Inside the cave, Kushina was still groaning in pain. "It's almost time. Nurse, help me now," Biwako ordered. The Nine-Tails' repeated onslaught forced Minato to infuse chakra repeatedly into the seal, straining with all his might to hold it back.
"Kushina!" The Nine-Tails roared. Minato, sweat glistening on his face, poured more chakra into the seal.
Suddenly, a baby's cry pierced the tense atmosphere, and everything seemed to ease. Biwako cradled a blonde baby boy with piercing blue eyes.
"Naruto..."
"Hands off, Minato, mother first," Biwako dodged Minato and moved towards Kushina. After gently caressing the child, Biwako took the baby away.
"Alright, bear with me, Kushina. Just a little more pain. I will now reinforce the seal and shut it off."
A sudden shriek echoed from the corner. Minato's gaze darted towards Biwako and the nurse, who had fallen, incapacitated. The newborn was now in the hands of a man cloaked in blue, his face concealed by a peculiar mask etched with black stripes.
'How did he breach the barrier? Who is he?'
"Well met, Fourth Hokage. Step away from the Jinchuriki," an ancient, deep voice resonated from behind the mask.
"Who are you?"
Pointing a gleaming Kunai towards the child, the masked man threatened, "Step away, or the child dies within the first minute of his life."
As Minato weighed his options, the man suddenly hurled the baby into the air. Minato teleported, catching the infant and landing on the wall opposite the birthing chamber.
"As expected of the Yellow Flash... But now, what will you do about the blast, Fourth Hokage?" The masked man moved menacingly towards Kushina.
Minato swiftly removed the paper bomb and burning cloth from the baby before dashing out of the chamber. A deafening explosion consumed everything.
Minato gazed at Naruto, ensuring the child was unharmed. "Thankfully, you're safe, Naruto."
'His aim was Kushina, and he has succeeded in separating us.'
'Teleportation... I must ensure Naruto's safety first.'
As Minato removed a wooden splinter from his foot, he vanished, tossing the splinter into the air.
----------------------------
Shin arrived at the orphanage, a thick veil of anxiety shrouding his entire being. Outside the gate, he drew in deep breaths, attempting to quell the rising unease within him. With a forced, bright smile adorning his face, he stepped inside the building, his heart pounding with a sense of urgency.
Making his way to the kitchen, Shin approached Dai and inquired, "Brother Dai, I'm here. When are we heading to the Hyuga training center? I'm eager to see the Hyuga ninjas."
Dai, observing Shin closely, responded, "Why the rush, Shin? There's still plenty of time. It's just a safety training session. You brought the flyer, right? We have two hours before we need to be there."
Noticing Shin's nervous demeanor, Dai probed further, "Are you feeling alright, Shin?"
"I'm fine, but why the delay?" Shin pressed.
"I've sent Izume and Yaraki to pick up some chips and bread from the shop. They might take a while, and I thought it wise to have some food with us," Dai explained.
"When did they leave?" Shin inquired urgently.
"They're running a bit late, but I'm certain they'll be back soo—"
Without waiting for Dai to finish, Shin bolted outside and sprinted towards the market.
'Those rascals might endanger us all. I may not be able to save the entire village, but I can at least try to protect the orphanage residents.'
At the first grocery shop near the stadium, Shin's inquiries were met with denials from the young shopkeeper, claiming no knowledge of the missing boys. Undeterred, Shin scoured other shops in the vicinity, each one turning up empty.
'I am getting a bad feeling'
----------------------------
A woman hung suspended between two small hills near the now decimated ANBU safe house, her form bound by chains of intricate seals. Looking over the dark silhouette jutting from the woman`s belly, the man smirked menacingly.
Exhausted from labor, the woman's voice barely a whisper, she managed, "What... What do you want from me?"
"Jinchuriki, I seek the Nine-Tails. I will crush the Hidden Leaf," the man declared with icy resolve.
"No... you can't!" Kushina pleaded weakly.
"Minato's Teleportation Jutsu enables him to move instantly between the places marked with jutsu formula. Those markings are embedded into the sealing formula. So that he can protect you at all times.
