Chapter 28: Nine-Tails Attack
Inside the cave, there were the pains and struggles of a new life.
Outside the cave, however, was silent death and slaughter.
Guarding the perimeter of the cave, the Anbu elites handpicked by the Fourth Hokage himself had all fallen to the ground by now.
The last Anbu member was currently being held by the throat in a death grip, lying on the ground. He stared wide-eyed in terror at the man wearing an orange swirl mask before him.
"Rest in peace in this false world."
Obito watched indifferently as the life slipped away from his hand, his palm tightening slightly.
"Crack."
The crisp sound of bone breaking was swallowed by the wind.
With this, the Jinchuriki's guards were completely wiped out; not a single breath of a living person remained in the vicinity.
Deep inside the cave, the screams gradually subsided, replaced by the loud and vigorous crying of a baby.
"Wah—wah—"
The sound pierced through the thick rock walls, sounding particularly jarring on this blood-scented night.
"Is it born..."
Obito muttered to himself, his voice devoid of joy or sorrow.
He stepped forward toward the stone wall.
When his body touched the rock, he met no resistance; he passed through the solid wall like a ghost, walking step by step toward the room where the arrival of a new life was being celebrated.
Inside the cave, Biwako, drenched in sweat, held the wrinkled little life in her arms. Her face, which had been tense all night, finally relaxed into a smile as she said, "He's born! It's a very healthy boy."
Minato Namikaze, who had been waiting by the bedside, had his blue eyes light up instantly. He instinctively leaned forward: "Really? Let me see—"
"Smack!"
Biwako unceremoniously slapped away the Fourth Hokage's hand, her tone stern: "What's the rush! You're the father, but the mother must always see him first!"
Minato retracted his hand awkwardly, scratching his signature blonde hair with the silly grin of a first-time father.
Biwako carefully placed the swaddled baby next to Kushina's pillow. Kushina was as pale as paper, her red hair soaked with sweat and sticking to her forehead, but when she saw the little face with whisker marks, infinite tenderness welled up in her weak eyes.
"Naruto," she reached out a trembling finger to touch the baby's cheek, "I finally get to see you."
Minato knelt by the bed, holding his wife's cold hand, his voice choking up: "Thank you, Kushina. Are you alright?"
Kushina nodded slightly, a tear falling from the corner of her eye.
"Alright, as much as I'd like to let your family of three spend more time together, now is not the time to relax." Biwako picked up Naruto and turned toward the crib in the corner. "The Nine-Tailed Seal is weakest during childbirth. Minato, you must reinforce the Seal immediately."
"I understand." Minato took a deep breath, his gaze instantly switching from a tender husband to a calm Hokage. "Kushina, bear with it a little longer. It'll be over soon."
He formed hand signs, preparing to suppress the surging Nine-Tailed Chakra.
Just then.
"Ah—!!"
A short, shrill scream erupted without warning inside the cave.
The sound was so sudden that Minato and Kushina's hearts lurched, and they both turned toward the source.
The respected wife of the Third Hokage was now slumped on the ground. Dark red blood spread rapidly beneath her, staining the grey rock floor a shocking color.
In her original position stood a man dressed in a black robe.
The man wore a strange orange swirl mask, holding the wailing Naruto in his right arm, while his other hand hovered in front of Naruto in a tiger-claw pose.
"Lady Biwako!"
Minato's pupils constricted, a chill running up his spine.
How was it possible?
This was Konoha's highest-level barrier, with Anbu elites guarding the perimeter. How did this man appear out of thin air like a ghost?
"Damn it..." Minato's body was as tense as a bow, every cell screaming danger.
The Masked Man tilted his head slightly, his single eye glinting coldly in the dim candlelight.
"Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
Obito's voice echoed deeply through the mask, "Now, step away from the Jinchuriki immediately. Otherwise, this brat's life will last less than a minute."
"Naruto!!"
Kushina let out a desperate cry from the bed. She tried to struggle up, but her post-childbirth body combined with the rampaging Nine-Tailed Chakra made even lifting a finger exceptionally difficult.
"Kushina, don't move!" Minato barked, his eyes locked on the Masked Man's fingers. "Calm down. Whoever you are, we can talk."
"Talk?"
Obito let out a sneer, as if hearing a ridiculous joke.
His sleeve twitched, and a glinting Kunai slid into his palm, pressed against the swaddle.
"My mind is clearer than ever right now."
Obito looked into Minato's anxious eyes, a twisted sense of pleasure welling up in his heart.
"What will you choose, Fourth Hokage? The Seal, or your son?"
Before he finished speaking, Obito's wrist snapped with force.
"Whoosh!"
He actually threw the infant high into the air!
As the baby flew, Obito leaped into the air, his Kunai glinting as it stabbed toward the defenseless swaddle.
"Don't you dare!!"
