A faint cloud of worry hung over the village of Konoha.
Outside the Konoha hospital's operating room, Minato Namikaze paced back and forth nervously, his gaze fixed on the door to the surgery, his clenched fists damp with sweat.
From inside the operating room came the occasional sound of painful groans, which only made him more anxious. He had nearly rushed in several times.
Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood beside him, experienced enough to stop him from acting impulsively.
"Don't worry, Minato," Hiruzen said, trying to comfort him as he saw his tension. "Trust me, Kushina will be fine. I've arranged for the best medical ninjas, and the sealing team is on standby. Everything will go smoothly."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Still, Minato couldn't shake his unease, and in his anxiety, he didn't even realize he had mistakenly addressed him wrong.
"I'm just worried about Kushina. You know she's the jinchuriki." The man who had once been known as the "Yellow Flash" on the battlefield—calm and unyielding no matter the danger—was now just a husband, anxious for his wife's safety.
"And I'm afraid that someone might take advantage of this opportunity."
"Trust me, everything has been arranged so that there won't be any issues," Hiruzen reassured him, his expression changing slightly, a brief flicker of sorrow crossing his face, before it quickly disappeared.
He patted Minato's shoulder.
"The information has been tightly sealed, and there are three Anbu teams on standby outside. We won't let anything happen to Kushina."
After learning that Kushina was pregnant, Hiruzen had immediately ordered the information to be sealed.
Everyone involved in her care, from medical staff to others in the hospital, was under strict surveillance by the Anbu to ensure that not a single piece of information was leaked.
In addition, to ensure the safety of the jinchuriki, Hiruzen had deployed all available Anbu forces around the hospital. With both himself and Minato—two of the strongest ninja in the village—stationed there, Hiruzen believed there was no way anyone could breach their defenses, unless they were not human.
"I know, but I still can't shake the feeling," Minato replied, his gaze fixed on the operating room. His eyes reflected a hint of unease. "I have this bad premonition, this feeling that something is about to happen."
"It's probably just your imagination," Hiruzen said, trying to reassure him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen comforted him, saying: "Don't worry too much, relax a bit, Minato."
The painful groans inside the operating room slowly weakened, and a malevolent chakra leaked out, quickly filling the entire hospital corridor.
Clearly, the birth had reached a critical point. Whether the Jinchuriki could survive this moment depended on whether the sealing team and medical ninjas could control the Nine-Tails while ensuring that Kushina's baby was safely delivered.
Minato Namikaze tightened his fists nervously, his eyes glued to the operating room. He muttered to himself, "Hang in there, you have to hang in there!"
No one knew how long it had passed—maybe a minute, maybe a year.
Minato felt like he had never endured such torment, each second stretching out unbearably. Finally, he heard the sound he had been waiting for—the baby's first cry.
"Wah—!"
The sharp cry pierced through the operating room and echoed through the entire hospital corridor.
"It's born! It's born!"
Minato couldn't contain his joy, clenching his fists tightly and throwing a few excited punches in the air to express his overwhelming emotions.
"Heh, I told you it would go smoothly." Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been anxiously waiting, now let out a relieved sigh and smiled, the wrinkles on his face deepening. "Mother and child are safe. Hahaha."
However, just as the two of them were feeling genuine joy for the newborn, a cold, eerie wind suddenly blew through.
Then, all the lights in the hospital corridor flickered, buzzing with a harsh electric noise, flashing on and off rapidly.
The baby's cries grew louder, more urgent, before suddenly stopping.
At that moment, both Minato and Sarutobi, both Kage-level ninja, sensed that something was terribly wrong.
"This is bad! Kushina!" Minato's pupils constricted as he vanished from his spot in an instant.
Boom!
The operating room door was forcefully slammed open.
But what they saw next made Minato's rage boil over, a fire of fury practically erupting from his eyes. His clenched teeth seemed to be grinding against the hatred building inside him. "You… Obito!"
After disappearing for several years, Obito was now standing next to Kushina, who had just given birth. One hand was covering her mouth, while the other was holding the newborn child.
Around them were the bodies of the sealing squad and medical ninjas, their faces twisted in agony with wide, frozen eyes, as if frozen by frost.
Obito smiled eerily as he looked at Minato, who had just barged in. "Long time no see, sensei."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had followed behind Minato, was both shocked and furious upon seeing this. He yelled angrily, "Put down that child right now!"
"Shh."
Obito hissed and then grinned maliciously, saying, "You're too loud. If you scare my sensei's child, that wouldn't be good."
As he spoke, he deliberately pinched the newborn's cheek. The cold, sinister power immediately seeped in, and although the baby had just been born, its skin turned an alarming purple, looking like it had been severely frostbitten. Its breath weakened noticeably, and the threat was clear.
"What do you want, Obito?" Minato's forehead was covered in veins, and he was trying to suppress his anger. His eyes locked onto Obito, searching for any opening.
"Me? Hahaha, don't be so tense, sensei," Obito laughed, enjoying the panic on Minato's face. "Your wife just gave birth—such a big event—and you didn't even tell me. As your 'student,' I had no choice but to come and bring you a gift."
"Obito, whatever you're planning to do, it's between us," Minato gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with anger. His voice was low and filled with suppressed fury. "Let go of Kushina and the child. Whatever you want, come to me!"
"Wow~ so noble, I'm almost touched." Obito pretended to act sad, but his expression immediately turned cold. His eyes were filled with deep hatred, veins creeping across them.
"Yes, of course, you care. You always care about the most important one, don't you? Just like back then, when you chose Kakashi over me and Rin."
"I've said it before, Obito," Minato gritted out through his teeth. "I was on the battlefield in the Mist Village. It wasn't that I didn't try to save you, and the whole situation was your fault from the start!"
"I'm not at fault! What did I do wrong?!" Obito shouted.
Upon hearing this, Obito seemed to be hit in a sore spot. He immediately went into a frenzy, shouting, "Who are you to criticize me? Have you ever cared about Rin and me? Don't think I don't know—what you left for Kakashi, a kunai with the Flying Thunder God technique, was just to prevent him from getting into danger. But you've never cared about Rin's and my life!"
"No, that's not it, Obito," Minato said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "It's because Kakashi is on the same battlefield as me and was sent to carry out a dangerous mission. The kunai with the Flying Thunder God technique was for an assassination mission against the enemy commander, not what you think!"
"Enough!"
Obito interrupted him forcefully, his voice cold. "It's pointless to talk about this now. I don't want to hear it."
"Obito, I know you hate me, but this has nothing to do with Kushina or the child," Minato said in as calm a tone as he could manage. "No matter what grudges you hold, direct them at me. Kushina has never wronged you or Rin. You shouldn't treat her like this."
"Since you care so much about them, how about we play a game, Minato-sensei?" Obito sneered. "Between the child and Kushina, you can only choose one. Make your choice. This time, I'm curious—who is more important to you, the child, or Kushina?!"
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