Konoha Year 49, July.
Another month slipped by almost without notice.
As the calendar turned to July, ordinary people felt nothing. Even most regular shinobi never sensed the shift.
But Taiichi noticed immediately. The atmosphere in Konoha had changed.
Military Police patrols were steadily increasing. Every few days the number of patrol rounds went up another notch.
In the more hidden corners, ANBU figures could occasionally be spotted, watching every possible abnormality in the village with iron focus.
Putting every piece of the puzzle together, Taiichi knew Kushina's delivery day was close. By his count, it should be sometime this month.
A jinchūriki giving birth was the moment she was most vulnerable—and the moment the Nine-Tails seal was at its loosest. Anyone who understood the situation of a jinchūriki would be deeply worried.
Especially since Konoha held the strongest of the Tailed Beasts, the one famous for its "infinite" chakra: the Nine-Tails.
Its power was on a completely different level from the other eight.
On top of that, a jinchūriki giving birth had never happened before in history. No one knew what unexpected complications might appear.
And the jinchūriki in question was the wife of the Fourth Hokage. That alone made everyone even more tense.
That evening, an unexpected guest arrived at Taiichi's house.
"Hokage-sama? What brings you here?"
Taiichi opened the door and looked at Minato standing there, politely knocking, with clear surprise. This was the first time Minato had ever come to visit him at home.
"Come on, this isn't work. Stop calling me Hokage-sama—it feels too distant. Just call me Minato."
Minato didn't stand on ceremony. The moment the door opened he stepped forward, slung an arm around Taiichi's shoulders, and walked in like he owned the place.
Taiichi was a little thrown by the sudden closeness and the completely natural way Minato invited himself inside.
In his memory, the Fourth Hokage was always warm and friendly, but this almost "arm-around-the-shoulder" level of familiarity—especially barging into his house after work hours—was a first.
"Sit, sit, make yourself at home." Minato casually sat cross-legged at the low table in the living room, poured himself a cup of water without asking, and moved with easy fluency. Only the slightly white knuckles on the cup betrayed the tension he was really feeling.
Taiichi pushed down the odd feeling and sat on the cushion across from him.
He studied Minato. The last rays of sunset came through the window, painting the blond man's profile in warm gold, but they also clearly revealed the complicated mix of worry and joy deep in his blue eyes.
There were very few things that could put that kind of expression on the face of the Yellow Flash—the man who had faced entire armies without flinching.
"Minato." Taiichi switched to the casual address as requested, tone curious. "Coming this late… is something urgent? The village—"
Minato set the cup down with a soft clink. He drew a deep breath. The smile on his face faded into something serious and heavy. Those clear blue eyes locked onto Taiichi with a weight of trust Taiichi had never seen before.
"Taiichi, I'll get straight to the point." Minato's voice dropped, every word clear and solid. "Kushina… her delivery day is only a few days away."
Taiichi's heart gave a hard thump.
Just as he thought.
He kept his face calm and simply nodded, showing he was listening.
"You know she's the Nine-Tails jinchūriki." Minato's tone carried the full weight of responsibility. "The moment of birth is when she's at her weakest… and when the seal is most unstable. The Nine-Tails' power… is just too strong. The slightest mistake and the consequences would be unthinkable."
He paused. Concern for his wife and the heavy duty of protecting the village warred in his eyes. "It's not that I don't have faith in Kushina. She's the toughest, hardest-working woman I've ever known.
But as Hokage, I can't rest the safety of the entire village on the words 'I have faith.' I have to eliminate every possible risk and make absolutely sure nothing goes wrong!"
Minato's gaze burned into Taiichi, the plea almost overflowing. "Taiichi, I need your strength! I want you there on the day Kushina gives birth—as one of the guardians. One more layer of protection means one more measure of safety. This isn't only for Kushina and our child… it's for the peace and safety of Konoha itself!"
Taiichi barely hesitated.
He met Minato's eyes—full of expectation and tension—and nodded solemnly. "I understand. Minato, don't worry. I'll be there that day. Protecting Kushina-neesan and the child about to be born… protecting Konoha… that's a responsibility I will never refuse."
His voice was steady and firm, carrying a conviction that made people believe him.
It wasn't empty politeness. It came from the heart.
