Chapter 21: The Night of the Full Moon
Upon hearing Genma mention an imminent secret mission, a glint flashed through Yusuke's eyes. He lifted his teacup, took a small sip, and said with practiced calm, "Is that so? What a shame." Shame that I won't be offering you tea again after this.
Yusuke had invited Genma for tea with a clear motive: to extract information from the Fourth Hokage's personal guard about Kushina Uzumaki's due date.
Looks like the Third and Fourth have started making arrangements, Yusuke thought silently. That means Naruto will be born any day now.
Since he didn't know the exact location of Kushina's delivery, Yusuke had no choice but to wait until the Nine-Tails appeared and rush to the scene as fast as possible.
In his plan, the ideal scenario would be to use the Eight Trigrams Seal to recontain the Yang half of the Nine-Tails' chakra inside Kushina, while stopping the Fourth from using the Reaper Death Seal on the Yin half. If successful, he would then seal the Yin half into his own Dual Polarity Seal.
Gazing at Genma before him, Yusuke couldn't help but think of the Flying Thunder God Technique. If I could master that, things wouldn't be nearly this troublesome.
I should find a way to learn that forbidden jutsu, he noted to himself.
While Yusuke tried to pinpoint Naruto's birth through Genma, the Third Hokage and the approaching Obito were also making their own preparations.
Since Kushina was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, childbirth would greatly weaken her seal, increasing the risk of the Nine-Tails' chakra leaking out—or worse, the beast breaking free entirely. The Third and Fourth decided to set up a secret barrier outside the village where Kushina could safely give birth.
The Third even assigned his wife, Biwako Sarutobi, to personally assist Kushina during the delivery, and stationed numerous ANBU around the site for protection.
—
Meanwhile, at a Root hideout, a swirling vortex from the Kamui dimension slowly revealed Obito as he stepped into Danzo's presence.
His sudden, eerie entrance alarmed the shinobi guarding Danzo.
"Wood Style: Four-Pillar Prison Technique!"
"Secret Art: Spindle Formation!"
Two Root operatives—"A" and Torune Aburame—reacted instantly. "A" was none other than Yamato, known then as Tenzo, still under the Root's command.
Four wooden pillars shot up around Obito, aiming to trap him. Meanwhile, a swarm of black insects flew from Torune's sleeves, forming a spinning spindle aimed straight at their intruder.
To everyone's shock, the insects passed harmlessly through Obito's body. He walked forward, slipping through the wooden prison like a ghost.
"Who are you? And what business do you have with me?" Danzo asked coldly, eyes narrowing at this mysterious visitor.
"My identity isn't important," Obito replied calmly. "What matters is that we can help each other. A win-win cooperation."
Danzo snorted. "I don't make deals with strangers. Unless you remove your mask and reveal who you are, this conversation ends here."
"Is that so? A shame. I was hoping we could talk about the Uchiha clan… and the new Fourth Hokage. Seems I won't get the chance."
With that, Obito began activating Kamui to slowly absorb himself into the vortex. He deliberately slowed the process, betting that Danzo wouldn't let him go so easily.
If Danzo remained silent until he vanished completely, the negotiations would fail. But Obito was confident—Danzo was the type to exploit every opportunity to weaken his rivals.
"…Wait."
Just as Obito's head was the last part visible, Danzo finally gave in.
A faint smirk curled beneath Obito's mask.
Got him.
—
October 10, Year 48 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar. Night.
A full moon hung high in the sky.
On a cliff overlooking Konoha, a masked figure in a black cloak appeared, watching the village below.
"Tonight will be… unforgettable," he whispered.
At a hidden, barrier-shrouded location outside the village, Kushina was in labor. By her side were Biwako Sarutobi and another medical kunoichi assisting with the delivery.
Minato, the Fourth Hokage, stood nearby, hand tightly gripping Kushina's. Helpless to ease her pain, he could only offer silent support.
After much effort and pain, Kushina finally gave birth to Naruto.
At that moment, Obito—having already eliminated the ANBU guards outside—was making his move.
Tears of joy welled up in Kushina's eyes as she looked lovingly at the crying newborn in Biwako's arms. Minato, overwhelmed, discreetly wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
Biwako smiled and held Naruto out for the proud parents to see. "Just a quick rinse," she said, heading for the exit with the child.
But before Minato and Kushina could even exchange a few words, the room was pierced by sudden screams—from Biwako and the medical kunoichi.
They turned toward the door—only to find a masked man in a black cloak already standing inside.
And in his arms… was Naruto.
"Step away from the jinchūriki, Fourth Hokage," Obito said coldly, cradling the infant. "Or this child will not live another minute."
