Naruto : Konoha Light

Seeing Shimizu rush forward to block, the lead Ninja was overjoyed.

"Hah! How can this be? Even rookies with a bit of experience could deceive me this easily?"

In front of him, Kushina appeared to be frozen in fear. Her face was contorted with a painful struggle, as if something inside her was waiting for an opportunity to break through the seal.

"Do you want my power? As long as… No, as long as you release your restraints, with your strength alone, defeating them won't be difficult!"

"No, this isn't right!"

"Why are you resisting your own feelings? You clearly despise these people who bully and humiliate you!"

"I don't like them, but if I let go… I'll release the demon! Besides, not everyone in the village is like them!"

The lead Ninja didn't understand why the little girl in front of him wasn't running away, but he didn't care.

After all, his prey had taken the bait!

"Get out of my way!"

"Haha! As if I'd let you!"

The lead Ninja swung his fist toward Kushina, the thunder chakra around it suddenly shifting direction. A flash of lightning surged, swallowing up Shimizu before he could dodge.

"Shimizu!" Asuma shouted in pain, his eyes burning red with fury as he charged at the enemy. "Bastard! I'm going to kill you!"

"Oh? What big words. You think you can kill me with your fire techniques that couldn't even put me down?" The lead Ninja laughed carelessly.

Kushina, struggling against the pain, was suddenly shaken awake by his mocking laughter. She felt something warm on her face.

"Is this… Shimizu's blood? He… protected me?"

Deep in her pupils, a dark mist began to stir.

At the same time, Asuma had lost all reason. He abandoned all technique, blindly charging at the enemy with nothing but raw emotion.

"Hah? The son of the Hokage, and this is all he's capable of?" The lead Ninja easily caught Asuma's wrist and taunted him.

He didn't dare go too far, given Asuma's identity.

But at that moment, Asuma's frenzied eyes widened in shock as he stared past the lead Ninja.

"Ha! Don't tell me you're trying to trick me into thinking there's someone behind me? Idiot, I've seen that trick since—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a ghostly voice, as if from the depths of the underworld, sounded behind him.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

The lead Ninja's body stiffened. He slowly turned his head—

And saw a monster cloaked in thick, swirling blood mist staring at him with murderous intent.

That ominous chakra… it awakened the deepest fear in his heart.

"!!!"

At the Sarutobi Clan Compound.

The Third Hokage, watching Bathhouse, suddenly stood up. Rushing to the window, his gaze locked onto the crimson mist tearing through the night. His expression turned grave.

"What's going on? Why is the Nine-Tails' chakra erupting over there?"

Realizing the severity of the situation, he turned back and quickly performed a hand seal over the crystal ball.

The image flickered—

And in the next moment, Kushina, now shrouded in a cloak of blood-red chakra, appeared before him. At her feet lay a terrified Cloud Ninja, too shaken to move.

"Damn it! Those Cloud shinobi—!" The Third Hokage cursed under his breath. But then, his eyes caught another familiar figure in the crystal ball—

"Asuma?!"

Meanwhile, deep within Root Headquarters.

A Rock Ninja spy, restrained in the darkness, looked at the old man before him with fear.

"W-what are you doing?! No, stay away!"

"Don't struggle. Just let this old man give you an injection."

"What is this?! Poison?!"

"Isn't this why you were sent to infiltrate Konoha?"

Hearing this, even as a prisoner, the Rock spy's eyes lit up with hope.

"This was the First Hokage's—!"

Danzo crushed him with a single hand.

"Arrghh!" The Rock spy screamed in agony, but within moments, his body was swallowed by creeping tendrils of wood.

"Tsk. Still need another test subject." Danzo frowned.

But in the next instant, he sensed a chilling presence and immediately stood up.

"This sinister chakra… the Nine-Tails?"

Watching the events unfold from the shadows, his one visible eye glimmered with a calculating light.

"Hiruzen, you were never fit to be Hokage."

At the border of Konoha.

Shimizu crawled out of a distant crater, his face twitching at the sight before him.

"Did I… play around too much?"

"I figured that, as the descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, she'd be able to sense my condition… but still—" He let out a quiet sigh. "Luckily, the Tailed Beast transformation didn't fully trigger. This situation… isn't too bad."

Struggling to his feet, he shouted, "Big sister! Please stop! I'm fine!"

At the sound of his voice, Kushina, shrouded in crimson chakra, suddenly calmed down. The oppressive blood mist began to recede.

Nearby, Asuma, who had been trembling in shock, finally snapped out of it.

"Shimizu! You're okay?! Thank god!"

As for the Cloud Ninja… they had been so terrified by the Nine-Tails' chakra that they had literally died from fright.

Shimizu frowned slightly.

"This still isn't enough… her chakra cloak is stabilizing, but if we don't help her fully suppress it, things might escalate again."

At this moment, Asuma ran over and asked anxiously, "Shimizu, what's happening to her?!"

"It's likely the early stages of a Tailed Beast transformation."

"Big sister… she's a Jinchūriki? That's so sad!"

Shimizu shook his head and took a deep breath.

"Big sister! Hang in there! You're strong and brave! You can't lose to the demon inside you!"

As if responding to his words, the blood mist thinned slightly.

"...This is so embarrassing," Shimizu muttered, then glanced at Asuma. "Come on, help me cheer her on!"

Asuma, watching from the side, was completely at a loss.

He didn't mind watching others yell motivational speeches…

But now that it was his turn—? This was way too embarrassing!

Yet, seeing Shimizu's firm gaze, Asuma sighed and reluctantly followed along.

"Big sister, your transformation looks awful! Hurry up and change back!"

The blood mist flared up instantly.

Seeing this, Shimizu patted Asuma on the shoulder.

"Well… we tried. Just stop before she hits you."