Ah!
Thud! Thud!
A scream rang out, followed by two thuds as people hit the ground. Namikaze Minato whipped around and saw Biwako Sarutobi and another medical ninja, Tian Lu, lying unconscious. Even his son, Naruto, had been snatched in the attack. The assailant held his left hand hovering over the infant's head, and the air seemed to freeze.
Uchiha Obito: "Fourth Hokage, you have one minute to leave the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Otherwise, your son has only one minute left to live."
"The Nine-Tails' seal is already at its limit. Who is this guy?" Faced with Uchiha Obito's threat, Namikaze Minato was caught in a dilemma.
Just then, Uchiha Obito tossed Naruto into the air and leaped after him, a kunai appearing suddenly in his hand. He looked ready to turn Naruto's birthday into his death day.
A flash of golden light streaked by. Naruto disappeared from above Uchiha Obito and reappeared in Namikaze Minato's arms.
Uchiha Obito: "As expected of the famous Yellow Flash. But what will you do now?"
Sizzle! Sizzle! The sound of an Explosive Tag burning made Namikaze Minato's eyes widen. It was about to explode, and he had no choice but to force himself to stay calm and vanish in an instant with the Flying Thunder God. Boom! A house in the distance exploded, leaving only rubble behind—and Namikaze Minato and his son, now out of danger.
Nearby, Kushina, bound and struggling to stay conscious, managed to demand an answer.
Uzumaki Kushina: "What do you... want?"
Uchiha Obito: "I'm going to pull the Nine-Tails out of you and destroy Konoha."
Uzumaki Kushina: "What did you say?"
Uchiha Obito: "Moving from one space to another using a marked spot—that's Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique. It seems there's a mark inside your seal, too. Normally, Namikaze Minato protects you, but now I've led him away. And because childbirth weakened the seal to its limit, I've been waiting for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
As he spoke, the Sharingan in Uchiha Obito's eyes began to turn.
The Nine-Tails inside the seal was about to speak when a Sharingan flashed in its slit pupils. Its reason gradually slipped away.
Uchiha Obito: "All right, come out now, Nine-Tails..."
Vast amounts of chakra were slowly drawn from Uzumaki Kushina's body.
A dark chakra orb swelled until it was as large as a hill, radiating hatred, bloodlust, and murderous intent—an endless tide of negative emotions.
Rip! A pair of claws tore the enormous chakra orb apart.
A roar followed, as if the beast were venting the fury it had built up during all those years in captivity. But a closer look revealed the Sharingan in its eyes, laying bare the truth for everyone to see.
It had merely gone from being a beast in a cage to a pet on a leash.
"All right, head for Konoha." Uchiha Obito turned away, ignoring Uzumaki Kushina, who was on the verge of death. To Obito, this world was wrong. Once his plan was complete, Minato-sensei, Sister Kushina, and Rin would all be brought back perfectly. He would even be a member of Team Minato again. With that thought, his resolve only grew stronger.
Kushina: "Wait..."
Uchiha Obito: "As expected of the Uzumaki Clan. Even after the Tailed Beast has been ripped out of you, you're still able to move and haven't died immediately. In that case, I'll have the Nine-Tails finish you off..."
Boom!
A massive gust of wind erupted beneath the Nine-Tails' claws. Boulders crumbled, and the earth shook.
Kushina, who should have died beneath the Nine-Tails' claws, vanished in an instant.
She reappeared on the tip of a tree, where Namikaze Minato had carried her to safety.
"Minato... You have to stop him. He's trying to destroy Konoha..."
Hearing this, Namikaze Minato was consumed by murderous intent. He made no show of his feelings, only shooting Obito a murderous glance before vanishing with Kushina in his arms.
"As expected of the Yellow Flash. You're still just as fast. But it doesn't matter..." Uchiha Obito turned and headed toward Konoha with the Nine-Tails behind him.
Meanwhile, no one in Konoha knew that a tragedy was about to unfold that night.
Everyone was immersed in the peaceful evening.
Cats darted back and forth through a hole beneath the wooden wall. In the houses above, mothers scolded their children for coming home late.
The streets were full of people, including a few drunks leaning on each other as they staggered along, trading tipsy jibes.
A chill chakra began to seep through the air, and even the temperature gradually dropped.
At the Uchiha Clan.
"It's here. As expected of our master—the Nine-Tails really has appeared." Ready for battle, Uchiha Fugaku sensed the chakra in the air growing colder and looked at Uchiha Chen with reverence.
Uchiha Chen ignored Fugaku's flattery and turned to the two who were ready to go. His voice was grave. "The Nine-Tails has broken free of its seal and will reach the village soon. Mikoto, Izumi, get into my Kamui Dimension first..."
The Sharingan in his eyes turned slightly, and the two vanished before Fugaku and Uchiha Chen.
"Your master's eye technique is truly powerful. Every time I see it, I'm amazed..."
Ignoring Fugaku, who was laying on the praise, Uchiha Chen ordered him in a low voice, "All right, that's enough flattery. Remember to follow my orders later. If anything goes wrong..." He let his gaze linger meaningfully.
As Fugaku broke into a cold sweat under his stare, Uchiha Chen disappeared into thin air with a flicker of Kamui.
Fugaku was left alone. After Uchiha Chen had gone, he slowly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then composed himself and left with a stern expression to alert the Uchiha Police Force and begin the next phase of their operation.
Meanwhile, at Root Base.
Shimura Danzō: "Everyone, remember what I told you. Move out!"
Root shinobi: "Yes, sir!"
After everyone from Root had set out at Danzō's command...
"The Nine-Tails really has appeared. As expected of our master—he saw it all coming." Danzō, his face full of reverence, praised Uchiha Chen from afar before setting out as well. But he moved sluggishly, his face pale. It seemed the events of that afternoon still weighed on him.
At the same time, quite a few people in the village sensed that something was wrong.
"Guy, do you feel anything? The air seems a lot colder." Hatake Kakashi stared at Guy, his expression grave.
But... "It's your heart that's cold, Kakashi! Youth should burn with passion..." Might Guy had completely missed Kakashi's point and was too caught up in his own fervor to do anything but challenge him to another match.
At the Sarutobi Clan Compound: "This feeling... It can't be. Minato, Kushina, Biwako, please be safe!" Sensing something amiss, Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed anxiously at the moon outside his window and murmured to himself.
At the Uchiha Clan Head Residence, because of the Night of the Nine-Tails tonight,
Uchiha Chen and the others had prepared to leave early. Only Uchiha Itachi was at home, holding Sasuke Uchiha beneath the veranda and staring at the moon with a grave expression.
"I have a bad feeling. And of all times, Dad and Mom aren't home. Even Uncle Chen and Izumi had to leave."
Then he looked down at Sasuke in his arms, his gaze firm. "Don't worry, Sasuke. Your big brother will protect you."
While many people were still immersed in an atmosphere of unease,
a figure slowly emerged in a corner of the village. It was Uchiha Obito, who had finally arrived.
"Summoning Jutsu!" At his low shout, a massive summoning array spread across the surrounding rooftops.
Boom! With a deafening crash, the Nine-Tails appeared!!!