Chapter 4: More Wives, More Blessings! The Ninja World Convention!Three months later.At this point, Konoha's restoration work was nearing its end.Minato Namikaze stood atop the newly repaired Hokage Rock, overlooking the bustling village below.The stone statue of the Fourth Hokage had not yet begun construction... this was his own decision.Beside him, Sandaime Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, his gaze complicated."Have you really decided?" Sarutobi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke."Yes." Minato's voice was calm. "The events of that night proved that while a Hokage in the light is important, Konoha needs a pair of eyes watching everything from the shadows even more. The Nine-Tailed is fully sealed within Naruto; this secret must be protected with an authority even higher than that of the 'Hokage'."Sarutobi fell silent for a long time. "'Aoi'... what a quiet name.""The Himawari always faces the sun." Minatolooked toward his residence, a flash of tenderness in his eyes. "And my sun is right there."That same day, thirty meters beneath the Hokageresidence.This was originally an emergency shelter built by the Uzumaki Clan in Konoha, but it had now been transformed into a complex facility for living, training, and research.Densely packed sealing formulas on the walls shimmered with a faint light, isolating it from all detection.Uzumaki Kushina pasted the last talisman onto the edge of the central altar, straightened up, and wiped the sweat from her brow. Before her was a complex array five meters in diameter!"This... should be enough," she murmured.In the center of the array, three-month-old Narutowas crawling around on a soft ritual carpet.Naruto had gradually adapted to this body; at the very least, he no longer felt so ashamed of his basic physiological needs that he'd get a nosebleed—unless he saw something particularly stimulating."Mom has been so busy these past few days, her feet haven't even touched the ground..."Meanwhile, Naruto tried to grab the floating spheres of Chakra with his tiny hands while observing with the mind of an adult."The complexity of this array far exceeds ordinary Sealing Jutsu. What exactly is my mother trying to do?""Naruto, come here." Kushina crouched down and opened her arms.Controlling his infant body, Naruto crawled over unsteadily and was scooped up by his mother.Kushina pressed her face against his soft cheek and took a deep breath."Mom is about to do something very risky," she said softly, as if to her son, or perhaps to herself. "But if it succeeds... it will win the whole world for you."A week later, in the deepest part of the Land of Iron, in the Five Kage's secret meeting room.There were no windows here; the walls were three-meter-thick special metal, carved with anti-reconnaissance formulas.Five people—or rather, Five Kage—sat around a long table, along with the single guard each was permitted to bring.Fourth Raikage Ai, Fourth Kazekage Rasa, Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, Fourth Mizukage Yagura, and the moderator, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi."So, why exactly has Konoha invited us here?" Ai's voice boomed like thunder, echoing in the confined space. "If it's just to apologize for the Nine-Tailedincident, then don't bother! We in Kumogakurehave no interest in other people's family matters."Rasa toyed with the Gold Dust in his hand and sneered, "You don't expect us to share the reconstruction costs, do you?""Everyone, please calm down." Hiruzen Sarutobitapped his pipe. "The matter to be discussed today concerns the survival of the entire Ninja World.""Survival?" Ōnoki hovered in mid-air, narrowing his eyes. "I've lived a long time, and I've heard such talk so often my ears have grown calluses."The side door of the meeting room opened, and two people walked in.Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina, who was holding Naruto."The Fourth Hokage?" Ai raised an eyebrow. "Didn't they say you stepped down?""I have stepped down as Hokage, but I am still a Ninja of Konoha." Minato nodded slightly. His posture was different from when he was Hokage—less sunny, and more sharp and calm like still water.Kushina ignored everyone's gaze.She gently placed Naruto into a specially made crib in the corner of the meeting room. Then she walked to the long table and pressed both hands onto its surface."Before we begin, I need everyone to sign this Chakra Contract." She pushed five scrolls in front of each Kage. "The content is simple: everything seen today must not be leaked in any form. Violators' souls will suffer the backlash of the seal.""What arrogance!" Ai glared at her."Sign, or leave."Kushina's long red hair drifted without wind, her eyes filled with an unyielding determination. "But those who leave will automatically forfeit the right to know the future and will bear all consequences resulting from it."The meeting room fell into an eerie silence.Ōnoki was the first to pick up a scroll. After reading it carefully, he actually broke into a meaningful smile. "A Soul Contract of the Uzumaki Clan... truly an ancient thing. I'll sign."With the Tsuchikage taking the lead, the others signed one after another. When the last scroll lit up with the light of the contract's formation, Kushinatook a deep breath."What I am about to demonstrate next is a lost forbidden jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan! 'The Eye of Temporal Retrospection'! It allows a blurry glimpse into fragments of the future. The cost is ten years of the caster's life and a portion of the target person's 'karma' to serve as an anchor."She turned toward the center of the array, picked up Naruto, and gently placed him at the eye of the formation.Naruto's heart tightened: The Eye of Temporal Retrospection? Fragments of the future? It's going to cost Mom ten years of her life!?"Wait." Minato grabbed Kushina's wrist, his voice tight. "Does Naruto have to be the anchor? And why didn't you tell me it would cost you ten years of your life!?""I was afraid you'd worry." Kushina gently but firmly pulled her husband's hand away. "Naruto is the hope entrusted by someone from the future; the 'timeline' entwined around him is the clearest. And..."She looked down into her son's blue eyes and smiled:"Our Naruto is the Child of Prophecy!"In the next second, Kushina's hands flew, her seal-forming speed so fast it left afterimages.Red Chakra surged from her body—not the crimson of the Nine-Tailed, but the unique deep red of the Uzumaki Clan, like blood and fire."Time Seal, Unseal, Eye of Temporal Retrospection, Open!"The array erupted with a blinding light.The sealing formulas on the walls lit up layer by layer, compressing the energy fluctuations within the room.The Five Kage rose simultaneously, and their guards entered a state of high alert.Within the light, images began to flash...The first fragment: Konoha's destruction.The sky was gloomy, and a massive sphere hovered above Konoha. Six figures looked down upon Konoha Village, which had been razed to the ground! Corpses littered the fields!The second fragment: The doomsday battlefield.On a desolate land, a god-like blue giant stood tall, with a rain of meteorites blotting out the sky behind it. The Ninja World Allied Forces were like ants before the giant. A mocking remark could faintly be heard: "Do you also want to dance?"The third fragment: The world asleep.Endless white threads hung from the blood moon, covering the earth. Ninjas, civilians, animals... everyone was wrapped in threads and hoisted into the sky, turning into cocoons like silkworms. The world fell into a deathly silence, leaving only the rustling sound of the threads rubbing together...The fourth fragment: Enemies from the starry sky.The sky was torn open, and pale humanoid beings descended from the rift. They had two horns on their heads and hollow golden eyes; with a wave of their hands, mountains and rivers shattered...The fifth fragment: The final moment.The era of Ninjas had come to a complete end. Atop the ruins, an orange-haired youth stood alone. The Kunai in his hand dripped with blood, his eyes hollow. Beneath his feet were the tombstones of powerful figures from throughout the history of the Ninja World! On one of them, the name "Uzumaki Naruto" was carved. The youth raised his hand, and a strange energy—completely different from Chakra—emerged from his palm. His whispers dispersed in the wind:"[Ninjas... are a mistake... they must be corrected... they must be completely erased!]"
