October 10th, in the Leaf Year 48.
That night, Kushina Uzumaki, wife of the Fourth Hokage and Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, gave birth to Naruto Uzumaki. Taking advantage of Kushina's weakness after childbirth, Obito Uchiha stole the Nine-Tails and used his Sharingan to gain control of the Nine-Tails, attacking Konoha.
The Nine-Tails' attack.
Within the village, the Nine-Tails was rampaging wildly, destroying countless buildings and causing many ninja and civilians to perish.
At one corner of the street, a space-time gate opened, and Heiyan slowly stepped out from it.
He looked around, seeing buildings collapsing, flames rising everywhere, and many people crushed beneath ruins, already lifeless.
Huh?
Just then, Heiyan's gaze was drawn to a black-haired boy not far away.
The boy appeared about five or six years old, cradling an infant in his arms who was crying loudly.
"It's okay, Sasuke. I know you're scared, but don't cry. Big brother will protect you."
With that, Itachi gently whispered to the baby in his arms, trying to calm him down.
Sasuke seemed to understand. His sobs slowly quieted as he stared up at his brother with wide eyes.
Suddenly.
Boom.
A nearby civilian house collapsed, and a massive stone weighing several tons flew straight toward the two brothers, threatening to crush them both.
Though startled, Itachi stayed focused, ready to pull Sasuke out of harm's way—when something unexpected happened.
Buzzzz.
Controlled by an unknown force, the massive rock came to a sudden stop in midair.
Next moment.
Crash.
The boulder fell heavily onto the ground, creating a deep crater. Then, from beside the crater, a young man with white hair stepped out, dressed in a flowing white robe.
"Thank you, sir."
Recognizing Heiyan's assistance, Itachi expressed his gratitude politely, though he remained cautious—he had never seen this man in the village before, so he didn't appear to be a typical Konoha ninja.
"Follow me. I'll take you both to a shelter."
Heiyan smiled slightly, gesturing to Itachi before turning and walking unhurriedly in the direction of the Hokage Rock.
After a brief hesitation, Itachi followed closely behind, maintaining a careful distance from Heiyan.
As the three walked through a narrow alley, Heiyan suddenly froze—he could hear soft sobbing coming from inside.
"Waaaah... Dad... Mom..."
A little girl supported herself against the wall, walking forward while crying bitterly, appearing pitiful and helpless.
Spotting that familiar back figure, Itachi immediately reached out and called toward the girl:
"Izumi, come over here!"
Upon hearing his voice, the girl turned around. Seeing Itachi, she instantly felt as if she had found a lifeline. Wiping her tears quickly, she hurriedly ran toward him.
However, just after Izumi took a couple of steps forward, the wall behind her collapsed with a loud boom, tumbling directly down toward her like a falling mountain, seemingly about to bury the young girl alive.
No good!
Itachi's expression changed, and he prepared to rush forward to save her—but his shoulder was stopped by Heiyan's hand.
"Let me handle this."
"Father, during the chaos earlier, he saved both me and Sasuke."
"Itachi, you're too young and far too trusting," Fugaku said, shaking his head. He pointed at Heiyan and warned his son, "This man looks highly suspicious—he's likely deeply involved in tonight's disturbance."
As soon as he finished speaking, he gave a signal. Several Uchiha ninja immediately caught on and moved in from all directions, attempting to capture Heiyan on the spot.
However, Heiyan simply snapped his fingers.
Click.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A large number of wooden pillars erupted from deep beneath the earth, instantly forming several cages that trapped the Uchiha ninja inside, rendering them unable to move.
"Father, this gentleman can use Wood Release. He might be one of the Anbu's mysterious elite shinobi," Itachi hurriedly explained again upon seeing this, not wishing for the misunderstanding to grow worse.
But Fugaku, ever arrogant, clearly wasn't listening to a word his son had said.
"I know every ninja in the Anbu—and I've never seen him before. Itachi, you've been deceived."
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