Late at night, a secret Barrier far from Konoha.
Kakashi and the other Anbu summoned here had been stationed for over twenty days straight.
Only tonight did they finally learn the specific details of this top-secret mission.
—To protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki until she successfully gives birth.
Kakashi, wearing a cat-face mask, lurked in the deep shadows of the trees, scanning every visible spot.
The world was so quiet that only the rustling of the night wind through the leaves could be heard, as if everything was as usual.
Somehow, an ominous premonition kept churning in Kakashi's heart, as if something major was about to happen tonight.
—If his mind was unsettled, he couldn't complete such an important, confidential mission.
He took two slow, deep breaths, reached into his pocket, and gripped the warm, half-palm-sized jade stone within.
The stone, warmed by his body temperature, pressed tightly against his palm, hard to the touch, with edges that were even a bit abrasive.
But even such a partially formed object was enough to gradually calm his anxious emotions.
The next instant, an unfamiliar Chakra abruptly surged from behind Kakashi, and the explosive fire-attribute energy tore through the air, emitting a thunderous roar like a massive wave taking flight.
"Wh—!"
In the nick of time, Kakashi activated his Sharingan Boundary Seal, relying on the Sharingan's powerful dynamic vision and instantly heightened reaction speed to narrowly avert danger.
As he exposed himself from the shadows, a sense of crisis struck again from the side; his conscious mind was suddenly subjected to some inexplicable oscillation, making him unable to control his body to counterattack in time.
—Could it be the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu?
Observing through the small portion of his vision that remained, he saw with his own eyes that the "enemy" was wearing Konoha Anbu's standard uniform and an animal mask, swinging a cleaver at him.
—Damn it... how could I let you succeed just like that!
Kakashi's soul roared within his body, forcibly breaking free from control with sheer willpower, and lightning flashed in his right hand as he charged at the unsuspecting enemy.
In the instant they crossed, the enemy's blade merely grazed Kakashi's ear, cutting through a few strands of white hair.
Meanwhile, the Chidori, flashing and screeching under the night sky, directly pierced the opponent's chest, turning the flesh around the wound into char.
Kakashi pulled out his arm, his Sharingan glowing like two burning embers in the darkness, staring intently in the direction from which he had just been ambushed by what seemed to be a Mind Transfer Jutsu.
However, the opponent was very alert; after failing to hit, it immediately hid and lurked, making it difficult to find its trace in a short time.
Before he could even consider whether to pursue the opponent, the next wave of attacks had already arrived.
Amidst the clash of blades, Kakashi again clearly saw the familiar style of clothing and mask on the enemy; without a doubt, they were Konoha Anbu.
Coupled with the fact that there was also a hidden individual earlier who knew the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique, he couldn't help but feel a suspicion.
Could the mastermind be so powerful as to have infiltrated the Hokage's direct assassination squad?
If that were truly the case, the Anbu performing the escort mission would fall into a dilemma where no one could be trusted, leading to mutual suspicion, and ultimately scattering like sand to be annihilated.
—No matter what, their main objective must be the Nine-Tailed!
—I must finish this quickly and warn Minato-sensei!
Kakashi drew his chakra blade, and arcs of electricity twisted and converged in his palm, forming the violently screeching forbidden Jutsu, Chidori.
The enemies surrounding him recognized who this formidable young Ninja was, and their already palpable killing intent grew even stronger.
"That's Hatake Kakashi!"
"The Fourth Hokage actually temporarily assigned him to the Anbu...!?"
"Hold him back, don't let him ruin the plan!"
The Ninja who had long resolved to sacrifice themselves rushed at Kakashi in groups of three to five without hesitation, delaying him outside the Barrier at the cost of their lives.
Hundreds of meters away, at the top of a cliff, Obito witnessed the entire chaos and slaughter instigated by Root, completely unmoved.
He glanced at Kakashi, who was surrounded by Root Ninja and unable to advance, then coldly withdrew his gaze and activated his Mangekyo to sink into the ground... Deep within the Barrier, Kushina was giving birth with the help of two older women and her husband, Minato.
Even as a Ninja, the intense labor pains still made her sweat profusely, her hands gripping the edge of the stone platform tightly, occasionally letting out tragic cries.
"Ah—!"
Besides enduring physical pain, she also needed to divert some of her energy to cooperate with Minato in maintaining the Tailed Beast Seal; otherwise, if the Nine-Tailed found an opportunity to break the Sealing Jutsu, the entire Konoha would not be able to bear the consequences.
"Um, Biwako-sama?"
That last scream was too piercing, making Minato's Chakra-transmitting hands tremble, and he couldn't help but ask, "I've never seen Kushina in such pain before, is she really okay?"
"She's fine," Biwako Sarutobi said casually, without lifting her head, comforting the inexperienced young man, "Your primary task is to keep an eye on the Nine-Tailed Seal!"
As if to confirm her words, the Nine-Tailed Chakra instantly became even more agitated, and the Sealing Jutsu became precarious.
At this, Minato disregarded everything else and focused on controlling the Seal.
Another violent pain came from her abdomen, and as Kushina gritted her teeth and endured, she felt as if something was wrong.
The surrounding space seemed unusual, causing her Chakra flow to become increasingly chaotic and sluggish, and its consumption rate was several times faster than before; continuing like this might even interfere with the stability of the Nine-Tailed Seal.
—This, the Barrier here is not normal...!
Before she could even ask, the Nine-Tailed keenly seized the opportunity, and the Tailed Beast Seal suddenly suffered a slight breach, so quickly that Minato had no time to react or compensate.
Strands of Nine-Tailed Chakra spread outwards along the Jutsu, permeating the surface of her abdominal skin in the blink of an eye.
"Kushina!"
Minato was utterly distraught, but his only option now was to increase his Chakra output; otherwise, if the Nine-Tailed broke free, it would be even more dangerous for Kushina.
"How could it be so fast...?"
Biwako Sarutobi's expression was grim; she had not expected the situation to deteriorate so rapidly, with the child not yet born, and the Nine-Tailed's Sealing Jutsu already on the verge of collapsing.
"You must hold on, Kushina!"
"Waa... Naruto... Naruto..."
As a Jinchuriki, Kushina knew better than anyone how urgent the situation was; if the Nine-Tailed broke free first, not only she but also the child in her womb would be in mortal danger.
—Naruto... Mom will make sure you are born safely!
Kushina's teeth almost shattered from clenching, and she fought with half her life, finally giving birth to the child just before the Nine-Tailed Seal collapsed.
"Waa waa waa..."
The tender yet prolonged cries echoed repeatedly throughout the stone chamber, breaking the almost solidified, anxious atmosphere.
Biwako breathed a sigh of relief, as if escaping a disaster, and holding the child, she instructed, "Taji, quickly bring hot water!"
"Yes! Coming right away!"
"Hmph... hmph..."
Kushina gasped for air, listening to her child's powerful cries, feeling that all her suffering was worth it.
Minato stood dumbfounded to the side, muttering to himself that he was a father starting today, and couldn't help but feel a pang in his nose, constantly wiping the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.
In less than a minute, the newborn infant was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed beside his mother.
"Naruto..." Kushina stared at the child without blinking, tears welling in her eyes, "I finally see you..."
Under Kushina's gentle gaze, Naruto still did not stop crying; instead, he cried harder and harder, clearly and loudly announcing his arrival to the world.