C214

"Mist Shinobi has been acting up again recently, Hizashi Jōnin. It seems I'll have to trouble you once more."

Uchiha Fugaku spoke to Hyuga Hizashi with a slight frown after summarizing the latest reports from the patrol teams.

Kirigakure, already showing signs of fatigue, had launched a new wave of raids along the borders of the Fire Nation. The Mist Shinobi sent out were becoming increasingly formidable, many of them possessing Bloodline Limits. 

Completely defending against thousands of skilled ninjas was impossible, so the best they could do was dispatch as many patrol teams as possible.

Hyuga Hizashi, deep in thought, remarked, "The Mist Shinobi seem to have a specific objective. Could this be connected to the recent events in the village? Otherwise, why would they intensify their attacks right after Nawaki Jōnin's departure? It feels as though they've been negotiating with the Cloud Shinobi."

"A diversion," Fugaku considered. "To draw attention away while their true elite infiltrates Konoha. The village needs to be informed immediately."

He had also been in contact with his clan and knew that the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's birth was imminent. 

Now, with Mist Shinobi ramping up their offensive and reports of activity in closer Country, the intentions of these two ninja villages were becoming far too obvious. Did they plan to strike when Konoha was at its weakest?

White Cloud, a Jōnin standing nearby, spoke up in the morning light: "If we're deploying patrols, we need to prepare as many support units as possible. Otherwise, we won't even be able to detect Mist Shinobi's elite infiltration squads."

After discussing with Hyuga Hizashi and several other Jōnin, Uchiha Fugaku decided to report Kirigakure's movements to the village. At the same time, they would strengthen their defenses and prepare for a counteroffensive.

The war with Kirigakure had dragged on for a year now, and their casualties were at least four times that of Konoha. 

Fugaku hadn't expected them to hold out this long, and as the conflict continued, he found himself growing weary.

Meanwhile, in a small town on the easternmost edge of Yuno Country, near the sea, both Cloud Shinobi Village and Kirigakure could reach the location quickly by boat. But for a ninja, traveling long distances over water was nothing unusual.

Fourth Raikage arrived at the shoreline with three of his aides. One of the ninjas immediately activated a sensory jutsu, scanning the area for any chakra signatures. After confirming there were no hidden presences, he shook his head at the Raikage.

"The Mist Shinobi didn't show up at the appointed time."

Just as Fourth Raikage was about to curse Kirigakure's unreliability, space suddenly twisted before him. In an instant, a man wearing a black Uzumaki-patterned mask materialized.

The Cloud Shinobi tensed immediately, their hands ready for combat.

"Space-time ninjutsu…" Fourth Raikage muttered. "It seems even more refined than the Flying Thunder God Technique."

The masked man spoke, his voice calm yet ominous: "Fourth Raikage, I appreciate your efforts in contacting Mist Shinobi. It seems our goals align."

As he spoke, the red glow of his Sharingan flickered through the eye hole of his mask. Fourth Raikage's expression darkened.

Lightning Chakra erupted around his body as he demanded, "Who the hell are you? A Sharingan wielder?!"

"I am an emissary of Mizukage-sama. That should be enough."

The masked man's voice was low, unwavering. Slowly, he raised a hand toward his eye.

"As for this Sharingan, I obtained it in war. And I paid a great price for it."

Fourth Raikage narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? I had heard Mist Shinobi obtained a Byakugan… I didn't expect them to get their hands on a Sharingan as well."

He was skeptical but reasoned that the stranger was unlikely to be from Konoha. Even with Konoha's formidable intelligence network, it was impossible for them to have arranged this meeting.

"Very well," Fourth Raikage said. "Let's discuss your proposal. Since you're here, I take it Kirigakure has agreed to my plan?"

Uchiha Obito—still shrouded in mystery—let out a low chuckle.

"Your plan?" he scoffed. "Mizukage-sama glanced at it and tossed it aside. With all due respect, Raikage-sama, if you're this cautious, Kirigakure has no interest in working with you."

Crackling!

Lightning surged across Fourth Raikage's body as he roared in fury. "Bastard! Don't think you can act recklessly in front of me just because you have space-time ninjutsu. You're not nearly strong enough!"

"No need to be so angry," Uchiha Obito replied calmly. "Two great ninja villages have joined forces and mobilized such a large-scale operation… do you really think it's just to assassinate a civilian?"

With that, he pulled out a scroll and tossed it to Fourth Raikage. "This contains details of a major event that recently took place in the Land of Fire. If you miss this opportunity, there may not be a second one."

Fourth Raikage remained skeptical but unfurled the scroll nonetheless. As his eyes scanned its contents, his expression shifted to one of shock.

"This… this actually happened? Konoha and the Fire Nation have done a good job keeping it hidden."

"So, what do you say, Fourth Raikage? Given these circumstances, our plan must be adjusted."

Obito's voice carried an air of persuasion. Slowly, he extended his hand, clenching his fist slightly.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, along with two elite teams, will infiltrate this location in ten days. From there, they can launch an attack on the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."

As he spoke, he pulled out a map—one that not only displayed the patrol routes of Konoha's forces in the Land of Fire but also detailed the layout of Konoha Village itself.

