"Is it over already?" Mei murmured.
"If you liked it, Mei, we can do it again next year. We'll prepare in advance and hold it as a festival. It'll definitely be lively."
"Mm, I want to help prepare then too."
Mei paused, then said with a light laugh:
"By the way, why today? It's neither our wedding anniversary nor either of our birthdays."
"Indeed, today isn't any special day. Maybe it was just a sudden whim?"
Shirou nodded lightly, a smile appearing on his face.
These dazzling fireworks had been in preparation for a month.
Originally, Shirou had planned to lead an elite squad to invade Konoha the day after the fireworks were set off.
And this invasion plan had been in preparation even before Shirou became the Water Shadow.
By now, it had been prepared for three years.
He had sent a large number of spies to Konoha to draw maps, gather intelligence, and simulate escape routes.
Over the past three years, Shirou had made extensive preparations. Everything was ready except for the right opportunity.
According to the original plan, they should have arrived in Konoha just in time for the night of the Nine-Tails.
On that day, most of Konoha's forces would be tied down by the Nine-Tails and injured villagers, leaving the village virtually undefended.
If they launched a surprise attack and caught Konoha off guard, they would definitely reap huge gains.
But plans could never keep up with change.
Before the plan he had prepared for three years could be carried out, his cheat had arrived.
These past few days, Shirou had been hesitating over whether to continue with this plan.
But during the gathering just now, he had finally made up his mind. The plan would proceed as usual.
After all, Konoha had far too many good things, and in Shirou's eyes, the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu and Flying Thunder God Technique in the Scroll of Seals were strategic resources.
There was no need to say much about Impure World Reincarnation. Even if it could not be used in every world, as long as it worked in even one world, it would be an enormous profit.
Who did not have a few deceased friends or relatives? Even if they could not truly be revived, that alone would be immensely appealing to many people.
As for the Flying Thunder God Technique, this kind of fixed-point teleportation ninjutsu could likely be expanded upon to develop things such as return scrolls and teleportation arrays.
Chakra was unique to the Ninja World, but mana was universal across many worlds.
After some improvements, the ninjutsu's consumption should be convertible from Chakra to mana.
"The fireworks are over. Let's go home. The wind is strong on the mountain, so be careful not to catch a cold."
Mei stared fixedly at Shirou. After a long while, she softly asked:
"Shirou, you won't suddenly leave, will you?"
"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." Shirou smiled faintly.
The original plan had been to lead an elite squad into Konoha.
But now, splitting off a dozen or so avatars and sending them to Konoha would actually be faster.
It would also make it easier to conceal his identity.
If they used the Transformation Technique to steal things, the Nine-Tails Incident would be underway in Konoha, so the chances of being exposed would be very low.
Though he was not afraid of Konoha, quietly obtaining what he wanted was still better than personally starting a war in the Ninja World.
The Third Ninja World War had only recently ended, and every village was recuperating. It truly was not the time to start another conflict.
Several nights later.
The enormous Nine-Tails Fox rampaged through Konoha, reducing many buildings to ruins and leaving the ground littered with the dead and wounded.
Minato Namikaze summoned Gamabunta with the Summoning Technique, temporarily suppressing the Nine-Tails. He rapidly formed hand seals and transferred both himself and the Nine-Tails outside the village.
But whether it was summoning Gamabunta or using Flying Thunder God to teleport the Nine-Tails, both were massive drains on Chakra.
"Whew... I have almost no Chakra left. I have to erect the barrier immediately."
"I still have... Minato."
Kushina Uzumaki looked at Minato Namikaze with failing strength and forced a smile.
"Pull the Nine-Tails back first."
The chains formed by Adamantine Sealing Chains instantly stretched into the distance and bound the Nine-Tails.
"I'm sorry, Minato. I'm going to perish together with the Nine-Tails. With the little Chakra I have left, this is the only thing I can do..."
Before she could finish speaking, a voice suddenly came from afar.
"Well, well, what do we have here? A lone Nine-Tails?"
At the same time, a flash of blade light swept through the air, and the chains formed by Adamantine Sealing Chains were instantly severed and gradually vanished.
A massive Susanoo over eight hundred meters tall appeared instantly. Its sight made the Fourth Hokage and his wife's hearts tremble.
Great size sometimes represented great power.
Even at their peak, with abundant Chakra, they would have found it difficult to stand a chance against such a terrifying giant, much less now, when both of their Chakras were nearly exhausted.
Minato Namikaze forced himself to stay alert. He handed the infant Naruto in his arms to Kushina Uzumaki and solemnly looked at the Masked Man enclosed within the translucent giant.
A strange pattern filled the man's red eyes. He wore a demon-faced mask and the standard flak jacket of a Konoha jonin.
"Another Uchiha? He doesn't seem to be with the Masked Man who controlled the Nine-Tails earlier."
Noticing that Minato Namikaze was watching him warily but had not attacked, Shirou fell into thought.
