Year 48 of Konoha, early autumn.
A gentle breeze sent a few withered leaves swirling through the bustling shopping district.
Outside a baby-supply store.
"Mikoto, look at this little outfit. Isn't it adorable?"
Kushina Uzumaki stood with her enormous belly, holding a tiny orange romper. Her face glowed with the happiness of a woman about to become a mother. Pregnancy had left her a little swollen, but her red hair still blazed like fire.
"It suits him perfectly."
Uchiha Mikoto replied with a smile, holding the hand of six-year-old Sasuke. She glanced at Kushina's belly, her eyes gentle. "That fool Minato will love it. Have you picked a name yet?"
"Master Jiraiya came up with one: Naruto." Kushina stroked her belly, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. "It sounds a little like a ramen topping, but it means perseverance and never giving up."
It was a warm and beautiful scene.
But in places ordinary people couldn't see, the tension was taut as a bowstring.
On rooftops, in alleys, among the crowds... at least three elite Anbu squads were on the highest alert. Their eyes stayed fixed on the area within ten meters of Kushina. Any suspicious person who tried to approach would be killed instantly.
On the second floor of a dango shop across the street.
Xuan Shi sat by the window with a cup of hot tea in his hands, calmly watching everything below through the rising steam.
A year had passed.
On the surface, Konoha had been peaceful throughout that year. The wounds of the Third Shinobi World War were healing, and the village had welcomed long-awaited peace and prosperity.
But Xuan Shi knew this was only the calm before the storm.
The child in that belly, Naruto Uzumaki, was not only the future Child of Prophecy, but also the Nine-Tails' vessel. When the time came to give birth, the seal would weaken to its lowest point. That would be when the Nine-Tails was most likely to go out of control—and when an enemy would find it easiest to strike.
"Less than two months left..."
Xuan Shi set down his teacup and tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingertips.
The scene shifted back to the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Over the past year, the Uchiha Clan's reputation in the eyes of Konoha High Command had changed beyond recognition.
"Degenerate," "unambitious," "lost in pleasure"... These labels had been firmly slapped onto the once foremost clan.
Clan Head Fugaku spent his days either drinking tea or reading novels, while the Police Force's patrols had become "whenever they felt like it." Even Danzo thought those red-eyed fools were finished. To save money, he had withdrawn most of Root's personnel assigned to watch the Uchiha, and redirected them to keep an eye on Orochimaru, the rogue ninja.
However, this was only the tip of the iceberg.
Deep underground, beneath Naka River Shrine.
The place had been transformed into a vast underground fortress.
Hundreds of Uchiha sat cross-legged with their eyes closed, their hands forming the same seal.
They had not activated Susanoo, but the air was thick with a suffocating surge of chakra. The hundreds of chakra signatures did not clash with one another. Instead, like countless rivers flowing into the sea, they resonated at a strange frequency.
Xuan Shi stood on the raised platform and nodded in satisfaction.
After a year of practice, the "chakra resonance" tactic had become second nature to every clan member. The Uchiha were no longer a scattered mass. They had become an unbreakable wall of steel.
In a corner.
Twelve-year-old Itachi Uchiha had just finished a round of high-intensity genjutsu combat training.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his gaze deeper than it had been a year ago. To fit the clan's strategy of keeping a low profile, he still held the title of Genin, but his strength had long since crossed the threshold of near-Kage Level.
"Nii-san, it's time to come home for dinner!"
Sasuke's voice came from the entrance.
The coldness in Itachi's eyes melted away at once, replaced by a gentle smile. He walked over quickly and lifted Sasuke onto his back with practiced ease.
"Sure. We're having tomato and egg stir-fry today."
Late that night.
Candlelight flickered in a secret chamber beneath Naka River Shrine.
The elder in charge of maintaining the clan's barrier was reporting on the situation.
"Clan Head, Captain Xuan Shi." The elder pointed to the barrier map on the table, his brow furrowed. "Over the past two weeks, the plants underground on the outskirts of the compound have been growing abnormally fast. It's subtle, but the sensory barrier has definitely picked up a chakra signature... that doesn't belong to the natural world."
"And the signature is moving," the elder added. "Like a fish swimming underground."
Fugaku looked at Xuan Shi.
Xuan Shi stared at the red dots on the map, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile.
"White Zetsu."
He knew this trick all too well.
Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu, that pair of schemers, had finally started scouting the area. They needed to confirm Konoha's defenses—and, more importantly, find out exactly where Kushina would give birth.
"Should we get rid of them?" Yashiro made a slitting motion across his throat.
"No."
Xuan Shi shook his head. "If we clear them out now, we'll only alert Obito and make him switch to a more subtle approach. Besides, we can use these 'eyes' to feed Obito some false information."
Xuan Shi pointed to several key locations on the map.
"Adjust the barrier parameters. Deliberately leave 'weak spots' in these places and lure the White Zetsu deeper in."
"Let him look. But we decide what he sees."
Just then.
A faint flutter came from outside the window.
An unmarked Ninja Hawk landed on the windowsill.
Xuan Shi went over and removed a tiny scroll from the hawk's leg. When he unfurled it, he found a single line written in Minato's own hand:
"The due date is October 10. Location: Barrier Cave outside the village. I'm counting on you."
The scroll then ignited in Xuan Shi's hand, turning into a wisp of green smoke.
"Date confirmed. Location confirmed."
Xuan Shi watched the ashes flutter away, his gaze growing sharp as a blade.
"The actors are in place, and the stage is set."
He turned to look at Shisui and Itachi behind him.
"Get ready. We can't kill off every White Zetsu, but we can't let them get too comfortable, either."
"Tomorrow night, we'll clear out these 'bugs' underground. We'll blind Obito to half of what's happening inside Konoha."
"Let him stumble around half-blind in the dark, right into our trap."
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