The last glow of sunset sank beyond the horizon.
Night fell completely, swallowing the world in darkness.
The moon hung high above, its dim silver light barely enough to outline shapes in the wilderness.
Outside Konoha, hidden within a secluded cave entrance, Senju Hikaru stood among a squad of ANBU.
At his side was an old acquaintance—
Weasel.
They had once served together in the First Division, and Weasel had even been Hikaru's first opponent during the Third Division commander selection. It had been quite some time since they last crossed paths. Meeting again on this mission felt strangely nostalgic.
"Captain Nightingale," Weasel said with a mild smile, "looks like tonight might stay quiet. No trouble, no fighting. That'd be ideal."
"For guards like us," Hikaru agreed with a faint chuckle, "boring is the best outcome. Trouble is what you never want."
He said it lightly—but inside, he knew better.
Tonight would never be peaceful.
He hadn't interfered with Kakashi's movements months ago. He hadn't stopped the chain of events that led here. And back then, he hadn't yet possessed the strength—or preparation—he had now.
But things had reached this point.
There was no turning back.
For an entire month he had adjusted his state to perfection. Tsutaya Hiroshi had nearly mastered the Reaper Death Seal release technique. With those preparations in place, Hikaru wasn't completely safe—but he had done everything possible.
The only real uncertainty was Tsutaya Hiroshi betraying him.
If that man reneged…
Hikaru swore that Tsugaya's inability to die would become the worst nightmare imaginable.
Because Hikaru was, at heart, a man of interests.
Anyone who threatened those interests would be sent to hell—without hesitation.
"Ah—! It hurts—!"
A shrill, agonized scream suddenly echoed from deep within the cave.
Every ANBU at the entrance heard it clearly.
Hikaru's eyes flicked toward the interior—but only briefly. Childbirth was said to be a woman passing the gates of death. He couldn't truly understand that pain, yet even for shinobi—whose endurance far surpassed ordinary humans—Kushina's screams spoke of unbearable agony.
He exhaled slowly and forced his focus outward.
The ANBU did the same, senses stretched to their limits.
Inside the cave, firelight illuminated a carefully prepared chamber.
Kushina lay on a stone bed layered with thick blankets, her body wrapped in sheets, her face contorted in pain. Sweat drenched her hair and skin as waves of contractions tore through her.
Minato knelt beside her, hands hovering over her abdomen, maintaining the Nine-Tails' seal. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead. Despite his genius, he had no experience with childbirth—and the intensity of her suffering shook him.
Unable to bear it any longer, he turned anxiously.
"Lady Biwako… is this really alright? I've never heard Kushina cry like this. Could something be—"
"Focus on the seal," Biwako cut him off firmly, still crouched at Kushina's side. "A mother's strength surpasses imagination. Especially when she's about to bring life into the world."
A mother…
Minato looked at Kushina again—pale, trembling, yet enduring with fierce will—and nodded.
All he could do now was hope.
Outside, Hikaru's sensory field spread like an invisible tide across the surroundings.
Then—
His brows knit sharply.
Steel whispered free from its sheath.
Instantly every ANBU drew blades as well, tension snapping tight though none knew why.
"Captain Nightingale?" Weasel murmured. "Do you sense something?"
Hikaru ignored the question and shouted toward empty ground ahead:
"Show yourself."
He saw nothing.
But his perception caught what others could not—
A faint, warped chakra fluctuation.
And beneath it—
A deeper, darker power.
Moonlight glimmered across shallow water.
There—
A black-cloaked figure emerged soundlessly.
Without orders, ANBU flashed forward, encircling the intruder.
The man did not move.
That stillness alone suffocated the air with pressure.
Hikaru studied him through perception alone.
Immense chakra reserves.
Yin and Yang attributes interwoven.
And in that exposed eye—
A destructive darkness.
So it's already reached this stage…
Obito Uchiha.
The intruder ignored the ANBU entirely, head tilting toward the cave above.
Moonlight revealed the mask—
Orange spiral, single eyehole.
Within it—
A crimson three-tomoe Sharingan slowly turning.
"Sharingan…!" someone gasped. "Uchiha?"
"Uchiha, yes," Hikaru said coldly, "but not Konoha's. Prepare to fight. Remove the mask and we'll know exactly who he is."
"So calm," the masked man said mildly. "But you're not qualified to remove this mask."
"Attack," Hikaru ordered.
ANBU surged simultaneously.
Blades struck—
And passed straight through him.
No resistance.
No blood.
"Genjutsu?!"
"Afterimage?!"
Then—
An ANBU jerked violently, throat seized in an invisible grip. The masked man's hand had materialized around his neck.
"Not an illusion," Hikaru snapped.
He flashed forward.
The battle began.
Obito phased.
ANBU strikes passed through.
Then he solidified—
Striking.
Phasing again.
Chaos.
Hikaru alone tracked him precisely.
Kamui…
He'd already begun seeding the battlefield with hidden chakra markers. Since awakening Wood Release aspects, his spatial preparation speed had multiplied. In an instant he appeared beside Obito—
Blade glowing blue—
Thrusting through his chest.
Phase.
Empty air.
The captured ANBU dropped free.
Hikaru seized him and vanished again.
"You're clear," Hikaru said quickly. "Withdraw. This enemy uses space-time ninjutsu. You cannot engage."
"You think they can leave?" Obito said lightly. "And you—Flying Thunder God, isn't it? Fast. But do you think you can defeat me?"
He attacked again.
Not Hikaru.
The others.
Hikaru was forced to chase every flicker of movement.
A deadly game of cat and mouse.
Allies became liabilities—but abandoning them would shatter his constructed persona before Minato himself.
Then—
From within the cave—
A newborn's cry rang out.
Both men froze.
"So," Obito murmured, "the jinchūriki has delivered."
"So your target is the Nine-Tails," Hikaru said.
"Who I am doesn't matter," Obito replied. "I don't have time for you."
His body warped—
Space twisting.
And beneath his ANBU mask—
Hikaru smiled.
Inside the cave—
Naruto was born.
Moments later—
Obito struck.
Minato saved the infant.
Hikaru intercepted.
Explosive tags ignited—
Flying Thunder God flashed twice.
Then—
Kushina was taken.
Outside the ruined hut, Minato held Naruto, breath ragged.
Hikaru appeared beside him instantly.
"Lord Fourth—briefly. The enemy is an Uchiha, not of Konoha. Space-time ability: intangibility and teleportation. I've confirmed it in combat. You shouldn't have intervened earlier."
Minato exhaled shakily.
"He's my son. I couldn't choose otherwise."
"I understand," Hikaru said. "His target is Kushina. What are your orders?"
Minato's gaze hardened.
"You return Naruto to the Third Hokage. I will retrieve Kushina."
"As you command."
Hikaru took the infant and vanished.
Moments later—
The Nine-Tails was released.
Moonlight bathed the monstrous fox as it rose roaring from the earth.
And far away—
Behind his mask—
Senju Hikaru smiled faintly.
Because chaos had finally begun.
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