[Mad Tiger] Chapter 28

Suddenly, that oppressive Ki pressure vanished. The grotesque, many-eyed statue—a horrifying thing made up of a giant head and two shackled hands—shuddered.

Kushina-san’s eyes opened, and she gasped for air. At the same time, I caught the scent of two men approaching. Mixed in with their odors was Naruto’s distinct scent. But there was something strange about it—Naruto and one of the men smelled... similar, like family.

I slipped into a deep shadow, staying hidden. My chakra reserves were depleted, and exhaustion was catching up. I hadn’t slept all night, had sprinted to Konoha, searched for them, and then braved that nightmarish Forest. Too late, the thought struck me—I should’ve involved the Inuzuka Clan, should’ve told everything to Kuromaru. But they weren’t on the way, and the sun had already set an hour after I arrived in Konoha. Stupid! My brain was a jumbled mess from everything that had happened. I thought I could handle anything, that I was ready. But here I was, useless, unable to do a thing to help Kushina-san.

Then again, Sano had already died, and he had nothing to do with this. What would’ve happened to the Inuzuka Clan if they’d gotten involved? And what could anyone do when it seemed like half the people here were turned into mindless zombies? Organize the "Paw Patrol"?... yeah, what a joke to think that things couldn’t get worse.

Something big and horrifying was about to go down. Two masked men approached Kushina. Their masks were similar to ANBU ones but painted differently. One of them was carrying Naruto. The boy was unconscious but definitely alive.

“So you’re still breathing, huh?” One of the men leaned down and grabbed Kushina-san by her hair, tilting her face toward him. “No wonder the Uzumaki Clan is famous for their endurance.”

“Naruto…” she whispered.

“Don’t worry, the kid’ll live,” the man sneered. “I’ve got big plans for him.” Then he leaned closer and whispered into her ear. Thanks to my sharp hearing, I caught the words. “I’m so glad my son doesn’t look anything like you. It’d be unpleasant to see your features in him.”

I froze. From the way Kushina’s eyes widened, she was just as shocked.

“Who are you?” she rasped. “Who… are you?”

“You’ve already figured it out,” he chuckled darkly. “I know it’s hard to accept that your whole life has been a lie. I had dreams, ambitions. I was strong. But I was an orphan—no clan, no family support. It’s hard to survive alone in the shinobi world; you of all people should know that. Jiraiya-sensei once let slip that you’d become Konoha’s newest weapon. A little jinchuriki from the ruins of Whirlpool. I studied you. No friends. Everyone was afraid of you. It made earning your trust easy. Training you as my personal jinchuriki? A perfect strategy. And those techniques you shared with me? A nice bonus to make tolerating your nasty attitude worth it. The sex wasn’t bad either.”

Tears streamed down Kushina’s face. I nearly broke down myself. In this world, Namikaze Minato—the Fourth Hokage, Kushina-san’s husband, and Naruto’s father—was a monster.

“Take the boy outside and prepare everything for the sealing,” Minato ordered the other man, who still held Naruto. “I’ll stay here and... reminisce with Kushina-san.”

The masked man nodded and left the room. I didn’t know what to do—run outside and try to wake Naruto, who was clearly drugged or knocked out cold? Or stay hidden, waiting for a chance to help Kushina? Minato had said Naruto would live, and by “sealing,” he probably meant stuffing a Biju into the boy. Most likely, the Nine-Tails they’d pulled out of Kushina-san. I remembered Hiruzen mentioning to Iruka once that Naruto was the only one in the village who could act as a vessel for a demon.

“I made some interesting acquaintances during the war,” Minato said as he removed his mask after his companion left.

Blond-haired, blue-eyed, and undeniably handsome. He really did look a lot like Naruto.

Minato released Kushina’s hair and pulled her into an almost intimate embrace, as if they were just a couple having a quiet conversation. “Remember when my student, Uchiha Obito, died during the war? We were on a mission. I pulled Kakashi and Rin out of that mess and left them with a clone. But I knew Obito was still alive. He was in bad shape, sure, but the kid had lucked out—he ended up in the hideout of a legendary shinobi. I had a conversation with none other than Uchiha Madara. His ideas, his vision… they appealed to me. But he was old, too old, and obsessed with being resurrected to rule the world. I had my own plans for that,” he chuckled and stroked Kushina’s hair.

She tried to pull away, but Minato didn’t let her.

