As time passed, the sun slowly dipped below the horizon. Darkness followed closely behind, and a deep, silent night gradually blanketed the land.
This should've been the time to end a long day of work, sit around the dinner table with family, and enjoy a warm and peaceful evening together. But the villagers living in the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire had no idea…
Tonight, they were about to face a catastrophe brutal enough to wipe their entire village off the map.
"IT HURTS SO MUCH AHHHHHHH! Ugh, it hurts!"
Far away from the bustling ninja village, in a heavily guarded cave surrounded by elite shinobi, agonized screams of a woman echoed relentlessly at the entrance.
"I've… never seen Kushina in this much pain before..."
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage—normally calm and composed—was now sweating buckets, his eyes narrowed with worry. His gaze was fixed on his wife, writhing on a stone bed in agony. With a face full of mixed joy and concern, he turned again to the tense medical-nin beside him.
"Kushina… she'll be alright… right?"
"That's the eighth time you've asked that since she started labor. Every woman goes through this. You're the Fourth Hokage, for heaven's sake—don't be so panicked!"
Biwako Sarutobi, wife of the Third Hokage, didn't even raise her head as she replied. Sweat also beaded down her face as she gritted her teeth and poured more chakra into Kushina to help ease her pain.
"If you're going to worry, focus on suppressing the Nine-Tails' seal. If it breaks free, not only Kushina and her child, but the entire Hidden Leaf will be in danger!"
"But she…"
Minato opened his mouth again, only to sense a malevolent surge of chakra—sinister, vengeful, envious, greedy, hateful—overflowing with negative emotion. It was the unmistakable leak of the Nine-Tails' chakra!
"Damn it, Nine-Tails! Stay calm!"
Minato's face turned pale. He could no longer afford to ask about Kushina's condition. Pressing both palms together, he laid them gently over her swollen belly, pouring his own chakra into the fading seal that contained the Tailed Beast, helping to suppress the raging monster within.
"Please… Naruto… hurry and be born…"
"WAHHH! Waaah! Wahh—he's… he's here!"
Whether it was in response to his father's prayers or simply out of mercy for his mother, the Nine-Tails' chakra suddenly calmed. A powerful newborn cry pierced the air, stirring everyone's spirits like a jolt of energy.
"Phew… hah! Congratulations, Minato! It's a healthy baby boy! You have a son!"
"I… I have a son… I'm a father now!"
Looking at his exhausted but relieved wife and the tiny figure that Biwako was cradling as if it were a treasure, Minato's heart raced. He couldn't contain his overwhelming joy. Dropping to his knees beside Kushina, he burst into tears.
"Hahaha! Kushina! Did you hear that? We have a son! We have a son!"
"I heard you… Look at you—crying like that, and you're the Hokage. Be careful or Naruto will end up teasing his crybaby dad."
Kushina, utterly drained from labor, still found the strength to tease her husband softly. But her tone carried the same deep joy and satisfaction.
"Na… ru… to…"
Taking a deep breath, Kushina turned her head slowly and gazed lovingly at the wailing child in Biwako's arms.
"So… we finally meet… our baby…"
"Haha, that's right. From today on, we're Naruto's mom and dad."
Minato gently wiped his tears and smiled at his wife. Then, his expression turned serious again as he laid his hands back over the seal on her belly.
"Alright, Kushina… I know you're exhausted, but we have to finish reinforcing the seal on the Nine-Tails—"
"I'm afraid… things won't go as you wish, Fourth Hokage."
A cold voice suddenly shattered the warm atmosphere. Minato turned in shock—only to see Biwako collapse to the ground, clutching her throat. And standing behind her… a masked stranger wielding a kunai, ready to kill their child.
"Step away from the jinchūriki… or I'll kill your baby right now!"
"Naruto…! Damn it! Who is this guy?! How did he get past the barrier and the guards?!"
Minato's eyes were filled with fury and panic as he watched his newborn threatened at knifepoint. Forcing himself to stay calm, he tried to think, tried to negotiate—but at that moment, the Nine-Tails sensed the danger and exploded in rage once again, hammering against the weakened seal inside Kushina!
If the seal wasn't reinforced immediately, the Tailed Beast would break free! But if Minato chose to strengthen the seal, Naruto—held hostage by the masked man—would…
He was paralyzed. No matter which path he took, the consequences were unthinkable. The man once known as the Yellow Flash of the Leaf suddenly found his famed space-time ninjutsu painfully slow and useless.
"So? Have you made your choice—save your wife, or…"
Sensing Minato's hesitation, the masked man gave him no time to answer. He tossed Naruto high into the air, kunai glinting with murderous intent as he aimed for the crying newborn—
"NO! Naruto!"
The moment the masked man moved, Minato sprang into action. His body vanished in a flash of gold—his signature Flying Thunder God Technique.
In the blink of an eye, he had snatched Naruto away from the brink of death!
"Phew… Naruto… thank goodness…"
"Heh… the Yellow Flash of the Leaf lives up to his name."
Despite failing to kill the child or take him as a hostage, the masked man calmly put away his kunai and looked at Minato holding Naruto.
"But now… what will you do next?"
Before Minato could react, a strong stench of smoke and sizzling caught his attention. He flipped Naruto over—
—only to see dozens of explosive tags strapped to the baby's swaddling cloth, ready to detonate!
Such a large quantity… it wouldn't just kill Naruto. Even Kushina nearby would be caught in the blast!
"I have no choice… then I'll—!"
With no time to think, Minato ripped away the swaddling cloth and activated Flying Thunder God again. In an instant, both he and Naruto vanished from the cave.
"Minato! Naruto!"
Her beloved husband. Her newborn child.
The two people Kushina loved most were now in mortal danger—and she was too weak to move. She could only watch them disappear, helpless. The pain was far worse than the Nine-Tails' rage or a failing seal. She screamed, grief-stricken, staring at the masked intruder with fury and hatred.
"Who… are you?! Why are you doing this?!"
"Shh. Don't worry. It'll be over soon. I promise…"
Unfazed by her glare, the masked man stepped closer. In the right eyehole of his mask, a ghostly red glow flickered. Chains slid from his wide sleeves with the sound of grinding metal, wrapping around Kushina tightly, draining what little strength she had left.
"Now then… let's begin."
"It's time to unleash the Nine-Tails—and let this fake world feel real pain and despair."
According to the Konoha Calendar, based on the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village, this day was October 10th of Year 48.
The strongest of the Nine Tailed Beasts—the Nine-Tails—had gone berserk. Its massive form blotted out the sky, and every lash of its tails carried the power to tear mountains apart.
Even the mighty Hidden Leaf Village suffered immense losses in the face of this catastrophe. It was on the verge of collapse…
But at that moment, a hero stepped forward. Using his own life as the price, he sealed the Nine-Tails once more, saving the entire village. He disappeared along with his wife, their resting place unknown to this day.
And the name of that hero was—
Minato Namikaze, Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.