Upon hearing Obito's words, Minato felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss. Beside him, Kushina—having just gone through childbirth—was in a dire state. The seal suppressing the Nine-Tails within her had weakened and now needed Minato's help to be reinforced.
The Nine-Tails thrashed violently inside her, and due to the loosening seal, dark curse marks had already spread from her abdomen up to her face.
"Ah!"
Kushina cried out in pain, prompting Minato to glance at her in deep concern, forcing himself to stay calm.
Seeing that Minato still refused to move away from Kushina, Obito pulled out a kunai and held it threateningly to Naruto's neck.
Minato's eyes widened as he saw the threat to his son. "Wait! Calm down—there's no need to hurt him."
Obito let out a cold laugh. "I've never been calmer than I am now."
With that, he threw Naruto high into the air.
Minato reacted instantly, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to snatch Naruto from the air. But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he noticed something beneath the swaddling clothes—several lit explosive tags.
Without hesitation, Minato teleported to a location he had previously marked. In the blink of an eye, he stripped away the swaddle and removed the tags just in time, saving Naruto from the explosion.
However, this left Kushina unguarded and vulnerable. Obito used his space-time technique to teleport her to a secluded waterfall near the outskirts of the village.
There, he used a sealing technique to suspend her midair, her arms stretched out and bound between two rock walls, spaced seven to eight meters apart. Obito stared at her with a calm, emotionless gaze.
Though this woman had once been his teacher's wife and had treated him kindly, the person Obito once was had long since vanished. Ever since Rin died at Kakashi's hands, there was nothing left in the world he cared about.
Activating his Sharingan, Obito used its power to directly control the Nine-Tails, overriding the seal within Kushina. The fox's eyes morphed into the red and black pattern of the Sharingan.
Kushina's seal grew increasingly unstable under the immense pressure. Finally, the Nine-Tails broke free from its confinement, erupting from her abdomen in a surge of destructive chakra.
At this point in time, the Nine-Tails was still in its complete form—far larger than the one Naruto would harbor in the future. The version inside Naruto only contained half of the fox's chakra—the yang half. The yin half would be sealed by Minato using the Reaper Death Seal during this very incident.
Under the full moon, the Nine-Tails let out a deafening roar, its nine colossal tails lashing wildly through the air.
Now severed from her tailed beast, Kushina was on the brink of collapse. Obito deactivated the seal binding her, and her body plummeted onto a boulder below.
A lesser jinchūriki would've died immediately. But Kushina, a member of the Uzumaki Clan—known for their extraordinary life force—clung to life. Her talents were exceptional, even among her clan. Though weakened, she showed no signs of imminent death.
"No wonder you're from the Uzumaki Clan… your vitality is impressive," Obito remarked coldly.
Then, commanding the Nine-Tails, he had it raise a massive claw, preparing to strike the helpless Kushina.
Boom!
The ground erupted with force as the claw came crashing down—only to meet empty space. Minato, arriving in the nick of time, had used his Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the seal he had secretly placed on Kushina earlier. He caught her in his arms, saving her just before impact.
Without wasting a moment, Minato teleported again, bringing Kushina back to the shelter where Naruto lay. Gently, he placed her down beside their son.
Looking down at his wife and child, Minato clenched his fists.
"Thank you, Minato… Please be careful," Kushina whispered, knowing that as the Fourth Hokage, he had to return to the village and face the unknown enemy.
Minato walked to the wardrobe and draped the white Hokage cloak over his shoulders. This would be his first battle defending the village as the Fourth Hokage.
"I'll be back soon!"
At that moment, the Hidden Leaf Village remained peaceful. Though night had fallen, the bustling streets were still lively, and no one suspected the catastrophe about to descend.
Far away, within his home, Yusuke—sitting cross-legged in meditation—suddenly sensed an immense, sinister chakra flare up within the village.
"They're here…" he muttered, eyes snapping open.
In the northern district of Konoha, a massive fox-like beast with nine tails materialized and began its rampage. Buildings were reduced to rubble in moments, and many villagers were caught in the chaos.
Staring at the monstrous Nine-Tails—summoned by Obito—Yusuke activated the protective barrier he had set up around his home and warned his family not to leave.
Then, he hurried to the Uchiha Clan's central square. As a member of the Konoha Police Force, it was their duty to respond.
By the time he arrived, the Uchiha shinobi had already gathered.
But suddenly, a commanding voice echoed through the crowd.
"All Uchiha shinobi, hear me! Tonight, no one is to leave the clan compound. This is a direct order—do not engage!"
---