"En, Yamato's condition is basically stable now. I plan to send him to the Ninja Academy. What do you think?" Minato Namikaze asked.
"Yamato is already 11, almost 12, according to his age. I don't think it's appropriate to send him to the Ninja Academy now," Uchiha En objected.
"Then what should we do with Yamato?"
"I think the best way is to assign a dedicated person to guide Yamato for a period, and then let Yamato join your Anbu directly."
Minato Namikaze pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Minato-senpai, did you call me here because you're worried about Kushina-senpai?" Uchiha En asked, changing the subject.
Minato Namikaze nodded.
He had only brought up Yamato to make the topic less abrupt.
"Minato-senpai, actually, you don't need to worry."
"Why?" Minato Namikaze asked.
"Because I have this!" Uchiha En said, activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"It's well known that the Mangekyo and Wood Release can control Tailed Beasts. With my Mangekyo Sharingan, even if there's a problem with the Nine-Tailed's seal, it won't be able to cause any trouble."
Minato Namikaze looked up at Uchiha En's Mangekyo upon hearing this, his expression relaxing considerably.
"En, I'm counting on you this time. Kushina is very, very important to me. You must help me protect her well."
"Don't worry, Minato-senpai. With me here, there'll be no accidents."
Just as Konoha's new generation was about to step onto the stage, a drastic change also occurred in Kirigakure, far across the sea.
Kirigakure closed all trade ports overnight, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.
Inside Kirigakure, a bloody massacre of Bloodline Limit clans was taking place.
The reason was that a few days prior, the Fourth Mizukage was publicly assassinated by elders of the Kaguya Clan and the Hozuki Clan during a high-level meeting.
Under the watchful eyes of many, the Kaguya Clan and Hozuki Clan had no way to defend themselves.
Yagura, who had already become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, immediately summoned the Three-Tails on the spot and killed all the Hozuki and Kaguya Clan members present.
Upon learning the news, the Hozuki Clan's patriarch immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. He promptly arranged for clan members to transfer the children out of the clan, and then went alone to confront Yagura for an explanation. As a result, the two sides immediately turned hostile.
The Hozuki Clan's patriarch and Yagura engaged in a fierce battle and the patriarch was ultimately killed by Yagura.
However, the Hozuki Clan, having produced a Mizukage, possessed deep roots. Although their patriarch was killed on the spot, Yagura also suffered severe injuries.
The remaining Hozuki clan members, upon hearing this news, refused to sit idly by. After sending their children away, they allied with the Kaguya Clan, who were preparing to rebel, and together launched an attack on the Fourth Mizukage.
But the Fourth Mizukage was the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, and he also had Obito backing him. How could he be so easily killed?
Ultimately, the members of the two great clans were massacred, and some other smaller clans also suffered, with all Bloodline Limit clans in Kirigakure taking a major hit.
The only clan that suffered relatively little was the Yuki Clan, because ever since their new clan head, Ujiha, took office, they had always been very close to the Fourth Mizukage, practically his confidants.
It was because of this that the Yuki Clan was able to escape harm during this bloody massacre.
With the demise of numerous Bloodline Limit clans, this meant that the darkest era for Kirigakure, the Bloody Mist era, had begun!
Meanwhile, Yagura, the instigator of the Bloody Mist, sat blank-eyed in the Mizukage's office.
The next second, the space in front of Yagura began to distort, and Obito and Black Zetsu and White Zetsu appeared in the Mizukage's office.
"Obito, what exactly are you thinking? Why did you control people from the Kaguya Clan and Hozuki Clan to attack Yagura, and then let Yagura destroy both of these clans?
Now that the Fourth Mizukage is under our control, aren't you weakening our own forces?" White Zetsu asked, looking puzzled.
"Aside from the Yuki Clan, Kirigakure's Bloodline clans are not loyal to Yagura, especially the Kaguya and Hozuki clans.
The Kaguya Clan members are all lunatics, violent and irritable, making them difficult to control.
The Hozuki Clan produced the Second Mizukage and geniuses like Hohzuki Mangetsu, who was chosen by the Ninja Swords. They have deep roots and pose too great a threat to Yagura.
That's why I acted to eliminate them, which will allow us to better control Kirigakure."
Obito's stated reasons were grand and proper, but in reality, he just wanted to collect some interest first.
Obito had never forgotten that Rin died at the hands of Kirigakure.
To Obito, no matter how many Kirigakure Ninja died, it was not enough.
"By the way, Obito, the spores I sent to Konoha have brought news: Minato Namikaze's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, is pregnant."
Hearing White Zetsu mention Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, Obito's expression beneath his mask flickered with a momentary trance.
But soon, his expression became firm. This world was hell, and since it was hell, his teachers and friends would certainly not be happy living in it. Only the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi could bring happiness to everyone.
Not long after, intelligence reports about the sudden changes in Kirigakure were delivered to Minato Namikaze's office.
Minato Namikaze's face changed drastically after reading the intelligence. Such a major event had occurred in Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
With the two great clans of Kirigakure wiped out and many smaller clans affected, Kirigakure's strength was greatly diminished. Would other Ninja Villages try to take advantage of the situation and attack Kirigakure?
If other Villages attacked Kirigakure, it could very likely escalate into another full-scale war, which would not be good news for Konoha.
Minato Namikaze immediately arranged for other spies in the Village to monitor the movements of the major Ninja Villages. Konoha could not afford a war at this juncture.
Just then, Minato Namikaze's other most trusted person, his teacher Jiraiya, returned to Konoha.
Jiraiya's return to the Village was also due to the situation in Kirigakure. He was also worried about any unforeseen changes in Kirigakure potentially triggering the Fourth Great Ninja War, which is why Jiraiya rushed back.
That evening, Minato Namikaze invited Jiraiya to his home and told him the news of Kushina's pregnancy.
Jiraiya was initially happy for Minato, but then couldn't help but feel worried.
Minato Namikaze, however, seemed oblivious to Jiraiya's emotions and spoke to himself, "Jiraiya-sensei, I read the book you gave me. The protagonist of that book never gives up until the end, he's so cool! Very much like you, sensei!"
Jiraiya's old face flushed red with a hint of embarrassment, "Is... is that so?"
"I hope my child, who is about to be born, can become a Ninja like the protagonist in this book! So, can I borrow the protagonist's name from this novel?"
Minato's words stunned Jiraiya, who quickly said, "Hey, hey! Is that really okay? That's just a name I came up with casually while eating ramen."
"What does it matter! The name Naruto is quite cool."
Kushina, who was beside them, touched her belly and smiled, nodding, "Naruto, that's a great name!"
And so, Naruto's name was decided.
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