Outside the barrier, the Anbu guarding the perimeter suddenly stiffened, then collapsed one after another, their bodies falling soundlessly to the wet grass. Their eyes were open but lifeless, caught in the grip of an advanced genjutsu that smothered their senses before they could even react.
A ripple distorted the air near the barrier.
Then, with a low whir, a crimson vortex spiraled open in the darkness.
From it stepped a man clad in a black cloak. His face was hidden beneath a patterned mask, its single eyehole glowing red. His gaze lingered on the faintly glowing barrier ahead.
"Finally… the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki's seal has reached its weakest point." the masked man murmured.
It had been years since Uchiha Obito had looked upon his teacher and village.
Once, it had been home.
Once, it had been filled with laughter, warmth, and the hope of a world without war. Now, all he saw was an illusion, a fragile peace built on the corpses of countless shinobi.
His visible eye flickered. For a brief moment, an image of Rin surfaced before him.
But it was gone as quickly as it appeared.
'To change this world… to bring her back… I'll destroy everything.' he thought coldly.
A vortex spiraled once more, and his form disappeared into it, swallowed by darkness.
…
Inside the barrier, the air grew heavy.
Within the secluded delivery chamber, Minato hovered anxiously beside his wife.
"Ah! Ah! It hurts! Ah—Minato!"
Kushina's cries echoed, her body trembling as the sealing formula on her abdomen pulsed erratically.
Minato's face was pale with worry. He turned to the medical-nin around her, who were sweating profusely as they stabilized both the seal and the delivery. The chakra around Kushina fluctuated violently, each wave stronger than the last.
Then, swoosh — a sudden distortion in the air.
The medical-nin collapsed instantly, their chakra signatures snuffed out.
A tall figure appeared beside the bed, holding an infant wrapped in white cloth.
His mask gleamed faintly in the dim light.
"Fourth Hokage," the masked man said, his voice low and calm, "step away from the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki… or this child dies."
Minato froze. His instincts screamed danger, but his mind was filled only with panic, the man held his newborn son.
"Who are you?" Minato demanded, fury breaking through his fear.
The masked man said nothing. He tossed the infant upward.
Minato's heart nearly stopped. He lunged, catching Naruto in midair, only to see an explosive tag plastered to the baby's back.
Without hesitation, Minato teleported away using Flying Thunder God Technique, the explosion blooming harmlessly in the distance. The moment he reappeared, he tore the tag away and cradled Naruto close, trembling.
When he returned to the room, Kushina and the masked man were gone.
…
Far from there, on a rain-drenched ridge overlooking the forest, Senmei Asahi crouched silently.
Through the enhanced perception of Sage Mode, he could sense the faint residue of Minato's chakra, along with the distortion of space-time from the masked intruder's technique. Around the collapsed Anbu, faint chakra signatures still flickered, proof they were trapped in genjutsu, not dead.
'So, it's begun.' Asahi thought grimly. 'I was right about tonight.'
He stepped forward, examining the scene. The rain slid down his cloak, illuminated by the pale light of the barrier ahead.
'I calculated the timing perfectly, but the delay at Minato's house cost me.' he thought with frustration. 'Had I arrived five minutes earlier, I could have intercepted him.'
He sighed quietly, staring at the lifeless forms of the Anbu. 'Even if I had told Minato in advance, would he have believed me?'
Once, perhaps. But after revealing Sage Mode to the Hokage, the trust between him and the leadership had fractured beyond repair.
Had that not happened, Minato would have undoubtedly asked for his aid tonight.
After all, beyond his strength, Senmei Asahi was Konoha's foremost medical-nin.
And yet now, he stood in the shadows, unable to intervene.
'If the Nine-Tails breaks free, Kushina will die. And Minato… he'll follow her.' Asahi thought, his gaze darkening.
He had once respected Minato, perhaps even admired him. But admiration was a luxury long abandoned in this world. The gears of destiny were already in motion, and Asahi's only focus was survival.
With a flick of his wrist, he vanished, reappearing at his home.
There, he calmly began preparing his equipment, chakra amplifiers, sealing tags, and recovery tools. He had no illusions of stopping what was about to happen.
All he could do now was limit the damage.
'Once the Nine-Tails is released, the entire village will burn.' he thought. 'I'll step in only when the time is right.'
…
Outside, the moon glowed faintly over a peaceful Konoha.
The village slept under a false sense of serenity. The shops were still open, lanterns flickering, and laughter filled the streets. Families shared late-night meals, oblivious to the storm that was moments away from consuming them.
Two chūnin stood on the village wall, chatting idly to stay awake.
"Did you hear? Lord Fourth's kid's about to be born." one said, lighting a cigarette.
"Yeah." the other replied with a grin. "Bet he'll be as amazing as Lord Fourth himself."
They laughed quietly, never noticing the crimson swirl materializing behind them.
Whoosh!
A vortex expanded out of thin air.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The masked man's voice echoed through the night.
The air cracked open.
A roar unlike any other tore through the heavens.
Rumble!
The very ground beneath Konoha trembled. Trees shook violently as the earth split, and the two guards were thrown to the ground.
"W-what's going on?!" one shouted, eyes wide with panic.
The other looked up—and froze.
High above the treetops, a titanic shadow towered over the horizon.
Eyes like molten gold glared down upon the village. A sea of crimson fur rippled in the moonlight.
"N-Nine-Tails…" the ninja whispered in disbelief. "The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox!"
"Sound the alarm! The Nine-Tails has appeared!"
Roar!!!
The beast's furious bellow shattered the stillness. The moon itself seemed to turn blood-red, its reflection glowing in the Nine-Tails' feral eyes.
With a single motion, it raised one colossal claw—and smashed it downward.
Boom!
Entire streets vanished in an instant. Buildings were flattened like sandcastles beneath the weight of its fury. Fires ignited everywhere as debris rained down upon the terrified villagers.
Inside their homes, families screamed in confusion and terror.
"Was that… an earthquake?" a woman gasped.
"I don't know! Get outside now!" her husband shouted, grabbing their child and dragging her toward the door.
But when they stepped out, they froze.
The Nine-Tails loomed above the rooftops, its tails sweeping through the air like whips, demolishing everything in its path.
The few ninjas who tried to counterattack were brushed aside, their jutsu scattering harmlessly against the beast's skin.
One massive tail crashed down nearby with a thud, sending shockwaves through the ground.
"Run!" the man yelled, clutching his family as they fled down the street.
Throughout Konoha, lights flickered on as panic spread.
Screams echoed. Alarms blared.
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen rose abruptly, his face pale but composed.
Though he had long retired, his instincts as the Professor of Konoha remained razor-sharp.
'So, it had happened. The worst-case scenario.'
The Nine-Tails had appeared within the village, not outside it.
Only one man in history had ever been capable of summoning the Nine-Tails.
Uchiha Madara.
'Could this be the Uchiha clan's doing?'
'No, there was no time for blame now.'
"Sound the S-rank alarm!" Hiruzen commanded, his voice echoing through the communication seals. "Evacuate all villagers to the shelters immediately! Deploy every available Anbu and jōnin to contain the Nine-Tails!"
The sirens wailed across the village — ding! ding! ding! — as crimson lights flashed from the watchtowers.
Ninjas poured from their homes and barracks, each heading toward their assigned sectors.
The strong went to engage the Nine-Tails. The weak led the civilians underground.
Despite the chaos, Konoha moved like a single organism.
This was the discipline of the greatest ninja village in the world.
*****
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I am working on the following projects:
✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]