Chapter 198 – Falling Out
After a while, Uchiha Makoto's body suddenly twitched, and the next moment, he sprang up from the ground.
His face was full of terror—he had truly felt the presence of death just now. If it hadn't been for a forbidden clan jutsu taught to him by Uchiha Madara, he would've been a corpse.
But recalling what had just happened, hatred surged within him. Now he fully understood—he'd been played by Kazane. Even Uchiha Fugaku might have been complicit in the betrayal.
Makoto looked around in panic, afraid Kazane might suddenly appear again. Unwilling to accept defeat, he cast one last glance at Kushina on the floor before a swirling vortex formed in front of him. Without so much as a glance back, he stepped into the vortex and vanished from the village as it disappeared behind him.
But just as he entered the vortex, one could clearly see his right eye tightly shut, with blood tears still flowing down.
The night wore on. Within the Uchiha clan compound, the crowd was still immersed in the banquet, drinking and chatting with joy. No one had any idea what had transpired elsewhere in the village.
Uchiha Fugaku, too, remained unaware of the consequences that awaited him.
～
The banquet had gone on for quite a while. Some guests had begun showing signs of wanting to leave, but Fugaku kept finding ways to persuade them to stay—for the sake of giving Uchiha Makoto more time.
Fugaku had also been waiting for the Nine-Tails to appear. He believed that all of Konoha's top powerhouses were gathered here tonight, and Makoto should have no trouble dealing with Kushina, a weakened woman who had just given birth.
But he was sorely disappointed. An entire hour passed with no sign of activity in the village. In fact, due to the curfew, it was even quieter than usual.
Had Makoto failed to follow through?
Damn it!
Just then, Kazane approached, holding a cup of sake. He leaned in beside Fugaku and said in a low voice, "Elder Fugaku, are you waiting for the Nine-Tails?"
Not long ago, within the range of Kazane's Observation Haki, a familiar yet strange chakra suddenly appeared—evil, powerful, and oddly recognizable.
From the details alone, Kazane had already deduced the intruder's identity and goal.
First, the location and method of appearance: the chakra emerged near the Namikaze household and did so without warning.
Second, the nature of the chakra itself—it exuded a powerful and sinister aura. The only thing that came to Kazane's mind was the Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha.
Among the known Mangekyō users, all were accounted for within the banquet compound except one—Uchiha Makoto, who had been avoiding Kazane.
And according to Obito, Makoto possessed a space-time ninjutsu that allowed him to vanish suddenly—matching the intruder's appearance style exactly.
The timing and location of the chakra's appearance were also suspicious. Konoha's strongest were all here, and Kushina—the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—was alone at home, tending to baby Naruto. Clearly, Makoto had come for the Nine-Tails.
White Zetsu clones couldn't get into the village undetected. And tonight's banquet, hosted by Fugaku, had only invited elite jōnin and higher-ups.
Moreover, the village had recently purged a large number of foreign spies. Combine that with Fugaku and Makoto's mentor-disciple relationship—if Fugaku wasn't involved, Kazane would never believe it.
What Kazane hadn't expected was how Makoto managed to win Fugaku over.
Or rather—what made Fugaku bold enough to betray Konoha?
There was no reason for it. The Uchiha clan currently held great power within the village. It was all but certain that Itachi would become Hokage in the future. Did Fugaku really want to drag the entire clan into ruin?
Despite these thoughts, Kazane didn't act immediately.
After all, he'd left a little "gift" inside Kushina's body for Makoto. He had assumed Makoto might escape his trap, but didn't expect him to walk right into it. If a commotion scared Makoto away, such a perfect opportunity might never come again.
Kazane then locked his Observation Haki firmly on Makoto. The moment Makoto harbored killing intent toward Kushina, he'd rush in and stop it.
From the Uchiha compound to the Namikaze household was quite a distance. A typical ninja would need at least ten minutes to get there. But Kazane, if going all out, could truly become a bolt of lightning.
When Kazane sensed the trap he left inside Kushina had been triggered, his half-suspended heart finally relaxed.
He had confidence in his attack. Even if Uchiha Madara had been resurrected, his Eternal Mangekyō would not withstand Kazane's mental slash.
Sure enough, as the slash activated, Makoto's presence vanished from Kazane's perception.
Only then did Kazane return to Fugaku's side. Still, he hesitated about how to deal with him.
Catching Fugaku wouldn't be difficult—unlike six years ago when Kazane had just arrived in this world. Dealing with the Uchiha might be troublesome, but not impossible.
But regardless of Fugaku's intentions, the end result was that he helped Kazane eliminate Makoto. And the Uchiha were still needed in Konoha. In Orochimaru's plans, the clan played a vital role.
Not to mention the connections between Itachi and Obito. Though Itachi was nominally Orochimaru's junior, he had barely seen Orochimaru. It was Kazane who had raised and trained him. Their bond ran deep.
If Fugaku were arrested now, it would surely impact Itachi. And knowing Orochimaru's logic, he would likely nip such dangers in the bud.
Let's not even bring up that idiot Obito. He might truly abandon his spy role and become a full-fledged member of Akatsuki.
After careful thought, Kazane decided to give Fugaku one last chance.
Whether he could seize it would be up to him.
When Fugaku heard Kazane's question, his body stiffened in fear.
