UCHIHA JOURNEY TO MULTIVERSE

The morning mist clung to the rice fields like a soft blanket.

Naruto laughed as he chased two village children around the wooden fence posts. Their bare feet splashed through shallow puddles left from yesterday's rain.

"You can't catch me!" shouted Kenji, the blacksmith's son.

"Watch me!" Naruto grinned, jumping over a low stone wall.

Yuki, the girl with braided hair, giggled as she ran between them. "You're both too slow!"

They played tag until the sun climbed higher, then sat on the grass to catch their breath.

Across the field, Minato knelt beside the green sprouts, his hands deep in the dark soil. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he carefully tended each plant.

The work was simple. Honest. Nothing like the complex jutsu and village politics he once knew.

He looked up when he heard the children's laughter. A small smile crossed his face.

"Water time!" Kushina called from the house.

She walked toward them carrying a large clay jug, her steps careful and steady. Her red hair caught the sunlight as she moved.

Naruto ran to her first. "Is it the cold kind?"

"Stone-cooled, just like you like it," she said, ruffling his hair.

She poured the clear water into three wooden cups. Naruto drank his quickly, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"It tastes better when you make it," he said.

Kushina's eyes sparkled. "That's because I use the right stones."

Minato joined them under the shade of their small porch. He accepted his cup gratefully.

"How are the plants today?" Kushina asked.

"Growing well. We should have a good harvest."

They sat together in comfortable silence, watching the fields sway in the gentle breeze.

Later that afternoon, they loaded their wooden cart with vegetables and herbs.

Naruto helped tie down the bundles while Minato checked the wheels.

"Market day," Naruto said. "Can we get those honey cakes from the corner stall?"

"One," Minato replied. "Maybe two if you help carry everything."

"Deal!"

The market was busy but friendly. Vendors called out their prices. Children ran between the stalls. Old men played board games under canvas awnings.

Minato pulled the cart while Naruto and kushina walked beside him, pointing out interesting items.

"Look, Dad! Mom!. New farming tools."

"We don't need them yet."

"What about that fabric? Mom ."

They stopped at their usual spot near the well. Minato began arranging their vegetables while Naruto counted their coins.

Then something changed.

A shift in the air. Subtle but familiar.

Minato's hands paused over a bundle of carrots. He turned his head slowly.

Across the market square, five figures moved through the crowd. They wore dark robes and walked with quiet precision.

The one in front had red eyes that seemed to see everything.

Minato's breath caught.

"Uchiha..." he whispered.

The Uchiha stopped walking. He turned and met Minato's gaze across the busy marketplace.

Recognition passed between them like lightning.

Mali stepped away from his group and walked toward them. His movements were calm, controlled.

Naruto noticed his father's tension. "Dad? What's wrong?"

"Stay close," Minato said quietly.

They met near an empty stall between the fish vendor and the cloth seller.

Mali spoke first. "Twelve years."

" You were there at night," Minato replied.

"So, you also saw knonoha darkness or Naruto bullying by your favourite Hokage"

They stared at each other for a long moment.

Naruto looked between them, confused but alert.

"You were there that night," Minato said. "When the Nine-Tails attacked."

Mali nodded. "I saw everything."

"You saved us."

"I tried to save you."

Minato's voice was quiet but steady. "Tell me what really happened."

Mali glanced around the market, then back at Minato. "Not here. Too many ears."

They moved to a quiet alley behind the grain storage building. The noise of the market faded to a distant hum.

Mali stood with his back straight, hands clasped behind him.

"The Nine-Tails broke free during Kushina's labor. You both fought to protect your son. But the fox was too strong."

"I remember the pain," Minato said. "The claws tearing through us."

"You were dying. Both of you. I could see your chakra fading."

Kushina appeared at the mouth of the alley. She had followed them from home.

"I felt something," she said. "Like someone else's chakra mixing with mine."

Mali looked at her. "That was me. I'm not trained in medical jutsu, but I could push my own chakra into your bodies. Just enough to keep your hearts beating."

Naruto stepped closer to his parents. "What does that mean?"

"It means he saved our lives," Minato said.

Mali continued. "You were trying to use the demon ghost seal. Split the Nine-Tails in half, seal part in Naruto, part in yourself. But you didn't have enough strength left."

"So, you used genjutsu in minato to seal nine tail in my Naruto, why?" Kushina asked.

"I used my Sharingan. Cast genjutsu over dying Minato in fast. Made you think you were making the final choice, but I guided your chakra to complete the seal properly, i didn't have enough training in genjutsu."

