Shattering the Blood Moon, Rayquaza!

"Waaah! Waaah!"

Inside the barrier, the cries of a newborn echoed.

Biwako, having finished the cleanup, walked past with the infant in her arms. Namikaze Minato subconsciously reached out, wanting to take the child.

"Naruto!"

This was the name decided long ago, taken from the protagonist of Jiraiya's first novel—a person of great strength. Minato loved the name.

Biwako dodged his hands while clutching the baby, rolling her eyes at him.

"Don't go touching him yet; he needs to see his mother first!"

Namikaze Minato lowered his hands and offered an awkward smile. "You are right, Lady Biwako."

He followed closely behind, his gaze never leaving Naruto.

This is...

The child of Kushina and me!

The childbirth had weakened the seal on the Nine-Tails, and black curse marks spread across Kushina's body, bringing with them intense pain.

The moment she saw her child, however, that pain was eased.

"Naruto..."

"Kushina, you've worked so hard... thank you."

With both mother and child safe, Namikaze Minato, who had been tense the entire time, let out a sigh of relief and placed his hand on Kushina's abdomen. "Now, it's time to make the Nine-Tails settle down for good!"

Chakra gathered in his palm as he prepared to reinforce the seal...

"Ah!!"

A scream rang out, followed by the sound of bodies hitting the floor.

Namikaze Minato whipped his head around, crying out in shock, "Lady Biwako! Taji!"

The two women responsible for the delivery lay in a pool of blood, their lives extinguished.

He looked back, and the child who should have been beside Kushina was gone.

"Fourth Hokage... step away from the jinchuriki."

A chilling voice sounded. A mysterious figure in a black robe and mask held Naruto hostage, a hand pressed against the infant's face.

At the same time, the Nine-Tails' agitation caused Kushina to cry out in agony.

On one side was his child, on the other his wife...

Even on the chaotic battlefield, Namikaze Minato had never faced a situation more difficult than this.

Bang!!

The mysterious figure tossed the infant high into the air, forcing Minato to make a choice.

Whoosh—

Namikaze Minato used the Flying Thunder God to catch Naruto, but before he could even turn around, the explosive tags attached to the swaddling clothes began to hiss.

"Minato! Save Naruto!"

Enduring the pain, Kushina shrieked.

Ripping off the swaddling clothes, Namikaze Minato used the Flying Thunder God to escape the delivery room.

BOOM!!!!

Looking at the wooden hut reduced to ruins, Namikaze Minato realized that the mysterious figure had taken Kushina.

As Hokage, he quickly calmed himself to think.

A diversion to lure the tiger from the mountain...

The enemy's target is Kushina... no, it's the Nine-Tails!

Whoosh—

Namikaze Minato returned home, placed Naruto in the crib that had been prepared long ago, and took one long look at the child.

He turned, and donned his Hokage haori.

On the streets of the Uchiha district.

Uchiha Sora directed the clansmen on the commercial street to head toward the shelters.

Although the clansmen did not understand why he made such a request, just as Uchiha Tesho had said, they were all willing to trust Uchiha Sora.

He looked up at the full moon, followed by several members of the Military Police Force on patrol, among whom was Shisui.

"Sora... what is going to happen tonight? Why did you make the clansmen go to the shelters? Is someone going to attack the village?"

Shisui asked this every so often, with the attitude that if Uchiha Sora didn't explain, he would keep pestering him.

This was hardly surprising.

If someone told you that your entire clan was going to be slaughtered, but wouldn't tell you when or who was going to do it, you would be anxious too.

Uchiha Sora opened his mouth; he was getting annoyed by Shisui and was just about to clarify things...

--

--

ROAR!!!!!!!!!

A heaven-shaking roar echoed through the clouds!

Terrifying black-red chakra pierced the heavens and the earth.

Beneath the full moon, the Nine-Tailed Fox, as massive as a mountain, appeared in the center of the village.

As it swung its giant tails, the earth shook and the mountains swayed.

All of Konoha was instantly shrouded in a blood-red light.

The chakra vented by the Nine-Tailed Fox was like a passing typhoon; large swaths of buildings collapsed with a boom, turning into dust...

"The... the Nine-Tails!!"

The moment the Nine-Tailed Fox appeared, it caused the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

Iruka's parents, being ninjas, rushed toward the Nine-Tails at the first opportunity to buy time for the civilians to evacuate.

There were many other ninjas who shared the same thought; knowing they were no match, they still launched suicidal attacks one after another...

Their sacrifices only slowed the Nine-Tails' movements by a fraction of a second.

The streets were packed with villagers; the elderly were trampled to death, and infants wailed in their mothers' arms. A father was crushed to death by a collapsing beam while trying to protect his child...

In just a few seconds, the peaceful night had turned into...

A scroll of hell beneath a blood-colored night sky.

--

The moment the incident occurred, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, accompanied by Mitokado Homura, Torifu Akimichi, and others, arrived on the battlefield.

