Chapter 266 – The Nine-Tails (Part I)
Outside the Hidden Leaf Village — inside the remote cavern where Uzumaki Kushina had given birth.
The cave was brightly lit by dozens of flickering candles, their flames dancing in the tense air.
Before the stone bed stood a masked man in black, cradling the newborn Naruto in one arm — and pointing a blade toward him with the other.
His voice was calm, chillingly calm.
Across from him, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the former Third Hokage, was trembling with rage.
This period had already been the lowest point of his life —
his disciple's betrayal, the death of his closest friend, the loss of political power.
And now, right before his eyes, the woman he loved — his wife, Biwako —
had been murdered.
The grief, the fury, the humiliation — they threatened to consume him whole.
Veins bulged along Hiruzen's temples. If not for the faint remnants of reason restraining him,
he would have already lunged at the masked intruder, even if it meant Naruto's death.
He wanted only one thing now — revenge.
To kill this faceless murderer, no matter the cost.
---
Beside him, Minato Namikaze's expression was grave, his mind spinning at lightning speed.
Tonight of all nights — when the entire village's sensory and barrier teams were deployed at maximum capacity —
how had this man slipped through undetected?
The barrier protecting this cave was no ordinary one; it was forged using the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques.
Breaking through it without alerting anyone should've been impossible.
Who was this man?
Before he could think further, a sudden cry of pain echoed behind him.
"Ah—!"
Kushina's body arched, a black seal flaring to life across her abdomen.
The sealing formula began to unravel, the marks spreading like wildfire across her skin.
"No!" Minato's heart lurched. "The seal—it's not stable yet!"
Panic surged through him. He knew what this meant.
If the seal failed now, the Nine-Tails would break free.
And if that happened… Konoha's destruction would be inevitable.
Worse, Kushina herself wouldn't survive the extraction.
Minato clenched his fists.
He could not let his wife — his family — perish like this.
---
The masked man tilted his head slightly. His voice was deep and deliberate.
"I'll say it once more, Fourth Hokage.
Step away from the jinchūriki."
A kunai glinted in his hand, its tip hovering inches from Naruto's forehead.
His message was clear: one wrong move, and the child dies.
"Wait! Calm down—!" Minato's voice trembled.
His mind, however, was racing, searching for the perfect opening.
The masked man's reply was cold.
"You should be the one calming yourself.
Right now, I'm the calmest man in the room."
Without warning, he hurled the infant upward —
and lunged straight at Minato, kunai flashing.
"Naruto!" Kushina screamed in terror.
But before the blade could strike, a flash of gold split the air.
The masked man's attack missed —
his blade slicing through nothing but light.
He turned, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"As expected of the Yellow Flash… But what will you do next?"
Minato frowned, his instincts prickling. Then he saw it —
a paper tag stuck beneath Naruto's swaddling cloth, its seal already igniting.
"An explosive tag—!"
For the briefest instant, cold sweat formed on his forehead.
---
Meanwhile — at the forest perimeter
"Who are you?"
Hiashi and Hizashi Hyūga stood with their clan's patrol team, eyes fixed on the lone figure blocking their path.
He wore a long black cloak, unmarked and unfamiliar —
no clan crest, no visible weapon.
The man slowly turned to face them.
Under the moonlight, they saw the orange, spiral-patterned mask,
and behind its single opening — a glimmer of red.
"Who am I?" The voice that emerged was hoarse, almost amused.
"Just a passerby."
"Sharingan," Hizashi muttered, activating his Byakugan instantly.
"You're an Uchiha. What's your purpose here?"
The masked man chuckled.
"Does my mask bother you that much?"
His tone was mocking, distant.
"Never mind. I just need something from you."
And with that, Uchiha Kei drew a kunai — and moved.
---
The Hyūga guards reacted instantly, forming up in a half-circle.
They didn't know who this stranger was,
but the sight of the Sharingan was enough to set their blood boiling.
For generations, the Hyūga had considered the Uchiha their only true rivals.
Now one stood before them —
and they wouldn't back down.
But they had misjudged their opponent.
Terribly.
---
Kei moved like a shadow.
A Hyūga charged him with a chakra-laden palm — but Kei slipped past the blow,
his body twisting with inhuman precision.
A flick of the wrist, and his kunai drove deep into the man's ribs.
Another attacker lunged from behind — Kei ducked low, pulling his weapon free.