Minato frowned. " You could have kill Naruto?"

"I saved you," Mali corrected. "The illusion only lasted long enough to finish the sealing. Then I transferred my chakra qi and at last , it was your fate , you both are alive and fine."

"Why?" Minato asked. "Why help us?"

Mali's expression softened slightly. "Because you didn't deserve to die. And also, I knew who really caused the attack."

The alley fell silent except for the distant sounds of the market.

Minato's voice was barely a whisper. "Who?"

"Uchiha Obito."

The name hit like a physical blow.

Minato staggered back a step. "Obito? But he died in the war..."

"No. He survived. He was the masked man who controlled the Nine-Tails that night."

Kushina's hand flew to her mouth. "Your student..."

"He used space-time jutsu to break the seal during the birth. Then he commanded the fox to attack the village."

Naruto looked confused. "Why would he do that?"

Mali's eyes hardened. "Because of rin, and Uchih madara saved him and gave him misaion, he wanted to destroy everything we once protected."

They stood in stunned silence for several minutes.

Finally, Minato spoke "What happened to your clan after that night, from what I heard your half clan left with your grandfather, how did you know this attack was going to happen?"

"We were planning for more than years," Mali said simply. "We had been planning it for years. The village was never going to accept us as equals. After the Nine-Tails attack, it was right time to leave that hell"

"So, artificial land is your clan doing, i heard it appeared in just one night?"

"We built our own land. Hidden, protected. A place where we could live without fear or suspicion."

Minato and Kushina after five minutes of long fight and discussion stepped forward. "Could we... could we come with you? All three of us?"

Mali studied their faces. "You would leave this peaceful life?"

"This isn't really peace," Minato said. "It's just hiding. We want our son to grow up somewhere he truly belongs."

Mali nodded slowly. "Then you're welcome in our land."

Later that evening, in Mali's hidden territory...

Kushina walked through a courtyard filled with red-haired women. Her heart raced as she recognized the familiar chakra signatures.

A young girl with glasses looked up from her scroll work. "Are you...?"

"Kushina Uzumaki," she said softly.

"Karin!" the girl exclaimed, running to embrace her. "I'm Karin! This is my mother!"

An older woman approached with tears in her eyes. "We thought all the Uzumaki were gone."

"Not all of us," Kushina whispered, hugging them both. "Not anymore."

Deep underground, in a cavern lit by glowing fungus...

White Zetsu emerged from the wall beside a figure in an orange mask.

"Interesting news, Tobi," Zetsu said with a grin. "Your old sensei is alive. Living with Mali's Uchiha clan near Lightning Country."

Obito didn't move from his position by the stone table.

"And the Nine-Tails jinchūriki?"

"With them. The whole family, safe and sound in Mali's artificial land."

"Should we tell the other villages? Cause some chaos?"

Obito was quiet for a long moment. "Not yet. Let them think they're safe for now."

"But you want to meet Mali, don't you?"

"Eventually. But first, I have other plans to complete."

[ [ After two weeks]]

In a secure meeting room within the Uchiha compound...

Mali stood before a large map with Minato and the Raikage.

"The Chūnin Exams begin in two weeks," Mali said. "Orochimaru will make his move then."

The Raikage crossed his arms. "And we use his chaos as cover for our own operation."

"Exactly. While he summons the First and Second Hokage to fight Sarutobi, we strike at multiple locations."

Minato pointed to marked positions on the map. "The Sarutobi compound here. Shimura clan headquarters there."

"My teams will handle the kidnappings," the Raikage added. "Hyuga, Nara, Yamanaka, Inuzuk and other clan,Take their most promising young shinobi."

Mali nodded. "And we leave them a message. One million ryo and clan secret technique per person for their safe return."

"What about Uchiha fugako, and Danzo root he is strong?" Minato asked.

" My uchiha will handle them, for this day we uchiha were waiting, as for uchiha clan and Uchiha former head, Daigo will handle him," Mali replied. "My student has been training for years. Pure taijutsu and martial arts. He's ready."

The Raikage grinned. "This won't just be an attack. It'll be a message. That the old order is finished."

That night, Naruto sat with his parents on the porch of their new home in Mali's land.

The artificial island was now look like normal island with crops and huge mansion and roads, above electricity poll and evrything was quite new to Minato and Kushina.

"Are we really safe here?" Naruto asked.

Minato put his arm around his son. "Safer than we've ever been."

"And we don't have to hide anymore?"

Kushina smiled. "No more hiding. No more running. We can just be a family."