Naka Shrine.
Under the flickering candlelight, the pale purple Rinnegan shimmered with a strange brilliance. Uchiha Shisui stood in silence, staring at the stone tablet before him, his heart shaken.
This stone tablet could only be read with specific dōjutsu—without dōjutsu, its contents were completely inaccessible.
What it recorded was also encrypted in layers, depending on the tier of ocular ability: Sharingan, Mangekyō Sharingan, and finally, Rinnegan. Only with a more advanced eye could one unlock deeper truths.
Back when his father, Uchiha Kofu, had entrusted his eyes to him—allowing him to awaken both Mangekyō and Eternal Mangekyō—Shisui had come here and read the tablet once before.
What he saw back then went something like this:
"The One God sought peace, and thus split yin and yang. The two opposing forces collided, yet fused as one—birthing all things under heaven and earth…"
This message not only hinted at the underlying truth of the world, it also contained instructions for awakening the Rinnegan.
But now, having truly unlocked the Rinnegan, Shisui stood once more before the Uchiha Stone Tablet—and for the first time, fully decoded the secrets passed down since the Warring States era.
And yet, this time…
Shisui wasn't surprised in the slightest by what he read.
Because he had already been told everything.
After joining the Soul Society, Yuki Yoru had personally explained the full contents of the stone tablet to him. Still, some part of Shisui remained skeptical, which was why he'd come to confirm it for himself.
"Devour the Tailed Beasts. Resurrect the Ten-Tails. Recreate the Six Paths. Awaken the Eternal Dream. Build everlasting peace…"
Shisui's lips curled into a smile—part sarcastic, part cold. The kind of smirk you'd see on some overbearing corporate CEO.
Information that should've only been visible to the Rinnegan… Yuki Yoru had already known it all along.
The path to the Sage of Six Paths? The laughable Eye of the Moon Plan?
"I didn't lie to you, did I, Shisui-kun?"
"This world has always been cloaked in a grand illusion. Those who fancy themselves gods manipulate the masses for their own eternal dominion."
"And when invaders from beyond the stars arrive—wielding unstoppable power—those self-proclaimed deities will simply flee… while the common people bear the brunt of the suffering."
Yoru's voice echoed in Shisui's ears. He let out a long sigh and silently closed his Rinnegan.
"What should I do?"
"You've already been doing it. Ever since you became a Shinigami. This just confirms the path you were already on."
Though Yoru remained far away in the Land of Iron, his voice reached Shisui's ears across the distance.
"Train well. Your current strength still isn't enough to face what's coming."
"…Should I handle the Nine-Tails?"
"Up to you. But that old toad from Mount Myōboku already summoned Minato back. He'll probably arrive in a few minutes." Yoru paused, then added: "I'll be heading over too."
The Land of Iron was far from Konoha—Minato would never make it back on his own in time.
But with Fukasaku's Reverse Summoning, distance didn't matter. One detour through Mount Myōboku, and Minato could easily return to Konoha.
"You're coming too…?"
Shisui was a bit surprised. For just the Nine-Tails? With both the Second and Sixth Division Captains already present? And now Yoru too?
Did something else major lie ahead tonight?
"I just want to meet someone interesting."
Yoru chuckled. "You've been gone a long time—might as well walk around Konoha while you're here."
"Understood."
The telepathic connection ended.
Shisui quietly replaced the plain white mask on his face and left the Naka Shrine.
He gazed up at the crimson sky, dyed red by the Nine-Tails' demonic chakra. After a brief moment of silence, he turned and walked in the opposite direction.
Yoru was right. Dealing with the Nine-Tails… was the Hokage's duty. A job for the shinobi of Konoha.
As for him?
This was a good opportunity to walk the streets of his once-beloved village.
He casually plucked a white chrysanthemum from the roadside and made his way toward the memorial grounds.
…
"Nine-Tails, huh? Good! My burning youth has been waiting for an opponent like this! Let me—Might Guy—be the one to take you on!"
—Elsewhere, in a street in Konoha—
The eternally passionate thick-browed youth clenched his fists, brimming with energy as he prepared to rush headlong into battle against the Nine-Tails.
But a senior ninja in front of him quickly raised a hand to block him.
"No, Guy, Asuma, you two immediately head to the designated meeting point."
"What?!"
The words hit Guy like a bucket of cold water. He shouted, "Why won't you let us fight the Nine-Tails?! This is the perfect time for youth to blaze!"
