The Masked Man Appears

Yin Xiang had noticed, of course, that Rin hadn't visited in a long time. She was probably dead. Fortunately, he and Rin hadn't been very close, or he might have been heartbroken.

Kakashi would sometimes take off his mask at the window and show his face to little Yin Xiang. The smile at the corner of his mouth beneath the mask seemed strained, which only made Yin Xiang more certain that Rin was dead.

"Little Yin Xiang, time for your milk." The wet nurse came over with a bottle. Yin Xiang was lying in bed, and he took it himself and began to drink. She barely had to do anything for him.

"What a good boy." The wet nurse patted Yin Xiang's head. She had never seen such an obedient child. What was more, at just five months old, Yin Xiang could already manage simple conversations. He was a true prodigy.

"Where's Mom?" Yin Xiang asked the wet nurse.

"She's reading the paper in the living room. Your little brother will be here soon," the wet nurse replied.

Yin Xiang nodded. "All right. When I'm done, I'll call you." He spoke in short phrases to hide how fluently he could speak Japanese.

"Okay." The wet nurse smiled and nodded, then left the room. Yin Xiang needed almost no looking after, and Kushina could take care of herself, too. The wet nurse mostly just cooked, washed dishes, and cleaned, so her job was fairly easy.

Yin Xiang still remembered the first time he'd called Minato and Kushina "Mom" and "Dad." They'd been overjoyed. A child so young and already so sensible—he was sure to become someone remarkable one day.

When Minato came home from work, he would sometimes tell Yin Xiang about ninjutsu. Yin Xiang pretended to understand and committed everything to memory. Whenever no one was watching, he secretly practiced Hand Seals with his little hands.

In the blink of an eye, another five months passed. Jiraiya came to visit Yin Xiang during that time, and he even chose a name for Kushina's child: Naruto.

Then, at last, that night arrived.

The day Kushina was due to give birth, a woman took her outside the village. Since her delivery was a secret, they had to be especially cautious.

They were in a cave outside the village, surrounded by a barrier. Four Anbu stood guard outside, while Minato personally suppressed the Nine-Tails inside Kushina's seal. It was the first time he had seen her scream in pain.

After a long time of shouting, a baby's cry rang out. Kushina stopped screaming and gasped for breath. Hearing Naruto cry, she began to weep with joy.

As Minato gazed at Naruto in the midwife's arms, he froze for a moment. Seeing his own son, he too was overwhelmed with excitement and shed tears.

After Kushina had seen Naruto, Minato prepared to fully suppress the Nine-Tails. But then the midwife was killed, and a Masked Man appeared before them, holding Naruto.

All Yin Xiang knew was that the midwife had taken Kushina away. He and the wet nurse had been left at home. Now one year old, Yin Xiang stood by the window, staring outside with a grave expression. Even the wet nurse beside him was too scared to speak.

Yin Xiang knew something was going to happen tonight. He looked at his hands. What could he do in this body? Nothing! All he could do was wait here while Minato and Kushina went to their deaths.

BOOM!

A loud explosion came from a small house in the vacant lot behind their home. Yin Xiang heard it and hurried over.

"Young master! Young master!" the wet nurse called after him, but Yin Xiang ignored her and ran outside. He saw Minato land on the ground with Naruto in his arms.

The Masked Man had just thrown Naruto into the air and was about to stab him with a Kunai. Minato had rescued him with the Body Flicker Technique, but an Explosive Tag was stuck to the blanket around Naruto.

With no other choice, Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to get to the small house and toss away the blanket. The explosion destroyed the house.

"Dad!" Yin Xiang ran up to Minato, step by step, then stopped to catch his breath.

"Yin Xiang!" Minato crouched down. He hadn't expected to see him here. "Yin Xiang, what are you doing here?"

"I... pant, pant..." Yin Xiang took a couple of quick breaths. "I had a feeling something would happen tonight. Then I heard the explosion, so I came running."

"You're hurt, Dad." Yin Xiang reached out and pulled a piece of wood from Minato's leg. It had been driven into him by the explosion.

"Yin Xiang." Minato patted his head. "Look after your little brother. I'll be back soon." Then he used the Flying Thunder God Technique again, returning home to lay Naruto on the bed. He left two scrolls behind. The Masked Man's target was Kushina, and Minato had to get back to her as quickly as possible.

Just as Minato was about to leave, Yin Xiang grabbed his sleeve. "You have to come back, Dad."

Minato paused at Yin Xiang's sorrowful expression. "Don't worry. I'll be back." Then he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to where he had been.

Yin Xiang picked up the two scrolls and looked at them: the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Rasengan.

Meanwhile, the Masked Man had tied Kushina to a pillar and begun extracting the Nine-Tails. Dark red chakra poured from her abdomen, forming a fox's head. At last, the Nine-Tails emerged from her stomach and roared at the sky, its eyes now transformed into the Sharingan.

Just as the Nine-Tails was about to attack the weakened Kushina, Minato arrived. He grabbed her and vanished, reappearing in front of Yin Xiang.

"Mom!" Seeing how weak Kushina was, Yin Xiang hurried over and took her hand.

"Yin Xiang, I'm back." Though weak, Kushina spoke to him. Minato carried her to the bed, and all the while she held tightly to Yin Xiang's hand.

"Mom... are you going to die?" Yin Xiang held her hand beside the bed. Kushina held his hand in one of hers and Naruto in the other.

"Of course not. I'm fine." Kushina turned to pat Yin Xiang's head, managing a faint smile.

"Mom, you're lying to me. If a Tailed Beast leaves its host, they'll die." Tears streamed down Yin Xiang's face as he spoke. Kushina and Minato exchanged a startled look, and she quickly wiped away his tears.

"How do you know that, Yin Xiang?" Kushina asked gently.

"Dad... Dad will die with you to seal the Tailed Beast. I... I foresaw it." In his panic, Yin Xiang remembered what the Third Hokage had said about Minato and the precognitive Insoro. He decided to pass it off as a prophetic ability.

Swish.

Minato put on his Fourth Hokage's cloak.

He came over and patted Yin Xiang's head, placing his hand over Kushina's. "You mustn't tell anyone what you foresaw, Yin Xiang."

"But, Dad..." Yin Xiang turned to look at Minato, now dressed in his cloak. "Even knowing you'll die, you're still going?"

"Yeah..." Minato nodded. "It's my duty as the Fourth Hokage."

"Minato, thank you. Be careful," Kushina said, turning to hold Naruto.

"Yeah. I'll be right back." Minato spoke with unwavering resolve, then vanished from Yin Xiang's sight.