“Madara grafted a piece of some strange creature onto Obito, making him exponentially stronger. Practically unlimited chakra reserves. And the ability to absorb Biju… The kid didn’t even realize how lucky he was. He wanted to return to Konoha. My plan was simple. As their sensei, I knew my students’ weaknesses better than anyone. Kids are so predictable. I just had to leak some misinformation to the Mist about Nohara Rin, coordinate her capture, and send Hatake with a covert mission. The rest played out on its own.”

“Y-you…” Kushina’s voice trembled. “It was you?”

“Obito wasn’t exactly loved by his clan. After losing the girl he loved, he had no reason to return to Konoha,” Minato continued. “So I found him, trained him. Meanwhile, as a war hero, I was offered the position of Hokage. Having a jinchuriki wife was a key factor in my appointment. Oh, you went all out with the congratulations back then, Kushina-chan. And while I ‘played dead,’ I missed your fiery affection,” he sneered, pulling her closer. “Your pregnancy and Hiruzen’s warnings about how vulnerable a jinchuriki is during childbirth gave me a new idea. Why keep a defiant, willful wife when I could raise a perfect weapon out of my son? You were useful occasionally, though…”

He inhaled the scent of her hair and dodged her attempt to headbutt him with a laugh.

“Everything was supposed to go smoothly, but your damned stubbornness ruined it again. You survived, sealed the Fox back, and forced me to go with Plan B. I had to ‘die’ because Hiruzen and his lackey Danzo started getting suspicious. Plus, Hiruzen’s wife, Biwako, was among the casualties—you know he’d never forgive me for that. You mourned me so sweetly. I bet you missed your husband?”

“Bastard!” Kushina hissed. “Get your filthy hands off me! I hate you! What are you planning? What will happen to Naruto?!”

“Oh, you’re curious?” Minato’s smirk widened. “I borrowed an idea from Madara-san. Tossed Hiruzen a bone, promised he could return as Hokage. But he’s just a pawn in my game,” he said, grinning.

And I wanted to claw his face off. A pawn! What about Sano? Kobo-san? Seito? Kitane? Toh? All those shinobi? Were they just collateral damage to him? Just splinters flying from a chopped log?

“Imagine this,” Minato continued dreamily. “A lonely, hated, outcast boy. Then one day, his father appears—comforts him, teaches him all the things he’s forgotten or never learned. Imagine that, Kushina-chan…”

“What?” My eyes were probably as wide as Kushina’s at that moment.

“When the demon broke free from you twelve years ago, I learned a lot,” Minato said, his tone disturbingly casual. “First and foremost, dealing with such a beast isn’t easy—especially when it’s sealed inside you. There had to be a way to weaken its chakra. So, I devised a special seal, one that would allow Naruto to control the Nine-Tails when he’s strong enough. I hid the key to that seal inside my summoning toad. I even gave it a form that would make Naruto trust it completely—his beloved mother.” He chuckled, a sickly kind of pride in his voice. “Genius, right? Reducing the Nine-Tails’ chakra turned out to be surprisingly simple. All it took was using an incredibly draining technique, powered by the fox’s own chakra, before sealing it into my son. Do you know what technique I used?” He gently brushed his hand across the bruise on Kushina’s cheek, as though mocking her pain.

“What did you do?” Kushina asked, breaking the tense silence.

“A small-scale great genjutsu,” Minato replied, his smile growing. “Covers about 80 kilometers. It blankets the Hidden Leaf and the surrounding villages. We’ve already erased anything that might remind anyone of you. In people’s memories, you died alongside me twelve years ago. And Naruto? Every person over thirteen hates him, and the children… they’ll forget he was ever one of them. Forget that he was ever their friend. As for this generation—I have plans for them too. Naruto will grow up thinking he’s been alone his entire life. Why do you think Hiruzen isn’t here? Our future ‘new-old’ Hokage doesn’t want to forget. You held the title for less than a year, and thanks to the secrecy of the village, no one outside even knows there was a Fifth Hokage. As far as the clans are concerned, Hiruzen has ruled for twelve uninterrupted years. Funny, isn’t it?”

“Naruto… He’s your son!” Kushina’s voice cracked, a raw, wounded howl that sounded more like a wolf than a human. Her anguish cut through the room, and even I felt like the air had turned colder.

“Don’t get so worked up,” Minato replied, his voice dripping with false reassurance. “He’ll live alone for a couple of weeks, and then I’ll grace him with my presence. You won’t see it, of course, but before I leave, I thought I’d give you a final moment of joy…”

A strange noise from outside interrupted him.

“You fool,” Kushina growled, thrashing against his grip. “There’s one clan your ‘great genjutsu’ can’t touch!”

My heart pounded furiously in my chest. Could it be? Could help have finally arrived?!