Inside the room, Kushina Uzumaki lay on the delivery bed in the center. Biwako Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's wife, was at her side, comforting her and standing ready to assist with the birth.
"Aaaaah! It hurts so much!" Kushina screamed in agony, her hands gripping Minato's arm so tightly that the veins stood out.
Kushina's grip was incredibly powerful. Minato winced, his face twisting in pain as he tried to soothe her. "Kushina, keep pushing! You're almost there! Just a bit more effort!"
"It's... easy for you... to say... why don't you... try it!" Kushina managed to squeeze out between gritted teeth.
"Kushina, think of Naruto. You have to stay strong for him!" As a seasoned veteran in these matters, Biwako hit the mark perfectly, reigniting Kushina's maternal resolve.
At the mention of Naruto, Kushina's spirit surged. Her mind, which had been on the verge of blacking out from the pain, cleared slightly. She strained with everything she had, tears streaming down her face and sweat drenching her forehead.
Makiya sat cross-legged on top of the tent. Though he was usually indifferent to pain, hearing Kushina's screams made even him wince with a phantom ache.
Suddenly, Makiya's ears twitched. He turned his head toward the nearby woods. A strange ripple was approaching. He couldn't sense a soul, but the powerful chakra fluctuation was impossible to hide.
"Who's there?" Makiya's brow furrowed as he stood up, going on high alert.
The surrounding Anbu immediately tensed, drawing kunai and short swords as they dropped into combat stances.
The dark forest remained silent. Only the rustle of leaves in the breeze echoed through the air; not even a stray animal could be seen. The Anbu, sensing nothing unusual, looked at Makiya with questioning eyes.
'Is Lord Makiya just being hypersensitive? Is he overreacting?'
"Bansho Ten'in!"
A mysterious suction force erupted from the trees. The Anbu on the scene found themselves unable to control their bodies, dragged by an invisible power straight toward the forest.
"Enemy!"
"Ambush! Ambush!"
"What kind of jutsu is this?!"
The Anbu were horrified. Information regarding the Rinnegan was a top-secret matter. Minato and Tsunade had kept it under wraps, intending to use the knowledge for a surprise counterattack when the time was right.
"Rising Sun Blade: Sonic Impact!"
A golden flying sword shot out from beside Makiya, leaving a streak of light in the air. It bypassed the flying Anbu and pierced toward a specific spot in the trees.
Only after the golden blade had passed did the sonic boom finally ripple outward. The shockwave and air pressure created a thunderous roar that echoed through the pitch-black night.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The invisible suction suddenly snapped shut, followed by a violent explosion of force. A massive repulsive power formed an invisible barrier, knocking aside the flying sword that was charging toward him.
Shinra Tensei was an indiscriminate attack. Along with the sword, a vast amount of debris, trees, and several unfortunate Anbu who had been pulled into the air were all sent flying back by the repulsive force.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
The ground trembled as a massive wall of earth rose with a rumble, blocking all the flying stones and trunks. Other Anbu used the Body Flicker Technique to catch their comrades who had been blasted backward.
"An enemy actually showed up. And they chose this exact moment... Damn it!" A silver-haired Kakashi knelt on one knee in front of everyone. The rising earth wall protected the entire delivery room, and on the exterior of the wall, four massive dog heads were sculpted with lifelike detail.
Since he no longer had the burden of the Mangekyo Sharingan draining his reserves, Kakashi had plenty of chakra to make the dog heads even more intricate.
Makiya looked at the dog heads on the wall, then turned to look at the Hokage Rock behind them, his expression becoming quite colorful.
'Why does it have to be dog heads? Why is the number exactly the same as the faces on the Hokage Rock? Even the direction they're facing and their expressions are so similar... Kakashi, who are you trying to mock?'
Whoosh!
A flash of yellow light appeared, and Minato stood beside Makiya. "The enemy is here?"
"Yeah, it's the Rinnegan!" Makiya nodded, his gaze passing over the earth wall into the woods. The previously dense forest had been completely leveled by a single Shinra Tensei. Moonlight spilled over the earth, illuminating a mysterious figure clad in a black robe with red clouds.
The mysterious man's eyes were narrow, glowing with an eerie purple light. Makiya's vision was sharp; he could see the strange concentric circles in those eyes, seemingly representing the cycle of the Six Paths.
"Who are you, and why are you attacking Konoha?" Minato feigned ignorance, stepping forward with a sharp interrogation. The intense killing intent in his eyes was impossible to hide. The timing of the opponent's move made their intentions obvious—they were after the Nine-Tails.
It was common knowledge that a Jinchuriki would die if their Tailed Beast was extracted. Regardless of what the opponent wanted with the Nine-Tails, Kushina would die. This was something Minato absolutely could not tolerate.
'Dark orange hair, height under 180cm, died at 15... Looking at his face... this should be the Deva Path Makiya mentioned.' Minato silently observed the Deva Path's appearance, comparing it one-to-one with the information Makiya had provided.