The Nine-Tails tilted its head back, its blood-red maw gathering a massive amount of chakra.

Anyone could sense that if such an attack landed in the village, the consequences would be terrifying.

"The Nine-Tails... how could this..."

The jinchuriki's childbirth would indeed weaken the seal, but the Fourth Hokage's mastery of sealing jutsu was extremely high; he should have been able to handle it...

What on earth had happened...

At this moment, someone noticed three pure black tomoe within the eye sockets of the Nine-Tails.

"That is... the Sharingan!!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent for a moment, his hands forming seals at high speed.

"Regardless of the cause, we must drive the Nine-Tails out of the village first... We cannot let it run rampant!"

Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu.

Enma King!!

--

--

"Hurry and rescue the village!"

Under Fugaku's command, the members of the Military Police Force gathered quickly and rushed toward the direction of the Nine-Tails, intending to join the battle.

Swish, swish, swish—

A squad of personnel wearing strange masks, resembling Anbu, blocked the path of the Uchiha members.

Fugaku spoke urgently: "Move aside, quickly!"

A man with bandages wrapped around half his face, a gloomy expression, and deep wrinkles stepped out from the crowd.

Shimura Danzō.

Leader of Root, advisor to the Hokage, and the high-ranking Konoha official most hostile toward the Uchiha.

Fugaku's expression was grim: "Lord Danzō, must you continue to monitor us at a time like this? The village needs our strength!"

He had long since sensed Root's covert surveillance of the Uchiha, but for the sake of the village's harmony, he had always chosen not to bring it up.

"The Nine-Tailed Fox matter will be handled by the Hokage."

Shimura Danzō's voice was raspy, his cold, sinister gaze sweeping over the gathered Uchiha: "By order of the Third Hokage, all Uchiha are forbidden from participating in the battle. Stay here and do nothing!"

"Any defiance or unauthorized movement will be treated as treason against the village!"

"What did you say!! You bastard! Can't you see our comrades dying out there!!"

"It's one thing for you not to lift a finger, but to stop us as well! Have you gone mad!!"

The Uchiha crowd was incensed, but Shimura Danzō remained unmoved, his eyes locked on Fugaku.

"Captain Fugaku, take your men and fall back!"

Within the Police Force, Uchiha Sora spoke softly to Shisui beside him.

"Do you see it, Shisui?"

"The tomoe in the eyes of the Nine-Tailed Fox—you should know what that implies."

"The village already suspects that the Uchiha clan orchestrated this incident. They sent people to stop us from joining the battle precisely because they fear we might take advantage of the chaos to control the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Shisui gritted his teeth, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Uchiha Sora continued.

"The Nine-Tailed Fox isn't enough to destroy Konoha. Think about it: if we don't participate and remain under suspicion of orchestrating this, how do you think we will be treated afterward?"

Shisui squeezed the words through his teeth.

"You... you knew all along... why... why didn't you tell the village sooner! Do you have any idea... how many people have died!!"

Uchiha Sora shook his head.

"I told you, I only care about my clansmen."

"As for them, what does it have to do with me?"

Click.

Shisui gripped his blade and said in a low voice: "I won't let that future come to pass. I am going to join the battle to clear the Uchiha of suspicion!"

"Too naive, Shisui."

The corners of Uchiha Sora's mouth curled upward: "Once the seed of suspicion is planted, trust no longer exists."

Shisui turned to glare at him, his three tomoe manifesting in his eyes, his voice raspy: "So we should just do nothing!!"

"Sora! Answer me!! What exactly are you trying to do!!!"

He looked toward the Nine-Tailed Fox being pushed out of the village by the Third Hokage, then shifted his gaze to Shimura Danzō at the front of the crowd, his smile widening.

Under the blood-red moonlight, he looked somewhat deranged.

"The mutual understanding you crave never existed to begin with."

"Severed bonds cannot be reconnected."

"Since they suspect us... then let's give them a reason to."

Whoosh.

A terrifying aura radiated from Uchiha Sora, rippling outward in waves so powerful that even Shisui struggled to keep his footing.

The turbulent fluctuations drew everyone's eyes toward Uchiha Sora, causing their hearts to tremble inexplicably.

Uchiha Sora slowly raised his palm toward the sky.

A series of data-like sounds echoed in his mind.

"Loan application received."

"Searching based on user request... Given that this is the user's first time using this platform, you are entitled to a double credit point experience."

"This loan will freeze 500 credit points in exchange for 1000 credit points of service. The loan term is 6 years. Do you accept?"

"Match successful. Please confirm to receive the power from another dimension."

"Final reminder."

"Please use this platform with caution. Do not borrow unless necessary. We wish you a better future."

The information in his mind flashed by in an instant.

Uchiha Sora's raised hand swung down violently, triggering a peal of thunder.

"Come forth..."

"Rayquaza!!"

Its majestic radiance illuminated the night sky!

The dragon overlord from on high descended with a roar, streaking across the horizon like a falling star!