleported it.

The Third Hokage landed beside Xu Yue and asked worriedly, "How are you? Is your body alright?"

"Don’t worry, I’m not dead yet. Let’s hurry to the Fourth Hokage’s side. He just repelled a powerful enemy, and he’s in terrible condition now."

As he spoke, Xu Yue relied on his advanced Sage Body to recover some of his strength, then stood up again. He headed in that direction with the Third Hokage and several elite jonin.

Along the way, the Third Hokage asked Xu Yue what had happened. Xu Yue had also been among those protecting the scene.

"A rather troublesome enemy with space-time ninjutsu appeared. Aside from the Fourth Hokage, even my Flying Thunder God couldn’t do anything to him, so I came back first to deal with the Nine-Tails and left that enemy to the Fourth Hokage. It seems he handled him quite well…"

Xu Yue did not hide anything.

"Then I’ll ask directly. Was that person from the Uchiha Clan?"

The Third Hokage asked solemnly.

"Yes. I saw his Sharingan, and the Nine-Tails’ initial rampage was likely caused by Sharingan control. However, I don’t believe he was an Uchiha from within the village."

Xu Yue answered calmly. At that moment, they arrived outside a barrier.

The chains embedded upside down in the ground all displayed the distinctive traits of the Uzumaki Clan’s Adamantine Sealing Chains.

Through the barrier, they could see the Fourth Hokage inside, already using the Reaper Death Seal.

The half-sized Nine-Tails took advantage of the backlash the Fourth Hokage was suffering from the seal and Kushina’s weakness to break free from part of the sealing. It thrust its claw straight at Naruto on the altar.

Kushina and Minato Namikaze both stepped in front of the Nine-Tails’ claw at the same time.

Just as the claw was about to pierce through them, the Nine-Tails’ claw, which had broken free of the seal, was forcibly seized by a figure. The figure slid backward a distance, barely blocking it.

It was Xu Yue, who had activated Sage Mode once again!

"I swear, you two really never let anyone stop worrying about you."

Outside the barrier, the Third Hokage and the other elite jonin were all surprised to see Xu Yue actually pass through it and enter.

"Don’t interfere with me! Damn it!"

The Nine-Tails roared furiously, clearly extremely dissatisfied with Xu Yue’s intervention.

"Shut up."

Xu Yue spoke calmly. His pair of Sharingan transformed into Mangekyo Sharingan as he glared fiercely at the Nine-Tails.

Although Xu Yue did not have Madara’s contract with the Nine-Tails, those eyes that stirred up terrifying memories deep within its heart still made the Nine-Tails freeze for a moment before obediently shutting its mouth.

Damn it, first senjutsu Wood Style comes after me, then Mangekyo Sharingan. What the hell is this?!

"So you left a mark on me after all. I didn’t notice it for a while."

Minato, already suffering the backlash of the Reaper Death Seal, smiled with one eye half-closed.

"Junior disciple, looks like you won the bet. This is the scroll for Adamantine Sealing Chains. Whether you can learn it depends on you."

For once, Kushina took her eyes off Naruto on the altar. She summoned a scroll and handed it to Xu Yue for safekeeping.

The Fourth Hokage also handed Naruto’s sealing key to Xu Yue.

"It seems we can’t go on. Finally, I don’t want to ask this as Hokage, but only as a father. Please look after Naruto from time to time in the future."

Minato handed Xu Yue a scroll. His aura weakened considerably as he began preparing to complete the Eight Trigrams Sealing.

On the other side, Kushina began giving Naruto her final motherly instructions in a rambling stream.

From never staying up late and eating until he was full, to the three ninja prohibitions and being careful around bad girls, she said it all.

At the very end, she turned her head slightly. With her eyes half-closed from the pain, she forced out a smile and said to Xu Yue, "Junior disciple, you can’t go back on your promise. We agreed that even if you won, you would still become Naruto’s instructor. I don’t care about anything else anymore…"

Third update complete~ So powerful.

Treating my cousin to a bowl of clam vermicelli should be about enough to settle the matter.