At this moment, the "yellow flash" known for his speed in the Ninja World burst forth with speed beyond his limits.
A flash of golden light.
Obito's Kunai pierced through empty air.
Naruto, who was in the air, had vanished, replaced by Minato holding the child against the opposite rock wall.
"As expected of the Flying Thunder God Technique, it's annoyingly fast."
Obito landed. He didn't pursue, instead speaking playfully, "But what do you plan to do next?"
Before Minato could breathe a sigh of relief, a faint burning sound reached his ears.
"Sizzle—"
It was the sound of an exploding tag igniting!
Minato looked down sharply, horrified to find several burning exploding tags attached to the outside of Naruto's swaddle.
Damn it! Did he stick them on the moment he threw him?
This guy calculated my movement path from the very beginning!
There was no time to think.
Without hesitation, Minato activated the Flying Thunder God Technique again.
Flash!
Space distorted.
A second later, Minato appeared in an abandoned wooden hut outside the cave.
He tore the swaddle with the exploding tags off Naruto with all his might and threw it out the window, while curling his body to protect little Naruto in his arms, turning his back to the blast.
"Boom—!!!"
A violent explosion instantly consumed the hut.
Flames soared, and the shockwave, mixed with wood chips and stones, swept across the surroundings like buckshot.
In the midst of the smoke and dust, Minato knelt on one knee, panting heavily.
He immediately looked at his arms.
Little Naruto was clearly terrified, crying his heart out, but his tender skin hadn't suffered a single scratch thanks to his father's protection.
"Thank goodness... no injuries..."
Minato's heart finally settled, followed by a sharp, piercing pain in his right leg.
He looked down; a sharp piece of wood was buried deep in his calf muscle, blood trickling down his pant leg.
"An injury of this level..." Minato grit his teeth and pulled out the wood, using Chakra to stop the bleeding, his expression turning even darker.
A diversion.
The Masked Man's target was the Nine-Tailed. Luring him away was to make it easier to strike the weakened Kushina.
"I must hurry!"
A look of resolve flashed in Minato's eyes. He formed signs again, and golden light flickered.
This time, he teleported directly to his home in Konoha Village.
In the cozy bedroom, moonlight spilled over the soft crib.
Minato gently placed the still-sobbing Naruto into the cradle, his finger lightly brushing the tear marks at the corner of the child's eyes.
"Naruto, I'm sorry. Daddy can't stay with you."
Minato's voice was soft but carried a sense of finality. "I have to go save Mommy. You're a little man, so stay here and be good by yourself."
With that, he took one last look at the child, and his golden figure vanished instantly.
The air returned to silence.
Only Naruto's intermittent whimpers and the occasional sound of cicadas outside remained.
This night seemed destined to be a tragic cycle.
However.
"Flush—"
A sudden, jarring sound of a toilet flushing broke the heavy silence.
The handle of the bathroom door connected to the bedroom turned.
"Click."
The door was pushed open, and with a faint mist of water, a man in a black robe walked out.
Yahiko casually wiped the water from his hands with a paper towel while looking toward the cradle, a meaningful curve touching his lips.
"So this is the protagonist..."
He walked to the cradle. Naruto seemed to sense a stranger's presence, stopped crying, and stared curiously at the unfamiliar man with his large blue eyes.
Yahiko reached out and unceremoniously pinched the little face with the six whisker marks.
It felt good, soft and squishy.
"Tsk, so this is the so-called Child of Prophecy? Doesn't look like anything special."
Yahiko looked him over like a picky customer. "I didn't expect our first meeting to be under these circumstances."
Naruto, of course, couldn't understand; he just blinked and blew a bubble.
"The Fourth Hokage's house doesn't have the scroll of seals?"
Yahiko sighed with some disappointment. "It seems that old fox, the Sandaime, has stepped down, so such strategic materials should have been handed over to Minato. Could it be in the Hokage Office?"
According to his plan, while Obito lured Minato away and the village's defenses were empty, he would take the opportunity to steal it. After all, at this time, no one would expect someone to sneak into the Hokage's house to steal things.
"A wasted trip."
Yahiko shook his head, glancing at Naruto in the cradle, who was about to start fussing again.
A cold red light flashed in his eyes, and the phantom of King Crimson flickered behind him. If he killed this infant now, Ashura's Chakra Reincarnation would end, and the entire plot of the Naruto world would completely collapse.
But he quickly suppressed his killing intent.
No need.
An orphan who lost his parents would be the best source of soldiers for the Akatsuki, or an even more interesting pawn in the future.
"Stop crying, kid."
Yahiko picked up a rattle from the table and threw it into the cradle. "Tonight is a big show. You'd better sleep soundly, or the noise will be much louder than firecrackers."
After speaking, he adjusted his black robe, like a polite guest who had just finished a visit, and turned toward the door.
"Since it's not here, I'll go check out the Hokage Building."