At the same time, within the Sarutobi clan's territory.
"Hokage-sama, enemy attack!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was in the midst of sleep, heard the hurried report from his subordinate and the commotion outside the window. Without even bothering to put on proper clothes, he simply draped a coat over himself and left the house.
"Who are the enemies?"
An ANBU member clasped his hands and replied,
"It's unclear. After entering the village, they split up. According to reliable information, two of them closely resemble Hoshigaki Kisame and Hōzuki Mangetsu from Kirigakure. It's possible they're a unit from the Hidden Mist!"
"The Hidden Mist Village..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, thinking that Kirigakure had just signed a treaty with Sunagakure. Were they already eager to gather their forces and attack Konoha?
But what benefit would that bring to Kirigakure?
To destroy a ninja village, unless they had a monster like a Tailed Beast Jinchūriki...
Could the Mizukage, Yagura, really be so foolish as to personally come to destroy Konoha and deliver the Three-Tails right into Konoha's hands?
As Hiruzen pondered this, his expression suddenly changed, and he thought of a terrifying possibility.
The Fourth Hokage's son, Uzumaki Naruto!
Naruto wasn't even a year and a half old yet, far too young to remember anything.
Even if the Nine-Tails couldn't be extracted from him due to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, if Kirigakure kidnapped him and raised him in their village...
Once Naruto grew up, he would naturally become Kirigakure's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!
The Nine-Tails was Konoha's greatest asset and must not be lost under any circumstances!
Thinking this, Hiruzen immediately issued a stern order.
"Mobilize all ANBU personnel to protect the Jinchūriki!"
Hearing this order, the ANBU member was momentarily stunned and hesitated.
"But Hokage-sama, what about the civilians in the village..."
"There's no other choice."
Hiruzen waved his hand decisively, his expression grave.
"Protecting the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is now our top priority!"
In Hiruzen's mind, even if hundreds or even thousands of civilians died, the village could eventually recover after a period of rest and recuperation.
But if the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki were kidnapped, Konoha would lose a crucial trump card, and it might even lose its status as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
The weight of the matter was clear, and he had already made his decision.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
After the ANBU member left, Hiruzen stood silently for a long time. Finally, he pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, his expression heavy.
"Teacher, if it truly comes to the worst, I can only ask for your help."
At the same time, within the Uchiha clan's territory.
As the clan head, Fugaku had already gathered all the members of the Police Force and every ninja in the clan.
He looked at the crowd before him and spoke solemnly.
"The village is in crisis. Tonight is the time for the Uchiha clan to prove our worth once again. So, let's prepare now"
"Wait a moment!"
Just as Fugaku was halfway through his speech, the elder Uchiha Setsuna appeared out of nowhere.
Having his speech interrupted, Fugaku was naturally displeased, but due to the elder's status, he suppressed his emotions and said,
"Elder Setsuna, whatever you have to say can wait. The village is in crisis, and this is when the Uchiha clan is needed most."
Uchiha Setsuna snorted coldly and slowly said,
"Fugaku, you always make the wrong decisions at critical moments. I must admit, that's quite a skill."
Being scolded like a child in front of so many clan members, Fugaku's brow furrowed, and his tone grew impatient.
"What exactly are you trying to say? Don't waste any more time."
"What I want to say is simple."
Uchiha Setsuna scanned the clan members before him and spoke gravely.
"If we go to help now, the people in the village won't remember our kindness. Only when they are truly desperate, and we appear at that moment, will they realize that it's not Sarutobi Hiruzen or Shimura Danzō who can save them, but us, the Uchiha!"
Hearing this, Fugaku's frown deepened.
This didn't sound like something Uchiha Setsuna would say.
"Wait a moment."
Fugaku glanced around.
"Where is Night Star?"
Uchiha Setsuna ignored his question and stood before the clan members, his expression serious.
"What I just said is also Night Star is intention."
As soon as these words were spoken, the majority of the clan members, who had been hesitant, silently left the group and stood beside Uchiha Setsuna.
"You... this!"
Fugaku, seeing that only a dozen or so people were still willing to follow his orders, trembled with anger.
"Are you trying to split the Uchiha clan apart?"
