After returning home, Sora took some time to reflect on his earlier encounter with Itachi. As he thought it over, he suddenly chuckled and said, "I didn't expect that little guy to think that far ahead."
Itachi—or rather, the entire Uchiha Clan—had no direct connection with him. And yet, it was Itachi who had sought him out.
If someone claimed it was merely because Sora was Itachi's idol, he wouldn't believe it.
The real reason had just dawned on him—it was because of his position.
Although Sora was technically only a Genin, he had close relationships with the Hokage, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and all three of Konoha's legendary Sannin.
Orochimaru, in fact, had only stayed in the village because of Sora.
Which meant that if Sora showed goodwill toward the Uchiha, the entire village would follow his lead.
"I wonder if that little guy thought of all this himself… or if someone gave him the idea?"
Regardless, Sora was now determined to intervene. He had no interest in watching Konoha fall into internal strife.
While he pondered this, back in the Uchiha compound, young Itachi was meeting with a boy a little older than Sora.
"Shisui-nii, why did Lord Sora say this matter isn't so easy to resolve?"
Though naturally bright, Itachi was still too young to grasp the complexity of it all.
Across from him sat Uchiha Shisui. He was only eleven but already had some insight into such matters. He had been the one to encourage Itachi to seek out Sora.
Shisui was the son of Uchiha Kagami, one of Hiruzen Sarutobi's former comrades. After his father died in the war, Shisui was ostracized by the Uchiha clan.
The Third Hokage had used this fact to gather information from Shisui, so he was more aware of what was going on behind the scenes.
He ruffled Itachi's hair and said, "You're still too young. You'll understand one day."
With that, the two parted and returned home.
Not long after, a man wearing black shinobi garb and a swirling-patterned mask emerged silently on the scene, a single eye visible.
From the way he arrived, it was clear he had teleported through space—bypassing all of Konoha's security systems.
He gazed deeply at the village before him. Though he had heard of the changes, seeing it in person still stunned him.
Then came a tidal wave of fury.
"Rin is dead… and yet you all keep living better and better lives. You all deserve to die!"
His voice trembled with rage as he vanished again into the void, heading toward the village's underground root network.
He needed to find his partner and learn where Kushina would give birth.
///
After a good night's sleep, Sora awoke feeling completely refreshed.
He knew Kushina would give birth that very night—but no one else knew the exact timing.
As a result, everyone had been keeping watch near the house, ready to escort her to the secret delivery site at a moment's notice.
"Kakashi, want a bite?"
Just one glimpse of that silver hair, and Sora instantly spotted him hiding nearby.
He walked over with a skewer of tri-colored dango, waved it in front of Kakashi's face, then popped it into his mouth.
Already feeling annoyed at being found, Kakashi's expression turned even darker after seeing Sora's teasing antics.
If he were strong enough to beat him, Kakashi would've gladly made him pay for that little stunt.
But recently he'd learned that Sora had reached Kage-level power—and that was something he still couldn't believe.
A Kage wasn't some cabbage you could find in a marketplace. They were the highest-level leaders of the Five Great Nations!
It was like finding out the brat you used to play tag with had suddenly become the supreme leader of your entire country.
As Sora bantered with one person after another, time passed quickly and dusk settled in.
The very moment the first ray of sunset appeared, he teleported instantly to Kushina's side.
Sure enough, she began to go into labor moments later.
"It's time! Move into position!"
With Sora's command, the nearby Anbu squads sprang into action. Minato used Flying Thunder God to take Kushina to the delivery site instantly.
Looking to the three Sannin nearby, Sora said, "It's time for us to get into position. Third Lord, the village is in your hands."
The three nodded in unison and vanished to their assigned posts.
Hiruzen Sarutobi returned alone to the Hokage's office.
Thanks to all the preparations, everyone was able to settle into their roles swiftly. Everything was in place.
Minato remained inside with Kushina, while Sora, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade each guarded a direction outside the protective barrier—east, south, west, and north.
Any area they couldn't cover was protected by elite Anbu units. It was an impenetrable defense.
Compared to the original timeline, where there had been only a handful of guards who were swiftly taken out by Obito, this setup was unimaginably strong.
Forget Obito—even if Nagato showed up, he'd likely get his ass handed to him.
Sora's concerns were slightly eased.
Still… he had a bad feeling. Something gnawed at the back of his mind.
He shook his head and dismissed the thought. "Maybe I'm just overthinking because I care too much. There's no way anything can go wrong with this lineup."
He forcibly calmed himself and began surveying his surroundings with renewed focus.
Moments later, he sensed a ripple within the barrier.
The birth had begun.
Within the protective field, the Nine-Tails' chakra began to leak. Minato immediately reinforced the seal, suppressing the beast's agitation.
"Who's there? Die, you bastard!"
Suddenly, from the northern sector, Tsunade's furious roar echoed outward—alarming Sora and the others.
"Hold this position. Alert me immediately if anything happens."
With a quick command to his team, Sora dashed off at full speed.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru did the same, making sure their sectors were secure before departing.
Using his teleportation-like Body Flicker Technique, Sora was the first to arrive.
And sure enough—there he was.
Uchiha Obito.
The moment Sora laid eyes on him, a murderous intent surged through his entire being.
There was no stopping it.
He had once considered using Obito in some grand plan… but that had been too optimistic.
The only word in Sora's mind now was: Kill.
"There's no need for plans. I'll just take them all down one by one."
Spitting those words coldly, he activated Body Flicker once again—and appeared beside Tsunade in an instant.
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