Crouching in severe pain, Kagero turned his gaze towards the formerly petrified beast to witness a dreadful sight.
ROAR!
Howls of fury burst through the Ninetails' lips, sending shockwaves billowing in their direction.
The grass unearthed from the very ground, and chunks of debris were sent flying under the sheer force of Kurama's shouts.
Causing Kagero and the others to shield their faces in defense.
'Damn it!' Kagero's mind panicked in worry, watching the carnage that would soon ensue. 'What am I gonna do now?'
He quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts on seeing the orange beast swing its hands backwards for extra momentum.
An eerie glove of red chakra then enveloped the Buju's talons, before the beast brought it forward, caving through the air in its wrathful approach.
And just when Kagero's mind rested on the assumption that things couldn't get even more haunting than they already were.
A single grim question had his mind torn in a paradox of both fright, and a strange sense of— excitement?
"Tell me!" Kurama's voice rang into the night.
"How do you know that name?!"
The beast's arm closed the distance between it and the party below in mere seconds.
But right before its claws could draw even a single drop of blood.
WHOOSH!
An ethereal light radiated in the air, bathing its surroundings in a golden gleam.
"Adamantine Chains!" Kushina lifted her arms forward, sending binds coated in an oppressive aura to latch onto the Ninetails
"GRRR!" Kurama growled in frustration, and his muscles tightened under the celestial-like chains that wrapped around the entirety of his body, subduing him once more.
He had experienced it before; the hidden art of the uzumaki clan. The adamantine chains.
Chains forged from sheer will and chakra alone, whose powers grew mightier the older the weilder got.
These selfsame chains were used to bind him in times past, back when Kushina was just starting out as a Jinchuriki.
But despite the fact that the event had aged for about a decade, the embarrassment and the derision from the technique still burned vividly in his memories.
So much so that he found himself wrestling to try and get loose, all to no avail.
"You really are a riot ya know." Kushina tightened her hold on the stubborn beast. "Just stay put!"
Kagero heaved a sigh of relief, and not even up to a second later, his mind had already drifted to admiration for the bright gold chains.
Kagero collapsed on the grass, wiping off the blood from his eyes.
Yet, even as his eyes and the entirety of his body burned in agonizing pain. For some reason, his mind still adopted that of a crazed fan boy.
"That ability is even cooler in person!" Kagero managed to confess amidst grunts of pain.
Realizing his statement, he immediately cut his excitement short, placing his palms over his mouth.
Kushina let out a mirthful chuckle and turned her attention to Kagero. "I know right? It's a powerful fuijutsu technique that can subdue even the most powerful tailed beast."
"But it sure does take a toll on me." She added, gritting her teeth, and wiping the sweat off her forehead.
Realizing that her husband had been silent for a brief moment, Kushina turned her attention towards him.
With his finger stroked on his chin, Minato stood motionlessly, his eyes tightly shut as he drifted in thought.
Her brows furrowed with worry on seeing Minato's current state. A state that she was all too aware of.
He was definitely pondering on what the best course of action was.
'Maybe there's another option?' A suggestive thought ran through the Hokage's mind.
'No, there isn't enough time for that.' Another refuted.
With a single conclusion being met, Minato finally opened his eyes.
'I have to do it— I have to do that.'
"Minato?" The worried voice of his wife called out to the Hokage, snapping him from his trance.
He didn't flinch, neither did he make out his usual chuckle to his wife. All he did was stare at her, his child and then the towering beast.
What he thought of doing? Well it was something only Kagero knew. The very thing he had done in the anime.
Sacrifice himself.
Watching the entire scene with deductive eyes, Kagero justified Minato's next course of action internally.
Despite the fact that Kushina had the Ninetails bound, it didn't mean she could do it forever.
His salve had only managed to prevent her from dying, not bring her back to top shape. Meaning any moment from now, she would run out of Chakra.
And if not that, then stamina. Leaving the Ninetails to obliterate the village in its vengeful fury.
In such a volatile situation, there was left but only one option.
Walking up to the Ninetails, Minato's face hardened with seriousness.
He would use the Reaper death seal.
"Minato!"
A voice rang from behind them, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Lord Third?"
Minato peeked behind him. His eyes remained emotionless as he watched the Third hokage sprint towards him and his wife.
Kagero watched with nervousness, as no less than five ninjas all clad in animal masks perched behind the Third Hokage, following him diligently.
'Darn it, more company?!— I'm for sure going to look suspicious to these guys.'
Kagero almost panicked mentally, but took in a breath, deciding to just play it cool and observe the outcome of things.
"Sorry for the delay." Hiruzen cleared his throat. "After bringing the villagers to the underground bunkers, we tried to locate where you had flown off to."
Minato's lips finally rested into a smile, watching his elder report to him with a great show of respect.
"Don't worry about it Lord Third." Minato's face immediately transformed back into its monotonous fizzog. "I'll soon be done with things here."
Staring at Minato's eyes that blazed under a threatening level of determination, Hiruzen gritted his teeth, realising his intentions.
"What do you plan on doing Lord Fourth?" He asked in a bid to verify his thoughts.
But just like he had imagined, Minato's next words proved his grim realization true.
"I plan on using it." Minato rested his gaze on Kurama, a menacing aura seeping from his body as he spoke each word.
"The Reaper Death Seal."