When It Rains, It Pours! Minato Was at His Wit's End!

The Great Toad Sage's aged, weary voice struck Namikaze Minato's heart like a heavy hammer.

The prophecy... had changed.

God of Calamity, Nine Beast Skeletons, Ultimate Suffering, True New Life...

Each word was like an impenetrable fog, swallowing all his hopes and understanding.

He had no idea how he'd left the Ancient Hall, or how he'd returned to Konoha in a daze.

When the sensation of space twisting faded and the familiar furnishings of the Hokage's office came into view, Minato felt the world spin around him. He could barely stay on his feet.

Instinctively, he braced himself against the desk, his knuckles whitening with the effort.

His mind was a complete mess.

Uchiha Madara, the Akatsuki, an alliance with Kirigakure, Obito's betrayal... and now there was a new prophecy, one that overturned everything and was filled with despair.

Naruto... what would become of his son in the future?

Would being a Jinchuriki make him part of the calamity? Or would he be an innocent victim who perished amid that Ultimate Suffering?

Minato didn't dare think about it any further.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, then vanished from the office in a flash.

The next second, he appeared in his home.

The living room was quiet. His wife, Kushina, sat on the sofa, knitting a sweater and humming an unfamiliar tune. Her fiery red hair looked especially warm in the glow of the setting sun.

Hearing the commotion, Kushina looked up. When she saw Minato, a radiant smile immediately lit up her face.

"You're back? Why so early today?"

But she soon noticed that something was wrong with Minato's expression.

"Minato, what's wrong? You look awful."

"...It's nothing." Minato forced a smile and sat down beside her. "Just dealt with some troublesome matters. I'm a little tired."

He reached out and gently touched Kushina's slightly rounded belly, where the Nine-Tails' Yang Chakra was safely sealed. And in the bedroom's cradle, his newborn son was sleeping peacefully.

"I'm a little worried about Naruto." Minato's voice was low, with a tremor he hadn't even noticed himself.

Kushina stopped knitting and clasped his hand, comforting him softly. "Don't worry. With both of us here, Naruto will be the happiest child in the world. No matter what happens, our family will always be together."

Our family...

Minato felt as if something had seized his heart and squeezed it hard.

He couldn't tell her what terrifying future they might have to face.

All he could do was pull his wife tightly into his arms, as if he wanted to fold her into his very being.

"Yeah. Our family, together forever."

A look of resolve appeared in Minato's eyes. He had to protect his family and preserve Konoha's hard-won peace. That was his duty as Hokage!

However, that brief moment of tenderness was soon shattered by some unexpected news.

An Anbu Ninja wearing a mask appeared silently in the middle of the living room and dropped to one knee.

"Fourth Hokage, we have an emergency!"

Minato released Kushina. The warmth vanished from his face, replaced by the calm authority of the Fourth Hokage.

"What is it?"

"Third Lord and Lord Jiraiya request your immediate presence at the Hokage's office. There's critical intelligence that requires your personal decision."

Minato's heart sank.

If the Third Lord and his Teacher were both calling it an "emergency," then it was definitely serious.

He gave Kushina an apologetic look. She simply nodded with concern. "Go on. The village comes first."

Minato hugged her, then vanished once more.

Inside the Hokage's office.

The atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat on the sofa, puffing on his pipe one drag after another, his brow knitted in a deep frown. Jiraiya stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, his expression so dark it seemed ready to rain.

In another corner of the office, Shimura Danzō sat quietly in the shadows, like a lifeless statue.

Minato appeared out of thin air.

"Third Lord, Teacher, what happened?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing. He merely lifted his chin and gestured toward the desk.

Minato walked over and saw a scroll spread out on it. The contents made his pupils contract sharply.

It was an investigative report, accompanied by more than a dozen horrifying photographs.

The photographs showed a gloomy Underground Laboratory. Next to various sophisticated experimental instruments lay mutilated bodies, their forms grotesquely twisted. Some were even still alive, their bodies forcibly grafted with tissues that didn't belong to them, their faces twisted with pain and despair.

