"Yuan, Yamato's condition has basically stabilized. I'm thinking of sending him to the Ninja Academy. What do you think?" asked Minato Namikaze.
"Yamato is already almost twelve years old. I don't think it's suitable to send him to the Academy now," Uchiha Yuan objected.
"Then how should we handle Yamato?"
"I think the best approach is to assign someone to train him personally for a while, and then have him join your ANBU unit directly."
Minato thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"Minato-senpai, did you call me here because you're worried about Kushina-senpai?" Uchiha Yuan suddenly asked.
Minato nodded.
He had only brought up Yamato to naturally transition into this topic.
"Actually, Minato-senpai, you don't need to worry."
"Why not?" Minato asked.
"Because I have this!" Uchiha Yuan activated his Mangekyō Sharingan as he spoke.
"As everyone knows, both the Mangekyō and Wood Release can control tailed beasts. With my Mangekyō Sharingan, even if the Nine-Tails' seal has problems, it won't cause a catastrophe."
Minato looked up at Uchiha Yuan's Mangekyō and visibly relaxed.
"Yuan, I'm counting on you. Kushina means the world to me—please protect her."
"Don't worry, Minato-senpai. With me here, nothing will go wrong."
While the new generation in Konoha was about to step onto the stage, far across the sea in Kirigakure, a massive upheaval was underway.
Overnight, Kirigakure shut down all its trade ports and forbade anyone from entering or leaving.
Within the village, a bloody purge targeting bloodline limit clans had erupted.
The reason was that, several days earlier, during a high-level meeting, Yagura—the Fourth Mizukage—was publicly attacked by elders from the Kaguya and Hōzuki clans.
In front of everyone, the Kaguya and Hōzuki clans couldn't justify themselves.
As the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, Yagura summoned the beast on the spot and slaughtered every Kaguya and Hōzuki clan member present.
The Hōzuki clan leader, upon hearing the news, realized the gravity of the situation. He immediately arranged for the children of the clan to be evacuated, then went alone to demand an explanation from Yagura. The discussion turned hostile, and they fought.
Though the Hōzuki clan leader was ultimately killed, Yagura was seriously injured as well.
The remaining Hōzuki clansmen, unwilling to wait for death, sent off the children and allied with the rebellious Kaguya clan to strike back at the Fourth Mizukage.
But Yagura was the Three-Tails Jinchūriki and had Obito backing him. He wasn't that easy to kill.
In the end, both major clans were massacred. Several smaller clans were caught in the crossfire. All bloodline limit families in Kirigakure suffered heavy losses.
The only clan that emerged relatively unscathed was the Yuki Clan, whose new leader Qing had always aligned closely with Yagura, becoming his trusted confidant.
Because of that allegiance, the Yuki Clan survived the massacre.
With the death of so many bloodline limit clans, the darkest era for Kirigakure began—the Bloody Mist era.
And the man behind it all, Yagura, sat blankly in the Mizukage's office.
The next second, space distorted in front of Yagura, and Obito and Black Zetsu appeared.
"Obito, what are you thinking? Why would you manipulate people from the Kaguya and Hōzuki clans to attack Yagura, and then have him destroy both clans?
Yagura is under our control. Isn't this just weakening our own forces?" White Zetsu asked in confusion.
"The bloodline clans of Kirigakure, except for the Yuki Clan, aren't aligned with Yagura—especially the Kaguya and Hōzuki clans.
The Kaguya are maniacs—volatile and hard to control.
The Hōzuki clan produced the Second Mizukage and geniuses like Mangetsu, chosen by the Seven Ninja Swords. They are too deep-rooted and threaten Yagura's authority.
So I removed them. That way, we can better control Kirigakure."
Obito's justification sounded noble on the surface, but in truth, it was personal.
He had never forgotten that Rin had died at the hands of Kirigakure.
To Obito, there was no such thing as too many dead Mist shinobi.
"Oh right, Obito, my spore in Konoha reported something: Minato Namikaze's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, is pregnant."
At the mention of Minato and Kushina, Obito's expression behind the mask flickered.
But his resolve quickly returned. This world was hell. People like Rin and Sensei couldn't be happy here. Only in the world of Infinite Tsukuyomi could everyone find peace.
Not long after, intel about Kirigakure's upheaval reached Minato's office.
His expression darkened. One of the Five Great Ninja Villages had experienced such devastation?
The two major clans of Kirigakure were annihilated, and many smaller clans suffered as well. The village's strength was greatly diminished.
Would other ninja villages take this chance to strike? If they did, it could spark the next full-scale war—something Konoha could not afford right now.
Minato immediately dispatched spies to monitor the movements of the other villages.
At this critical moment, Minato's most trusted person—his mentor Jiraiya—returned to Konoha.
Jiraiya had also returned because of Kirigakure's situation. He feared its collapse might lead to the Fourth Great Ninja War.
That night, Minato invited Jiraiya to his home and shared the news of Kushina's pregnancy.
Jiraiya was happy at first, but then his joy gave way to concern.
But Minato, seemingly oblivious to Jiraiya's worry, continued talking, "Jiraiya-sensei, I read the book you gave me. The protagonist never gives up—so cool! Just like you!"
Jiraiya blushed. "R-Really?"
"I hope my soon-to-be-born child can grow up to be a ninja like the hero in that book. So… can I borrow the name of the protagonist?"
Minato's words left Jiraiya stunned.
"W-Wait! Are you sure? That was just a name I came up with while eating ramen!"
"What's wrong with that? Naruto is a great name."
Off to the side, Kushina smiled and gently touched her belly. "Naruto—it's a wonderful name."
And so, the name Naruto was decided.
(To Be Continued...)