Back inside Konoha.
From the moment the Nine-Tails appeared until now, only a few short minutes had passed—yet the damage inflicted on Konoha was already catastrophic.
Over a hundred ninja had been killed in action, to say nothing of the countless civilians caught in the crossfire.
Still, thanks to wave after wave of fearless Konoha shinobi sacrificing themselves, they'd managed to draw the Nine-Tails' attention away from the village proper.
This bought the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, enough time to perform his summoning jutsu. Using Enma transformed into his signature Adamantine Staff, Hiruzen managed to physically shove the Nine-Tails outside Konoha's borders.
But that was just a temporary measure.
They still couldn't break through the beast's defenses—only barely keep it occupied.
And the Nine-Tails, thoroughly annoyed by these persistent "flies" buzzing around it, began gathering chakra for another Bijūdama (Tailed Beast Bomb).
If this one landed dead-center on Konoha? Well, the Five Great Shinobi Villages might as well become the Four Great Villages.
Fortunately, at that critical moment—
That golden flash finally returned!
Minato summoned Gamabunta to suppress the Nine-Tails momentarily, then activated Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) once more, teleporting both the beast and its massive Bijūdama dozens of miles away.
Once again, he'd saved the entire village.
…
"My chakra's almost completely depleted…"
"I need to set up the barrier seal—fast!"
Minato gritted his teeth, forcing himself to keep going.
Suppressing the Nine-Tails' seal, repeatedly using Flying Thunder God, transferring a hundred-meter-wide Tailed Beast Bomb, and finally teleporting the entire Nine-Tails itself…
Even if he were made of iron, this level of chakra consumption would be impossible to sustain.
"Minato…"
Kushina's voice was weak, laced with worry.
After having the Tailed Beast forcibly extracted from her body, her life had already entered its final countdown. Only the Uzumaki Clan's legendary vitality was keeping her alive.
But even that wouldn't last much longer.
"Shing—!"
Five golden chakra chains shot out from behind Kushina's back, piercing into the ground before erupting outward to form a massive cage. The chains wrapped tightly around the distant Nine-Tails, binding it completely.
A-Rank Fūinjutsu: Kongō Fūsa (Adamantine Sealing Chains).
An exclusive Kekkei Genkai unique to the Uzumaki Clan. Incredibly powerful.
And in Kushina's hands? Even more terrifying.
Despite having just given birth, having the Nine-Tails ripped out of her, and being in an extremely weakened state, Kushina could still effortlessly suppress the Nine-Tails with her Adamantine Sealing Chains.
If she were at full strength? The power would be beyond measure.
The violent tremors woke baby Naruto in Minato's arms. As if sensing something terrible, the infant began wailing at the top of his lungs.
"This way… I can restrain the Nine-Tails and take it with me when I die. That should delay its resurrection by quite a while…"
"I can only use what little chakra I have left to help you both now…"
"Thank you… for everything you've done for me all this time!"
Kushina looked at Minato, forcing out the faintest smile.
Minato froze. His expression darkened with regret and self-reproach. "Kushina… you're the one who made me the Fourth Hokage. You made me your husband. And now you've made me Naruto's father!"
"And yet I couldn't protect—"
Kushina gently interrupted him. "Minato, don't make that face. I've been so happy. You loved me…"
"And today is Naruto's birthday, too…"
"If… if I could survive this, our future as a family of three would've been so happy, wouldn't it?"
"I only have one last wish. I want to see… what Naruto looks like when he grows up!"
Kushina gazed at baby Naruto, tears streaming down her face, filled with longing and deep affection.
Minato wiped the tears from his own face and made a resolute decision:
"Kushina. You don't have to die together with the Nine-Tails. With the chakra you have left, I'll make sure you get to see Naruto when he's grown up!"
"I'm going to seal all your remaining chakra inside Naruto, combining it with the Hakke Fūin (Eight Trigrams Sealing Style)."
"To accomplish this… since I'm not a Jinchūriki myself… I'll have to use Shiki Fūjin (Reaper Death Seal)…"
Kushina was shocked. "But that forbidden jutsu requires the caster to sacrifice their own life—!"
"I know!"
"If the Nine-Tails dies along with you, then during the time Konoha is without a Jinchūriki, the balance of Tailed Beasts among the Five Great Villages will collapse. That would bring even greater disaster to the village."
"I'll use the Reaper Death Seal to seal half the Nine-Tails inside myself. That's the only way to permanently seal half of it and drastically weaken its power."
"The other half… I'll seal inside Naruto using the Eight Trigrams Seal…"
Hearing this, Kushina immediately grew agitated.
No one understood the pain of being a Jinchūriki better than she did.
Even with the strongest Eight Trigrams Seal in place, the Nine-Tails—as a concentrated mass of negative chakra—still constantly leaked malicious intent. That alone was an immense torture and torment for the host.
Not to mention the physiological and psychological pressure a Jinchūriki faced from society and the village itself.
Even someone as cheerful and optimistic as Kushina would've had a complete mental breakdown long ago if not for Minato's unwavering support.
And now?
