Uchiha

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Even a slight release of the Kyuubi's aura sent a violent wave of dread that made everyone shudder in fear.

Behind the Third Hokage stood the village's ninja forces, ready to defend Konoha. But before the Kyuubi could form a Tailed Beast Bomb, the Third Hokage charged forward.

"Boom!"

"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"

Utilizing his Earth Release jutsu, the Third Hokage deepened the swamp, adding an extra layer that caused the Kyuubi to sink further into the ground. This held back the formation of the Tailed Beast Bomb momentarily, but it was only a temporary solution.

A grave problem loomed.

If the Kyuubi were seriously injured, Konoha would lose its greatest deterrent, a power akin to a nuclear weapon. The village, still healing from the recent war, could face threats once again, something the Third Hokage was desperate to prevent.

An even greater issue was the lack of a suitable candidate to seal the Kyuubi. The Third Hokage found himself torn, unable to make a decision. For now, they could only try to buy time.

The Third Hokage's thoughts raced, momentarily distracting him from his offensive against the Kyuubi.

But as he hesitated, Muzan leaped into action.

Unlike the Third Hokage, who was wary of the long-term consequences, Muzan's approach was simple: wear down the Kyuubi until it could be weakened enough to be sealed.

"Crack!"

Using Earth Release, Muzan uprooted nearby trees and hurled them at the Kyuubi. He charged the beast directly, knowing that conventional ninjutsu alone wouldn't subdue it. His fists, coated in a dense layer of blue chakra, struck the Kyuubi repeatedly, slicing through its outer layer of chakra. Each blow left a small mark, and though each seemed minor, the marks began to accumulate, gradually weakening the beast.

"Enough hesitation!"

Seeing Muzan's relentless assault snapped the Third Hokage out of his indecision. He gripped his staff tightly, his resolve renewed. Together, he and Muzan concentrated on suppressing the Kyuubi, preventing it from launching a Tailed Beast Bomb.

---

On a separate battlefield, Minato had successfully severed the Kyuubi's contract with Obito. Realizing he was outmatched due to the Flying Thunder God mark on him, Obito retreated. With his opponent gone, Minato rushed back to the main battlefield, carrying his injured wife, Kushina, in his arms.

By then, Kushina, though severely weakened from the extraction, gathered the last of her strength as Minato gently set her down.

"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

With a fierce determination, chains emerged from Kushina, binding the Kyuubi. Alongside Muzan and the Third Hokage, her effort began to subdue the beast's struggles. However, their combined restraint would only last so long, as the Kyuubi's movements strained their defenses. Even Muzan was beginning to breathe heavily.

"Hokage-sama! You need to make a decision now!" Muzan's voice was sharp and urgent. "We need a new vessel—quickly!"

The only viable candidate was the newborn Naruto. With the Kyuubi weakened, this was their best chance to seal it.

Despite the risks, Muzan was confident that the Kyuubi's power could be sufficiently subdued before sealing it into the child. Even the Third Hokage, initially hesitant, recognized the urgency of action. A choice had to be made.

Kushina, knowing her life was fading, looked to Minato. "Please… let our son become the new Kyuubi Jinchuuriki."

Seeing no other way, Minato agreed. Under ANBU guard, Naruto was brought to the battlefield. Thanks to Muzan's intervention, Naruto had been left safely behind when Obito kidnapped Kushina. Now, his role in saving the village was clear.

Before the sealing, they had to weaken the Kyuubi further. Muzan, the Third Hokage, and the remaining ninja unleashed a final barrage of jutsu, pouring their chakra into restraining the Kyuubi.

"Eight Trigrams Sealing Style!"

Kushina's sacrifice was unavoidable, but this time, Minato did not fall. Her chains pulled tight as the Kyuubi struggled one last time before being sealed into Naruto, making him the new Jinchuuriki.

The burden of being the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki would be heavy, and Naruto would likely face wary looks and suspicion from the villagers. But with Minato alive to guide him, his journey would not be as lonely.

Whoosh!

With the sealing complete, Muzan collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted. Many ninja had given their lives during the Kyuubi's rampage, and the older generation bore the brunt of the battle. While the village was safe for now, uncertain times lay ahead.

"Naruto will carry a new responsibility as the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki," Minato said, holding Kushina's lifeless body in one arm and Naruto in the other. He felt a deep sorrow and responsibility.

"But… this burden is so heavy…"

The impact of the Kyuubi's rampage went beyond the battlefield. The village would face countless challenges in the future. Yet, as Hokage, Minato was determined to protect it with all his might. He immediately ordered the remaining ninja to tend to the wounded.

Muzan, helping a few injured comrades to safety, looked at Minato, who held his son, and spoke with quiet resolve.

"This child will surely become a pillar of Konoha's future. He will protect the village as we have."