A spray of blood arced through the air, splattering across a third Hyūga's eyes.
Blinded, the man stumbled with a cry —
and Kei's boot slammed into his chest, sending him sprawling into the trees.
With each movement, Kei's Sharingan flared brighter.
The blood, the adrenaline — they sharpened his focus, feeding his insight until every motion around him slowed to clarity.
Within seconds, he had dismantled the entire formation.
Ten Hyūga lay on the ground, unconscious or groaning,
and Kei hadn't killed a single one.
Every strike had been deliberate — precise enough to disable,
but restrained enough not to end a life.
It was the work of a true master.
---
Across the clearing, Hiashi and Hizashi stood still, Byakugan activated, eyes wide with disbelief.
Kei glanced their way and smiled faintly.
"So? Did you learn anything from watching that?"
His voice was calm, almost teasing.
"Other than the fact that I'm holding back?"
Hiashi frowned, sweat beading at his temple.
"You're strong — and you bear the Sharingan.
I don't know if you're disguised, or who you serve,
but you hesitate to kill. That tells me you're from Konoha… aren't you?"
Kei let out a low, rasping laugh behind the mask.
"If that's what helps you sleep at night… then sure.
Let's say I'm just another Uchiha of the Leaf."
He rolled his neck, the sound echoing in the quiet forest.
"Now, both of you — come at once.
I haven't even started enjoying myself yet."
Then his tone dropped, dark and cold as winter steel.
"Honestly, your clan's strength… is disappointing."
Hiashi and Hizashi stiffened as the killing intent hit them like a wall.
The air itself seemed to freeze.
This was no ordinary Uchiha.
Even without ninjutsu or genjutsu,
his sheer speed and technique were overwhelming.
---
The brothers exchanged a look, then moved simultaneously,
chakra flooding their limbs, eyes burning white.
Kei smiled, his Sharingan spinning like twin crimson blades.
"That's better."
He vanished.
A blur of motion, a whisper of air —
and the forest erupted into sound.
---
Back in the cave
The paper tag's fuse burned down—
and exploded.
A thunderous blast filled the cavern.
Flames surged outward, consuming the wooden supports.
But by the time the explosion hit,
Minato was gone —
his Flying Thunder God teleportation already complete.
He landed outside the village, rolling with the force of the shockwave,
clutching Naruto tightly to his chest.
The remains of a small hut smoldered nearby,
its timbers splintered by the blast.
"Waaah… waaah…"
Naruto's cries pierced the night, and Minato exhaled in relief.
"You're safe… thank goodness," he whispered.
Then pain shot up his leg. He glanced down —
a shard of wood had lodged deep into his ankle.
He yanked it free with a grimace, eyes narrowing.
They lured me away, he realized instantly. The real target… is Kushina.
Ignoring the pain, he stood and formed a seal.
"I have to hurry. Even if the Third's there, he can't handle what's coming."
A flicker of golden light — and Minato vanished.
---
When he reappeared, it was inside his own home.
He placed Naruto gently in the crib prepared for him.
"You're safe here, Naruto.
I'll be back soon… I promise."
And then he was gone again.
---
The Cave of Birth — Moments Later
Chains of black sealing script spread across the walls,
anchoring to stone pillars that surrounded the weak and trembling Kushina.
Her breath came in short, painful gasps as she fought to contain the monster within.
Before her stood a cloaked figure —
the moonlight glinting off the spiral mask that concealed his face.
"What… do you want…?" Kushina managed between ragged breaths.
"What I want?"
The man's voice was low, almost casual.
"Simple. I'm going to rip the Nine-Tails out of you — and destroy Konoha."
"You're lying… The Third—"
"—won't die," the man interrupted coldly.
"I won't let him.
Worry about yourself, Kushina."
Her eyes widened.
"Who are you…?"
The man ignored the question.
"The Flying Thunder God relies on marked seals to move through space.
Your seal contains one of those markings — meaning the Fourth is always near you.
But now… he's gone.
And you're helpless."
He stepped closer, the single red eye glowing behind the mask.
"Relax. This will be over quickly."
His Sharingan spun — and in the next instant, his consciousness entered her mind.
---
Within Kushina's spiritual realm —
the Nine-Tails towered, chained in crimson light,
its massive body writhing in defiance.
When it saw the intruder appear before it, it snarled,
its voice shaking the entire void.
