Danzo didn't mind Yosuke's lack of respect in the slightest. In his eyes, Yosuke was already a corpse.
Danzo had concealed one very important piece of information—Minato Namikaze was also there.
Danzo didn't believe that Yosuke could possibly survive an assault from both the elite ANBU guards and the Fourth Hokage.
Meanwhile, within the Land of Fire, two other forces arrived.
On one side was Orochimaru, the S-rank rogue ninja of Konoha.
On the other was the faction led by Obito—posing as Madara—along with Zetsu and the Shinju's agent.
Thanks to Danzo's disclosure, Orochimaru had learned the exact location where Kushina Uzumaki would give birth.
As for Obito's side, with Zetsu—an expert in reconnaissance and intelligence—locating Kushina was effortless.
"Madara, I've completed gathering the intel. Kushina Uzumaki is in a house not far from the village. The security is extremely tight, and even Minato Namikaze is present."
Hearing this, Obito—now acting under the identity of "Madara"—declared,
"Once Kushina has finished giving birth, the plan begins!"
Two days passed.
Inside the delivery chamber, Kushina suddenly felt a sharp pang. After examining her, Biwako Sarutobi announced:
"Kushina is about to give birth!"
Everyone sprang into action.
Biwako and an ANBU kunoichi began delivering the baby, while Minato placed his hands over Kushina's abdomen, closely monitoring the condition of the seal.
"Um… this is the first time I've heard Kushina scream so loudly… Are you sure she's okay?"
"She'll be fine! Your top priority is keeping an eye on the Nine-Tails' seal!"
"But—" Minato's brows were still knitted with worry.
Biwako scolded him,
"As the Fourth Hokage, don't panic like that! A man would've died from this kind of pain already—but women are strong!"
As she spoke, Kushina's seal began to weaken, and Minato quickly reinforced it with sealing techniques.
Outside the birthing house, Yosuke arrived—only to find all the ANBU guards collapsed on the ground, their condition unknown.
Just as he moved forward to inspect them, he suddenly felt killing intent rush toward him. He immediately ducked—a chain sliced through the space above his head.
A masked man in a cloak appeared behind him.
Yosuke swiftly drew his blade and counterattacked, but the sword passed straight through the masked man's body, doing no harm.
At the same moment, several massive serpents burst forth, fangs bared, lunging at both Yosuke and the masked man.
Orochimaru stood atop one of the serpents' heads, sneering,
"Well now… isn't this lively? I didn't expect so many uninvited guests to gather here."
Not far away, the Shinju's agent—hidden beside Zetsu—gazed at Yosuke with murderous hatred. If looks could kill, Yosuke would have been cut into a thousand pieces already.
But knowing he was no match for Yosuke, he could only lie in wait.
Just as the three-way standoff intensified, the cry of a newborn echoed from inside the house.
The masked man moved first, his body beginning to fade.
"Sun Breathing: Fifth Form — Solar Radiance Thrust!"
Yosuke lunged, attempting to stop him, but again he was a step too late. The masked man vanished.
Orochimaru controlled his serpents and ordered them to attack Yosuke.
"Sun Breathing: Third Form — Red Mirror of the Blazing Sun!"
Yosuke's symmetrical twin slashes split the serpents into pieces. Orochimaru, standing on one serpent's head, began to fall from the air.
"Sun Breathing: Seventh Form — Setting Sun Transformation!"
Yosuke teleported into the air and delivered a sweeping slash at the descending Orochimaru.
To Yosuke's surprise, Orochimaru didn't attempt to block or evade; he simply allowed the attack to land.
The bisected body fell to the ground. But instead of bleeding, the severed parts turned a muddy brown and melted into the earth.
Some distance away, Orochimaru emerged from the ground, opening his mouth as a sword slowly rose from his throat.
Gripping the wet hilt, he pulled it free.
"Such impressive swordsmanship… but I don't believe we have any real reason to fight, do we? After all, I assume your purpose for being here is the same as mine."
Orochimaru, like Danzo, had mistaken Yosuke for an enemy of Konoha. Yosuke didn't bother explaining—he needed to locate the Shinju's agent as soon as possible.
As for the masked intruder who could phase through attacks, the renowned Fourth Hokage should be able to handle him.
Seeing that Yosuke would not step aside, Orochimaru manipulated the Kusanagi blade from afar and sent it slashing toward him.
The two began fighting, while inside the birthing room—
Biwako Sarutobi had just lifted the newborn Naruto when a dark figure suddenly snatched him away.
The figure was the masked man.
Using Naruto as leverage, he threatened:
"Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze—step away from the jinchūriki. Otherwise, this child has only one minute to live."
Minato couldn't understand how the masked man had breached the barrier. As he prepared to attack, Kushina suddenly let out a scream of agony—her seal hadn't been fully restored, and now the sealing formula spread across her entire body.
"Get away from the jinchūriki! Don't you care what happens to the child?"
"Wait—calm down!" Minato shouted, trying to stop him.
"You're the one who needs to calm down. I'm perfectly composed."
The masked man tossed Naruto into the air and hurled a kunai straight toward him.
Minato used the Body Flicker to snatch Naruto away just in time.
"Heh, as expected of the Yellow Flash. But now what?"
A sizzling sound came from Naruto's blanket—explosive tags had been activated.
Minato ripped the blanket off and rapidly chained several Flying Thunder God teleports, successfully saving Naruto.
But doing so forced him away from Kushina.
The masked man dragged Kushina to a lakeside, binding her with sealing formulas.
Weakened, Kushina demanded,
"What… what is your goal?!"
"I'm going to rip the Nine-Tails out of you—then annihilate Konoha."
Kushina was horrified. "What did you say?!"
"Instant travel between marked spaces—that is Minato Namikaze's teleportation technique. That mark… it seems to be inscribed within your seal as well. Normally, with Minato by your side, you're well protected. But now he's far away, and your seal is weakened to its lowest point."
The masked man revealed a single crimson Sharingan eye.
"This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity… I've been waiting a very long time."
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