However... he is far away now and the Nine Tails seal has been weakened by child birth... Do you have any idea how long I have waited for this moment?"
As dread crept into Kushina's heart, the Nine-Tails within the sealing world grunted, "Its you", its rage evident as it recognized a familiar chakra attempting to free it.
In a swift motion, the man activated a jutsu, causing the adamantine chains binding the Nine-Tails against the tetragram seal to melt. A genjutsu ensnared the beast, its eyes transforming into a menacing reflection of the Sharingan. The embedded posts within its form shifted as it strained to break free.
Outside, the sealing Jutsu formula on the belly started to rotate and formed a void gate.
The man ordered, "Come out Nine-Tails!". An avatar of chakra came out of the void gate and roared out loud.
In a heartbeat, the beast materialized outside its confines, roaring under the moonlight, its nine tails gleaming. The earth quaked beneath its immense presence, all life hushing in reverence.
"Good, Now lets head to the Hidden Leaf and commence its destruction", the man proclaimed.
Kushina, drained and weakened, nearly collapsed as the now-obsolete sealing chains dissolved, causing her excruciating pain."Ah!!", she grimaced.
"You Uzumakis are just amazing. Even if the tailed beast is extracted from you... you people just dont die immediately unlike the rest of the world. Humph.... Since you were the Jinchuriki of the nine tails, I will let him take its revenge upon his captor", the man sneered, his hand moving with deadly intent.
The Nine-Tails, its eyes gleaming with power, advanced towards Kushina, striking the ground with force. A thick smoke engulfed the surroundings.
Minato materialized on a tree branch, clutching Kushina. "Minato, what about Naruto?" Kushina's voice trembled faintly.
"Dont worry, He is safe". Minato reassured, abruptly dodging another strike from the Nine-Tails. He appeared on another tree.
"I will get you out of here first, Kushina", Minato vowed, concern etched in his every word as he teleported once more.
"Lets move", The masked man harrumphed.
----------------------------
"What in the world are you doing?"
"Huh?"
"You were supposed to return after buying bread, but here you are stuffing your faces with Dango balls!" Shin erupted at the two boys, who had managed to cram three Dango balls into their mouths.
"What's the big deal? We still have time," Yaraki retorted nonchalantly.
Shin advanced and snatched the Dango plate, "I don't care. Let's move. Brother Dai warned that if you two don't show up now, you'll be stuck with chores for the entire week."
"Hey, give that back, you little twerp," Izume protested.
Shin gathered the remaining five Dango balls and stashed them in his pocket. "If you want them, you can have them when we reach the H-Hyuga Compound."
"Give them back!"
"No!" Shin defiantly grabbed a Dango and popped it into his mouth, savoring it. "Mmm, delicious."
Yaraki and Izume stared at him, a mix of disbelief and fury crossing their faces.
"YOU!"
"If you want these, you'll have to catch me first."
With that, Shin bolted towards the shelter, Izume issuing challenges while Yaraki quietly pursued.
Shin raced so swiftly that he lost them a couple of times, having to slow down. Eventually, they all made it back to the orphanage. Shin returned their Dango and carried the food to Dai. The boys were too tired to think of anything to protest.
"Alright, everyone, let's get going," Dai announced, leading the way out.
----------------------------
The masked man emerged in a desolate alleyway, a foreboding figure against the dimly lit surroundings.
His right arm gleamed, adorned with intricate sealing marks. The skin on his arm seemed to writhe and pulsate, as though something within sought to burst free.
With a commanding gesture, he pressed his hand against the ground, his voice resonating with power, "SUMMONING JUTSU."
A sprawling web of seals unfurled from his arm, weaving into the earth and shrouding at least two nearby houses. A dense, swirling cloud of smoke materialized, engulfing an entire clan compound in its embrace.
An ancient, primal howl echoed through the village, sending shivers down the spines of all who heard it.
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Author Note:
TWO advance chapters on Patreon.
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Thank you yUa, dunkinB for your power stones.
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