It seemed Minato did not have much Chakra left.
After all, Minato Namikaze was not the kind of ninja with absurdly massive Chakra reserves.
"Wait a moment. We can talk after I finish what I'm doing."
Shirou casually said this, bent down, grabbed the Nine-Tails in his hand, and pressed it to the ground.
Then, with a swift swing of his blade, he chopped off the Nine-Tails' nine tails one by one.
"Damn human! I..."
Amid the Nine-Tails' curses, Shirou dismissed Susanoo and calmly glanced at it.
The next moment, the Nine-Tails' pupils transformed into the pattern of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. It obediently lay on the ground like a tiny pet.
"I've obtained the Scroll of Seals and the information on Medical Ninjutsu. I also drew a large tube of blood from every bloodline ninja clan."
"I've gotten everything I came for. Now, only the Uzumaki Clan remains."
Shirou sealed the Nine-Tails' nine tails into sealing scrolls, stored them in the White Mist Space, and slowly walked toward Minato Namikaze.
With every step, Minato Namikaze felt immense psychological pressure.
But with his wife and child behind him, he could only stand where he was. He could neither retreat nor make a strategic transfer.
Only Your Husband Can Replace Him
Chapter 48: Only Your Husband Can Replace Him
At that moment, the sound of a baby crying came from nearby.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I still woke you up."
Kushina Uzumaki placed Naruto on the ground, turned around with difficulty, and forced a smile.
"Minato, that guy isn't an opponent we can deal with right now. You should still have enough Chakra to use Flying Thunder God once, right?"
"Leave Naruto... to you. Take Naruto and run. I'll hold him back."
Minato Namikaze dejectedly looked at little Naruto in his swaddling clothes, a trace of a smile appearing on his face.
"I'm sorry, but I no longer have enough Chakra to use Flying Thunder God even once."
Of course, that was a lie.
It was both to make Kushina give up that idea and to lull the enemy into complacency.
Even in a desperate situation, one could not abandon hope. That was what it meant to be a ninja.
"Why does this scene make me feel like some kind of final boss?"
Shirou casually mocked himself. With a thought, a Recovery Potion produced by Slime appeared in his hand.
"Fourth Hokage, this is the highest-quality healing potion. It should be able to save your wife."
"As payment, I want to draw one tube of her blood. No problem, right?"
Minato Namikaze's eyes lit up, and a sliver of hope rose in his heart.
The Nine-Tails sealed within Kushina had been extracted, and her life force had reached its end. She could die at any moment.
Earlier, Minato Namikaze had even considered using the Reaper Death Seal to follow Kushina into death.
But now, a scene of their family of three living happily together seemed to appear before his eyes.
"Throw me the medicine first. Once Kushina recovers, I'll give you her blood."
"Do I look like an idiot to you?"
Shirou speechlessly glanced at him, took an empty bottle from the White Mist Space, and tossed it over.
"Fill it with blood. We'll throw them at the same time."
He did not seem to have any ill intent.
Minato Namikaze caught the empty bottle. While thinking of a countermeasure, he slowly crouched beside Kushina.
At that moment, someone suddenly ran over from the distance at tremendous speed.
Minato Namikaze turned to look, and his face immediately filled with delight.
"Third Hokage-sama, you came at just the right time. Please help me!"
Yet the Third Hokage did not respond. Instead, he stopped beside the Masked Man and calmly said:
"What's going on? You still haven't finished over here?"
"No, I've already gotten the things. All that's left is Uzumaki Clan blood."
"Was that necessary? You could have gone to Kusagakure and found Karin Uzumaki."
"True, but since we ran into them, we might as well save them while we're at it. With Minato Namikaze's talent, he'll definitely develop the Flying Thunder God Technique to new heights in the future."
"You're aiding the enemy! If the original body finds out you did this, he definitely won't be happy."
"No, this is a normal investment. If I plant a seed now, I can reap greater gains when it bears fruit in the future."
Watching the two people arguing in the distance, Minato Namikaze raised his guard even further.
That was not the Third Hokage, but the effect of the Transformation Technique?
Judging from their conversation, they were avatars of the same person. During the Nine-Tails Incident just now, they had stolen quite a few things.
What could be worth such a powerful ninja taking action personally?
Not good! The Scroll of Seals.
"You aren't Konoha ninja, are you?"
Shirou turned and glanced at Kushina Uzumaki behind Minato Namikaze, then sighed.
"It seems your wife's place in your heart isn't very high. She's clearly on the verge of death, yet you're trying to probe for information."
Minato Namikaze froze slightly and hurriedly turned around.
Blood stained the corner of Kushina's mouth. She sat weakly on the ground, and her expression had grown even dimmer than before.
"Damn it! I'll trust you this once!"
He did not have much Chakra left. He only had one chance to act.
But before that, he had to save Kushina first.
Before you continue