"Even though we're far from the village, this is a confidential mission. So even if labor pains start, try not to scream too loudly."
That was what Biwako instructed Kushina on the way.
But in the end—
"It hurts like hell!!!"
Even from outside the cave, Takeshi and the others could clearly hear Kushina's screams.
The sound echoed through the forest, and Takeshi instinctively reached for the hilt of his ninja blade.
"This is the first time I've heard Kushina-san scream this loudly from pain."
Obito shrank his neck, curious about what was happening inside.
"Yeah, same here. Never seen her like this."
Glancing toward the cave entrance, Takeshi, crouched on a tree branch, had also never witnessed a scene like this.
Inside the cave, Minato, responsible for maintaining the seal, wore a deeply worried expression.
"Um... I've never seen Kushina scream like this before. Is this really okay?"
"It's fine. Your top priority is to keep the Nine-Tails' seal in place!"
Busy with her own tasks, Biwako gestured for Minato not to panic.
At that moment, the sealing formula on Kushina's abdomen continued to shift and change.
Minato could clearly feel the intense struggle of the Nine-Tails sealed within her—it was desperately trying to break free.
"Come on, Naruto, hurry up and be born already. The Nine-Tails can wait!"
As Kushina's screams grew more intense, Minato felt like his heart was shattering. If it were possible, he'd gladly take on the pain for her.
...
"Who are you?!"
Outside the cave, an Anbu suddenly jumped out, pointing his blade at a mysterious figure.
The person said nothing, stepping forward without pause.
"So it's you..."
The Anbu lowered his weapon and was just about to speak when he abruptly stopped, his grip loosening. The next moment, his entire body collapsed backward.
"Enemy attack!"
From his perch in the tree, Takeshi had seen everything. He quickly leapt down and threw a Flying Thunder God kunai in the direction of the attacker.
"Oh? Flying Thunder God Technique, is it? I won't let you use it so easily."
With his Sharingan, the enemy saw through the kunai's secret. He spoke calmly, and the next instant, Takeshi's vision turned upside down.
It felt like someone had swapped all his controls in the middle of a game.
What should've been the enemy standing on the ground now appeared to be floating in the sky. His upper and lower body seemed misaligned—like a twisted 2.5D character.
"Genjutsu?!"
Takeshi wasn't the only one caught—Obito, who had remained hidden in the tree, lost his balance and fell due to the distorted vision.
The other Anbu guarding the barrier were even worse off, lying on the ground, completely immobilized.
Yōwan casually picked up the blade dropped by the fallen Anbu and gently stabbed it into the back of his neck.
With the sound of the blade piercing flesh, the Anbu was sent straight to meet the Sage of Six Paths.
"Damn it, Release!"
Takeshi quickly formed hand seals following Danzō's teachings, trying to break the genjutsu. But it had no effect.
As the enemy closed in, Takeshi had no choice but to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the location where his kunai had landed.
"This feeling... I see now. You're the one who ambushed Nagato and took his eyes!"
A familiar sensation struck him. Obito finally realized who the attacker was.
"Huh? Nagato's eyes were stolen? Why didn't you ever tell me that?!"
This was the first Takeshi had heard of it. He turned with wide eyes to question Obito, but he was still caught in Yōwan's genjutsu and didn't even know where the real Obito was.
"So noisy."
Irritated by Obito's constant chatter, Yōwan walked up and thrust his blade downward.
But something felt wrong. There was no resistance—like stabbing into air.
"Got him!"
Obito suddenly sprang up, relying on his instincts, and threw a punch.
Yōwan didn't even try to dodge. He stood there calmly, watching Obito flail.
Sure enough, because of his inverted vision, Obito punched behind himself and fell flat on his face again.
But at that moment, Yōwan caught sight of Obito's eyes.
"A Mangekyō Sharingan... So that's it. A dojutsu that lets him ignore enemy attacks."
Who would've thought the former loser would one day awaken these eyes? War—what has it truly brought to shinobi?
Not wanting to waste time on Obito, Yōwan decided to skip him altogether.
He swiftly finished off the remaining Anbu and prepared to storm into the cave where Kushina was giving birth.
"Not so fast—Summoning Technique!"
Obito's mind raced. He finally thought of a way to counter Yōwan's genjutsu.
If his own vision was compromised, he'd just summon a creature to fight for him!
With a puff of smoke, a large toad clad in armored gauntlets appeared before Obito.
"I'm counting on you!"
Excited, Obito pointed toward the spot where he thought Yōwan stood. But before the toad could move, the sound of clanking armor rang out—it had flipped over onto its back, legs up in the air.
"You idiot, Obito! The toad fell for it too!"
Propping himself up against a tree, Takeshi didn't need to look to know what had happened. Thankfully, his hand seals weren't affected—he could still use ninjutsu.
"Ice Release—"
"You really plan to use a jutsu, Shimura Takeshi? Aren't you worried you'll hurt your comrades?"
Yōwan made no attempt to dodge. After all, the place Takeshi was aiming at wasn't even where he stood.
...
Hearing those words, Takeshi stopped his hand seals.
He didn't really need to worry about Obito's safety. Thanks to Kamui, Obito could phase out of danger.
The real reason Takeshi stopped—he thought of a better plan.
"In that case, I'll be taking the Jinchūriki now."
Believing Takeshi had given up, Yōwan turned to the cave.
"If that's how it is—Sage Art!"
He clapped his hands together. No one loves this technique, but he did it anyway.
Strange markings spread across his face.
"Sage Art: Ice Release!"
"Nani?!"
Feeling something grab his ankle, Yōwan instinctively looked down.
A crystalline skeletal hand was gripping him tightly. A warrior's skeleton clad in armor was slowly rising from the ice beneath his feet.
"The hallmark of the Shikkotsurin Sage Art is its ability to grant artificial life. While they have no intellect, these creatures hunt based on instinct."
Takeshi flashed a sly grin as he explained.
"Tricks and cleverness..."
Seeing Takeshi's smile, Yōwan seemed to recall some unpleasant memories. He reflexively clamped his legs tighter together.
"Attacks of this level won't stop me!"
"Really? But I can."
Suddenly, Kakashi, who had been hiding in the shadows, appeared behind Yōwan and struck. While the skeletons held him in place, Kakashi drove his blade straight through Yōwan's chest.
"Impossible! How are you unaffected by the genjutsu?!"
Yōwan, enduring the pain, struggled to turn his head—just in time to meet Kakashi's cold, emotionless gaze.