Kazuyama Gekkō had a clear grasp of the enemy's intentions.
A chance to strike at Konoha like this—there was no way they'd let it slip. The only difference this time was the identity of the attacker.
"I'm really curious... If it really is Madara Uchiha, how is he still alive?"
"Could he have found a way to achieve immortality?"
Orochimaru's focus had shifted. Now obsessed with the pursuit of eternal life, he couldn't help but wonder how Madara Uchiha—who should've died decades ago—was still alive. That was what really intrigued him.
Looking at his teacher's bright, gleaming eyes, Kazuyama shook his head in exasperation.
"Sensei, is that really what you're worried about?"
"Even if he did find some kind of longevity method, I doubt it'd be compatible with you. We're talking about Madara Uchiha, you know."
"Ordinary folks like us shouldn't even dream about it."
But Orochimaru didn't agree. In his eyes, science and ninjutsu had no limits. If Madara had survived this long, then he must have discovered something special.
And Orochimaru had already picked up some clues—his research was showing promising results.
"You sent Pakura to the Land of Waterfalls just to be safe?"
"Yeah. If Madara really attacks, the village won't be safe that night. You know better than anyone how terrifying the Nine-Tails is."
Every Tailed Beast was a force of nature—but the Nine-Tails, with its unmatched number of tails, was a catastrophe.
Now that he'd secured his wife and child's safety, Kazuyama could wait in the village with peace of mind for that fateful night.
...
One evening, Kushina's screams echoed through the air.
Because of her status as a Jinchūriki, the birth was taking place in a barrier located outside the village.
"Ahhh!"
The second her cries rang out, everyone standing guard knew—tonight was the turning point.
"You seem nervous, old man."
"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I be nervous?"
Kazuyama stood beside Hiruzen Sarutobi at the entrance, watching as the former Hokage calmly smoked his pipe.
Then, just as everyone reached peak vigilance...
Two figures appeared before them.
The ANBU spotted them immediately.
"Let's begin. I'll take Kazuyama Gekkō—you handle the rest."
"Fine, fine... Though I would've preferred to fight Kazuyama. But we've gotta follow Black Zetsu's plan."
"Still, let's make the opening ceremony lively!"
The intruders were Muren Uchiha and Nagato.
Nagato gave a nod to Muren's words, then raised a single hand.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
The ground trembled. Massive boulders crashed toward the sealing site.
The sudden attack caught the ANBU completely off guard.
Even Hiruzen's expression turned grim. This wasn't random chaos—it was a coordinated ambush.
"Hmph, pathetic little punks!"
"I'm here to—huh?"
Just as Hiruzen tore off his cloak, revealing the battle robes of the Third Hokage, a masked figure suddenly appeared before him.
Those blood-red eyes... monstrous.
Before he could react, a storm of rubble exploded in front of him, as if the stones materialized out of nowhere. Even someone with his combat experience was shaken by the strangeness of it.
But what Hiruzen couldn't react to, others could.
The Flying Thunder God Technique activated.
Boom!
The massive stones crashed into the pillars outside the sealing site and even blocked off the entrance.
"Old man, go help Minato!"
"I—"
"Your opponent is me! Shinra Tensei!"
Kazuyama used Flying Thunder God to warp both himself and Hiruzen to the surface. He was just about to move—
A shockwave slammed into him, blowing him away.
"Damn it! Nagato!"
Midair, Kazuyama activated Flying Thunder God again to dodge the incoming force of Shinra Tensei.
Looking down at the black-robed figure, he immediately recognized him—Nagato.
"I'll leave it to you."
With that, Muren Uchiha disappeared without another word.
Nagato remained.
"All of Konoha... should die."
Eyes glowing red, he bit his finger and slammed his hand into the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
A puff of white smoke exploded outward—five new figures appeared in front of them.
Everyone except Kazuyama was stunned.
Weren't summonings supposed to bring out animals? Who used people as summoned beasts?
Five figures materialized, each wearing masks and sharing the same Rinnegan-patterned eyes.
Kazuyama's heart sank.
The Six Paths...
Even though their faces were hidden, Hiruzen spotted their eyes.
And the moment he did, he froze.
The Rinnegan—one of the Three Great Dōjutsu.
"Kill them all!"
Nagato's voice rang out as the battle began.
The five masked Rinnegan users charged toward Kazuyama and the ANBU.
"Tch. Crystal Release—Torrential Pear Blossom Needles."
Kazuyama raised a hand and unleashed a flurry of crystal senbon as a feint, activating Transparent Escape Technique and vanishing right in front of Nagato.
...
Meanwhile, in the sealing grounds, Kushina had just given birth to the yellow-haired prince.
Minato now stood face-to-face with Muren Uchiha.
"Watch out! He's not easy to handle!"
The moment the ANBU clashed with the masked clones, they could already feel the pressure.
In just a brief exchange, there were casualties.
Including Nagato, the six Rinnegan users followed the familiar formation:
Deva Path, Asura Path, Human Path, Preta Path, Animal Path, and Hell Path.
Nagato acted as the Deva Path, controlling the others to deploy their individual abilities.
Kazuyama hadn't expected this—Nagato actually counted himself among the Six Paths and revealed the full set... on this very night.
"Kazuyama Gekkō..."
"Heh..."
Nagato stared him down, laughing coldly.
Though he couldn't find Kazuyama's wife or child in the village, keeping Kazuyama occupied was enough to achieve his goal.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
"Fire everything!"
The Deva Path's pull and the Asura Path's clone launched their attack simultaneously.
Missiles lit up the night sky.
"Whoa—bit much, don't you think?!"
"Crystal Release! Barrier!"
Though yanked by invisible force, Kazuyama's jutsu still functioned.
Crystals wrapped around him as the missiles exploded on impact.
...
"ROAR!"
A deafening growl echoed from within the sealed chamber.
Moments later, red chakra surged violently—the unmistakable chakra of the Nine-Tails.
"What's going on?!"
"Did the seal break?!"
Kazuyama turned, filled with questions.
Minato and Hiruzen together couldn't protect Kushina?
"No... that's just the Nine-Tails' chakra, not the beast itself."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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