The sun dipped to the west.
Hyūga Shinichi, having finished training for most of the day, quickly took a bath and then returned to his room.
October 10th.
Glancing at the calendar on the wall, Hyūga Shinichi sat down and began to rest, recuperating the stamina and chakra consumed during his training. He didn't know if the preparations he had made would be effective. This matter concerned his own safety, and he couldn't afford to be careless. He had to be on high alert.
While Hyūga Shinichi was on high alert, Konoha Village was also under strict guard this evening.
The Third Hokage sat straight in the Hokage's office. Even though it was already "off-duty" time, he had no intention of leaving, waiting quietly for good news from his wife's side.
Meanwhile, Fugaku, who had been tasked by the Third and Fourth Hokage to investigate Uchiha Obito's whereabouts, was also busy outside tonight and had not returned home even for dinner.
Through his investigation, although they had not captured Uchiha Obito, Fugaku's team had indeed detected traces of Obito's existence.
The location where Obito left the most information was the Naka Shrine within the Uchiha compound. Inside the shrine, there was a stone tablet passed down from the time of the Sage of Six Paths.
The stronger the power of the Sharingan's dōjutsu, the clearer the contents of the tablet could be read. Noticing that the opponent's traces appeared most frequently in this location, Uchiha Fugaku realized his speculation might be true—the opponent, like himself, had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan! This discovery instantly heightened Fugaku's tension, making him even more determined to track the man down. That's why he wasn't home for dinner.
Fugaku's wife, Mikoto, was the typical devoted wife and mother. Knowing her husband wouldn't be home for dinner, she quickly prepared a lunchbox.
After making dinner for her eldest son, Itachi, she entrusted the care of her younger son, Sasuke, to Itachi, and went out herself to deliver the meal to Fugaku.
Mikoto completely trusted Itachi; her elder son was a genius in every way. Itachi was sometimes even better at caring for Sasuke than she was as a mother.
The full moon rose.
Uchiha Itachi held Sasuke, sitting on the veranda in front of the small courtyard. With one hand gently patting Sasuke, he looked up at the moon in the sky.
"..."
Perhaps it was the personification of the Uchiha Clan's terrifying talent in Itachi, or perhaps the sixth sense of a genius, but Itachi sensed an unusual aura.
"Sasuke, no matter what happens, big brother will protect you!" Uchiha Itachi whispered, looking up at the moon, his eyes filled with determination.
...
"Waaahhh—"
"It hurts so much—"
Kushina's screams of pain became genuine "surround sound" within the rock cave. At this moment, she only wanted to drag her two girlfriends over and demand to know what they meant by "giving birth doesn't hurt at all." Kushina's voice even penetrated the thick rock walls; even the Anbu ninjas guarding outside could hear it clearly.
Inside the delivery room, Hyūga Hizashi and Hyūga Daiki involuntarily tilted their heads slightly at the loud noise, but quickly refocused. Activating the Byakugan, the two were positioned separately on opposite sides of the cave, keeping everything inside and outside the delivery room in view.
Several Anbu squad members clustered by the stone door of the cave, guarding the entrance.
"That..."
"This is the first time I've heard Kushina scream in pain like this."
"Is she really going to be okay?"
Namikaze Minato stood by the delivery bed, his hands maintaining the stability of the seal. Seeing Kushina in agony, he couldn't help but ask Biwako with concern. Although he was the Hokage, this was his first time assisting with childbirth. Lacking experience, he instinctively consulted Biwako.
"She's fine—"
"You just focus on the Nine-Tails' seal!"
Unlike Minato's anxiety, Biwako was much calmer. Looking at Kushina's lower body, she spoke calmly.
"But..."
"This..."
Kushina's cries of pain did not lessen, and Minato remained worried.
"As the Fourth Hokage, don't look so frantic."
"A man would have died from the pain long ago, but women are strong!"
Even at a time like this, Biwako had the presence of mind to tease Minato. However, this was only on the surface. Fine sweat was beading on Biwako's face, showing that her concentration was also highly stressed, and she was not nearly as composed as she seemed.
Just then, the Nine-Tails began to stir. Minato could no longer afford to speak and threw his full concentration into reinforcing the seal. Minato keenly felt the Nine-Tails' immense resistance:
"So strong... the Nine-Tails is struggling to get out!" Minato thought to himself, gritting his teeth slightly.
"Hang in there, Kushina!"
"Hang in there... Naruto!"
Minato prayed silently in his heart, his face etched with worry.
...
Outside the cave.
Uchiha Obito flashed out of the void, silently appearing behind one of the Anbu ninjas, then sucked the ninja into the Kamui dimension. In the next instant, his figure appeared in front of another Anbu. With lightning speed, he grabbed the Anbu's neck, instantly killing him.
In just over ten seconds, all four Anbu ninjas guarding the cave entrance were killed by Uchiha Obito. Casually tossing one of the Anbu's corpses into the lake, Uchiha Obito slowly stood up, looking toward the rock cave with glowing scarlet eyes. Then, his figure slowly blurred and vanished into the air.
...
At the same time, inside the cave.
"Daiki!"
Hyūga Hizashi, who had been quietly guarding, suddenly shouted his clan brother's name. At the same time, his figure flashed, and he quickly arrived next to Minato.
"Ah! I know!"
Hyūga Daiki rushed to the door the moment Hizashi shouted his name, swiftly pulling a kunai from his ninja pouch and gripping it in his hand. Although the fight outside the cave was silent, it could not escape the Hyūga Clan's Byakugan.
"What's happening?"
Minato, struggling to maintain the seal, asked Hizashi, who had suddenly moved closer to him.
"Hokage-sama, we have an intruder!"
"It's a young man wearing a tiger-striped mask!"
The information provided by Hizashi was sufficient: tiger mask, young man. Hizashi didn't recognize Obito, but Minato could immediately deduce the answer from the information.
"Obito!"
Just as Minato was stunned, a cry of pain escaped Kushina's lips, followed immediately by the sound of a baby crying in the cave.
"Quick! Get the hot water!"
Biwako's voice was filled with joy. Minato, hearing the baby's cry, beamed with relief.
"I'm a father!"
Joy surged like a tidal wave. Even he was momentarily stunned by the magnitude of the good news.
"FOURTH HOKAGE!!!"
It was at this moment that Hizashi's roar snapped Minato back to reality. The next instant, Hizashi leaped into the air, striking a palm towards the space behind Biwako. The powerful force of the Eight Trigrams: Air Palm instantly swept past Biwako's head.
Uchiha Obito, wearing a mask and black cloak, had silently appeared inside the delivery room sometime in the preceding moments and had soundlessly moved behind Biwako and Tanro, reaching out to grab their necks. However, his movement was detected by Hizashi, who immediately launched an attack the moment the enemy appeared and reached out.
"The Hyūga Clan..."
"Muda da—(It's useless—)"
The Air Palm passed right through Uchiha Obito's body, striking the ground and leaving a large crater.
The moment the Air Palm swept past, Obito was about to solidify and deal with the two medical ninjas. However, Hyūga Hizashi instantly dropped from the air, striking a Gentle Fist toward Uchiha Obito's forehead. Hizashi's powerful Taijutsu skill and terrifying reaction speed instantly closed the distance between him and Obito.
Obito maintained his intangible state, allowing Hizashi to pass right through him.
His figure, like a ghost, easily phased through Biwako's body. The next instant, he solidified, grabbing the infant from Biwako's hands.
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