Who was really acting? The Uchiha seized their chance

"..."

After Obito Uchiha shouted, everyone's eyes turned toward him.

Even the Nine-Tails beneath his feet gave him a look of disdain.

That left Obito Uchiha deeply embarrassed.

According to his intelligence, Konoha had no ninja capable of using Wood Release at this level.

Damn you, White Zetsu! Just how did you gather your intelligence?!

But if this guy wasn't a Konoha ninja to begin with...

At that possibility, Obito Uchiha forced himself to remain composed and spoke.

"Who exactly are you? You aren't from Konoha, are you? Still, I'm curious. Why can you use Hashirama's Wood Release?"

"And who are you to dare address Konoha's First Hokage by name?"

Shisui Uchiha asked, pretending not to know his identity.

When Shisui Uchiha asked who he was, Obito Uchiha lifted his chin slightly and spoke solemnly.

"Me? I'm Madara. Madara Uchiha. I..."

"Wood Release: Four Pillar Prison Technique!"

Rumble!

Before Shisui Uchiha had even finished speaking, clusters of wooden spikes descended from above, trapping Obito Uchiha and the Nine-Tails inside.

A moment later, Shisui Uchiha, standing atop the Wooden Man, transformed his right arm into an enormous wooden spike and mercilessly slammed it toward the trapped Obito Uchiha and Nine-Tails.

"My teacher was Hashirama Senju, and you're telling me you're Madara Uchiha? Die, impostor!"

Obito Uchiha's eyes widened at those words.

He did not even notice the Nine-Tails beneath him preparing to swat him into the incoming attack.

Hashirama Senju's disciple?

Hashirama Senju still had a disciple alive?!

"Damn it, White Zetsu! Just how did you gather your intelligence?!"

Rumble!

With a deafening crash, the enormous cage exploded on the spot. Through the flying dust, only the Nine-Tails could be seen, clutching his head in both paws.

As for the man from moments before, he was nowhere to be seen, as though he had been killed in a single blow.

"As expected of the First's disciple! He's so strong!"

"Lord Senju Ye! Lord Senju Ye..."

But unlike the excited Konoha ninja, Shisui Uchiha turned to look toward Hokage Rock.

His hands were already forming hand seals again.

"Tell me, are you sure you want to keep standing there?"

"..."

At Shisui Uchiha's words, Obito Uchiha, who had just escaped using Kamui, slowly stepped out.

His expression was utterly grim.

This guy had found me that quickly?!

"I still need to subdue the Nine-Tails. If you know what's good for you and leave now, I can spare your life. Otherwise..."

At that, Shisui Uchiha released all the Wood Release chakra within him, and his entire presence changed abruptly.

"I'll kill you!"

"Hmph. Senju Ye, was it? We'll meet again."

Despite his bitter reluctance, Obito Uchiha used Kamui again and left.

Too many things outside his plans had appeared in Konoha today. He had to get out of here first.

The moment after Obito Uchiha left, Minato Namikaze finally reached the battlefield.

Seeing that Minato Namikaze had finally arrived, Shisui Uchiha gave him a slight nod, then turned to leave.

His task had been to hold out until Minato Namikaze arrived. Sealing the Nine-Tails afterward was up to him.

But just as Shisui Uchiha turned around, Minato Namikaze called out anxiously.

"Sir, are you truly a disciple of the First?"

"What else would I be?"

Shisui Uchiha replied coolly.

"In that case, I'd like to ask you a favor."

"..."

A short while later, the Nine-Tails, who had been raging furiously just moments ago, lay subdued by Shisui Uchiha's Wood Release in a deep pit.

At the center of a nearby altar, the newborn Naruto lay quietly.

"Naruto..."

Kushina leaned against the edge of the altar, softly calling Naruto's name, her pale face filled with sorrow and tenderness.

At the sight, Minato Namikaze silently closed his eyes. A moment later, he turned toward the Nine-Tails, whom Shisui Uchiha had subdued.

His hands began forming seals.

It was the sequence of hand seals for the Reaper Death Seal!

"Boy, why are you doing this? You clearly have a better way to seal the Nine-Tails."

Shisui Uchiha calmly watched Minato Namikaze.

In response to his question, Minato Namikaze smiled faintly.

"Other sealing techniques could indeed resolve this crisis. But as you've seen, the culprit from earlier won't leave the village alone so easily. He'll certainly return."

"So, when that time comes, Naruto needs the strength to stand against him, and to face the great upheaval that Master Jiraiya said would soon come to the shinobi world, along with the disasters that accompany it."

"I... have to do something."

As far as Minato Namikaze was concerned, with Kushina's seal broken, she could not possibly survive.

In that case, he would go with her. That would also suit certain people's wishes.

As for his child, Naruto...

Minato Namikaze believed that even without him and Kushina at Naruto's side to watch him grow up...

His child would surely become a man who could stand tall and proud!

At the very least, as the son of a hero, his life would not be too difficult.

"..."

At Minato Namikaze's words, Shisui Uchiha nodded slightly, then turned to leave.

Minato had asked him to stand guard while he performed the Reaper Death Seal, and now only the last few hand seals remained.

There was no need for him to stay any longer.

Watching Shisui Uchiha silently walk away, Minato Namikaze smiled and gently shook his head, then turned toward Uchiha Fugaku and the others.

"The Uchiha sacrificed many of their own to hold back the Nine-Tails this time. As Hokage, I thank you."

"I hope you will continue to carry on the will of fire, protect the village, and..."

Before he could finish, Minato Namikaze's signs of life vanished completely. The same was true of Kushina at the edge of the altar.

As though sensing something, Naruto immediately woke from his deep sleep and began to cry.

At Naruto's cries, Shisui Uchiha, who had already disappeared into the darkness, suddenly stopped and spoke quietly.

"Take the child back to the village. He's the son of heroes. He shouldn't be left here crying."

"Understood, sir."

At Shisui Uchiha's words, Uchiha Fugaku nodded, stepped forward, and picked Naruto up.

"All Uchiha, heed my orders! Clear the battlefield, then return to the village!"

"Yes, Clan Head!"

"Yes, Lord Fugaku!"

As Uchiha Fugaku's voice faded, the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's civilian-born ninja began clearing the battlefield.

While the Uchiha and the others cleared the battlefield, a strange vortex suddenly appeared somewhere outside Konoha.

Obito Uchiha stepped out of it.

"Senju Ye, was it? The next time we meet, I absolutely won't lose again!"

"..."