On the screen, the masked figure was amazed by the sheer vitality of Kushina.
He slowly turned his head.
"Since you were the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, then let the Nine-Tails be the one to end you."
As his voice trailed off, Obito's gaze sharpened. Under his control, the Nine-Tails raised its colossal claw, blotting out the sky, and smashed it down toward the barely breathing Kushina on the ground.
"Mom!!"
Naruto, now the Seventh Hokage, cried out in panic. Even though he knew this was a past event, he still wished he could fly to the scene and give Obito a brutal beating.
BOOM!!!
Rocks shattered, smoke billowed, and the entire screen was swallowed by an explosive impact.
Just as everyone believed that all was lost, a golden streak of light flashed across the screen, and the next moment, Minato had swept Kushina into his arms and activated the Flying Raijin.
The two reappeared atop a tree.
Across the Shinobi World, countless viewers, who had been holding their breath, finally exhaled.
"Phew…"
"That reaction speed… truly worthy of the Yellow Flash."
Meanwhile, in the Shinobi World of a certain timeline, atop a certain cliffside.
"Why… could you not make it in time for that critical moment…"
Obito, who had just fallen into darkness, stared at the Sky Screen. His gaze was somber, and his words were filled with resentment.
The scene shifted, stopping inside a hidden shelter.
Minato gently laid the severely injured, dying Kushina on a makeshift bed. With great effort, she pried open her eyelids, her gaze falling on the baby Naruto in a nearby crib.
Kushina used all her remaining strength to tightly hug the baby to her chest, as if trying to make up for all the years she would never be able to be there for him in this one brief moment.
Minato stood quietly to the side, watching the scene, endless pain churning behind his eyes. Yet, he still took off his casual clothes and changed into the white haori.
The moment he turned and draped the haori over his shoulders, in the dimly lit space, the five bold characters on his back—"Fourth Hokage"—shone brilliantly.
[Speaking of which, concepts like 'Healthy Itachi,' 'Kaguya's IQ,' and others are all hypothetical. But Minato? Soon, Mr. Simp will learn the meaning of the saying, 'The teacher's always the teacher.']
In reality, Minato smiled bitterly upon hearing that.
However… what did the last sentence of the Sky Screen mean?
Was there a connection between Mr. Simp and himself?
Minato was puzzled.
---
The camera pulled back to inside Konoha.
On the Sky Screen, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, now fully armed, was leading a large contingent of Konoha shinobis in a desperate battle against the controlled Nine-Tails.
Various Ninjutsu bombarded the Nine-Tails' enormous body one after another, exploding in clusters of fire. However, these attacks were nothing more than scratching an itch for the Nine-Tails, completely failing to stop its rampage.
Every time the Nine-Tails swung its claws, entire rows of houses collapsed, claiming countless lives.
The Konoha people across all timelines who witnessed this scene were grinding their teeth in rage, their hearts feeling as if they might split.
And the people from the other villages of the Five Great Nations felt a deep sense of empathy. Every major hidden village possessed one or more Tailed Beasts. If one went out of control, it would similarly cause immense destruction to their village.
Not every hidden village was like Kumogakure, with figures such as the Third Raikage and Killer B—one could physically suppress the Eight-Tails with his raw strength, and the other could befriend it.
Rasa looked up at the Sky Screen and felt the pain all too real. Gods know how much effort he had expended on the One-Tails issue. It had even cost him a son. And despite all that, the One-Tails still caused trouble every now and then, causing him endless grief.
---
[Konoha, Year One]
Hashirama watched the scenes on the Sky Screen, his eyes full of heartache.
Even though he did not know any of these future youngsters, to him, they were all lives that he was duty-bound to protect.
He said in a stern tone to Tobirama: "Tobirama, since you're so fond of researching Ninjutsu, put more effort into studying sealing techniques. Ideally, develop one that ensures no matter what happens, the Jinchuriki's condition will never affect the seal's integrity."
"I'll have Mito provide you with the necessary materials on sealing techniques."
Hashirama was not joking when he said the Nine-Tails was extremely dangerous. Aside from him and Madara, how many people in the world could truly stand up to such a creature?
And since he and Madara would eventually pass away, the problem of how to contain the Nine-Tails—or all Tailed Beasts—had to be addressed now, rather than leaving it to future generations to suffer.
Seeing his elder brother so serious, Tobirama silently nodded.
"Yes, brother."
Madara said nothing, but the idea of creating a weapon of war grew ever stronger in his mind.
---
On the screen, the destruction of the Nine-Tails intensified, and no one could stop it.
The Nine-Tails then suddenly twisted its head, unleashing a roar that shook the surroundings. Chakra frantically gathered in its mouth, and in an instant, a pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb took shape and was hurtled forward.
"Oh no!" Hiruzen, who was trying to stop the Nine-Tails, turned pale.
The Tailed Beast Bomb, carrying the power of destruction, dragged a long tail of blazing energy and headed straight for the majestic Hokage Rock in the heart of Konoha.
At that critical moment, Minato stood precisely in the path of the Tailed Beast Bomb. His hands moved in a blur, forming seals so fast they left only afterimages.
A space-time barrier inscribed with complex runes suddenly opened wide before him, and the pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb plunged into it like a stone sinking into the sea, vanishing without a trace.
The next moment, deep in the distant wilderness far outside Konoha, the Tailed Beast Bomb reappeared and detonated with a massive explosion.
A towering pillar of flames erupted, illuminating half the sky.
Even through the screen, the devastating shockwave made every person in the Shinobi World feel a chill down their spine.
Just as Minato breathed a small sigh of relief and prepared to head to the main battlefield to support the Hiruzen, a bitting killing intent suddenly struck him from behind.
His danger sense screamed, and his body reacted faster than his mind. His kunai, like a flash of lightning, stabbed viciously toward the attacker's vitals.
But then, something strange happened.
Minato's kunai passed cleanly through the opponent's body without any resistance. Instead, his own left wrist was firmly seized by the attacker's palm.
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly.
This guy's space-time Ninjutsu was indeed troublesome. Even the Fourth Hokage, caught off guard, had been at a disadvantage.
Not far away, Obito felt a chill run down his spine. Even now, the power of that Rasengan still made his heart tremble with lingering fear.
*****
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