Minato gripped the kunai in his hand. He knew the masked man was referring to him — to how Minato had failed to save either him or Rin.
"Where do you think this will lead you?" Minato asked. He might not be the original Minato, but he believed that maybe he could change many things to prevent it from happening.
"To a perfect world, without war, without sadness, only happiness," the masked man replied.
"Do you really believe such a world exists? Unless you want everyone to lose their own will, it will never exist. The world isn't fair, life isn't fair." Minato's voice was firm.
"I know the world I can create! And it will happen for the sake of the shinobi world! If you and your wife surrender, at least once in your lives you will have done something good. Don't abandon the others, don't take too long!" the masked man's voice came laden with rage and hatred. His hands clenched so tightly that they nearly tore his own flesh.
Minato remained silent. For a moment, he opened his mouth and almost called the masked man by name, but held back.
"There's still a way to change, I can—"
"Shut up!" shouted the masked man, charging at Minato. He didn't want to hear anything from the mouth of the man he had once admired.
Suddenly, a kunai appeared from the right, flying toward the masked man's head. His Sharingan noticed the attack, but he didn't care — the kunai passed through his head without effect.
Minato also rushed forward, gripping his kunai tightly while forming a Rasengan in his other hand.
The kunai that had gone through the masked man was from a clone. In the air, beside it, Minato's clone appeared, ready to strike.
Then Minato hurled another kunai straight at the enemy's head. The masked man raised his hand. He didn't care about kunai, even knowing what Minato could do with them.
"Just a little more…!" thought the masked man. His hand drew closer and closer to Minato's neck. He only needed to touch him, just a little. Everything he had gone through, everything he had planned, would succeed if he managed to touch him.
His fingers were so close he could even feel Minato's breath. His hand was centimeters from the target when a yellow flash burst — Minato had vanished.
Just above him, another flash appeared. Minato's clone materialized beside the masked man, Rasengan in hand.
Both Rasengan charged at the enemy, but passed right through. Minato even felt his clone's hand touch his shoulder for an instant before realizing the trick. Quickly, he touched the clone's stomach.
The masked man then turned and grabbed Minato's arm. A spiraling vortex began to form in the hole of his mask, pulling them both inside. At the last moment, another yellow flash shone. The masked man and the clone disappeared, while Minato reappeared in the clone's place.
He fell to his knees on the ground, gasping.
"That was close…" he muttered.
The memories of the clone reached Minato's mind. From those recollections, the clone had managed to pierce Obito's chest.
He hoped that Obito might now reflect and no longer cause trouble. Minato knew this was rather unrealistic, but perhaps it was possible.
Minato broke out of his thoughts when he noticed several Anbu ninjas landing in front of him, shouting in concern:
"Hokage-sama!"
"I'm fine. Spread out through the village without raising suspicion about the attack. Talk to the Uchiha clan leader to mobilize the police."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Minato also planned to search for Obito, in the hope that he would not return. However, at that moment, the memories of the clone with Kushina reached his mind. Instantly, he used the Hiraishin.
---
Kushina caressed her baby's little face, gently playing with the strands of his blond hair. For a moment, everything seemed at peace, but soon a sharp pain ripped through her belly. She gripped the bedcloth tightly, letting out a painful moan.
The Minato clone, who had been resting against the wall, opened his eyes upon noticing the change. He quickly approached and, observing Kushina's belly, realized something alarming: the seal was weakening, even though it had been reinforced minutes earlier. He formed hand seals and tried to restore the containment, pressing his palm against her belly, but nothing happened.
"It's not going to hold…" Kushina murmured through groans. "The Kyuubi is forcing its way out!"
The clone's blue eyes filled with concern. If the Nine-Tails escaped, not only would the baby be in danger, but the entire village would be destroyed. With no time to hesitate, the clone dispersed, and moments later the real Minato appeared, already feeling the weight of the situation.
He found her screaming, her belly darkening as if a hole were opening in her body. Minato summoned another clone and, ignoring his own discomfort, lifted his wife into his arms. There was no time to falter. He used the Hiraishin and vanished with her in a golden flash.
They reappeared in the same cave where Naruto had been born. Kushina, panting, gripped his arm so tightly it hurt. He only whispered:
"It's going to be okay…"
He pressed his hand against her belly. A wave of guilt surged through his mind. If he hadn't made that mistake, none of this would be happening. The Kyuubi's red chakra exploded against his hand, burning his skin. The pain was intense, but Minato refused to retreat. He would not let the beast escape.
But his will alone was not enough. The chakra burst out violently, throwing him against the cave wall. Kushina screamed, a sound so piercing it chilled the blood. The pain consumed her, tears streaming from her blue eyes as she clenched her teeth in a desperate struggle to contain the beast — a struggle she could no longer win.
Another scream, even stronger, echoed through the cave. Minato, dazed and bleeding from his head, rose to his feet. Every sound ripped from Kushina's throat crushed his heart. He had taken on Minato's body and identity, but now he felt powerless before her suffering. He had sworn to protect her, to do everything for her happiness, and now he couldn't even spare her from that pain.
Kushina's body was enveloped by the fox's chakra, black blood streaming from her belly. Before Minato could act, another scream tore from her — and then it happened.
The Kyuubi erupted from Kushina's body, destroying the cave as it emerged. Its nine tails spread out, lashing the air and stirring up devastating winds. The creature raised its head and roared, a deafening cry that announced its freedom to the world.