He had already been thinking of ways to legitimately be present for this critical event. Minato's personal invitation was like a pillow delivered exactly when he was about to fall asleep.
He only wondered whether the preparations he had already made would have a chance to be used.
Seeing Taiichi agree so cleanly and without the slightest hesitation, the tight string inside Minato finally loosened a little.
The bright, sunshine smile returned to his face. Much of the earlier worry was washed away by huge relief and gratitude.
"That's wonderful! Taiichi—thank you!" Minato's voice was full of genuine energy. He couldn't help reaching out and giving Taiichi's shoulder a firm clap. "With you there, I feel so much more at ease!"
They briefly discussed the details. Minato roughly explained the planned location and the initial security arrangements.
Taiichi confirmed he would stay on standby for the next stretch of time and wouldn't go running around.
Finally, Minato stood up with a look of pure relief and said goodbye, his steps noticeably lighter.
Taiichi walked him to the door and watched the blond Hokage's back disappear into the dusk—shoulders that carried the joy of becoming a father and the thousand-pound weight of protecting the village at the same time.
The door closed softly, shutting out the last of the light. The living room fell quiet again. Only Taiichi remained.
The calm certainty he had shown Minato quietly faded. A complicated emotion settled over him.
Obito… will you still come?
Will history repeat itself?
Taiichi closed his eyes. His fists clenched, loosened, clenched, loosened again without him realizing it.
"No matter what." He opened his eyes. They were sharp and unyielding once more, like a drawn blade. "Konoha's current good situation will not allow you to come wreck it again."
He spoke the words softly, half a promise to Minato, half a declaration of war against the possible enemy. "That day… I'll make sure I properly greet you rats."
At almost the same time, inside Amegakure's central tower.
A few dim yellow candles flickered in niches along the walls, barely holding back the thick darkness in the corners, stretching the four figures seated around the table into twisted shadows.
The single Sharingan visible behind Uchiha Obito's mask burned with a nearly mad excitement. His fingers unconsciously tapped the tabletop in a rapid rhythm—click, click, click—unnaturally loud in the dead silence.
"The time has come."
His voice, filtered through the mask, was slightly distorted, but the feverish heat underneath was impossible to miss. "Zetsu brought the intel. Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina—her delivery day is right in front of us."
Across from him, Pain's lifeless purple Rinnegan turned toward Zetsu.
The pitcher-plant White Zetsu immediately twisted with exaggerated energy and added in his usual flippant tone, "That's right, that's right! Konoha's been so tense lately. ANBU are crawling around like underground rats, and the Military Police patrols have doubled. They're trying to be subtle, but nothing gets past me."
Black Zetsu's deep voice immediately suppressed White Zetsu. "The exact date is still being confirmed, but it's within this month. Accuracy over ninety percent."
"Hmph!" Obito slammed the table hard enough to make the candle flames jump. "The moment of birth is when the Nine-Tails seal is loosest and the jinchūriki is weakest! A once-in-a-lifetime chance!"
He leaned forward slightly. That single scarlet Sharingan locked onto Pain as if trying to brand his will straight into the other man's eyes.
"My plan is simple. The instant the seal reaches its absolute limit, I'll invade the barrier! Tear the seal open and completely free the Nine-Tails! Then—"
Obito's voice suddenly rose, filled with destructive pleasure. "Using summoning technique, I'll teleport that enraged Nine-Tailed Fox straight into the very center of Konoha Village!"
He spread his arms wide, as if the hellish scene was already playing out in front of him.
"Think about it! The Tailed Beast breaks free—the jinchūriki dies for certain. Konoha instantly loses one of its strongest cards.
Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato… I'll keep him occupied. Force him to choose between the village, his child, and his own life. Either he gets torn apart by the rampaging Nine-Tails, or he burns every last drop of chakra protecting the village and dies anyway!
Either way, the entire Konoha will be reduced to ruins! Their elites, their civilians, every scrap of hard-won postwar recovery—all of it will be completely crushed!"
Obito's voice dripped with venomous temptation. "This isn't just weakening them. This is snapping Konoha's spine! The other four great villages—those greedy hyenas—seeing Konoha this weak, how could they possibly sit still?
New war will ignite for certain! Chaos will become the perfect breeding ground for our Eye of the Moon Plan!"