"This is Lord Third's direct order. Report immediately. Are you planning to disobey a command?"
"Dammit..."
"Let's go, Guy," Asuma said softly, stepping up to pull him along.
As the Hokage's son, Asuma understood clearly what their teacher meant.
Right now, he and Guy were at best mid- to upper-chūnin level. Against the Nine-Tails, their strength would be about as useful as ants.
Rather than get in the way, they were better off helping escort civilians to the shelters.
Low- and mid-ranking ninja quickly began to withdraw. In the distance, the true battle had already begun.
With the Third Hokage's orders issued, Konoha's elite shinobi moved swiftly into action.
Countless figures darted through the air—flames, wind release, water jutsu bursting forth in waves.
But to the Nine-Tails, these attacks were like mosquito bites. Even layered jutsu combinations did little more than annoy it.
In contrast, one swipe of a claw from the beast sent several shinobi flying. A single roar leveled buildings in its path.
Among those present, only Sarutobi Hiruzen posed any real threat to the beast, so much of its attention was focused on him. But even when Hiruzen managed to land attacks, the near-limitless chakra of the Nine-Tails healed its wounds almost instantly.
"This monster..."
Hiruzen's hands trembled as he saw his massive Five Elemental Bullet jutsu barely scratch the fox—only to see the injuries vanish in the blink of an eye.
All around him, the battlefield was littered with the fallen.
After the Third Great Ninja War, the most populous clans in Konoha were the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Mitokado. Among them, the Sarutobi had the highest numbers.
Which meant that at least two or three of every ten dead shinobi lying here now bore his family name.
The losses were staggering.
And they cut deep.
This was his life's work. His legacy. The foundation he had spent decades building to ensure the Sarutobi clan's dominance in Konoha.
"This can't go on…"
"The Nine-Tails is too powerful. Normal shinobi are just throwing their lives away…"
Truth be told, Hiruzen had never personally seen the Nine-Tails in action before.
Back when the founding generation was still alive, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha ruled the battlefield. Back then, Tailed Beasts were treated as minor footnotes.
During the Second Hokage Tobirama's reign, Konoha's power was vast and its infrastructure solid. The Nine-Tails was securely sealed within Uzumaki Mito, and the seal never once wavered. Even when Mito gave birth and the seal weakened, both the First and Second Hokage were present. The beast had no chance of escaping.
Not until today.
This was Hiruzen's first time facing the most powerful of the Tailed Beasts.
And under the crushing weight of its presence… for the first time in his life, he felt powerless.
"Just past here lies the heart of Konoha. If the Nine-Tails breaks through…"
Hiruzen gripped the adamantine staff tightly in both hands. His heart had reached a decision.
No matter what—it must not advance. Even if it cost him everything.
Even if he had to use that technique…
"ROAR!!"
Almost as if sensing Hiruzen's resolve, the Nine-Tails let out an earth-shaking bellow. It raised one enormous paw and swiped down toward him—while chakra gathered like a vortex in its mouth.
In a matter of seconds, a pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb had formed—its dense energy radiating crushing despair.
On the ground, dozens of shinobi felt their breath catch in their throats.
Hiruzen's expression shifted to one of alarm.
If that Tailed Beast Bomb hit the village—
Amid the fox's roar, the dark sphere launched like a comet.
Everything in its path was utterly crushed, the ground cracked, like an omen of the apocalypse.
"Damn you, you bastard!"
Hiruzen roared inside, but there was nothing he could do. His jutsu couldn't stop it.
Together with the shinobi around him—many of whom now stared on in helpless horror—he could only watch as annihilation hurtled toward them.
"BOOOOOOOM!!!"
The Tailed Beast Bomb detonated with an apocalyptic shockwave. Chakra exploded outward, razing everything in its path.
Despite the Konoha shinobi's best efforts to resist with all manner of jutsu, they might as well have been ants trying to stop a tsunami.
No—perhaps it could've been stopped.
If this were the original Konoha, from the canon story, with all its elite shinobi still intact—perhaps then they could have held the line.
But unfortunately, today's Konoha was no longer at its peak.
Minato Namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha were still away at the Land of Iron. What remained was a village of overextended Sarutobi, Shimura, and Mitokado clans.
What could they possibly do against this?
Destruction descended.
"Die… All of you, just die!"
