"Alright, everyone go in and rest. Let's see what tomorrow brings."
The group had experienced too much this day. First, they traveled through the cosmic tunnel, and after arriving in the alternate world, they immediately began investigating the situation in Konoha Village.
The circumstances of many clans were different from their own Konoha Village. Either the Clan Head was different, or the heir was different.
What worried Minato the most today was that he had searched the Hatake Clan compound, and while he found the compound, he did not find Hatake Sakumo. Nor did he find Obito or Rin.
Two of his three disciples were absent from Konoha Village, which made Minato worried about what might have happened to them in this world. Given the serious discrepancies with the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan compared to his world, Minato strongly suspected that his students and Sakumo-sensei might also have met with misfortune.
But these questions could not be answered by mere observation. Minato could only find an opportunity to meet with Konoha Village's high-ranking officials and inquire about the situation. Although Minato knew this was not his world, he still worried. He could now understand his Big Sister-in-law's feelings.
The night passed like this. Except for Yahiko and Torifu, Minato and Naori did not sleep well. They spent the entire night thinking, which made it impossible for them to fall asleep.
Torifu noticed their poor mental state and immediately released a Clarification Technique to help them clear their minds.
"Whew, Big Brother, I don't think I found Sakumo-sensei."
Torifu naturally knew that Sakumo had committed suicide nearly five or six years ago, so he naturally would not be found in Konoha Village. However, Torifu could not tell Minato directly: "When we find an opportunity, let's ask the Hokage together. He should be the most familiar with the matters of Konoha Village."
Minato finally felt the urgency to meet Namikaze Minato. Although meeting his alternate self was very strange, he had to speed things up to find out some information.
"Big Brother, can't we just enter Konoha Village directly?"
Torifu shook his head. "That would cause unrest. Konoha Village has many spies, and word would spread throughout the entire ninja world."
"Sigh." Minato sighed. Spies... a word he had barely heard a few times, yet this Konoha Village had many of them. War was indeed detrimental.
"Let's get moving and see what the situation is like in Konoha Village."
The four returned to the skies above Konoha Village. For some reason, there were fewer people on the streets today. Torifu sensed that the ANBU, who reported directly to the Hokage, had increased significantly and were scattered in every corner of Konoha Village.
Seeing this, Torifu was secretly delighted. Such a large-scale deployment of ANBU suggested that Kushina was about to give birth. However, Torifu didn't dare to be too certain; it was just a guess.
Torifu told the others about his guess, and they were all pleased to hear it. They knew nothing about the Nine-Tails' attack, nor were they aware of the major event that was about to happen tonight. Minato and the others were simply happy for Kushina's impending child.
Thinking that his own child was due to be born in about a month, Minato could not contain his excitement.
"Big Brother, if I see what my child looks like in this world, does that count as a spoiler?"
Torifu was momentarily speechless at the question. This kid was quite hip, knowing all sorts of modern terms.
"I suppose so. After all, both worlds are basically the same, so the child born will naturally be the same."
Minato felt tempted to sneak a look at his alternate self's child but was also a little conflicted. He was very contradictory. Torifu advised him not to overthink it, as anything could happen today.
Time passed by little by little. Torifu observed that there were more and more ninja on the streets of Konoha Village, and the ANBU presence continued to grow. Sarutobi Hiruzen's wife, Sarutobi Biwako, was also secretly moved to a new location.
While these actions were carried out covertly, none of them escaped Torifu's attention. He hadn't been completely certain before, but with even Sarutobi Biwako moving, Kushina giving birth was a certainty.
Tonight was the Night of the Nine-Tails. The beginning of everything would start tonight.
But it was doomed not to start. Since Torifu and the others were here, the Nine-Tails could only be sealed back into Kushina's body in the end.
In fact, Torifu could have directly killed Obito, and none of this would have happened. But the System forbade it. Torifu's mission had not officially begun yet; the System panel still displayed the word 'Wait.'
Only when the Nine-Tails was completely summoned would the Night of the Nine-Tails event truly begin, allowing Torifu to let Minato make a move. Otherwise, if they killed Obito prematurely or constantly protected Kushina, the event would not be triggered. Exceeding a certain time limit would result in mission failure.
Over the years, Torifu considered himself to be very rule-abiding and had never failed an event, so he intended to proceed the same way this time.
"Big Brother, will there be an opportunity today?"
Minato was perplexed; he didn't know what Torifu was waiting for. Konoha Village was just as it was. Waiting a few more days wouldn't create any new opportunities, would it? Why not just enter the village and negotiate with Namikaze Minato? Why stand foolishly waiting in mid-air?
"Don't worry, there will be an opportunity today."
Seeing his Big Brother so certain, Minato stopped questioning. He actually wanted to see his alternate self's son openly, not sneak in covertly. He hoped there would truly be an opportunity today.
As time slowly went by, dusk arrived. In Konoha Village's memorial ground, a swirling vortex appeared out of nowhere, and a person in a black cloak wearing a tiger-skin mask stepped out of the vortex.
Torifu's consciousness covered the entire Konoha Village, and the moment the vortex appeared, Torifu sensed his presence.
'So he's finally here, then. We didn't wait a whole day for nothing, Uchiha Obito.'
Torifu watched Obito from the sky with his consciousness, but Obito felt nothing. He walked up to the monument, looked at the flowers placed as an offering, muttered something, and then threw all the flowers away before vanishing.