S-Rank Mission

(Chapter 30: S-Rank Mission)

After hurriedly saying goodbye to Uchiha Mikoto, Mirai returned to his place and gathered some things, preparing for a fight at any moment. His goal was to take the Nine-Tails' chakra, but to the Nine-Tails, he was no more than an ant. Since he had never been in a real battle before, Mirai felt a little nervous. Still, he would have to adapt as things unfolded. He had no choice but to face it. Without a fearless heart, how could he ever become strong?

He didn't know if it would happen today or tomorrow, but he decided to go check on the Fourth Hokage's home first. No matter what, sitting around and waiting wasn't his style.

Outside Konoha, an entrance had appeared in the side of a cliff. This was a makeshift birthing chamber. The Fourth Hokage had personally placed a barrier around it, one with a formidable defense. Beyond the barrier stood a large number of Anbu Ninja.

Being an Anbu Ninja meant you were among the elite of the ordinary shinobi. If regular shinobi were police officers, the Anbu were special forces, with outstanding mobility and execution capabilities.

Besides the Anbu in plain sight, many more were stationed out of view across a wide area. Even if something unexpected happened, they could quickly send word.

"Thud!" In the dense forest not far from the birthing chamber, an Anbu Ninja fell to the ground. Blood seeped from his neck, his pupils already unfocused. Someone had killed him with a single strike.

A figure dressed in black and wearing a mask appeared. Strange markings covered the mask, with a round hole over the right eye through which he could see. He held a bloodstained Kunai. The Anbu's sudden death had gone unnoticed.

Soon, the figure vanished into twisted space. Before long, another Anbu had fallen at his feet.

At that moment, Uzumaki Kushina's cries of pain rang out from the birthing chamber. Biwako, the Third Hokage's wife, was helping with the delivery, while the Fourth Hokage used his chakra to suppress the Nine-Tails' assault on the seal and prevent it from escaping.

"It hurts so much!"

"Hang in there! It'll be over soon! Push!" Biwako urged her.

"The Nine-Tails is attacking even more fiercely." The Fourth Hokage felt the beast's assault on the seal intensify. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he fought to suppress it with all his strength.

"Waaah!" Suddenly, a newborn's cry rang through the chamber. Uzumaki Kushina, who had been shouting in pain, fell silent, the sound apparently making her forget all about it.

"Wonderful, he's a healthy boy!" Biwako said, bringing the newborn to Minato.

Minato took the baby and carried him over to Uzumaki Kushina. Tears welled in his eyes as he said, "Kushina, look. This is our son. Thank you. Thank you for giving me a son!"

"This is my duty as your wife. There's no need to thank me." Uzumaki Kushina reached out and wiped the tears from Namikaze Minato's eyes.

"Right, we still need to reinforce the Nine-Tails' seal. Mrs. Biwako, please look after Naruto for now." Minato handed the baby to the Third Hokage's wife, then began reinforcing the seal.

Suddenly, the sound of someone hitting the ground interrupted the sealing process. Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina both started, then turned and saw the Third Hokage's wife lying on the floor.

"Mrs. Biwako!" Minato cried. He looked up and saw someone standing nearby, holding his newborn son.

"Stay away from the Jinchuriki, or I'll kill your son," the Masked Man said coldly to Namikaze Minato.

"Minato, get our baby back!"

The Nine-Tails seemed to sense what was happening outside. After having quieted down, it began attacking the seal again. Minato's face tightened with worry. "Who are you?" How had this man gotten through the barrier he had put up? As he spoke, Namikaze Minato prepared to channel more chakra.

"So you don't want to save your child?" The Masked Man tossed Naruto into the air, then thrust a Kunai toward him as he fell.

"Naruto!" Uzumaki Kushina screamed in terror.

"Whoosh!" Minato appeared above the Masked Man in an instant and caught the newborn Naruto.

"As expected of the man known as the Yellow Flash. Your speed is truly unmatched. But what will you do now?"

Minato froze. Then he heard something burning. Looking down, he saw that the blanket wrapped around Naruto was covered in Paper Bombs. His expression changed.

Boom! Boom!

An explosion rang out. Minato appeared outside a house, holding Naruto. The house had been blown apart. It was his home; he had marked it long ago, and could teleport there at any time using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The Masked Man had forced him to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape. Minato realized that his opponent had been targeting Kushina all along.

"Fourth Hokage!" Mirai had already made his way nearby. Hearing the explosion, he hurried over and saw Namikaze Minato holding the newborn Naruto, with the remains of a house scattered nearby.

Hearing him, Namikaze Minato looked up and saw Mirai. He seemed surprised. "Mirai, you're just in time. Take this and get Naruto somewhere safe." Namikaze Minato handed Mirai a Kunai marked with a seal, then passed Naruto to him as well.

"Fourth Hokage, this..."

"I'll explain later. I have to go save Kushina. I'm counting on you to look after my son!" With that, Namikaze Minato vanished before Mirai's eyes.

[Clang! A Nine-Tails-related mission has been triggered. For the host's safety, assist Namikaze Minato in sealing the Nine-Tails. Mission reward: 100 Points. Abandoning or failing the mission will deduct 0 Points from the host. Mission difficulty: S-rank!]