After this Nine-Tails incident, which had caused so much death and destruction, Kushina could easily predict that the village's hatred toward Jinchūriki would only intensify.
She absolutely did not want her son Naruto to bear that burden.
"No! Precisely because I know that pain, I don't want Naruto to carry such a heavy responsibility!"
"He's our son. Believe in him!"
"But why does it have to be the Reaper Death Seal?! Just so I can briefly see Naruto in the future?!"
"Why are you throwing your life away?! I just want you to stay by Naruto's side and watch him grow up!"
"Does the country and the village really matter more?! Does Naruto have to be sacrificed for them?! Do you have to sacrifice yourself for me?!!"
Minato shook his head, his own heart filled with anguish:
"Abandoning the country and the village… is the same as abandoning our child."
"Once the homeland falls, you understand that despair better than anyone. What kind of cruel life do refugees have to endure!"
"I don't want Naruto to become someone like that—a person without a home."
"Besides… we're all shinobi, aren't we?"
Minato began forming hand seals, resolute and unyielding, preparing to activate Shiki Fūjin (Reaper Death Seal).
Only by borrowing the soul-based power of the Reaper Death Seal could he successfully seal Kushina's remaining chakra and consciousness inside Naruto.
Otherwise, just sealing a lump of chakra wouldn't allow Kushina to truly meet her future son.
…
"So that's the Jinchūriki who came after sister-in-law? Those Adamantine Sealing Chains are insanely strong. Even in this state, she's restraining the Nine-Tails like it's nothing…"
In the distance.
Tobirama, Hashirama, and Kai—who'd been eavesdropping the entire time—couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement.
That young woman, Kushina, might even surpass Uzumaki Mito in raw ability!
"She's excellent, no doubt. Both the Fourth Hokage and his wife are outstanding shinobi!"
Hashirama nodded in agreement, thoroughly satisfied with the couple.
Just having Kushina alive, relying solely on her Adamantine Sealing Chains, would mean Konoha basically didn't need to fear any Tailed Beast threat.
Good! Wonderful!
Wait a minute—if the Nine-Tails got extracted from her body, doesn't that mean the Jinchūriki dies?!
Both Hashirama and Tobirama could clearly sense Kushina's life force rapidly draining away. She was hurtling toward death at breakneck speed.
"Tobirama, does a Jinchūriki always die after losing their Tailed Beast?"
"Well… probably?"
Tobirama wasn't entirely sure either.
But as far as he knew, every other Jinchūriki across the shinobi world had died instantly the moment their Tailed Beast was extracted.
Even Naruto, who had half Uzumaki blood, was on death's door the instant the Nine-Tails was removed.
Only pure-blooded Uzumaki Clan members could survive a little longer.
But even then, death was inevitable.
So the common understanding throughout the shinobi world was simple: Jinchūriki die when their Tailed Beast is removed.
As for whether re-sealing the Tailed Beast back into the Jinchūriki could save them?
No one had ever tried it, so naturally, no one knew.
Hashirama frowned, deep in thought. "This isn't good. Such an excellent shinobi from the next generation shouldn't die so easily."
Tobirama grimaced and spat, "It's all that damned evil Uchiha's fault!"
Hashirama turned to look at Kai, seeking the opinion of this mysterious god.
But Tobirama suddenly interrupted with a warning:
"Big Brother, something's wrong! That Fourth Hokage looks like he's about to use Shiki Fūjin (Reaper Death Seal) to re-seal the Nine-Tails!"
"What?!"
"From the looks of it, he's planning to seal half the Nine-Tails inside himself and the other half inside that baby."
Tobirama was panicking. He couldn't understand Minato's reasoning at all.
This kind of reckless behavior wasn't something a Hokage should be doing!
The Nine-Tails was already suppressed by Kushina. Whether they re-sealed it or used the Eight Trigrams Seal to put it into someone else—
Either option was more stable and cost-effective than committing suicide with the Reaper Death Seal!
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, clearly still had energy left. So why would he voluntarily throw his life away?!
"This… is love. So that his beloved won't die alone. So that a mother can meet her future child…"
Hashirama was far more perceptive—or perhaps his understanding of love ran deeper than Tobirama's ever could.
He saw through Minato's true motivation in an instant.
"Big Brother, are you saying he's… committing a lover's suicide?!" (TL/N: Japanese concept of shinjū, double suicide for love. Dramatic? Yes. Very ninja? Also yes.)
"More or less."
"But he's the Fourth Hokage! How can he kill himself over a woman?! Big Brother, this is exactly why I always said you shouldn't get involved with women—this is just too—"
"Tobirama. You don't understand love."
Hashirama shook his head and sternly rebuked his younger brother.
Maybe when I get back, I need to figure out a way to get young Tobirama married off so he can experience what love actually feels like…
"Alright, you two can bicker later."
"It's time for us to make our entrance."
Kai interrupted the Senju brothers and activated World Instantaneous Movement once more, flashing directly into the barrier.
The show had gone on long enough.
If they dragged this out any longer, the Fourth Hokage was actually going to complete those hand seals and activate the Reaper Death Seal for real.