Perhaps it was fate. Unlike the original timeline, where Naruto lost both parents, he now had Minato to guide him. And with Orochimaru's research into Edo Tensei, there might even be hope for Naruto to see Kushina again one day.

"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns."

Minato murmured, watching the leaves swirl in the wind, as if carrying away memories of his loved ones.

As the dust settled, one thought lingered in Minato's mind: Uchiha.

---

Even Minato Namikaze, usually calm and composed, couldn't conceal the iciness in his tone at the mere mention of that name.

Kushina had shared a bond with the Uchiha clan during her life, yet it was one of them who had ultimately caused her death.

Whether or not the Uchiha within the village had been involved remained unclear. But if they were…

A flash of fury crossed Minato's eyes. Whoever was responsible would face the consequences.

The attacker had claimed to be Uchiha Madara, but Minato knew better. The true Madara had been from the era of the First Hokage.

"A pretender…"

This was deeply personal. He had lost his wife, his village lay in ruins, and countless lives were lost in this night's Nine-Tails assault.

He needed answers. The Uchiha clan would have to offer a reason that could satisfy him and the village. Otherwise, tensions between Konoha and the clan would ignite further.

Pushing aside his grief, Minato focused on the immediate tasks. He clutched his son protectively, determined to keep Naruto safe.

With the Nine-Tails' rampage subsiding, Muzan, a skilled medical ninja, tirelessly tended to the wounded scattered across the battlefield. The ground was littered with fallen comrades, some tragically beyond recognition.

Nearby, he noticed Kakashi searching the area. The Third Hokage had wisely shielded the younger generation from the front lines, sparing them from the worst of the devastation.

"Thud!"

Before Kakashi could react, he felt a sharp jolt in his back and hit the ground hard. He struggled to look up as a familiar, stern voice reached his ears:

"I told you to stay back and treat the wounded! But you rushed ahead. Think you're strong enough to ignore orders now?"

This incident drove home a lesson for Kakashi. Without the Third Hokage and Muzan leading the charge, Konoha would have been overrun. The village, still recovering from the last war, might have been lost.

---

As dawn broke over Konoha, the village lay under a somber sky. In the aftermath of the Third Ninja War, yet another disaster had shaken its foundation.

Major clans hung white banners from their homes, a silent tribute to lives lost.

Tensions ran high among the villagers, who sought someone to blame for this devastation.

The Kyuubi's eyes, glowing with the Sharingan, were a sight everyone remembered.

The attacker had wielded the Sharingan—a trait unmistakably linked to the Uchiha clan.

Now, suspicion fell on the Uchiha, pressuring them to either clarify their innocence or face the villagers' wrath.

"How else could the attacker have breached our defenses?" villagers questioned. The Hyuga branch had been stationed to monitor any intruders around the village's perimeter.

"Uchiha clan! We demand an explanation!"

"Traitors! How dare you!"

"Why did the Uchiha betray Konoha?"

Within the Uchiha clan, the members were divided. Some considered joining forces with this mysterious figure in hopes of gaining control over Konoha.

Others were desperate for answers, wondering if one of their own was truly behind the attack.

Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader, struggled to make sense of the situation. Whoever the attacker was, they had the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

He knew it would be nearly impossible to convince the village of the Uchiha's innocence. But if left unchecked, this hostility would lead to an inevitable clash between Konoha and his clan.

"Clan leader, how should we respond? This incident has brought us to the brink of conflict with the village," an elder voiced, troubled. The Uchiha had rushed to aid Konoha as soon as the attack began, but the ANBU had misinterpreted their actions, almost sparking an outright clash.

Fugaku sighed. "I'll meet with the Hokage. For now, make sure our clan's more impulsive members don't escalate things."

With pressure mounting from both sides, Fugaku felt the weight of his responsibilities more than ever.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Shisui, who had also tried to assist during the Nine-Tails' rampage, was plagued by his own frustration.

Though he'd wanted to fight, he hadn't been allowed to. Watching Konoha's shinobi fall under the Nine-Tails' wrath, anger and determination surged within him.

In that moment, Shisui awakened a new power—his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Now he possessed a power that might bridge the gap between the Uchiha and Konoha, just as Muzan had once encouraged him to do.

But he couldn't reveal this newfound ability. In the wake of the Nine-Tails' assault, any display of his power would only cast suspicion on him and the clan.

"What path to peace is there for Konoha and the Uchiha?" Shisui wondered, looking around at the villagers' grief-stricken faces, their expressions now shadowed by distrust. "If things remain as they are, one side will eventually break."

As he walked through streets adorned with white banners, weighed down by the villagers' wary stares, Shisui's heart felt heavy.

This bitterness would not fade easily. But Shisui remembered someone who might offer a way forward.

"If only Muzan-san were here… what would he advise?"

Under Muzan's guidance, Shisui had gained a renewed sense of purpose. With his new abilities, he was one step closer to altering the fate of his clan.

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