Early morning, outside Konoha Hospital.
A member of the Root division was hidden in a dense tree, observing every move of Uchiha Natsuhane through the hospital window.
Shortly, a black-clad ninja wearing a green-patterned mask appeared behind him.
The Root member turned around immediately, greeted with respect, "Captain Terai! You're here."
The ninja named Terai nodded, "Yes. How's the situation? Is Natsuhane still inside?"
"He's still at the door of delivery room number four, with a group of women. They seem to be waiting for the Inuzuka woman's child to be born."
"Has it not been born yet?"
"According to our intel, the Inuzuka woman's physique has some complications, posing a risk of difficult labor."
Upon hearing this, Terai cursed under his breath, "Damn it, this is delaying everything! If that woman is in labor all night, Natsuhane might stay at the hospital all night as well!"
The hospital was a public place, bustling with people day and night.
To maintain secrecy, Terai couldn't make a move in such a crowded area. The assassination had to take place when Natsuhane was returning to the Uchiha compound.
But time dragged on...
The door of delivery room number four remained tightly shut.
Terai glanced at the faintly brightening sky, clenched his teeth, and ordered sharply, "We can't wait any longer! Stay here, I'm going to kill Natsuhane now! Once done, we'll head to the Uchiha compound to take the child. We must complete all the tasks assigned by Lord Danzo before dawn!"
The Root members looked shocked at his words.
"Captain Terai, there are too many people at the hospital, we'll be discovered!"
"Let them discover us! Natsuhane is just a lower-ranked ninja at best, and the others are just ordinary people. I can kill him with a single kunai! No one will be able to catch me!"
As he spoke, Terai erased all traces of Konoha from his attire, even changing his mask to avoid recognition as a Root member.
After making preparations, Terai disregarded his members' warnings and vanished into the darkness...
---
Konoha Hospital, outside delivery room number four.
Uchiha Natsuhane was pacing the corridor anxiously, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.
It's been too long!
Nearly two hours had passed, and still no news.
Natsuhane no longer cared about the child being born; he was now only concerned about Inuzuka Akishi's safety.
The difficulty of this labor wasn't the issue; they could have more children in the future. If the person giving birth didn't survive, none of it would matter!
His wives, waiting with him, tried to console him:
"Honey, don't worry. Sister Akishi will be fine!"
"Yes, Akishi's body is strong, and she's an elite jonin of the village, a leading researcher at the advanced Konoha technology institute. Her diet is the most nutritious among us. She'll be okay!"
"Sigh, you're right, but I'm still worried. It's been two hours, this is extremely unusual!"
"Honey, do you think Akishi can get through this? I'm really scared..."
The wives, who were close friends with Akishi, comforted each other, but deep down, they were all anxious about her situation.
Natsuhane sighed, turning to the delivery room door.
Suddenly, a kunai smashed through the window, aiming straight for Natsuhane's heart.
"!!!"
Natsuhane swiftly dodged, evading the attack.
This attack was clearly aimed at him!
He immediately realized someone wanted to kill him!
In the past, Natsuhane would have probably run away, begging for mercy. But now things were different.
Natsuhane had gained enough strength to stand on his own.
No more cowardice!
"Everyone, hide! I'll handle this. Take care of Akishi!" he ordered his wives.
His wives, who were ordinary people, huddled together with the nearby nurses, trembling in fear.
"Help! There's an intruder in the hospital! Get a ninja!"
Soon, alarms blared.
Hidden outside, Terai was shocked. He hadn't expected Natsuhane to dodge his attack.
Terai planned to retreat temporarily, waiting for the chaos to calm before making another attempt.
"Who are you? Don't run!" Natsuhane spotted him and immediately gave chase.
Letting this assassin escape would be like releasing a tiger back into the wild. He had to capture him and interrogate him thoroughly!
Confident in his combat skills, Natsuhane also saw this as an opportunity to test his abilities in a real battle since arriving in the ninja world.
Over the past six months, he hadn't just been mindlessly fathering children.
Natsuhane dedicated an hour daily to training with Sasuke, both growing stronger together, preparing to master and utilize their power swiftly.
"Stop! Don't run!" Natsuhane pursued Terai across the rooftops, relentlessly.
Initially frustrated by his failed assassination, Terai's mood lifted upon seeing Natsuhane follow him.
"Hmm? Is this kid an idiot, daring to follow me! Hahaha, heaven's on my side. Natsuhane, I'll lead you somewhere secluded and finish you off!"
Terai knew Natsuhane well. Despite being from the powerful Uchiha clan, Natsuhane had never learned basic ninja techniques, known only for his relations with women, a complete waste otherwise. Terai could crush him easily.
In Terai's mind, the failed assassination was due to the glass affecting the kunai's trajectory, not Natsuhane's dodging skills.
"Almost there, just a bit more, and we'll be out of the village center. Natsuhane, keep following me, don't give up halfway!" Terai slowed down, fearing he might outrun Natsuhane.
Noticing the black-clad man slowing down, Natsuhane grew suspicious:
"Is this guy waiting for me...? Interesting, I must find out why he's trying to kill me!"
Natsuhane didn't care about their location, as long as it wasn't the Uchiha compound.
He quickly formed hand signs, gathering a massive amount of chakra in his throat, and unleashed a large fireball at the black-clad man.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Maybe it was his first time using Fire Style ninjutsu, or maybe his chakra had increased so much that he forgot to control it. The fireball was ridiculously large!
It resembled a small meteor engulfed in flames.
The night-shrouded Konoha was instantly lit up, a quarter of it shining brightly!
"Holy...!"
Terai was stunned, frozen, even forgetting to run.
What the hell is this?
You call that a fireball? It's a meteor!
Terai knew he couldn't escape, not even with ten lives!
Natsuhane was also shocked.
He understood that the effect and range of any jutsu depended on the user's chakra.
Could his chakra have reached such a staggering level?
Indeed...
Over the past half month, his chakra had multiplied dozens of times, equivalent to several rounds of the Hero Water effect from the Hidden Waterfall Village!
Low chakra would be the anomaly here!
"Water Style: Water Wall!" ×N
"Water Style Scroll, open!" ×N
As the enormous fireball threatened to engulf part of Konoha and take Terai's life, over thirty Root ninjas appeared, using every ounce of their strength to extinguish the fireball.
"Phew..."
With the last flame extinguished, the Root ninjas finally relaxed.
No matter how dirty their usual work was, they were still Konoha's ninjas, instinctively protecting the village.
But they knew trouble was brewing...
Such a massive commotion couldn't be hidden.
Within seconds, the Third Hokage, the Anbu, and various high-level ninjas would arrive.
"Sorry, Lord Danzo..."
Terai's expression turned to despair.
What was even more despairing was the true strength of Uchiha Natsuhane he witnessed today.
"No... this can't be true!"
"Natsuhane, why are you so strong?"
"Was your image as a useless flirt all an act?!"