Uchiha Setsuna crossed his arms and said coldly,
"Fugaku, open your eyes and see. As the clan head, you can no longer understand what the clan truly seeks!"
Meanwhile, atop the Hokage Rock.
"Wait here for a while."
Night Star instructed Pakura before turning to leave.
The latter was momentarily stunned and asked,
"Where are you going? Didn't you arrange to meet someone?"
"I didn't just arrange to meet one person."
Night Star replied ambiguously before walking into the forest ahead and waiting quietly.
Less than two minutes later.
A man wearing a spiral-patterned mask suddenly appeared before him.
"Finally here, huh."
Night Star maintained a faint smile as he spoke calmly.
"I thought you'd given up on killing me."
Obito, no longer using the playful tone he adopted as Tobi, spoke with a cold, dark voice.
"Last time on the battlefield, I couldn't kill you. This time, you're definitely going to die."
Obito had already planned everything out.
While the Kirigakure forces were searching for the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, he would come to kill Uchiha Night Star.
After that, he would take Uzumaki Naruto away, wasting no time.
His plan was well thought out.
But the next second, when he heard the words Night Star softly uttered, the expression on Obito's face beneath the mask changed instantly.
"Obito, do you really think you can defeat me now?"
Hearing Night Star actually call him by his real name, Obito's pupils seemed to tremble as if an earthquake had occurred.
He tried his best to remain calm and snorted disdainfully.
"Obito? I don't know who that is. Let me tell you, my name is Uchiha Madara. You must have heard of it."
"Still pretending?"
Night Star smiled slightly.
"If you're Uchiha Madara, then show me your Mangekyou Sharingan. Don't tell me you only have one Mangekyou in your right eye?"
Hearing Night Star is calm tone, Obito realized that the other party wasn't just testing him with words.
He was certain of Obito's identity.
Obito didn't understand how he had been exposed.
He raised his right hand and slowly removed the spiral-patterned mask.
What appeared before Night Star was a face filled with aloof indifference, eyes devoid of any emotion, and half of it twisted and distorted.
After revealing his true face, Obito spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Even Namikaze Minato didn't recognize me. I never expected you to figure it out."
Night Star still maintained his smile, as if he didn't take Obito seriously at all.
"So, the Nine-Tails' attack was indeed your doing. You actually admitted it yourself."
"Hmph, it doesn't matter."
Obito's eyes revealed a cold killing intent.
"You will definitely die here today. Go to the afterlife with endless regret and reunite with the Fourth Hokage!"
As he spoke, Obito reached into the air with his right hand and pulled out a giant fan from the Kamui dimension.
To kill Night Star, he wouldn't hold back and would use all his trump cards.
"The Flame Fan... That belongs to our Uchiha clan."
Seeing Night Star still looking indifferent, Obito narrowed his eyes slightly. With a few flashes of movement, he instantly closed the distance between them and whispered,
"I won't let you feel any pain. Everything will end in an instant."
But when the fan struck Night Star, Obito saw his figure dissolve into a puff of white smoke and disappear.
"Hmph, a clone technique? Cheap trick."
Obito believed that with his Mangekyou's intangibility, there was no way he could lose to Night Star.
No matter how many tricks Night Star used, it was just a delay.
"Yeah, just cheap tricks."
Hearing Night Star is voice from behind, Obito immediately turned around and saw him standing next to a tree. On that tree, a person was tied up with ropes, barely breathing.
Obito frowned, wondering what this meant.
"To deal with you, I prepared something special. Or rather, someone."
Hearing this, Obito sneered and shook his head.
"You're not going to say that this dying guy is your trump card, are you?"
"Of course not."
Night Star is smile faded as he slowly began forming hand seals.
Seeing the hand seals, Obito suddenly recalled something Uchiha Madara had once told him that the Second Hokage had invented a forbidden technique.
Obito's expression changed instantly, and he said in disbelief,
"You can't possibly be trying to..."
Before he could finish, Night Star is hands slammed onto the ground, and he shouted,
"Edo Tensei!"
As paper fragments covered the person's body, a girl with two purple markings on her face, a cute appearance, and a petite figure appeared in Obito's vision.
"Rin..."
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