Chapter 152: Target—Konoha
Deep within the remote mountains far from Iwagakure, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki Han, who was training alone, abruptly halted his movements.
His gaze shifted slightly as he glanced to his left at the two uninvited guests.
One of them he recognized—Rōshi, another Jinchūriki of Iwagakure, who had also been targeted like himself.
However, the Konoha shinobi standing beside Rōshi was a stranger to him.
Han hadn't participated in the Third Great Ninja War and had been completely indifferent to recent developments in the shinobi world.
"What's the meaning of bringing a Konoha shinobi here?"
Han turned to face Rōshi and Uchiha Dali, questioning the former directly.
As a fellow Iwagakure shinobi, Rōshi had boldly brought a Konoha shinobi deep into the heart of the Land of Earth.
Anyone in their right mind would suspect Rōshi of betraying his nation and village.
And if that were really the case, eliminating this traitor right here and now wouldn't be out of the question.
"Tell him your purpose yourself," Rōshi said to Uchiha Dali.
Uchiha Dali let out a light chuckle and walked straight toward Han. "Where should I begin...? Well then, I'll just get to the point…"
...
While Uchiha Dali was still in the Land of Earth, busy trying to win over the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchūriki,
At that very moment, within the Akatsuki headquarters,
After several days of effort, Uchiha Obito and his group had successfully sealed the Three-Tails into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Once the summoning technique was undone and the statue resealed in a location known to no one, Uchiha Obito parted ways with the other Akatsuki members, each going off on their own missions.
His destination: Konoha.
As the direct disciple of Minato Namikaze, Obito knew Minato's family situation like the back of his hand after following him for so many years.
He even knew the details of Kushina Uzumaki's pregnancy—Minato's wife and his own former sensei's wife—including the expected date of childbirth.
And, of course, Obito knew very well that Kushina Uzumaki was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
He also knew a secret.
Under certain special circumstances, a Jinchūriki's power could greatly weaken, and the seal suppressing the Tailed Beast could become significantly less effective.
For female Jinchūriki, that particular circumstance was during childbirth.
"If I'm not mistaken, sensei's wife is due to give birth any day now…"
At this point, Uchiha Obito's plan was actually quite simple.
He intended to seize the moment when Kushina was at her most vulnerable, take control of the Nine-Tails inside her, and use it to destroy Konoha.
Afterward, he would extract the Nine-Tails.
In the best-case scenario, not only would he harness the power of the Nine-Tails to inflict massive damage upon Konoha, but he would also claim the beast for himself. He might even manage to secure other Tailed Beasts that had already been brought under Uchiha Dali's control.
Even in the worst-case scenario, the chaos stirred up by the Nine-Tails would buy enough time for his subordinates to act.
They could recruit more powerful individuals into Akatsuki and further strengthen the organization to advance the Eye of the Moon Plan.
It would also give them more time to hunt the remaining Tailed Beasts from other villages.
Things had reached a point where change needed to accelerate.
He could no longer sit back and watch Uchiha Dali dominate the shinobi world, nor could he allow Akatsuki's plans to be sabotaged.
...
Meanwhile, in Konohagakure.
Because Kushina Uzumaki's due date was approaching, Hiruzen Sarutobi had personally arranged for his wife, Biwako Sarutobi, to serve as Kushina's midwife.
The delivery location was chosen with particular care—not within the village itself, but in a concealed location outside its borders.
The reason was straightforward.
Kushina Uzumaki was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
Even with her powerful bloodline from the Uzumaki clan and her mastery of sealing techniques, her ability to restrain the Nine-Tails would be drastically weakened during childbirth. She would be at her most vulnerable.
Under such circumstances, no matter how many precautions were taken, it would be difficult to guarantee the Nine-Tails wouldn't try something.
To avoid unnecessary destruction and casualties in the village in the event of a Tailed Beast rampage, the higher-ups had unanimously decided to have Kushina give birth at a secure location outside the village.
Of course, this wasn't just any random place.
First of all, the site was protected by a barrier.
That alone was enough to block most threats.
Additionally, a large number of Anbu shinobi were stationed nearby to guard the area.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, the retired Hokage, had come in person to lead the outer perimeter defense—just to ensure that nothing went wrong.
Tonight, under the bright full moon, the surrounding area was eerily silent.
Hiruzen stood in full battle gear, gripping his Adamantine Staff, fully alert as if expecting an imminent battle.
"Stay sharp, everyone. Don't let any suspicious individuals get close to this place," he said to his subordinates, trying to boost morale.
But deep down, he couldn't shake his unease.
After Kakashi woke up, he shared his suspicions with Minato and Uchiha Dali.
The three of them speculated that the man with the Sharingan who had been entering and leaving Konoha freely—and who had stolen the Three-Tails—was likely none other than Uchiha Obito, long believed to be dead.
Uchiha Obito, who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Not only had he clearly betrayed Konoha, but he had also joined a mysterious organization known as "Akatsuki," whose goal seemed to include capturing Tailed Beasts.
This was no trivial matter.
Hiruzen could only hope that nothing unexpected would happen tonight.
At present, Uchiha Dali was still outside doing who knows what.
Meanwhile, Minato, Fugaku Uchiha, Shikaku Nara, and other top-tier shinobi were scattered across the Land of Fire—setting up ninja academies, developing the economy, and more.
Although Konoha still retained substantial strength, the threat was none other than Uchiha Obito—possibly with Uchiha Madara pulling the strings behind him.
If that man was the mastermind, then this would not be an easy confrontation.
"Lord Third, I've already deployed the Uchiha Police Force to strengthen patrols."
"Also, I've personally scouted the surrounding area and placed an additional barrier squad on standby."
Just as Hiruzen's mind was weighed down with worry, a figure landed beside him.
Seeing the man, Hiruzen felt some of his tension ease.
It was Uchiha Shisui—current head of the Root Division and also captain of the Uchiha Police Force.
Tonight, he was also assigned to help guard Kushina Uzumaki and ensure the delivery proceeded safely.
With Shisui here, there was at least some peace of mind.
After all, he was one of the top three strongest in the Uchiha clan. With Sharingan against Sharingan, even if Uchiha Obito did show up looking for trouble, it wouldn't be easy for him to get his way.