S-Rank Mission

After hastily bidding farewell to Uchiha Mikoto, Mirai returned to his hideout and gathered his supplies, preparing himself for battle at any moment. His goal was to seize the Nine-Tails' chakra, yet compared to the Nine-Tails, he was no more than an ant. Having never truly fought before, Mirai felt a trace of nervousness in his heart, but he decided he would have to adapt as the situation unfolded; he had to face it regardless. Without a fearless heart, how could he ever hope to become a powerhouse in the future?

Although he did not know if it would be today or tomorrow, he decided to head toward the Fourth Hokage's home to scout the situation. Regardless of the outcome, sitting still and waiting for death was not in his nature.

Outside Konoha, a cave entrance appeared on a cliffside; this was the makeshift delivery room. Outside the room, the Fourth Hokage had personally set up a barrier with formidable defensive power, and beyond that barrier stood numerous Anbu ninjas.

To be an Anbu ninja meant one was an elite among ordinary shinobi. If standard ninjas were considered police, then the Anbu were special forces, possessing exceptional mobility and execution capabilities.

In addition to the Anbu ninjas visible on the surface, many more were deployed in the shadows, covering a wide perimeter so that even if an emergency occurred, they could be notified immediately.

"Puchi--!" In the dense forest not far from the delivery room, an Anbu ninja collapsed to the ground. Blood spilled from his neck, his pupils already dilated; he had been killed in a single strike.

A figure dressed in black, wearing a mask, appeared on the scene. The mask featured eerie patterns, with a circular hole at the right eye through which one could peer outward. In his hand, he held a blood-stained kunai. This sudden death of the Anbu member had not alerted anyone.

Soon, this figure vanished into the distorted space, and before long, another Anbu member fell at his feet.

At this moment, the sounds of Kushina Uzumaki screaming in pain drifted from the delivery room. Biwako, the wife of the Third Hokage, was assisting with the birth, while the Fourth Hokage used his chakra to help suppress the Nine-Tails' impact on the seal, preventing the beast from breaking free.

"It hurts so much~~!!"

"Endure a little longer, it will be over soon! Push!" Biwako urged.

"The Nine-Tails' impact is intensifying." The Fourth Hokage also felt the Nine-Tails striking the seal with greater ferocity; sweat began to bead on his forehead as he exerted his full strength to suppress it.

"Waaah~!" Suddenly, the cry of a baby rang out inside the delivery room. Kushina Uzumaki, who had been screaming in pain, stopped; clearly, this cry had made her forget her agony.

"Wonderful, it's a healthy boy!" Biwako said, carrying the newborn child to Minato.

Minato took the child and brought him before Kushina Uzumaki. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes as he said to her, "Kushina, look, this is our son. Thank you, thank you for giving me a son!"

"This is my duty as a wife; there is no need for thanks," Kushina Uzumaki said, reaching out to wipe the tears from Namikaze Minato's eyes.

"Right, I must reinforce the Nine-Tails' seal. Lady Biwako, I leave Naruto in your care for now." Minato handed the child to the Third Hokage's wife and began to reinforce the seal.

Suddenly, "Bang!" the sound of someone falling to the ground interrupted the sealing process. Namikaze Minato and Kushina Uzumaki were both startled. Turning around, they saw that the Third Hokage's wife had collapsed to the floor.

"Lady Biwako!" Minato exclaimed, then looked up to see an extra person standing nearby, holding his newborn son in his hand.

"Stay away from the jinchuriki, or I will kill your son," the Masked Man said in a low voice to Namikaze Minato.

"Minato, save our child!"

The Nine-Tails seemed to sense the situation outside; having previously given up, it began to strike the seal once more. Seeing this, Namikaze Minato's expression turned anxious: "Who exactly are you?" How had this person managed to break through the barrier he had set up? As he spoke, Namikaze Minato prepared to channel his chakra again.

"It seems you don't want to save your child," the Masked Man said, tossing Naruto directly into the air and thrusting his kunai toward the falling infant.

"Naruto!" Kushina Uzumaki screamed in terror.

"Shua--!" Minato's figure instantly appeared above the Masked Man, catching the newborn Naruto.

"As expected of the one known as the Yellow Flash; your speed is indeed unrivaled. But what will you do now?"

Minato was stunned, then heard the sound of something burning. Looking down, he saw that the blankets wrapping Naruto were covered in Paper Bombs. His expression shifted.

Boom! Boom!!

An explosion rang out. Minato appeared outside a house, holding Naruto. The house had been detonated; this was Minato's home, which he had marked long ago, allowing him to teleport there at any time using the Flying Thunder God technique.

Forcing him to use the Flying Thunder God technique to leave, Minato realized the opponent was targeting Kushina.

"Lord Fourth!" Mirai had already arrived nearby and, hearing the explosion, rushed over to see Namikaze Minato appearing with the newborn Naruto, the exploded house not far behind him.

Namikaze Minato heard the voice and looked up toward the source, surprised to see him: "Mirai, you've come at the right time. Take this and bring Naruto to a safe place." Namikaze Minato handed Mirai a kunai tied with a seal, then passed the Naruto in his arms to Mirai.

"Lord Fourth, this is..."

"I will explain it to you later. I must go save Kushina now. I leave my child in your care!" With that, Namikaze Minato vanished from before Mirai.

[Ding--! Nine-Tails related mission triggered. For the host's safety, assist Namikaze Minato in sealing the Nine-Tails. Mission Reward: 100 points. Abandoning or failing the mission will result in 0 points deducted from the host. Mission Difficulty: S-rank!]