"Madara-sama!" A cool female voice cut in, clearly displeased.
Konan frowned hard. Her clear eyes stared straight into the eye behind Obito's mask, open disgust written across her face. "Launching such a despicable sneak attack while a woman is giving birth… isn't that a little too shameful?"
Paper sheets around her body fluttered without wind, showing how strongly she rejected the idea.
"Shameful?" Obito sneered. His cold gaze swept over Konan with merciless mockery. "Konan, your naivety is worthless in the face of the shinobi world's cruelty! To achieve eternal peace and end this cycle of hatred, necessary sacrifices and methods are inevitable!
Uzumaki Kushina is a jinchūriki—a weapon! Her delivery is simply the moment that weapon is most fragile! Seizing the enemy's opening and delivering a fatal blow is the law of survival! Womanly kindness will only bury our great cause!"
"Konan," Pain's completely emotionless voice interrupted before any further argument could break out.
His Rinnegan calmly turned to Obito, then to Konan. "Emotion is useless for judgment. Madara's plan has extremely high feasibility, extremely low cost, and enormous reward."
He gave a slight nod. "The world already holds far too much sin. What we must do now is end it as quickly as possible. Besides—anyone who becomes a shinobi should already be prepared to die at any moment."
Seeing Konan lower her head without speaking, Pain said no more. He fixed his gaze on Obito and said with clear approval, "Madara-sama, do you require assistance?"
"Unnecessary!" Obito rejected him flatly, absolute confidence—and a trace of rejection at Pain's power interfering—in his voice. "The core of this operation is secrecy and speed. It relies on my unique space-time ninjutsu."
He pointed at the scarlet eye behind his mask.
"Only I can ignore Konoha's layered barriers and cut straight to the core the instant the seal loosens. Only I can ignore distance and instantly summon the Nine-Tails into the heart of Konoha.
Any extra force intervening—even the slightest leak of chakra—could alert Konoha's sensory ninjas ahead of time, especially that Yellow Flash Namikaze Minato! He also masters space-time techniques. If he becomes even a little wary, the entire plan collapses!
My ability is the key—and the only guarantee—of this operation's success!" Obito's words landed like iron, filled with unshakable resolve.
The chamber fell into brief silence. The candles crackled, lighting each person's different expression.
Pain was quiet for a moment, then spoke slowly. "Understood. Your reasons are solid. The uniqueness of space-time ninjutsu truly has no equal. Then this operation will be left entirely in your hands." His approval put an end to the debate.
Konan's lips moved as if she still wanted to say something, but in the end she only pressed them tightly together and turned her head away.
No matter what, as long as Nagato agreed, she would support it completely—even if it went against her own sense of right and wrong.
Zetsu's body swayed. White Zetsu popped back up with a cheerful grin. "Well well, looks like everyone's reached a consensus! Madara-sama is invincible! Then I'll just wish Madara-sama a complete victory—and a really big 'fireworks show' for Konoha!"
Black Zetsu added steadily, "On the intelligence side, I will do everything possible to lock down the exact date and location of Uzumaki Kushina's delivery the moment it happens. The second I have news, I will notify everyone."
"Excellent!" Obito stood up sharply. His gaze swept over the three people one last time. "Zetsu—remember your mission! I want the most precise intelligence. No mistakes allowed!"
His voice was like ice hitting the ground. "Everyone, wait for the good news. Very soon you will see… the most brilliant blood-red fireworks blooming over Konoha!"
The words fell. Space around him twisted and spun into a vortex. Obito's figure rapidly grew blurry and transparent inside the swirl, then vanished completely.
After watching Obito leave, Zetsu gave a strange chuckle, waved at Pain and Konan, then sank into the ground and disappeared as well.
Pain's gaze pulled back from across the table and turned toward the endless cold rain outside the tower window. His Rinnegan remained as still as an ancient well, as if the massive death about to arrive had nothing to do with him.
Konan lowered her eyes. Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed a pure white sheet of paper. Complicated emotions flashed once through her pale purple irises.
The rain continued to fall without end.
A deadly storm aimed at Konoha—aimed at the exact moment a new life was about to be born—had already taken shape deep within the rain.
The only question left was who would claim the final victory.