Minato's Worst-Case Scenario

"Master Jiraiya, I'll leave this to you," Minato said, turning to Jiraiya with a gentle smile. The space around them rippled violently, and in an instant, Minato, Kushina, and the Nine-Tails vanished from the scene.

"Minato! Kushina!"

For some reason, a wave of panic washed over Jiraiya, as if some unforeseen disaster were about to unfold.

"Jiraiya!"

Just as he stood stunned, an urgent cry for help reached his ears. He looked toward the source and saw the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage was nearing his limit; sweat had soaked through his combat vest, and his hands, gripping the Adamantine Staff, were trembling uncontrollably. His chakra reserves were nearly depleted.

"Teacher, you've grown weak," Jiraiya muttered to himself. With no other choice, he abandoned the thought of following Minato and turned to help the Third Hokage suppress the Three-Tails.

By now, dozens of figures had gathered behind the Third Hokage. Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, and other elites from the various clans had arrived, yet they dared not rashly join the battle before them.

The power of a Tailed Beast was simply not something they could contend with.

Inside Konoha Village, not far from the Senju clan compound.

"Damn it, who exactly are you people?" Tsunade roared, her eyes squeezed shut. Her body could be seen trembling incessantly.

Standing before her were over a dozen figures, all shrouded in black cloaks that obscured their identities.

If it were just these individuals, they would certainly be no match for Tsunade, one of the Sannin. However, Tsunade currently suffered from a fatal weakness: hemophobia.

Naraku had miscalculated one thing: the Tsunade of this era had not yet suffered from hemophobia for over a decade as she did in the original timeline.

Ultimately, Tsunade's hemophobia stemmed from her inability to accept the deaths of Dan and Nawaki.

But even the deepest wounds heal with time. In the original story, after more than a decade, she had largely recovered, and with the help of Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu," her recovery was only natural.

Yet, things were different now; at this point in time, her fear of blood remained intense.

These cloaked figures were exploiting this very weakness to keep her pinned here. By the light of the moon, one could see the ground around Tsunade was drenched in scarlet blood.

Even someone as powerful as one of the Sannin was being held back in such a manner.

Drip! Drip!

In a gloomy room filled with colorful potions and various experimental equipment.

This was Orochimaru's laboratory, and today, he had a special guest.

With his right eye and right arm wrapped in bandages, it was none other than one of Konoha's three advisors and the leader of the Root, Shimura Danzo.

Opposite him sat Orochimaru.

"Heh."

The intense sounds of battle outside Konoha Village could not be hidden from the two of them. Orochimaru let out a cold laugh. "Such interesting things are happening in the village. Does Elder Danzo not intend to go and take a look?"

"Hmph!"

"Orochimaru, there are some things you would do well not to involve yourself in. Isn't it better to stay here peacefully and conduct your experiments?"

Danzo spoke in a lukewarm tone, his expressionless face betraying nothing of his thoughts.

Hearing this thinly veiled threat, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in their depths.

"Were those materials from last time useful?" Danzo asked, his voice once again indifferent.

Orochimaru's expression shifted upon hearing this, though he quickly recovered, flicking his tongue across his lips. "Indeed. It is better to stay in the laboratory after all; after all, the task you assigned me, Elder Danzo, has yet to be completed."

Hmph, Danzo sneered inwardly. Hiruzen, I do all of this for the sake of Konoha. The position of Hokage will be mine sooner or later.

At Minato's home.

"Waa!" "Waa!"

Listening to Naruto's cries, Naraku wore a bitter expression. Having lived two lives, he had never taken care of a child before. Furthermore, his anxiety over Kushina and the others made it impossible for him to calm down and soothe the infant.

His face was visibly pale, and a trace of exhaustion lingered between his brows.

This was the side effect of helping others recover from their injuries, but Naraku did not regret it; it was the only way he could be of any help right now.

Suddenly, he whipped his head toward the window, his small body tensing as he shielded Naruto behind him. However, upon catching sight of that familiar silver hair, he relaxed.

"It's Kakashi-nii," he whispered, though a second later, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Kakashi, wearing his cat mask, stepped into the room, followed by another figure—a man in a green jumpsuit and a green tactical vest, sporting thick eyebrows.

"Guy-nii, you're here too?" Naraku was genuinely surprised; he hadn't expected Kakashi to bring Guy along.

He guessed this must have been Minato's arrangement. Although the information he had leaked had changed many things, it seemed Minato had still prepared for the worst.

Sending Kakashi and Guy was likely intended to ensure Naruto could be taken to safety.

"Naraku, Master told me to take you and Naruto to him," Kakashi said.

His tone was filled with questions. While he knew about Kushina's labor, he was unaware that the Nine-Tails had broken its seal.

He had originally intended to head outside the village to support the Third Hokage, but he had been intercepted by Minato halfway, who then entrusted him with this mission.

Because he had to transport two people, Kakashi had recruited Guy along the way.

So, the worst-case scenario for bringing both of us here is to turn us both into jinchuriki? Naraku thought to himself.

Regardless, I won't let my sister die.

In a dense forest outside Konoha Village, the previously stable space suddenly fluctuated violently, and a massive figure abruptly appeared, crashing heavily onto the ground.

The giant figure seemed to be bound by several iron chains; despite its constant struggling, it remained unable to break free.

It was the Nine-Tails, and shortly after, the figures of Kushina and Minato appeared as well.

"Ugh!"

Kushina, having just landed, suddenly stumbled and nearly collapsed to the ground. Minato, standing nearby, quickly reached out to steady her.

"Kushina," a flicker of heartache crossed Minato's eyes.

"I'm fine," Kushina shook her head, signaling for Minato not to worry about her.

"We should deal with the Nine-Tails first."

Kushina forced herself to stay focused, struggling to control the Adamantine Sealing Chains to keep the Nine-Tails firmly bound.

Although her body had recovered slightly thanks to Naraku's help, it was merely a temporary measure—at best, it could only delay her death and restore some of her chakra. Having lost her status as a jinchuriki, she was ultimately destined to die.

Unless she could reseal the Nine-Tails before her back into her body, she would never recover.