October 10, Year 48, Konohagakure.
It was supposed to be a peaceful night, but disaster struck the Hidden Leaf Village without warning.
"Ah!? Run away!"
"Damn it, stop the Nine-Tails!"
"Why!? Why is the Kyuubi attacking now!?"
"Send word to the Fourth Hokage—call the Third Hokage as well!"
"Before Lord Hokage arrives, we must hold the line!"
"Protect the civilians! Evacuate everyone immediately!"
The colossal form of the Nine-Tails Fox appeared in the heart of the village, its massive tails tearing through buildings as if they were paper. The sheer force of its chakra—overwhelming even compared to the strongest Kage—was beyond what ordinary shinobi could resist.
Even a casual swipe of its tail or a stray shockwave claimed the lives of countless Konoha shinobi. Within moments of its appearance, hundreds had already perished.
"You! Fall back immediately!"
The aging Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived, wielding the Enma – the Monkey King Staff, his trusted summoned companion transformed into the indestructible staff. With his most loyal comrades and Konoha's remaining elite, he barely managed to stall the Nine-Tails' rampage—at least preventing the death toll from rising further.
But even Hiruzen knew: this was beyond him.
In his prime, he had been hailed as the God of Shinobi. Yet now, his old body struggled under the weight of battle. Each clash with the Nine-Tails shook him to the core. His allies, including members of the Akimichi clan, fell one after another, gravely injured.
The sheer might of the Nine-Tails was impossible to contain. Even the lash of a single tail was enough to shatter entire platoons.
"Not good! It's forming a Tailed Beast Bomb—scatter!"
The Nine-Tails tilted its head back, condensing a massive, spiraling sphere of dark chakra in its jaws.
Hiruzen's expression tightened.
The Tailed Beast Ball—the ultimate attack of a Bijuu, and this one belonged to the most powerful of them all. If it struck, most of the Hidden Leaf would be obliterated.
The Third gritted his teeth, preparing to enlarge Enma's staff to try and deflect or disrupt the attack—even if it cost him his life.
But then—
A golden flash split the night.
"Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder!"
In a single instant, the massive Tailed Beast Ball vanished, teleported away to detonate harmlessly in a distant wilderness. Another flash followed, and the gigantic Nine-Tails itself was suddenly displaced from the village center.
"!?"
The scene was so surreal that even Hiruzen froze for a moment. To the ordinary shinobi, it was as if they had been caught in a genjutsu. But the truth quickly dawned on them.
"It's the Fourth!"
"Lord Minato!"
"The Fourth Hokage is here!"
That radiant golden figure was none other than the Yellow Flash of Konoha, Namikaze Minato—the Fourth Hokage.
"Homura, Koharu, Hiashi—I leave the village to you," Hiruzen ordered sharply, passing command to his closest advisors before rallying the ANBU to follow him toward the battlefield outside the village.
He understood something chilling: the Nine-Tails' eyes had been burning with the crimson glow of the Sharingan. This was not a natural disaster—this was a man-made catastrophe. Someone was controlling the Nine-Tails.
And Minato… was standing against it alone.
By the time Hiruzen arrived, it was too late. The battle was already decided. Golden sealing chains bound the Nine-Tails, and with one final surge, it was dragged into the body of a newborn child.
"Minato… Kushina!"
Hiruzen's heart clenched as he landed at the scene. Minato and Kushina lay lifeless, their bodies growing cold. The barrier around them had collapsed, revealing the price they had paid.
The Third Hokage's wrinkled face twisted with grief. Minato was so young—barely in his twenties—yet he had given everything to protect the village.
'Minato… Kushina… your sacrifice will not be in vain. I swear, I will protect your sons.'
At their side, two infants cried weakly. One was a blond-haired boy with bright blue eyes, his features reminiscent of Kushina. The other bore crimson hair and storm-gray eyes, faintly resembling Minato.
On the red-haired infant's stomach, a sealing formula glowed faintly—the seal of the Nine-Tails. Its chakra pulsed within him, unmistakable to Hiruzen's trained eyes.
'So… Minato entrusted the Nine-Tails to this child. Red hair… he carries Kushina's Uzumaki bloodline. Of course. His body will endure the burden.'
The Third Hokage exhaled heavily. He looked down at the brothers in his arms.
"You… will be known as Uzumaki Menma. And you… as Namikaze Naruto."
It was a deliberate choice: to separate their names, to shield one from the burden of the Nine-Tails' legacy, and to shape their destinies differently.
'Menma… this is the fate you must bear. As the son of Minato and Kushina, you will understand one day.'
Gathering the infants close, Hiruzen called for ANBU to recover Minato and Kushina's remains. He turned back toward the village with a heavy heart.
But what he did not know was that within the crimson-haired child's mind, awareness stirred.
'What? Who am I? Who is he? Where is this place!?'
Though only a baby, Uzumaki Menma's consciousness trembled. A storm of questions surged within him.
And thus, the night of the Nine-Tails ended not with peace, but with the birth of two brothers whose destinies would shape the world.