Uchiha Clan's Reinforcements

BOOM! A massive body descended from the sky, instantly pulverizing houses within dozens of meters. The sonic pressure from its roar left everyone momentarily speechless.

"What is happening?" A villager, just outside the range of the initial impact, looked at the wounds torn into his body by the shockwave and asked in confusion.

He turned his head and saw a gargantuan beast before him: "Masaka? Nine-Tails!!!"

A scream of terror escaped his throat, carrying to the ears of others.

Ah! Ah! Ah!

Every surviving villager saw the culprit behind the destruction and began screaming as they scrambled to flee.

Seeing this, Uchiha Obito commanded in a low voice: "Do it, Nine-Tails..."

ROAR!

A bestial howl erupted from the Nine-Tails. It swiped its sharp claws, turning an intact building into rubble in the next second, and swept its tails, turning everything within dozens of meters into broken walls and ruins.

ROAR... Another furious roar followed, the power within it manifesting as a gale that flattened the fleeing crowds and the buildings blocking its path.

"Third Hokage, the Nine-Tails is..." An Anbu ninja reported anxiously to Hiruzen Sarutobi but was cut off.

"I am already aware. I will be the one to stop the Nine-Tails; you go and evacuate the non-combatants now." As he spoke, he looked toward the area where the Nine-Tails was rampaging, his heart filled with agony. Uzumaki Kushina's seal has been broken. Were all those layers of protection useless? What on earth happened? Biwako, you...

Uchiha Fugaku: "Hurry! The Nine-Tails has appeared in the village. All combatants with Three-Tomoe, follow me to provide support. The rest, go evacuate the civilians." With that, he led all the Three-Tomoe personnel toward the scene.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Crackle! Ah!

Under the Nine-Tails' assault, the sky over Konoha was gradually stained by fire. The sounds of explosions, thunderous roars, and the dying screams of ninjas were incessant.

Ninja A: "Are you ready?"

Ninja B: "Yeah, look here, Nine-Tails..."

BANG! BANG! Two loud thuds echoed as ninjas leaped into mid-air, striking the Nine-Tails' face with Explosive Tag.

Although Explosive Tag were lethal to ordinary ninjas, to the massive Nine-Tails, this damage wasn't even enough to count as a scratch. The attacking ninjas could only watch helplessly as the Nine-Tails, its attention drawn by the explosions, turned its head and swatted them—along with two other attackers—down, leaving them to let out a final, powerless scream before falling silent.

Ninjas: "Look over here, Nine-Tails! You're looking over there—it's here this time!"

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! Several ninjas launched attacks one after another, buying time for the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, the village, and their families, willing to drag out the Nine-Tails' pace even at the cost of their lives.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Every movement of the massive Nine-Tails whipped up endless gales. Ordinary ninjas couldn't even stand steady; they could only grit their teeth in the trees and roar at their comrades: "Don't be afraid! Even if we can't defeat the Nine-Tails, we must hold it here as long as possible to give the villagers enough time to evacuate..." Before he could finish, the Nine-Tails, drawn by the voice, interrupted him.

AH! A single swipe instantly turned the men into rags, crushing them and the giant tree beneath their feet into a pile of debris.

Just as these ninjas had suffered heavy casualties, Uchiha Obito, who had been watching from the sidelines, spotted Namikaze Minato on the Hokage Rock.

To drain Namikaze Minato's chakra, Uchiha Obito's Sharingan flickered slightly. The Nine-Tails paused as if receiving an order, turned toward Namikaze Minato on the Hokage Rock, gathered energy, and fired a massive Tailed Beast Bomb.

The power tore through the buildings along its path, leaving a trail of ruins that nearly split Konoha in two, before finally vanishing in front of Namikaze Minato.

A few seconds later.

BOOM!

A violent explosion occurred in an open field far from Konoha; it was clearly the Tailed Beast Bomb that had just vanished.

Watching the distant fire, the ninjas in the village knew at once that the Fourth Hokage had returned. Their morale surged, and led by the Third Hokage, they pressed forward to continue obstructing the Nine-Tails, waiting for Namikaze Minato's arrival.

On the other side, Uchiha Chen also witnessed this. He knew that the master-disciple duo of Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Obito were about to engage in their tragic battle. With no one left to guard Uzumaki Kushina, this was the perfect moment to strike. Thinking of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he used Kamui to vanish from the spot.

At this moment, only mother and son remained in Uzumaki Kushina's home. Watching Naruto sleeping peacefully beside her, hearing the faint roars of the Nine-Tails and the screams of villagers from the village, the strong woman silently shed tears of pain.

She gently touched Naruto's cheek and spoke softly:

"I'm sorry, Naruto. In the future, you must..." Before she could finish, she felt an unusual fluctuation behind her.

She turned, ready to unleash Adamantine Sealing Chains, but met a pair of Sharingan eyes. Her body went limp, and she lost consciousness.

Naruto, as if sensing something, began to wail loudly, as if he could wake his unconscious mother.

Uchiha Chen walked to the bedside and gazed quietly at Uzumaki Kushina. At this moment, she radiated a tenacity and resolve to protect Naruto, as if she would risk her life to eliminate him, the dangerous variable.

Seeming to perceive that Uchiha Chen had no intention of attacking, Uzumaki Kushina's aura gradually shifted amidst Naruto's crying, emitting a gentle, soothing presence.

Feeling Uzumaki Kushina's aura, Naruto's crying gradually faded until it vanished, and he fell back into a deep sleep.

Seeing this series of changes, Uchiha Chen couldn't help but reach out to stroke Uzumaki Kushina's cheek.

His heart grew increasingly filled with pity for this woman who, in the original story, was destined to be separated from her child forever right after giving birth.

He smoothed the brow that had furrowed at his touch and said in a low voice: "Rest assured, in this life, you will be there to watch Naruto grow up."

With that, he took one last deep look at her and vanished.

He left behind only Uzumaki Kushina, who woke up with a start after he departed. As if she had forgotten that anyone had intruded, she returned her gaze to the sleeping Naruto.

Elsewhere, Namikaze Minato was entangled with Uchiha Obito, determined to finish off the Masked Man who had caused all of this.

The two began a contest of speed.

Back in the village, the Third Hokage knew he could no longer let the Nine-Tails rampage.

He summoned Enma and, under the cover of other ninjas, used Adamantine Nyoi, utilizing the extended Enma to shove the Nine-Tails outside the village walls, preventing it from causing further destruction.

Uchiha Fugaku: "Third Hokage, the Uchiha clan has arrived to provide support." With Danzo no longer there to obstruct them, the Uchiha clan's reinforcements arrived in time.

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Very good, Clan Head Fugaku, you have arrived just in time." Seeing that all the reinforcements were Three-Tomoe ninjas, Hiruzen Sarutobi's suspicion toward the Uchiha clan diminished significantly.

Just then, he heard Fugaku's grave voice in his ear.

"Third Hokage, I have discovered that the Nine-Tails is being controlled—and it is being controlled by a Sharingan..."

As Fugaku's words fell, the surroundings grew silent. The ninjas nearby all began to eye the Uchiha clan members present with strange, wary gazes.