Konoha lay quiet beneath the night sky.
Outside the village, within a heavily guarded and secret facility meant for childbirth, tension filled the delivery room.
"Kushina, come on, it's almost there!"
Biwako Sarutobi stood beside the bed, her voice firm yet encouraging as she guided Kushina Uzumaki through the final moments of labor. Alongside her was a female ANBU, Linako, operative assisting with the delivery.
At the bedside, Minato Namikaze pressed both hands against Kushina's abdomen, his focus absolute. He was not just a father waiting for his child's birth, he was also maintaining the fragile seal of the Nine-Tailed Fox within her.
As Kushina's pain intensified, so did the violent struggle of the beast sealed inside her.
"Ah…!"
"It hurts… it hurts so much!"
Her cries echoed through the room, raw and unrestrained.
Minato's expression tightened, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes. "I have never heard Kushina scream like this before…"
"Minato," Biwako said firmly, not looking away from her task, "leave the delivery to us. Focus on maintaining the seal."
He hesitated, but only for a moment.
She was right.
The Nine-Tails was growing more unstable by the second. If he lost focus, even briefly, everything could collapse.
Minato inhaled slowly and steadied himself, pouring his full concentration into reinforcing the seal.
Time stretched.
Sweat covered both husband and wife as the struggle reached its peak.
Then, suddenly—
"Waa…! Waa…!"
A newborn's cry pierced through the tension.
Relief washed over the room.
Biwako turned, holding a small, yellow-haired baby in her arms, a warm smile on her face. "Minato, Kushina… Naruto is born. He is healthy."
For a brief moment, everything else faded.
Minato's expression softened, and tears gathered in Kushina's eyes as she looked at her child.
But reality returned just as quickly.
Minato could not hold his son.
Not yet.
The seal still needed to be secured.
"Alright," Minato said, clapping his hands lightly as he refocused. "We need to suppress the Nine-Tails immediately."
But before he could act—
Two sharp screams rang out.
Minato's head snapped toward the sound.
A masked man had appeared inside the room without warning.
In his hands… was Naruto.
Biwako Sarutobi and Linako lay lifeless on the ground, killed in an instant.
Minato's pupils shrank.
Who is this…?
The barrier outside should have been impenetrable.
And yet, this man stood here, as if he had simply walked in.
The danger he exuded was overwhelming.
"Fourth Hokage," the masked man said coldly, his hand hovering near Naruto's neck, "leave the Jinchuriki. Otherwise, your son has one minute left to live."
"Don't hurt him!" Minato said immediately, his voice tense but controlled. "Please, don't do anything reckless."
Behind him, Kushina cried out again as the Nine-Tails surged violently within her.
Minato's mind raced.
The seal.
Naruto.
He could not protect both at once.
"Do you not understand?" the masked man continued, his tone growing colder. "Or do you not care about your son's life?"
Before Minato could respond, the man suddenly threw Naruto into the air.
In that instant—
A flash of yellow light.
Minato vanished and reappeared midair, catching the baby effortlessly with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Fast," the masked man murmured, almost amused. "As expected of the Yellow Flash. But what will you do next?"
His hand moved sharply.
Minato's eyes widened.
A faint hiss came from the swaddling cloth.
An explosive tag.
That bastard had planted it on Naruto.
There was no time.
Without hesitation, Minato disappeared again, teleporting far away to prevent the explosion from reaching Kushina.
The room fell silent.
Only the masked man and Kushina remained.
"No one is here to save you now," he said calmly as he approached her.
A swirling vortex of space appeared, pulling both of them in.
They vanished.
Moments later, in a remote and hidden location, the vortex reappeared, depositing them onto cold ground.
Prepared seals lit up instantly.
Chains of restraint locked Kushina in place.
She struggled, but it was useless.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice low but fierce. "What do you want?"
The masked man looked down at her, his voice laced with something dark.
"I am going to extract the Nine-Tails… and destroy Konoha. Do you know how long I have waited for this moment?"
Kushina's heart sank.
She was completely helpless.
Minato had been lured away.
There was no one left to stop him.
Inside her, the Nine-Tails stirred, its massive presence reacting to the man's eyes.
"These eyes… you are…"
But before it could finish—
The man's Sharingan spun.
The Nine-Tails fell under his control instantly.
"Come out," he commanded coldly. "Come out, Nine-Tails."
The weakened seal began to crack under the beast's violent assault.
Without Minato to reinforce it, it did not last long.
It shattered.
"Ahh!"
Pain tore through Kushina's body as if she were being ripped apart.
Dark red chakra burst from her, thick and violent, forming the outline of the beast.
Then it solidified.
The Nine-Tails emerged fully, roaring into the night.
A cold smile formed beneath the man's mask.
"Go," he ordered casually. "Head to Konoha. Destroy it."
The massive fox turned and obeyed.
The masked man began to walk away, as if everything had already been decided.
Then—
"Sorry, but compared to Konoha… I actually prefer this place."
A calm, almost lazy voice cut through the air.
The masked man froze.
He turned sharply.
Standing behind him was a young shinobi who had appeared without a trace.
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