"Why attack Konoha?" Nagato, controlling the Deva Path, found the question amusing. "That question is meaningless. Why do Great Nations wage war within the borders of smaller ones? Why do the strong bully the weak? Those who kill will eventually be killed. War is accompanied by death, injury, and pain on both sides. Hatred will bind people who have nothing to do with each other together, endlessly."
"I see. So you're here for revenge." Minato's figure vanished instantly, reappearing a second later. He had donned his Hokage cloak, the hem fluttering and snapping in the fierce wind.
"You have your reasons. But as a husband and as the Hokage of Konoha, I have a duty to stop you. Words are useless." Just as Minato was about to move, he suddenly felt violent tremors coming from all directions in the village.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Massive clouds of summoning smoke erupted as a large number of giant summoned beasts appeared within Konoha. The Barrier Team, on duty 24 hours a day, sounded the alarm frantically, and the sirens echoed throughout the village.
The Giant Multi-Headed Dog, the Giant Drill-Beaked Bird, the Giant Chameleon, the Giant Crustacean, the Giant Ram, the Giant Panda, the Giant Centipede, the Giant Rhino...
God only knew where Nagato found so many massive summoned beasts. From fierce predators to insects, they were all there, looking as if they came from a prehistoric era with excessive oxygen, their sizes scaled up hundreds or thousands of times.
Their sky-blocking sizes brought immense pressure. A single roll on the spot could cause countless casualties. Humans looked like ants before them. Most notably, within their eyes were the Rinnegan—purple pupils staring emotionlessly at the civilians below.
The Anbu and the Military Police Force sprang into action, rushing to the battlefield under the guidance of the Barrier Team. The village was filled with people running and shouting. The ratio of ninjas to civilians was quite high, and many self-organized to resist.
Within the Uchiha clan grounds, Fugaku, who had returned to the village to recover from his injuries, immediately rushed out of his house, mobilizing the Military Police Force toward the rampaging beasts.
"Itachi, protect your mother and brother. I'll be back soon." Before leaving, Fugaku turned back to look at Itachi Uchiha.
"Yes, Father."
After Fugaku left, Mikoto carried the swaddled Sasuke into the bedroom. Itachi closed the door, walked onto the outdoor corridor, and looked up at the bright moonlight.
In a corner of the corridor, a mass of pitch-black shadow wriggled incessantly, trying to squeeze into the cracks of the wall as if desperately trying to hide its movements.
"Stop hiding, Black Zetsu. I see you." Itachi stared at the dark shadow with a cold expression, his tone unfriendly.
"I'd expect nothing less from you, Itachi. I thought I was hidden quite well." Black Zetsu chuckled as he seeped out of the corner. The ink-like black shadow slowly morphed, forming a pure black human head.
If Black Zetsu really wanted to hide, Itachi would never have found him. Pretending his movements were seen through was a good way to lower Itachi's guard.
Itachi frowned. "I told you not to come to Konoha looking for me. If someone else finds you, I won't step in to protect you."
"Hehehe, besides you, who else could find me? Not everyone is as sharp as you are." Black Zetsu gave a sinister laugh before quickly adding, "Itachi, I risked my life sneaking in just to warn you. Get your family to the shelter quickly. This attack is anything but ordinary."
Itachi stared intensely at Black Zetsu. "What do you know?"
"The attacker's name is Nagato, and he has a blood feud with Konoha. His parents and friends all died at the hands of Konoha ninjas. The purpose of this raid is to make Konoha feel pain!" Black Zetsu said hurriedly. "See the eyes of those summons? Those are the Rinnegan, the eyes of the Sage of the Six Paths. No one can stand against them."
Hearing Black Zetsu's words, Itachi looked up at the rampaging summoned beasts. At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in battle gear, was leading a group of Jonin to fight the creatures. The battle had instantly reached a fever pitch.
Seeing Itachi remain silent, Black Zetsu put on a compassionate expression and sighed repeatedly. "Hatred only breeds more hatred. After this attack, Nagato will have his revenge, but new hatred will bind him and Konoha together forever. This is how the ninja world is. It hasn't changed in all these years."
'Endless hatred... the ninja world has never changed...?' Itachi whispered to himself, his brow furrowing deeply.
While speaking, Black Zetsu peeked at Itachi out of the corner of his eye. Seeing the boy's thoughtful expression, he felt a secret surge of joy.
As long as Itachi listened to what he had to say, it was fine. Slowly guiding others down the wrong path was Black Zetsu's favorite thing to do. It required a lot of time, but fortunately, time was the one thing Black Zetsu had in abundance.
Above the Hokage Rock, the atmosphere around the delivery room was tense.
Under Minato's orders, Kakashi and the other Anbu had already headed into the village to provide support. Now, only Nagato's Deva Path puppet, Makiya, and Minato remained in a standoff.
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