"Damn you, Minato Namikaze! Damn you, Konoha! Let it all burn!"
On the Nine-Tails' head, concealed in the shadows, Uchiha Obito laughed like a madman.
"Nagato was right… Only through pain can people understand pain."
"Only by plunging into the abyss can they taste the despair I've felt!"
"Minato Namikaze—savor this despair!"
Another Tailed Beast Bomb began forming. Another explosion followed.
And another.
Again and again.
Konoha's ninja finally understood why the Tailed Beasts were called avatars of infinite chakra. Those still untouched by the devastation stood in mute horror. No one had ever imagined it would come to this. Not once.
The Nine-Tails raged. Its blasts turned the village into a wasteland.
The most prosperous, powerful, and central Hidden Village in the ninja world—was now nothing more than rubble and craters.
Smoke and ash filled the air.
Among the wreckage, a broken stone wall shifted slightly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, bloodied and battered, crawled out from beneath the debris. Before him stood the remains of a thick mud wall, hastily erected with Earth Release. Around him were a dozen elite shinobi of the Sarutobi clan—survivors he'd managed to protect with that last-ditch defense.
The surviving ninja slowly struggled to their feet, dazed and wounded.
Most of them stared at the scene in disbelief. It was difficult to accept that this smoldering ruin was once the bustling heart of Konoha. Everything had happened too fast—too violently—for their minds to process.
"...The Nine-Tails…"
Hiruzen stared forward, fists clenched tight.
He watched as the fox began to move—heading toward the direction of the emergency shelters.
At that moment, whatever hesitation remained in Hiruzen's heart vanished.
He had to stop it—no matter the cost.
But just then—
POOF!
A cloud of smoke erupted. A massive toad appeared, towering over the battlefield.
Atop the toad's head stood a figure in a white Hokage cloak—emblazoned with the kanji for "Fourth"—Minato Namikaze had arrived. At his feet crouched the Great Toad Sage, Fukasaku.
"Where… is this?"
Minato looked around at the smoke and dust. At first glance, he couldn't recognize anything. This place had been reduced to a desolate wasteland. No buildings remained.
But his confusion lasted only a second before it twisted into burning fury.
He saw the ruined village.
He saw the Nine-Tails.
He understood instantly—this was Konoha.
The village he had sworn to protect with his life…
Had already been reduced to rubble.
"It's gotten this bad already…" Fukasaku muttered, face grim. "I moved as fast as I could, little Minato, but I guess we were still too late."
"No—you've done more than enough." Minato tightened his Hokage cloak, eyes flashing. "Gamabunta, I need you to hold off the Nine-Tails for a moment. I have something I need to confirm first."
"Me?!"
Gamabunta, still adjusting his pose, blinked in surprise—but before he could argue, Minato had already vanished.
Fukasaku chuckled, waving lazily. "Thanks, Gamabunta. I'm gonna go help the missus get dinner ready. Don't forget to come back and eat, okay?"
"…Yeah yeah…"
Gamabunta grumbled, drawing his tanto as he leapt toward the raging Nine-Tails.
—
Minato reappeared in a flash atop a tree branch.
There, leaning weakly against the trunk, was Kushina Uzumaki—clutching the newborn Naruto tightly in her arms.
Minato's expression turned from worry to guilt… and then to immense relief.
He'd feared the worst—that he'd arrive too late, and his wife and child would already be gone.
But by some miracle… they were alive.
"Thank you," Minato said sincerely, his gaze falling on the white-robed man beside Kushina—Hozuki Gengetsu.
Though he didn't know the full story, it was clear: without this man, he would have lost everything.
"No need to thank me. I wasn't doing it for free," Gengetsu replied, waving his hand dismissively.
"Name your price. Whatever you ask, I'll make it happen."
"Minato…"
Kushina tried to speak, but her words were cut off.
BOOM!
Another deafening explosion rocked the village. A new Tailed Beast Bomb had gone off in the distance.
Minato's face darkened. He said no more.
He stepped in front of Kushina, golden chakra flickering around his eyes—the mark of Sage Mode activating.
He placed a glowing hand gently against her abdomen.
Kushina's body trembled… but her breathing began to steady.
Her chakra stabilized.
Minato exhaled slowly. He then turned to Naruto, brushing a finger against the baby's cheek.
Then, without another word, he stood, eyes narrowing toward the Nine-Tails in the distance.