How did Kazane know?
But Fugaku was far too composed to reveal his thoughts. He quickly recovered his demeanor, turned to face Kazane, and said calmly, "Kazane, what are you talking about? Isn't the Nine-Tails still safely sealed inside Kushina-san?"
He played dumb as if he truly didn't understand.
But Kazane's Observation Haki never left Fugaku. From the fluctuations in his chakra, Kazane could confirm his suspicions.
Though Kazane had already decided not to act, he wouldn't let Fugaku off that easily.
Conqueror's Haki burst forth from within, affecting no one else but pressing down solely on Fugaku.
"Don't play dumb with me. For the sake of Obito and Itachi, I'll let this slide—but only once. Next time, there won't be a place for the Uchiha in this village."
Under Kazane's icy killing intent, Fugaku's heart nearly stopped. He knew Kazane had uncovered something, yet he had left no traces, told no one—how did Kazane know?
"Clean up your mess. I'm not helping you with Minato. Don't let this blow up…"
Suddenly, Kazane sensed Makoto's chakra reappear. Though weakened, it was unmistakable. Then it quickly vanished from the village again, darkening Kazane's expression.
Realizing Makoto hadn't died, Kazane felt a renewed surge of killing intent toward Fugaku.
But recalling his own words just moments ago, he repressed the urge and said coldly, "If Makoto contacts you again, you know what to do. He escaped this time, but next time—he must die."
With that, Kazane withdrew his aura and walked out of the Uchiha compound.
It wasn't until long after Kazane left that Fugaku finally shook off the terror of having his secret exposed. What followed was a wave of fury.
He had just been frightened—Uchiha Fugaku, clan leader, had actually been intimidated. A disgrace to the Uchiha name.
As for Kazane's warning, Fugaku eventually compromised.
Not because he feared Kazane, of course—just that he genuinely felt it was time to contribute more to the village.
He also sighed in relief. Since Kazane said nothing further, it meant he wouldn't pursue this matter. The clan had survived this crisis after all.
…
After Kazane left, Fugaku had no intention of continuing the banquet. It dispersed shortly after.
Once the guests had gone, Fugaku sat in the courtyard, lost in thought over Kazane's warning.
What did he mean by "Makoto escaped"? What did "cleaning up the mess" have to do with Minato?
It was clear much had happened that he wasn't aware of—events that might profoundly affect him and the clan.
…
Elsewhere, Minato returned home from the Uchiha compound using Flying Thunder God to teleport to the marker in his courtyard.
Upon arrival, he immediately noticed the door to the living room ajar. Odd—he remembered closing it before leaving. Had Kushina opened it?
He walked into the living room, only to see the bedroom door wide open—and Kushina lying sprawled on the ground. Her smooth abdomen was exposed, and the sealing formula had completely vanished.
The sight made Minato rush into the room in panic. On instinct, he scanned the area. Only when he saw baby Naruto sleeping peacefully did he exhale in relief and quickly scoop up Kushina.
"Kushina! Kushina! Wake up, please wake up!"
He was overwhelmed with anxiety. Thankfully, she was still alive and uninjured. But no matter how he shook her, she didn't respond.
It was then that Minato realized—she must be under a genjutsu.
There were two standard ways to break genjutsu: disrupt or regain control of one's chakra, or use pain to jolt the target awake.
Of course, Minato couldn't bear to hurt her. So he placed a hand on her abdomen and poured his chakra into her, attempting to disrupt the flow.
But Makoto's Mangekyō genjutsu wasn't so easily undone.
Despite his efforts, Kushina remained motionless in his arms.
Worried, Minato scooped her up, cradled Naruto, and teleported to Konoha Hospital.
But even the doctors there couldn't help. They told him only someone from the Uchiha or the genjutsu squad captain Yūhi Shinku could break it.
Shinku, however, was still out on an escort mission—one Minato himself had assigned. Based on the timeline, he hadn't even arrived yet, let alone returned.
With no other choice, Minato took both Kushina and Naruto to the Uchiha compound.
Meanwhile, Fugaku was still in the courtyard reflecting on Kazane's words when a knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
Annoyed at the interruption, he still understood anyone visiting at this hour must have urgent news.
The guard on duty entered respectfully. "Clan Leader, Minato-san is outside. He's carrying Kushina-sama and their child, asking for you."
The message stunned Fugaku.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
So that's what Kazane meant by "clean up your mess." Makoto must have gone to the Namikaze house and fought Kushina. But he had failed—thanks to some hidden trap Kazane left behind.
Still, Fugaku decided to meet with Minato. He had to know what exactly had happened tonight.
With that thought, Fugaku stood and walked toward the entrance with the guard.
Elsewhere, as Minato waited for Fugaku, countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Orochimaru had trusted him to manage the entire village. Minato was far from the gentle figure he appeared to be.
He had sensed something amiss: tonight's grand banquet for Fugaku's second son had gathered all of Konoha's elite. And coincidentally, his home had been attacked by a genjutsu master.
What a "coincidence."
If things were as he suspected—and Fugaku was the mastermind—then wasn't he delivering Kushina straight into the enemy's hands?
Just as he turned to leave, Fugaku's voice rang out behind him.
"Minato-san, to what do I owe the pleasure?"