Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

Am I… going to die?

Nawaki felt his body growing colder. His eyes were open, but all he could see was darkness.

I don't want to die. I haven't become Hokage yet. I haven't protected Konoha, protected my sister… I really don't want to die!

Suddenly, two massive, crimson lanterns appeared in the darkness. A hoarse voice echoed in his ear, "Heh, kid. You want to live?"

"Of course! Who wouldn't want to live?!"

"Good. Open your heart. Do not resist. And accept my power with all your being!"

"Huh? Oh."

The next moment, Nawaki watched in astonishment as a red, magma-like liquid spread from the darkness to his feet, gradually enveloping his entire body. An intense pain, as if he were being burned alive, made him cry out in agony.

Outside, spurred by the deep gash on Nawaki's neck, Tsunade's eyes instantly turned red. An unprecedented rage consumed her heart.

"You… deserve to die!"

Tsunade walked toward the masked Cloud-nin step by step, but with Nawaki in his hands, she couldn't act.

Danzo wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice a living Nawaki, and he certainly wouldn't spare a dead one. He subtly gestured with his finger, and two Root members broke from the group, rushing toward the masked ninja.

"Danzo, stop your men!" Tsunade roared.

"Princess Tsunade, Nawaki is already dead!" Danzo responded forcefully.

"Don't underestimate me! I can bring him back!"

Hearing this, the masked Cloud-nin, who was currently engaged with the Root members, felt a jolt of alarm. He quickly raised his kunai, intending to stab the breathless Nawaki one more time.

However, the tip of the kunai stopped just before Nawaki's chest, unable to move. A crimson hand had clamped firmly around his wrist.

"This is… Tailed Beast chakra! Could it be?!" The masked ninja's face went pale with shock.

The next moment, a torrent of crimson chakra erupted from Nawaki's body, swiftly enveloping him like a set of clothes. Two translucent red tails swayed behind him. White steam rose from the wound on Nawaki's neck, which began to heal at a visible rate, but his eyes remained tightly shut.

"Such evil and powerful chakra. There's no mistaking it. This is the Nine-Tails," Danzo murmured. He remembered encountering two others with such chakra many years ago. It was those two who had killed the incredibly powerful Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

No one understood the terror of the Nine-Tails better than he did. For a moment, Danzo didn't move.

As for Tsunade, she couldn't care less about the Nine-Tails. All she knew was that Nawaki was no longer in mortal danger, which was a great relief. But first, I have to deal with the enemy! A sharp glint flashed in her eyes, and she charged forward.

"You think you can take back the jinchuriki?!" The masked ninja laughed twice and tore open his clothes, revealing the numerous explosive tags plastered underneath. "Die with me, you monster!"

BOOM!

With a deafening roar, a blinding light exploded in an instant. Countless blades of grass were ripped from the earth and thrown into the air.

Tsunade, who was just approaching, was immediately sent flying by the blast wave. Even Danzo and his men, who were dozens of meters away, were affected. The violent tremors traveled through the ground, forcing the approaching Cloud ninja to a halt.

Behind them, Kaito and Orochimaru's figures appeared. They looked at the billowing smoke in the sky and couldn't help but quicken their pace. A short while earlier, Kaito had used Extreme Speed to carry Tsunade, nearly draining himself in the process, which was why he and Orochimaru were only just arriving.

"Pfft!" Tsunade spat out a mouthful of blood. Without bothering to wipe it away, she quickly looked up at the explosion site, now shrouded in thick smoke, and cried out, "Nawaki!"

As if in response to her call, a red tail suddenly shot out from the smoke.

Before Tsunade could smile, a second, then a third, and finally a fourth tail appeared.

An even more malevolent aura burst forth, as if it could freeze a person's very soul. Tsunade felt as if she had been plunged into an icy abyss. Her mouth hung half-open as she murmured, "Nawaki?"

The four wildly waving tails churned the smoke, revealing a creature that was entirely crimson and walked on all fours. Two long fox ears extended from its head, and only its face retained some semblance of human features.

"ROAR!" It opened its mouth wide and roared at the sky, stirring the clouds.

Tsunade slowly got to her feet and, gritting her teeth, began to walk toward the beast. She shouted, "Are you Nawaki? Do you remember me? I'm your sister, Tsunade!"

It heard her voice and turned its head toward her. Its two eyes, like black holes, seemed to be sizing her up.

"Nawaki? Do you recognize me?" A flicker of joy appeared on Tsunade's face.

Just as she was about to step forward again, Danzo's icy voice came from behind her. "Princess Tsunade, I advise you not to go any further. Otherwise, you will die."

"Why?"

"The Nine-Tails is an aggregate of negative emotions like hatred and slaughter. It can easily dominate a person's mind. Therefore, Nawaki's body is now completely controlled by the Nine-Tails. He has become a terrifying beast that knows only slaughter."

"I don't believe you," Tsunade said, shaking her head. "Nawaki would never hurt me."

The words had barely left her mouth when the four-tailed Nawaki roared at her. Its crouching body shot forward like a pouncing tiger.

"Nawaki!" Tsunade screamed, but it only made it run faster.

The red figure crossed dozens of meters in the blink of an eye, arriving in front of Tsunade and raising its claw to strike down.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

Several large balls of compressed air slammed into the four-tailed Nawaki, sending it flying. Numerous cracks appeared on its body, but they healed almost instantly.

After saving Tsunade with his ninjutsu, Danzo's hands didn't stop. He continued to form hand seals and shouted, "Everyone, attack it with me! Princess Tsunade, if you want to save Nawaki, then do it now! Just waiting will only let him sink deeper, and he will eventually become a sacrifice for the Nine-Tails' resurrection!"

"..." Tsunade clenched her fists.

Not far away, the Cloud ninja regrouped.

"Captain, should we attack?"

"No. The Tailed Beast is rampaging now. If we go over there, it will attack us as well. When those Konoha guys and the Tailed Beast have worn each other out, that will be our time to strike."

The Cloud ninja captain said coldly, "All of those Konoha bastards must die. The Nine-Tails belongs to us!"

At the same time, Kaito and Orochimaru had also arrived on the scene. Looking at the four-tailed Nawaki wreaking havoc, they couldn't help but look shocked.

Hiss~ Four tails. This is the being that could beat down Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Kaito took a sharp breath and quietly stepped back. He had no reason to risk his life for Konoha, and besides, Konoha might not even want an outsider interfering in this matter.

Orochimaru assessed the situation on the field, his gaze settling on the Cloud ninja on the other side.

"Kaito, you're with me. We'll take out those Cloud ninja."

"You're not going to help Tsunade?"

"Helping Tsunade might not be enough to subdue that monster. Even if we did, we'd still be threatened by the Cloud ninja. It's better to eliminate the unstable factor first."

Orochimaru was as calm and calculating as ever.

Kaito sighed internally and spread his hands. "Going against the Cloud ninja is not in line with my neutral stance."

"I will give you a suitable reward."

"I don't need a reward. I need you to do something for me."

"Fine. It's a deal."