"Who dares—?!"
The masked man said nothing.
He merely stared into the beast's eyes —
and the tomoe of his Sharingan began to turn.
Slowly, the Nine-Tails' pupils dilated.
The fiery light around it dimmed,
and the chains began to shatter, one by one.
"Come out… Nine-Tails."
A surge of chakra flooded the real world.
Kushina screamed as the red energy erupted from her body.
Hatred. Rage. Death.
Every negative emotion imaginable swelled within that crimson mass.
And then — with a roar that split the night sky —
the Nine-Tailed Fox appeared upon the earth,
its tails lashing, its chakra shaking the very ground.
---
Meanwhile — in the forest
"Hnn—!"
Kei kicked Hizashi square in the chest, sending him sprawling.
His Sharingan locked instantly onto Hiashi approaching from the flank.
A substitution flickered — Hiashi's strike hit nothing but a log.
Even through the Byakugan, he barely tracked the movement.
So fast! he thought, stunned.
The masked Uchiha fought like no one he'd ever seen —
fluid, effortless, as if every motion had been rehearsed a thousand times.
And worst of all — he fought only with taijutsu.
No ninjutsu, no illusions. Pure movement and precision.
"Who is this man…?" Hiashi muttered, breathing hard.
Kei appeared behind him, a blur in the moonlight.
Hiashi twisted just in time — but Kei's kick landed squarely on his ribs,
sending him skidding across the ground.
He caught himself, sliding to a stop beside his brother.
They both stared at the stranger —
this terrifying Uchiha who toyed with them like children.
---
Kei stopped as well, standing still under the pale moon.
For the first time, irritation flickered across his expression behind the mask.
This isn't the fight I wanted.
He could end this in seconds — with fire release, lightning, or even Susanoo —
but any of those would reveal him.
Too many in Konoha already whispered about the "Lightning Blade" technique he'd made famous.
No… stealth mattered more than pride tonight.
So he merely cracked his neck, the sound echoing in the silence,
and muttered under his breath:
"What a waste."
He had no intention of toying with the two men before him.
They were strong—far stronger than the Hyūga guards he'd dispatched earlier.
Uchiha Kei was fighting them seriously, almost at full power.
If it weren't for his deep familiarity with Hyūga Ayaka,
and the insights he'd gained from her about the clan's Gentle Fist,
he might not have handled them so effortlessly.
He inhaled slowly, exhaling through his nose as he studied the two brothers —
Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Hizashi — both already back on their feet,
eyes blazing white, their stances sharp as drawn blades.
Reaching into his pouch, Kei drew a new kunai.
The one he'd been using had already been shattered by their chakra-infused strikes.
He had to admit — the Gentle Fist was no art to underestimate.
A single misplaced hit could stop the flow of chakra entirely,
and Kei hadn't been fighting with the intent to kill.
But now…
that restraint was gone.
He still didn't plan to take their lives,
but he would no longer hold back.
Not when time itself was his enemy.
The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for him.
He tightened his grip.
Blue lightning flickered to life along the blade —
chakra sharpening the steel until it hissed like a serpent.
His eyes, those cold, scarlet Sharingan, gleamed beneath the mask.
"I," he said quietly, voice dropping into a chilling register,
"am of the Uchiha clan."
The words had barely left his lips before he moved.
A flicker of motion.
A gust of air.
And then—
he was gone.
By the time Hiashi's Byakugan caught up, Kei was already beside him,
kunai driving straight toward his heart.
---
"Brother! Behind you!"
Hizashi's warning came a split second too late.
He lunged forward, thrusting out a glowing palm.
"Eight Trigrams Palm—!"
But his expression froze mid-attack.
In that same instant, Kei's body flickered—
and dissolved into smoke and wood.
"A substitution—?!"
Before Hizashi could react, the real Kei appeared behind him,
kunai whistling through the air as it slashed for his ribs.
Hiashi's instincts screamed a warning.
He spun, chakra flaring as he prepared to release Rotation (Hakke Kaiten)—
but his vision blurred.
The last thing he saw were three tomoe, swirling in crimson.
And then—
"I'll be borrowing something,"
came Kei's low, rasping whisper inside his mind,
like a voice bleeding straight into his consciousness.
"Don't worry.
I won't be taking your lives."
The brothers' eyes widened.
Then everything went dark.