Konoha 48 years
On October 5th, Kushina was about to give birth, but the common people in the village continued to live their lives as usual.
However, the Konoha High Command was already on edge, and at this time, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was making final arrangements.
Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Shimura Danzō, and the retired Third Hokage have all arrived.
Although the Hokage has changed, it has not affected the power held by the current Hokage at all. In fact, the Third Hokage still has some power that he has not relinquished.
"Kushina's childbirth is of great importance, and we will need the elders to take good care of her!"
Sitting at the head of the Minato, Shuimen spoke gently to the elders below.
Although it sounded like he was asking the elders for help, his eyes were very sharp, and the people below dared not meet his gaze.
"Is it necessary to mobilize all the village's ninjas this time? Although the Jinchuriki's childbirth is important, we have done a very good job of keeping it a secret."
Danzo, as always, jumped out to sing a different tune, serving the Hokage with the power of his entire village, a privilege he greatly envied.
This is a power possessed by every Hokage, something that Danzo extremely jealous of.
"It involves Jinchuriki, and the strongest one at that, the Nine-Tails. We can't afford to be careless in the slightest."
Minato continued speaking to the crowd below, but there was one more thing he didn't say: Kushina was his wife, and this was probably the only time in his life he would mobilize the entire village to serve his wife.
"The Barrier Team has secretly set up a barrier outside the village. Biwako will personally deliver the baby!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, and the others turned to look at him. At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi still held some authority among them.
"Yes! Elder Hizuki Hiruzen Sarutobi hard on this."
Minato still held the former Hokage in high regard. Although their roles had reversed, Minato would never do something like betraying someone after they've served their purpose.
"I will also send more people to the Anbu. At that time, I think we will have to trouble Elder Danzo with the safety of the village."
As he spoke, Minato turned his gaze to Danzo, whose expression was sinister. He didn't want this old guy to hold him back at a crucial moment.
"Hmph! I will naturally do my job well!"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Danzo did not refuse Minato's request again. Although his tone was somewhat impolite, he still agreed.
"Starting today, suppress missions of A rank and above. All Chunin and Jonin should be on alert, Genin should also be ready to be deployed at any time."
Next, Minato continued, saying that during this special period, it was necessary for Jonin-level ninjas to stay in the village, and it would be inappropriate for them to go out on missions at this time.
"Should we involve the major families?"
Utatane Koharu, raised another question, one that was unavoidable.
If fewer people knew about this matter, it might have drawn the attention of various clans and some Elite Jonin to the discussion.
"Elder Homura and Elder Koharu will decide based on the situation. If something unexpected happens, none of the major families can remain uninvolved."
Having granted the two elders the authority to mobilize the various families, Minato continued to assign tasks.
From that day on, the ninjas of Konoha entered a state of combat readiness.
Many ninjas were puzzled by the sudden orders from their superiors, but ninjas were bound by the duty to obey orders, and they only needed to follow orders.
The only ones who were not significantly affected were probably the civilians of Konoha, but you could still spot quite a few ninjas walking down the street.
"Why have these ninjas become so active?"
In a restaurant, Johnny spoke to Joseph beside him.
The two teenagers wore sunglasses and had long knives hanging from their waists, looking rather dashing.
Although the two were just ordinary citizens, it did not prevent them from discussing national affairs.
"Well, who knows! I've seen several ninjas appear in front of me these past few days, and I've even run into Jonin, who are usually hard to find."
Joseph took a sip of his drink. These were all old topics, and the two of them, after a couple of drinks, were always pontificating.
It's not just older women who love gossip; older women gossip about family matters, while men gossip about the rise and fall of nations.
"Do you think there might be another war? I have a feeling something's about to happen!"
You can't blame him for thinking that way. The war has only been over for less than a year. Although a ceasefire agreement has been signed, it cannot be ruled out that some ninja villages will still try to sabotage things.
"Heh heh, how could that be? The Fourth Hokage's reputation is so great that the other four great nations have long been terrified!"
After a pause, Joseph continued:
"Besides, there are tall people to hold up the sky if it falls! No matter what happens, I'll take action!"
After a few rounds of drinks, the Konoha duo, Sword Saint Joseph and Blade God Johnny, decided to eat and drink as much as they wanted.
Just as the two were enjoying their drinks and getting quite tipsy, a burly, dark figure appeared behind them!
"You two brats, you dare to sneak out for drinks!"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, the two men instantly felt a chill run down their spines, and their eyes betrayed their terror.
Before he finished speaking, a large stick fell on their heads almost simultaneously.
"Bang! Bang!"
"At such a young age, he's already doing bad things, sneaking out to drink and even discussing national affairs!"
The fat woman was the mother of the two boys, and she was cursing as she spoke.
"Ouch, Mom! That hurts! Be gentle! I'm going to be a Sword Saint!"
"I'm going to beat you up! And you, the future Blade God, it's fine, you can make a move, but let me see what you can do!"
Joseph and Johnny ran around frantically, clutching their heads, completely unlike their earlier confident and boastful selves.
The other diners in the restaurant burst into laughter at the sight, as if they were used to it.
"Ah...! My knife, I spent so much time carving it, and you just broke it like that."
"Waaah... Mom, we were wrong!"
Two delinquent teenagers were dragged out of a restaurant by their parents, looking quite disheveled.
This scene was also witnessed by Orochimaru and Anko in the restaurant, and at this moment, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.
"I've witnessed yet another complete childhood!"
He naturally received the order from Konoha. Although many ninjas were unaware of the hidden meaning, a few astute Jonin guessed the purpose of the order.
Jonin naturally have access to more information than ordinary ninjas, and looking at Kushina with her big belly, it's not hard to guess what the mission is.
However, due to the need to maintain stability in the village, these messages cannot be spread outside, and others will not discuss them privately. Only a child who doesn't know his place speaks so recklessly.
With lofty ambitions soaring to the heavens, I await the day when the sun shines brightest and I will rejoice.
He possessed lofty talents, yet his robes remained unopened throughout his life.
Orochimaru had been waiting for this moment for over a decade. With the Nine-Tails Attack approaching, it was time to put his plan into action.
"When Yin and Yang are in chaos, I will stain the blue sky with my snake blood!"