The report's conclusion pointed straight to a name Minato couldn't believe—

Orochimaru.

"This... this is..."

"Wood Release Human Experiment." Danzō's cold voice came from the corner, breaking the silence. "Even after the Third Lord canceled the Wood Release Human Experiment, Orochimaru continued this inhumane Forbidden Jutsu Research behind our backs."

Minato abruptly turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen, his voice tinged with reproach. "Third Lord, you knew about this?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes in pain and slowly exhaled a ring of smoke. "This happened a long time ago. After the First passed away, Lord Tobirama continued cultivating successors to Wood Release, so he secretly began researching the Wood Release Bloodline Limit. Back then, they were already experimenting on death-row prisoners, captives, and volunteers. After Lord Tobirama, in an effort to regain the powerful Wood Release Bloodline Limit, I authorized Danzō and Orochimaru to work together on Wood Release research. Many members of the Senju Clan volunteered for the experiments, hoping to gain the power of Wood Release and restore the former glory of the God of Hokage. Unfortunately, none of them succeeded. Later, I expressly forbade Orochimaru from continuing his research. I never imagined he would go this far—secretly continuing these inhumane human experiments and even targeting the village's own ninjas. Danzō eventually discovered him."

"Hmph. Sentimental foolishness." Danzō scoffed without a trace of courtesy. "I should have led the entire experiment from the start instead of leaving Orochimaru in charge of everything. If I hadn't kept people watching him, he might have turned countless Konoha Ninja into his test subjects before any of you caught on!"

Jiraiya slammed a fist into the wall, producing a dull thud.

"That bastard!" he growled through gritted teeth. "How dare he!"

His Teacher's disciple, his former companion, one of the Sannin of Konoha...

Minato felt his temples throb.

Uchiha Madara had already thrown everything into chaos. And now Orochimaru had betrayed the village too?

What in the world was going on?

Why was everything turning out for the worst?

"Was this information uncovered by your people?" Minato asked Danzō.

"That's right." There was a hint of satisfaction in Danzō's voice. "My people found this evidence at one of his abandoned hideouts. We also learned that he's recently been in frequent contact with many unidentified ninjas. It seems he's plotting something."

Minato's mind raced.

Was Orochimaru's betrayal an isolated incident, or was it connected to the Akatsuki?

He didn't dare think any further.

If Orochimaru had joined the Akatsuki too, the organization's strength would grow to unimaginable heights.

"Where is he now?" Minato's voice turned cold.

"According to our intel, his largest Secret Laboratory is deep inside the Death Forest, south of the village," Danzō replied.

Minato's gaze sharpened. "Teacher, Third Lord, it looks like we'll have to go there ourselves."

Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly stood, tapping his pipe against the ashtray. His aged face was filled with grief and resolve.

"That wayward student... I'll deal with him myself."

Jiraiya stood up as well, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Count me in. I want to ask him to his face what he thinks he's doing!"

Just as the three of them reached an agreement and prepared to set out at once—

"Whoosh!"

Another Anbu Ninja appeared in the middle of the office, his voice urgent.

"Hokage, something's wrong!"

"There was a massive explosion in the direction of the Death Forest!"

"What?!" Minato's heart jolted.

The Anbu Ninja continued his report. "According to the initial report from the investigators at the scene, the explosion centered on one of Lord Orochimaru's Secret Research Facilities. The area is engulfed in flames, and the Chakra readings are extremely chaotic!"

They were too late!

Orochimaru had realized he'd been exposed. He was destroying the evidence and escaping!

The atmosphere in the office instantly turned icy.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened. He abruptly turned, and for the first time, his cloudy old eyes flashed with a piercing, scrutinizing light as he stared fixedly at the shadow in the corner.

"Danzō..."

His voice was hoarse and low, filled with suppressed fury.

"How did you happen to bring us Orochimaru's intelligence... at this exact moment?"