A few moments earlier...
While Seimei was sensing the Nine-Tails' state, in a hidden room within the Sarutobi clan's residence, Uzumaki Kushina was preparing to give birth.
Every now and then, a flash of pain crossed her face.
By her side was Sarutobi Biwako, a medical ninja, holding Kushina's hand tightly. "Relax, don't be scared," she encouraged. "When the time comes, push with all you've got. We'll get this baby out together!"
Kushina managed a weak smile at Biwako's words and nodded. "Thank you, I understand."
But just as she spoke, a dark, malevolent chakra unique to the Nine-Tails suddenly surged from her body, pushing her into a half-tailed beast state.
The sudden shift caused a sharp pain in her abdomen, signaling the onset of labor.
"Ahhh!" A cry of agony tore from her lips.
The sound snapped Biwako out of the daze induced by the Nine-Tails' chakra. "Kushina, what's wrong?!" she asked urgently.
Gritting her teeth through the pain, Kushina raised her hand, forming a seal to suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra back into her body. Gasping, she said, "Tell Minato—someone was just spying on the Nine-Tails."
"Ah!" Before she could finish, another wave of intense labor pains hit her, forcing another pained scream.
Biwako's aged face paled at Kushina's words. She quickly checked Kushina's condition, using medical ninjutsu to ease her pain, and shouted, "Someone, come quick!"
Whoosh! A masked ANBU ninja clad in a black cloak appeared instantly.
Without looking up, Biwako repeated Kushina's warning. "Report this to the Hokage immediately!"
The Konoha ANBU didn't hesitate. With a flicker of the Body Flicker Technique, he vanished.
However, instead of going straight to Namikaze Minato, he first relayed the message to Sarutobi Hiruzen within the residence before heading to the Hokage's office.
While Minato's reaction remained unseen for now, Hiruzen sprang into action upon receiving the intel.
Konoha had indeed planned to keep things discreet, hiding their moves in plain sight. But they hadn't neglected Kushina's safety.
Hidden within Hiruzen's residence were several skilled ninja, kept out of sight to avoid drawing attention.
Now that the enemy had sensed the Nine-Tails' location, there was no need for secrecy anymore. At Hiruzen's command, the ninja mobilized, locking down the entire residence. Many of them blended into the shadows, silently standing guard.
But to Hiruzen's confusion, the expected enemy didn't show up. Instead, chaos erupted elsewhere in the village.
The cause? None other than Uchiha Obito—or more precisely, Zetsu, who was working alongside him.
Just as Seimei had suspected, when the situation turned unfavorable, Obito had brought Zetsu into the plan.
And Zetsu's abilities were impressive.
Days earlier, Zetsu had manipulated several White Zetsu clones, using the Transformation Technique to absorb chakra from Konoha ninja and disguise themselves as villagers. They had been lying in wait ever since.
When the Nine-Tails' chakra flared, Zetsu gave the order, and the White Zetsu ended their covert operation, stirring chaos throughout the village.
Konoha's ninja, unprepared for this bizarre technique, struggled to distinguish friend from foe, making their counterattacks hesitant and ineffective. This distraction drained much of their focus.
---
Meanwhile, at the Hokage's office in the Hokage Building...
Namikaze Minato stood by the large window, gazing out at the village. Smoke rose in the distance, accompanied by the sounds of explosions and combat. His brows were furrowed tightly.
Every so often, his eyes flicked toward the Sarutobi residence, clearly worried about Kushina.
But as the Hokage, his duty was to stay at the command center and direct the village's response, forcing him to suppress his personal concerns.
"Why would the enemy attack now?" he muttered to himself. "Could it be because of that burst of Nine-Tails chakra just now?"
The thought deepened his worry.
At that moment, an ANBU ninja appeared in the office—the same one sent by Biwako to deliver Kushina's message.
Without wasting a breath, the ANBU reported everything: someone had been spying on the Nine-Tails, triggering its chakra.
Minato's expression grew grave. If he'd been 70% certain someone was targeting the Nine-Tails before, now he was at least 90% sure.
He stood in thought for a moment, piecing together the reports coming in from across the village. Then, he made his decision.
First, he ordered the ANBU to instruct Nara Shikaku, the Jonin Commander, to deploy the reserve Jonin squads to quell the chaos in the village.
Next, he directed reserve teams to protect civilians near the conflict zones, ready to evacuate them if necessary.
Finally, he left the office, accompanied by his three guards, and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the Sarutobi residence.
As Hokage, he shouldn't leave his command post. But now that he had a grasp of the enemy's intentions and movements, he could afford to take action.
The Nine-Tails' chakra had flared briefly, but there was no guarantee the enemy hadn't noticed. In fact, it was likely they had.
Why else would the chaos in the village erupt so perfectly timed?
His priority now was to stay focused and prevent the enemy from taking advantage of the confusion to target Kushina directly.
And as Minato suspected, Uchiha Obito was indeed planning to go straight for the heart of their defenses.
Unfortunately for Obito, it was Seimei who first detected the Nine-Tails' location. By the time Zetsu sensed the chakra and informed Obito, precious time had passed.
This delay meant that when Obito arrived at the Sarutobi residence, Minato had already moved the laboring Kushina to safety.
And there, waiting for him, was Minato himself, confronting Obito as he teleported in using his Kamui.
Whether out of frustration or something else, Obito didn't retreat immediately. Instead, he clashed head-on with Minato.
But Minato was Minato—his intelligence and combat instincts far surpassed Obito's. The fight barely began before Obito found himself outmatched, narrowly escaping injury several times.
Those close calls forced Obito to regain his composure.
Just then, Zetsu sent word that the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki had been moved.
Without hesitation, Obito abandoned the fight with Minato, activated Kamui, and vanished from the Sarutobi residence.