Fourth Raikage narrowed his eyes. "To obtain such a detailed map… Kirigakure… Never mind that."

The ambition within him flared. He had already considered adjusting his strategy, but now, with this new information, a decisive plan was forming in his mind.

If they launched a surprise attack on the day the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki gave birth, Konoha would lose its strongest Tailed Beast. 

Since the location where a Tailed Beast respawns is random, Cloud Shinobi would have a chance to capture the Nine-Tails themselves.

Ever since the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan, they had failed to obtain all of its sealing techniques—but they had acquired enough to successfully contain the Eight-Tails. That meant they had a shot at sealing the Nine-Tails as well.

For Cloud Shinobi, the risks were high, but the rewards were even greater. If the plan succeeded, Konoha would suffer a devastating blow, and Cloud Shinobi could rise as the strongest village in the ninja world.

"It's decided," Fourth Raikage declared. "But if Mist Shinobi fails to show up when the time comes, then our agreement is off."

He considered returning to discuss the plan further, but time was short. He recalled his father's words, and without hesitation, made his decision.

"In that case, I'll return and report to Mizukage-sama," Obito said.

Without another word, he vanished into the swirling void of Kamui.

As expected, just two pieces of information were enough to ignite the ambition of Cloud Shinobi Village.

"With this… dealing with the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki will be easy."

A dark smirk formed behind his mask.

Meanwhile, in Konoha Village, Uchiha Obito sneered in silence.

Once, this had been the place he wanted to protect.

Now, from the shadows, he had seen the village's true darkness.

This world, after all, still needed Infinite Tsukuyomi to create a perfect existence—to save everyone.

As the days passed, Kushina's due date drew closer.

Kain, however, showed no concern about the Nine-Tails causing trouble. The seal on Kushina's body was now nothing more than a symbolic Four Symbols Seal—far too weak to truly restrain the Nine-Tails. It would be easy for the beast to break free, yet it remained still.

The reason?

Nine-Tails had been utterly bewildered by Kushina's endless bragging.

She had shared countless tales from thousands of years ago, speaking with such conviction that even the mighty beast had started believing her.

Even when Kushina entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, she never had to worry about the Tailed Beast forcefully seizing control of her chakra.

Every time the Nine-Tails ran low on chakra, Kushina would replenish it completely. The two had truly achieved a state of coexistence, though Kurama had yet to fully open up and help Kushina enter Kurama Mode.

Meanwhile, Kain had been pondering something.

If he injected Kushina with the Sand-Sand Fruit ability serum beforehand, then when she elementalized her lower body during childbirth… would Naruto simply slip out?

At that point, all he'd have to do was dust off the sand from Naruto, and perhaps they'd achieve the fastest childbirth in history.

However, Kain had no intention of giving Kushina the Sand-Sand Fruit ability. Logia fruits were decent, but if he were to gift her one, it should be something like the Shock-Shock Fruit instead. 

Once the Summit War occurred, acquiring the Shock Fruit ability serum would be easy.

One day, when Tsunade returned, she brought along someone unexpected.

"Don't look so surprised," she said. "Nonō has learned all of my medical ninjutsu. With her here, it's an extra layer of insurance. I recall you were the one who recommended her to me as a student, so she should be fine staying for a few days. Oh, and… is dinner ready?"

Before Kain could reply, Tsunade twitched her nose, catching the scent of food. Without hesitation, she kicked off her shoes and strode into the house. "Smells like the same meat from last time," she muttered.

The moment Tsunade disappeared past the main entrance, Kain turned to Yakushi Nono and whispered, "Nono, why are you here?"

With a calm expression, Nono neatly arranged her shoes and responded in a hushed tone, "You promised to visit me at night, but clearly, Boss, you don't keep your word. I even prepared a whole set of outfits… but unfortunately, I only got to use one."

Kain sighed, "Things have been a little… inconvenient lately."

Lately, Kushina had developed a habit of sleeping during the day and becoming more energetic at night, leaving Kain with little choice.

Nono gave him a knowing look before saying softly, "I'll take good care of Kushina Jōnin from now on. But as compensation… don't you think you owe me something, Boss?"

She subtly pressed her silk-clad foot against Kain while whispering, making it clear what she meant.

Before Kain could respond, Nono had already stepped into the living room, unconcerned. She had plenty of time over the next few days, so there was no need to rush.

Kain sighed and followed reluctantly. He hadn't been informed about any of this, but it was obvious Tsunade had arranged it. Still, her intentions were good—she was looking out for Kushina.

After a round of introductions, Nono settled in for the night. She wasn't alone, either. The Anbu presence outside had increased to four teams, all composed of elite operatives. Very few enemies would be able to slip past them.

That night, Kain received a special message from Nono.

Fortunately, Kushina had just fallen asleep. But if he pretended to be asleep and ignored it, Nono wouldn't say anything outright—yet her resentment would surely build.

With no other choice, Kain faked a trip to the bathroom.

But the moment he stepped downstairs and pushed open the door, he was ambushed—colliding into soft, snow-white plumpness.

What followed was a muffled struggle, an urgent embrace, and movements so silent yet intense that words became unnecessary.

….

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