Outside Konoha – The Cave Where Kushina Gave Birth
Candlelight flickered against the stone walls. Kushina, drenched in sweat and pain, had just given birth to Naruto. The masked man—Uchiha Obito, disguised as "Madara"—held the infant in one arm, his Sharingan eye gleaming through his spiral-patterned mask.
Minato Namikaze's eyes widened. "Don't move!" Obito threatened, a kunai aimed at the newborn.
Behind Obito, Sarutobi Hiruzen was not present—he canonically wasn't there during Kushina's childbirth. In the manga, Minato handled everything alone due to the need for secrecy.
Suddenly, Kushina, despite her massive chakra loss, tried to stand. Her red hair fluttered weakly.
"Hmph." Obito turned slightly, amused. "You Uzumaki really are tough. Survived a tailed beast extraction… impressive."
He raised his hand, and the Sharingan in his eye spun. "But as the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, it's fitting you die by its claws."
The moment he completed the hand seal, his Sharingan synchronized with the Nine-Tails, which was already released from Kushina. Under Obito's control, the beast roared and swiped its claw at her.
But it didn't land.
In a blur of yellow light, Minato appeared using the Flying Thunder God Technique, rescuing Kushina at the last instant.
He reappeared at a safe location outside the village with Kushina and Naruto. He gently set Kushina down beside their newborn son, his expression tense but calm.
"Minato…" Kushina whispered, her voice trembling, "Is Naruto safe?"
"He's safe. I've put up barriers and seals."
Kushina, pale and breathing heavily, nodded. "You have to stop him… that masked man. He's controlling the Nine-Tails… he wants to destroy the village!"
Minato nodded gravely and disappeared in a yellow flash.
Meanwhile , Konoha Security Force Grounds
Uchiha Kai, wearing a dark combat uniform, stared silently at the distant red glow in the sky—Chakra, dense and malevolent, pulsed from the direction of the Nine-Tails.
He had just subdued Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi using non-lethal force—Kai's tactics relying on Mangekyō Genjutsu and movement prediction. He had taken small samples of their DNA for secret experiments. Neither of the Hyuga twins was dead, but both were incapacitated and sealed with a chakra-suppression Genjutsu to avoid Byakugan surveillance.
Suddenly, the ground rumbled violently.
Kai looked up. "So… it's started."
In the distance, a giant silhouette—the Nine-Tails, wreathed in hatred—roared under the moonlit sky, its scarlet Sharingan-infused eyes signaling its subjugation.
Kai narrowed his eyes. "That's not Fugaku's doing… but those eyes—Sharingan. Controlled."
He vanished in a flicker of movement, rushing toward the rendezvous point.
At the Meeting Point – Outskirts of the Uchiha District
Imai Kenta and Hyuga Aya had already arrived, tense and alert.
"Kai!" Kenta called out as Uchiha Kai landed beside them and immediately removed his black cloak and mask.
"It's not us," Kai said before they could even ask. "The one controlling the Nine-Tails isn't part of our operation. We're still supporting Minato."
"But the Nine-Tails has Sharingan…" Aya murmured.
"Then it's an outsider. Maybe someone left the village, someone who awakened the Mangekyō," Kai snapped. "We're not stupid enough to jeopardize everything now."
He gave orders swiftly.
"Aya, recover Hiashi and Hizashi, make sure they don't die. Kenta, notify the field medical squads and check if the Defense Division has activated the emergency protocol."
"What about you?" Kenta asked.
"I'm heading to support Minato," Kai said coldly. "This night… we either prove the Uchiha are with Konoha—or we become scapegoats."
Inside Konoha Village
With a roar, the Nine-Tails smashed through the barrier, summoned to the village center by Obito's Space-Time Jutsu. His plan: obliterate Konoha and exact revenge on the world that took Rin from him.
Panic erupted.
Buildings were reduced to rubble in an instant. Civilians screamed. Jonin-level shinobi rushed to evacuate survivors.
High above on a tower, Obito watched with a cold gaze, observing chaos like a god surveying hell. "This is justice," he muttered. "This is your punishment… for letting her die."
"Crush it all, Kurama."
The Nine-Tails swung its tails, destroying an entire street. Its eyes—still under Sharingan hypnosis—glowed with bloodlust.
In the Hokage Office
Several clan leaders had gathered after the initial tremors. Uchiha Fugaku stood tensely among them.
When they saw the Nine-Tails' Sharingan, all eyes turned to him.
"This… this is a Sharingan technique!" cried one clan head.
Fugaku held his ground. "I swear on the name of the Uchiha, we are not responsible."
"Then explain the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes!" someone challenged.
"I don't know," Fugaku replied coldly. "But what I do know is that if we don't act now, we all die—Uchiha included."
His words were heavy. Then, Nara Shikaku spoke calmly.
"Enough. We can deal with accountability later. Right now, we defend the village."
Elsewhere – Kakashi and Hiruzen
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already re-entered the battlefield, despite not being Hokage anymore. He was severely injured—having intervened during a surprise attack by the Nine-Tails or Obito.
Kakashi, rescued by Hiruzen earlier, stood up slowly.
"The Nine-Tails… it's attacking. Sensei's wife…"
Kakashi was visibly shaken. The sight of the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eye made him think of the enemy he had just fought.
"It's not the Uchiha clan," he murmured. "The Sharingan wielder was wearing a mask… there's no way someone inside the village would do this."
"You're still young…" Hiruzen coughed, bleeding. "But remember, you're a Konoha ninja before anything else…"
Kakashi looked at him with cold eyes. "I've never forgotten that. But Konoha must not lose itself again… not like it did with my father."
He disappeared in a shunshin, heading toward the village center.
Minato, meanwhile, had returned in a yellow flash, already marked with seals throughout the village. He had caught Obito mid-attack and countered with Flying Thunder God Level 2, striking him with a Rasengan and placing a contract seal on Kurama to break the control.
Obito escaped with Kamui, but not before saying: "This world… will know true peace. In the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Minato turned to face the rampaging Nine-Tails. He had only one choice left: the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.