Not long after Obito had left, another Anbu team arrived at Minato's home. But they were too late. They found only the crying Naruto. One of them, seeing the bodies of his fallen comrades, slammed his fist on the floor, his face a mask of grief and regret.
"Damn it! I was too late! Kushina-san... damn it all!!!"
It was Kakashi, who had just recently joined the Anbu. He had been assigned to protect Kushina during her pregnancy, but had been reassigned due to the secrecy surrounding the birth. He was overcome with a profound sense of failure. But his years of hardship had forged a steely resolve within him. He quickly regained his composure, picked up the wailing Naruto, and sped off toward the Hokage tower.
I have to tell Minato-sensei. Before it's too late.
Meanwhile, Minato, having ordered his men to reinforce Kyosuke, was using his Flying Thunder God to search the village for any other hidden enemies. He spotted Kakashi and the others and instantly appeared before them. Before he could even ask what was wrong, the infant in Kakashi's arms caught his eye. He knew, instantly, that something was terribly wrong.
"Why is Naruto with... no. It can't be." A rare look of panic appeared on his face. He looked at the silent, downcast Kakashi, a desperate hope in his eyes.
"Is Kushina...?"
"Yes."
The single word was a devastating blow. Minato's eyes closed in pain. A few seconds later, they snapped open, filled with a grim determination. "Take Naruto to a safe place and inform Lord Third. I'm going to get Kushina."
"Sensei..."
"Go!"
After they had left, he formed a hand sign, his senses reaching out to all of his markers. He soon detected an anomaly a few kilometers outside the village.
There!
"Ahhh!!!"
On a rocky riverbank, Kushina was suspended in the air, bound by chains, her body wracked with agony. The seal on her abdomen had been broken, and a sinister, red chakra was pouring out of her. Her screams grew weaker, her struggles fainter.
With a final, deafening roar, the Nine-Tails was free.
"Be quiet, Nine-Tails," Obito said, his voice cold.
"Ah?! Damn you, brat! Don't think you can control me! I will never be sealed again!" the Nine-Tails roared, and swiped at him with its massive claw.
But a pair of crimson, spinning eyes appeared in its mind, and with their powerful dōjutsu, it was brought under his complete control.
He then turned his attention to the still-struggling Kushina.
"Does it hurt? Are you in despair? It doesn't matter. You have no choice. I have no choice. We are all victims of this cruel world. Now, I will free you."
He willed the Nine-Tails to change the trajectory of its attack, to bring its claw crashing down on the helpless Kushina.
"BOOM!"
The force of the blow altered the very landscape of the riverbed. But Obito felt no joy. His expression darkened.
"I didn't expect you to be so fast, Minato Namikaze," he said, looking at the figure that had appeared on a nearby tree.
At the last possible second, Minato had arrived and saved his wife. He looked down at Kushina, who was now barely breathing, and a wave of pure, unadulterated rage washed over him. He shot a cold, hard look at Obito, then, with Kushina in his arms, vanished.
It doesn't matter. A Jinchuriki who has lost their Tailed Beast is as good as dead, Obito thought with a shrug. He turned to face Konoha, a cold smile on his lips. "Are you ready? It's time for you to feel my wrath."
He disappeared in a swirl of spatial distortion.
Minato returned to the Hokage tower and laid Kushina down beside Naruto. As if sensing her presence, she managed to open her eyes, and a single, uncontrolled tear trickled down her cheek.
"Naruto..."
Hiruzen and the others stood in the doorway, their faces filled with a helpless grief.
"Lord Third," Minato said, his voice grim, "the enemy has the Nine-Tails. I don't think he will stop there. He will likely attack the village. I leave the Nine-Tails to you."
"Of course," Hiruzen said with a solemn nod. "What about the battle outside the village?"
"If I'm not mistaken, Kyosuke is fighting another enemy there. He should be able to handle it."
"And you?"
"The one who attacked Kushina uses a space-time ninjutsu. I am the only one who can stop him. I will deal with him as quickly as possible and then return to help with the Nine-Tails," Minato said, his voice firm.
"Then I'm counting on you, Minato."
"As you should."
He turned back to Kushina and gently caressed her cheek. "Wait for me. I'll be back soon."
"Be careful," she whispered.
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