Kushina spoke weakly.
"Naruto?"
"What a wonderful name!"
The mysterious man raised his head and looked at Minato Namikaze.
"If you want your son back, come with me!"
As his words fell, ripples spread through the space around him, and he vanished in an instant.
"Minato!"
Kushina cried out.
"I know!"
"Leave it to me, Kushina!"
Minato bent down and spoke in a low voice.
Tears glistened in Kushina's eyes, her face filled with endless worry.
The next second, Minato vanished.
He put on the Hokage Robe that marked his position, picked up his specially made kunai, and immediately tracked the mark he had left on Naruto.
But moments later, when he saw Naruto lying in a pile of grass, Minato froze again.
His child was completely unharmed, and the mysterious man who had appeared earlier was already gone.
He quickly gathered Naruto into his arms, but when he returned home, his expression changed drastically.
Kushina was gone.
Meanwhile.
Elsewhere.
Countless runes covered the area around Kushina's body, while the mysterious man stood a short distance in front of her.
"Let me borrow the Nine-Tails inside you!"
His indifferent voice made Kushina grit her teeth.
Only then did she realize that his target had never been Naruto, but the Nine-Tails inside her.
Yet this was undoubtedly a better outcome for her.
Rather than see her child hurt, she would much rather bear everything herself.
A short while later.
Boom!
A deafening roar erupted in the center of Konoha, and the Nine-Tailed Fox, wreathed in an ominous aura, appeared before everyone.
Roar!
His furious, vicious roar echoed through the sky.
Then his nine enormous tails rose toward the heavens. With every casual sweep, crimson flames blazed, painting all the surrounding buildings red.
"Ahhh!"
Screams instantly rang out, followed by a chorus