"Minato…"
"I'm sorry. But I'll be back soon."
He whispered those words gently.
Behind him, the words "Fourth Hokage" glinted brightly beneath the blood-red moon.
He was a husband. He was a father.
But first and foremost…
He was the Hokage of Konohagakure.
He'd already arrived too late.
He couldn't let this destruction continue.
With a final glance at his family, Minato vanished.
Hozuki Gengetsu sighed, watching the space where he disappeared.
Back in his own time, he had given his life alongside the Second Tsuchikage to defend Kirigakure.
Now, Minato was doing the same for Konoha—sacrificing his personal happiness for the sake of the village.
"A worthy Kage," Gengetsu muttered. Then he looked to the silent Kushina beside him, her gaze locked on baby Naruto.
"But not a very good husband or father."
—
"Here it comes again!"
"Damn it! We can't let it fire another Tailed Beast Bomb!"
"The shelters are right behind us! We have to stop that thing here!"
Once more, the Nine-Tails began charging chakra in its mouth. An ominous glow filled the battlefield.
Konoha's remaining shinobi launched attack after attack, trying desperately to disrupt it.
Hiruzen slammed his adamantine staff into the ground, using it as leverage to leap high into the air. Mid-air, he formed four Shadow Clones.
Together, all five Hiruzen's moved in sync, weaving hand signs.
Lightning. Water. Earth. Fire. Wind.
"Five Elements: Great Ball Technique!"
The combined elemental barrage slammed into the Nine-Tails with immense force, disrupting its chakra and forcing it to halt the formation of the Tailed Beast Bomb.
But Obito, controlling the Nine-Tails, narrowed his eyes—his Sharingan spun rapidly, the tomoe rotating in a blur.
In the next instant, the Nine-Tails did something no one expected—
It swallowed the half-formed Tailed Beast Bomb back into its stomach!
Its massive belly bulged grotesquely for a moment.
Then, its mouth snapped wide open—
A fully formed Tailed Beast Bomb, its power completely intact, blasted out with terrifying force!
"What?!"
Hiruzen's eyes widened. Despair spread across the faces of the surrounding shinobi.
The shelters were directly behind them.
If this attack landed…
Konoha would be wiped out.
There would be nothing left.
All the remaining shinobi could do was watch in helpless horror.
—
But in that desperate moment, a golden figure appeared atop the rocky cliff near the shelters.
His hands flew through hand signs. Specially-marked kunai glinted as he held them aloft.
Dozens of Flying Thunder God seals suddenly ignited across the ground.
It all happened in an instant.
The massive blast of chakra reached them—
But the space in front of them twisted.
A deep distortion rippled through the air. The Tailed Beast Bomb began to vanish—absorbed into that pocket of space, as though pulled into a black hole.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
Far in the distance, an explosion lit up the night sky. The shockwave echoed across the ruined village.
"That was… Minato's space-time barrier?" Akimichi Torifu's eyes lit up.
"Minato's back!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen finally exhaled, a smile breaking through the grime on his face.
The surviving shinobi around him straightened.
Their morale surged.
Minato Namikaze's presence in the village—even now—was like a beacon of hope.
He was their hero. Their symbol. Their Hokage.
—
"…I stopped it."
Minato let out a quiet breath, holding his Flying Thunder God kunai tight.
But at that moment—a hand appeared behind him. Silent. Unseen.
It reached for his neck.
Minato's instincts screamed. He twisted, kunai slashing—
But to his shock, the blade passed through the attacker's body, as if he were made of mist.
Then, just as suddenly, the attacker turned solid—and seized Minato's right arm!
"You!"
"I've been waiting for you, Minato Namikaze…"
Obito's voice was cold and full of hate. Beneath the spiral mask, his Mangekyō Sharingan spun.
A vortex began forming, space warping—Obito tried to pull Minato into his Kamui dimension.
But Minato was faster.
The moment he felt space start to twist, he vanished—teleporting away to a previously marked location.
"Flying Thunder God Technique…"
Obito turned to look.
His blood-red Mangekyō gleamed beneath the blood moon, the reflection making it look even more sinister.
"I was hoping you'd see your precious village after it was destroyed…"
"But now that you're here—maybe it'll be more fun to let you watch it crumble piece by piece."
"You bastard…" Minato's face darkened.
His killing intent erupted.
"Unforgivable. You dare destroy Konoha to this extent? This… is unforgivable!"