The night air was heavy with anticipation, a dark promise of the tragedy about to unfold. Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking his village, his orange-haired son cradled carefully in his arms. A faint breeze ruffled the golden hair of the Hokage, which glowed with an orange tint in the moonlight, hinting at a lineage from the Jugo clan. The newborn, Naruto, stared up at his father, a small smile breaking across his face despite the silent intensity of the night.
For a moment, Minato felt the warmth of fatherhood. He leaned close, whispering to his son, "Naruto, you've got your mother's strength and my… well, my everything else. One day, you'll do amazing things. You'll make us proud."
But the tenderness of the moment was shattered. A flicker of dark energy cut through the night, chilling Minato to his core. Before he could react, the masked figure of Obito Uchiha emerged from the darkness, his Sharingan eye burning red beneath the mask.
Minato's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" His stance shifted, and his grip tightened around Naruto. The air grew taut as Obito stared back, his voice low and filled with menace.
"I'm here for the child," Obito replied, extending a hand.
In an instant, Obito closed the distance, snatching Naruto from Minato's arms. A flicker of surprise crossed Minato's face, quickly replaced by resolve. He was the Yellow Flash of Konoha, and he would not let his child be taken. Channeling his chakra into his hand, Minato slammed it against Obito's arm, marking him with the Flying Thunder God seal.
Obito's sinister laugh echoed as he forced Minato to teleport, breaking the Hokage's hold on his child. In the blink of an eye, Minato reappeared miles away, disoriented for just a moment. But that moment was all Obito needed.
Back at the village, Obito forced Kushina's weakened form onto the cold ground, the seal around her pulsating with the Kyuubi's pent-up power. With a twisted smile, he placed a hand over her stomach, and the seal cracked, releasing the monstrous chakra.
The Nine-Tailed Fox, freed from its human prison, roared in fury, its demonic chakra flooding the night like a poisonous mist. As the Kyuubi's massive form materialized in the moonlight, Obito gave a mocking bow and disappeared, leaving Minato to deal with the unleashed fury of the tailed beast.
A swirl of chakra filled the air as Minato teleported back to the battlefield, just in time to see the Kyuubi's immense claw rise above the village walls. In the distance, shinobi scrambled to defend their home. But Minato knew he had only one option.
Placing Naruto down gently under a nearby tree, he called on the power within him—a unique combination of his natural Jugo clan abilities and the sage transformation he'd mastered over years of grueling training. His skin darkened, taking on an earthy tint as streaks of gray chakra wrapped around him. His eyes, once a calm blue, became piercing and predatory as nature energy flowed through him.
Beside him, strapped to his back, was the Kabutowari—the Helm Splitter, an enormous axe and hammer weapon bound by a thick, leathery rope. Known as the Bluntsword, it was a relic from the Jugo clan, designed to crush through any defense by combining slicing force with brutal crushing power. The sight of the weapon alone was intimidating, and in Minato's sage-infused hands, it became a force of nature itself.
In the middle of Konoha's burning streets, the Kyuubi turned, its red, bloodthirsty eyes locking onto Minato. The beast growled, feeling the weight of the Hokage's determination.
Without hesitation, Minato launched forward, swinging the Kabutowari with the force of a hurricane. The axe blade cut into the Kyuubi's foreleg, followed by the crushing hammer blow that shattered bone and chakra alike. A wave of chakra and pain surged through the Kyuubi, causing the beast to stumble back. But it retaliated instantly, swiping its massive tail at Minato, who barely dodged in time.
Minato's breath came in controlled bursts as he steadied himself, drawing on the nature energy pulsing through his veins. He allowed the Jugo bloodlust within him to fuel his speed and power, feeling the surge of strength that came with it. Once again, he launched forward, his grip firm on the Kabutowari, as he maneuvered around the Kyuubi's vicious attacks. He swung with precision, the axe cutting deeply into the Kyuubi's chakra-infused skin, and the hammer following to smash through its defenses.
For several minutes, man and beast clashed in a deadly dance. Minato's movements were fluid and relentless, the Kabutowari an extension of his rage and purpose. But he knew this wasn't a battle he could win with strength alone; he needed to act quickly to save the village and his son.
With a final, deep breath, Minato summoned every ounce of chakra he had left, channeling it into a sealing jutsu. He knew what he had to do. He dashed back to where Naruto lay, still under the tree, blissfully unaware of the destruction around him.
Gently, Minato placed his hand on his son's tiny chest. He felt the energy drain from him as he channeled the Kyuubi's power into Naruto, sealing half of the beast within the child. A wave of exhaustion swept over him as he fell to his knees, struggling to keep his vision steady.
As he staggered, he looked toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had appeared, witnessing Minato's final moments. Minato reached for the Kabutowari, lifting the weapon with one last surge of strength.
"Give this to Naruto…" he whispered hoarsely, his voice barely audible. "No matter what, Hiruzen…he must have it."
With that, Minato's eyes closed, his breathing stilled, and the Hokage who had wielded both the Helm Splitter and the unyielding will of fire was gone, leaving behind his legacy for the village—and his son—to uphold.
Five Years Later
Naruto Uzumaki-Jugo stood at the village gates, his orange hair wild and his gaze fierce as he held the weapon his father had left him—the Kabutowari. At five years old, he barely understood the burden or the power of the weapon resting in his small hands. But he knew it was his, a piece of the father he'd never known. And in time, he would come to wield it, not just as a tool of destruction, but as a symbol of the legacy his father had left for him.