The Eve of the Storm

(Chapter 29: The Eve of the Storm)

Ye Han suppressed his excitement. He was still a long way from becoming powerful. Especially later on, when ninjas would throw out jutsu as if they cost nothing, his advantage would only give him a slight edge. But at this point, before even the early stages had begun, this skill was more useful to him than any jutsu.

(In the battles that would later sweep across the Shinobi World, Ye Han would earn the renowned title "Instant Seal Ye Han." Everyone who witnessed him use his techniques spread word of his fame throughout the Shinobi World. They described him this way: he had a pair of hands as uncanny as a ghost's. The moment you began forming Hand Seals, you would find his jutsu already right in front of you. His techniques erupted in an instant, cutting off every avenue of escape. All that awaited you was death.)

Ye Han's life went on as usual: school, then home. He hadn't told anyone how fast he could form Hand Seals. To him, that was his greatest trump card for now. Since he still wasn't strong enough, it was better to keep a low profile. He didn't want to attract anyone's attention.

Ye Han also trained with the Hyuga clan members every day. They had all made great progress, and after a year and a half together, he had come to think of them as friends. So he taught them everything he knew without holding back, helping them grow stronger. Once you became a ninja, your life was no longer in your own hands. If you wanted to control your fate, you had to become stronger than anyone else.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye. Ye Han kept training his Hand Seals, mastering every variation and transition so he could become more familiar with his hands. He could now control them perfectly, and his strength had improved a little more. The feeling of growing stronger filled him with satisfaction.

In October, Konoha's senior officials gathered in the Hokage Office. The Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō were all there.

"Minato, is Kushina about to give birth?" the Third Hokage asked.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato, nodded. "Yes, Kushina is close to giving birth, but..."

"I know what you're thinking. Since Kushina is about to give birth, the Nine-Tails' seal will weaken to its lowest point. Lady Mito, the First's wife, went through the same thing. The Nine-Tails nearly broke free," the Third Hokage said, frowning.

Utatane Koharu spoke up. "The Nine-Tails is too dangerous. We can't let it break free of the seal! Otherwise, it could bring disaster upon Konoha."

"We need to come up with a proper plan," Mitokado Homura said. Shimura Danzō glanced at them but said nothing, maintaining his silence.

"How about this? We'll set up the delivery room outside the village. I'll have Biwako go with Kushina and help deliver the baby. Minato, you should go too. If the Nine-Tails breaks free of the seal, we'll need your strength. I'll send the Hokage's personal Anbu to guard them. Kushina will just have to put up with the inconvenience."

"Lord Third, this is already more than enough. There's no inconvenience to speak of," Minato replied.

Three days later, Uzumaki Kushina and Biwako were heading out of the village when they happened to run into Kushina's friend, Uchiha Mikoto. Mikoto was holding Uchiha Sasuke, who was still a newborn, and the two naturally stopped to chat.

Uzumaki Kushina's eyes lit up as she looked at the baby in Uchiha Mikoto's arms. "Is it a girl?"

"No... a boy..." Uchiha Mikoto replied. She still couldn't get used to her friend's impulsive nature.

"What's his name? Have you picked one yet?"

"We have. Sasuke."

When she heard that, Biwako, the Third Hokage's wife, said, "Oh... the same name as the Third Hokage's father? I hope he grows up to be a great ninja."

"My baby already has a name too. He's called Naruto. Ye Han came up with it while we were eating ramen. They'll be classmates someday. I hope they become good friends."

"Ye Han? Ye Han is Mie's son, and Sasuke's cousin. I had no idea that boy was good at coming up with names," Uchiha Mikoto said with a smile.

"So he's Mie's son. No wonder he looked familiar when I saw him. It seems we're all connected somehow. By the way, I wanted to ask you... does it really hurt that much?" Uzumaki Kushina leaned close to Uchiha Mikoto's ear and whispered.

Seeing her friend's nervous expression, Uchiha Mikoto smiled. "I never thought Kushina would be afraid of anything. How surprising."

When Biwako saw that Kushina was falling into one of her old habits again, she took her hand. "All right, let's go, Kushina."

"Ah! Right! Mikoto, I'll be going."

Uchiha Mikoto smiled and waved to Kushina. "See you."

After they had walked for a while, Biwako said to Kushina, "Your delivery is supposed to be a secret. Even if you run into someone you know, you should avoid them."

Kushina scratched her head and gave an embarrassed laugh. "R-right. Sorry, I saw someone I knew and forgot." Biwako sighed. She knew what Kushina was like; she would probably forget again before long. Then the two of them continued on toward the outskirts of the village.

At that very moment, Ye Han happened to run into Uchiha Mikoto on the street, so naturally he went over to greet her. Uchiha Mikoto was Itachi's mother, and she was also closely connected to Ye Han's current identity.

As they chatted, Uchiha Mikoto suddenly remembered what Uzumaki Kushina had said earlier. She told Ye Han about running into Kushina and how he had come up with a nice name for Kushina's baby.

Ye Han's expression shifted slightly. He had always been hazy about the timeline in Naruto. He only knew that the Nine-Tails had attacked the village on the day Naruto Uzumaki was born.

He hurriedly asked whether Uzumaki Kushina was about to give birth. From what Uchiha Mikoto told him, it seemed it would happen tonight at the earliest, or tomorrow.

Then the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha was very likely to happen tonight. Ye Han's expression grew serious. He hadn't forgotten that he still had a Nine-Tails-related mission to complete.