[Sponsored] Chapter 60: Uchiha Madara

[This chapter is proudly sponsored by "Nikiforos Dakoulas." Please join me in expressing your thanks in the comments! If you're interested in sponsoring a chapter, consider joining the Patreon.]

Dawn was approaching, and a thick fog rose on the morning after the rain.

Two men dressed in black robes with fire cloud patterns stood on the wall, looking down at Konoha.

"It seems there wasn't much damage," the taller man spoke. "I was hoping they would create a bigger commotion."

He had the appearance of a "fish-man," with gill-like markings on both sides of his cheeks, near his high cheekbones.

The slightly shorter man remained silent, his eyes containing two scarlet Sharingan.

"But... why are we here in Konoha?" the taller man turned his head. "Isn't there intelligence suggesting that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has already left Konoha to travel and grow?"

"Could it be that we came back to check things out?"

"Itachi, someone like you still has sentimental ties to your former village?"

Uchiha Itachi shook his head, his expression cold. "No, I have no attachment at all..."

"But, Kisame, if you were part of Konoha's decision-making,"

"Would you allow the Jinchuriki to leave at a time like this?"

Kisame raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. The previous Hokage just died; it's a time when war could easily be incited."

"The Jinchuriki... is a war machine after all."

"Oh—"

"Itachi, do you think that the information about the Nine-Tails leaving was deliberately planted by Konoha?"

Uchiha Itachi gazed silently into the distance.

Kisame also remained silent.

In the forest outside Konoha.

After hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Naruto placed his hand on his stomach. "Only half of the Nine-Tails is inside me?"

"Yes." Jiraiya nodded. "Minato sealed the 'yang' half of the Nine-Tails inside you."

"He sealed the 'yin' half of the Nine-Tails using the 'Reaper Death Seal.'"

Naruto lowered his head.

He recalled what Captain Unohana said when she first examined him.

"Half of the power within you is missing"...

It turns out this wasn't referring to the "Dual Blades."

Rather, it meant that half of the Nine-Tails' power was missing; it was incomplete.

Jiraiya looked at his hand. "Naruto, to what extent have you mastered the Nine-Tails' power?"

Naruto softly replied, "About the level of the Seven-Tails."

"Seven-Tails?" Jiraiya muttered quietly, repeating it once. "Then, when you can fully suppress the Nine-Tails' power, come and contact me."

"Minato left behind a key."

"It was originally intended for Kushina."

"But before it was fully developed, that incident occurred..."

"It's a technique that will allow you to perfectly control the Nine-Tails' power."

Naruto absentmindedly nodded. "But why did my father leave half of the Nine-Tails' power in me?"

"And what about that technique?"

"Since my mom was also a Jinchuriki, he should have known how painful it is to be a Jinchuriki."

"Did he do it to leave something for the village?"

Jiraiya was silent for a moment.

"Minato wasn't that kind of person." After thinking carefully, he cautiously responded, "He would never sacrifice his child for the village."

"If he did this, there must have been a reason why he had no choice."

"I think..."

Jiraiya paused, his tone becoming serious. "Kushina was from the Uzumaki clan, and she was very skilled in sealing techniques."

"Even though her strength was weakened due to childbirth that day..."

"But with Minato there, it was impossible for the Nine-Tails to break free from the seal."

"Yet, that day, the Nine-Tails still broke loose."

"I think... it's possible that this was orchestrated by someone."

Naruto squinted his eyes. "What do you mean, 'human intervention'? Someone released the Nine-Tails?"

"It's just a guess." Jiraiya shook his head.

Naruto remained silent, sitting cross-legged as he entered his inner world.

Speculation was meaningless.

The person involved would know best.

"You must have heard what I said to Jiraiya-sensei," he got straight to the point, his tone slightly impatient. "On the day I was born, what happened? Did someone manipulate you and break the seal on my mother?"

"Kid!" The Nine-Tails was somewhat irritated. "You really are rude."

"Tell me the truth," Naruto's tone was firm.

The Nine-Tails bared its teeth. "Why should I tell you?"

Naruto clasped his hands together.

Golden chains surged forth, clattering.

"Not again!" The Nine-Tails bristled and jumped up. "You Uzumaki are all like this!"

Its eyes met Naruto's.

In them, it saw impatience, determination...

The golden chains moved, but for now, they did not intend to bind and suppress it.

It was just a threat.

There was no malice behind it.

But the message was clear: refuse to cooperate, and force would be used.

The Nine-Tails sighed. "That night, someone did break the seal on Kushina."

"It was a man... with the Sharingan."

Sharingan?

Those words stunned Naruto.

He instinctively thought of Sasuke.

But clearly, it couldn't be Sasuke; he was only a little over two months older and had just been born at the time.

"Was it the Uchiha clan?" Naruto released his hands, and the golden chains retracted.

"I was released from Kushina's body," the Nine-Tails continued. "Then, I was controlled by a pair of Sharingan."

It sped through the part about being controlled.

"Then... when I regained consciousness, I was about to be sealed into your body, kid!"

"I tried to break free from the seal, but the Fourth Hokage stopped me."

As it spoke the last sentence, the Nine-Tails' emotions inevitably grew agitated.

It loathed the feeling of being sealed, being imprisoned.

"I see." Naruto clenched his fists. "Someone... took advantage of my mother's childbirth?"

He left his inner world.

"I just went to ask the Nine-Tails," Naruto looked up at Jiraiya. "It said a man with the Sharingan took advantage of my mother's childbirth, broke the seal, released it, and then controlled it."

Jiraiya's expression darkened. "So it really was someone deliberately orchestrating this."

Naruto looked up at the brightening sky. "The Uchiha clan has already been wiped out."

"I've learned a bit about Sasuke's situation."

"Now the Uchiha clan only has him... and the man he hates."

Jiraiya provided a clearer explanation. "That man is his brother, Uchiha Itachi, the one who killed the entire Uchiha clan."

"Could it be him?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya shook his head. "Uchiha Itachi is a genius and very powerful. But he was very young at the time of the Nine-Tails' rampage, only about five or six years old, and couldn't have done something like that."

"I suspect it might be..."

He cautiously uttered a name, "Uchiha Madara."

"Who is that?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

Madara?

He had never heard of that name.

"He is the founder of the Uchiha clan in Konoha," Jiraiya explained. "He lived during the same era as the First Hokage."

Naruto was shocked. "So long ago? Could he still have been alive twelve years ago?"

"But if there's any Uchiha powerful enough to break the Nine-Tails' seal under Minato's defense..." Jiraiya's tone grew severe, "it could only be this founder of the Uchiha clan."

"Naruto."

"As you leave Konoha, you must be extremely cautious."

"If that guy made a move once, he could do it again."

"If you encounter danger, contact me immediately."

"This time, I won't be late."

Jiraiya clenched his fists, his expression and tone both resolute.