Outside Konoha, on an open stretch of land, the Nine-Tails, which had just finished wreaking havoc throughout the village, had been transported there.
Kushina had already activated the Uzumaki Clan’s unique sealing technique.
Chains forged from chakra bound the Nine-Tails tightly, while a barrier isolated the entire area from the outside world.
When the retired Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived with reinforcements, all they could do was watch from beyond the barrier as Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki appeared to be arguing about something.
Because Kushina had been the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki and possessed the Uzumaki Clan’s powerful sealing techniques, the beast was completely suppressed, unable to move.
However, as the former Jinchūriki who had just lost the Nine-Tails, Kushina had already reached her limit.
No one knew how much longer she could keep the beast restrained.
She could die at any moment.
And now, there was only one thing left to do.
Seal the Nine-Tails once again.
“I can die together with the Nine-Tails,” Kushina said through gritted teeth.
“Minato, take Naruto and leave.”
She understood her situation better than anyone.
A Jinchūriki who lost their Tailed Beast was destined to die.
If that was unavoidable, then she would rather perish alongside the Nine-Tails to protect her husband and son.
But Minato shook his head.
“That would accomplish nothing.
A Tailed Beast cannot truly die.
Even if it’s killed now, it will eventually revive in the wild.”
The Tailed Beasts were, by nature, masses of chakra.
Originally, they had all been one entity before the Sage of Six Paths separated them from the Ten-Tails, the Divine Tree.
The Divine Tree was the true source, while the nine Tailed Beasts were simply portions of its chakra.
And chakra itself could not truly die.
That was why a Tailed Beast could never be permanently destroyed.
Unless it was sealed away, even if it were killed, it would simply resurrect after enough time had passed.
“Besides, the war still isn’t over.
Kumogakure has been watching us like a hawk.
As someone who lost both your homeland and your family because of war, you know better than anyone how dangerous it would be for Konoha to lose the Nine-Tails’ power.”
Kushina had come from the Land of Whirlpools, the homeland of the Uzumaki Clan.
But Uzushiogakure had already been destroyed.
What Minato truly wanted to say was,
“So I intend to seal the Nine-Tails once more, and then.”
He paused for a long moment.
Kushina immediately realized what he meant.
Her eyes widened.
Taking a deep breath, Minato finally said it.
“I’m going to make our son.
I’m going to make Naruto the next Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki.”
“You can’t!”
Kushina cried out without hesitation.
“Do you have any idea how difficult Jinchūriki’s life is?
Naruto has only just been born.
And Minato, although you’ve learned many sealing techniques, you’re nowhere near Lady Mito’s level.
How are you going to seal the Nine-Tails?”
“The Reaper Death Seal.”
Minato answered with only four words.
Kushina inhaled sharply.
She knew exactly what that forbidden technique meant.
Once the caster used it, death was inevitable.
The Reaper Death Seal was an immensely powerful forbidden sealing technique.
Its power ignored all defenses.
Once it struck, it sealed away the target’s soul directly.
Because it acted upon the soul itself, there was no way to defend against it.
Yet it was called a forbidden technique because of the price.
The moment the hand seals were completed, the caster offered up their own soul first.
That was the true nature of forbidden techniques.
They were not merely powerful.
Most of them demanded an unbearable cost from the user.
Once the target’s soul was sealed by the Reaper Death Seal, both the target and the caster would be dragged into the belly of the Shinigami, where their souls would remain imprisoned together for eternity, never to be separated.
It was an overwhelmingly powerful, yet terrifying technique.
Minato knew he lacked the ability to seal away the entire Nine-Tails by conventional means.
So he had chosen the Reaper Death Seal.
When he looked at Kushina, his eyes were filled with tenderness, but also regret and sorrow.
He had already accepted his own death.
Because he knew Kushina was beyond saving.
If the Nine-Tails had willingly returned to Kushina’s body, there might still have been hope.
But the Nine-Tails hated humans, especially Kushina and the previous Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Mito.
There was no chance it would voluntarily save her.
Perhaps that was why Minato no longer wished to live either.
This was a man who showed absolute ruthlessness toward his enemies, yet unmatched gentleness toward those he loved, especially his family.
“But what about Naruto?” Kushina pleaded desperately.
“Minato, you don’t have to die.
Even if only one of us survives, at least you’ll be there to raise him.”
Minato answered not with words, but with action.
His hands blurred as he formed an intricate series of seals.
Then he pressed his palms together.
“Reaper Death Seal!”
He had used the forbidden technique.
The instant the final seal was completed, the contract with the Shinigami had been forged.
There was no turning back.
Kushina completely broke down.
She murmured softly,
“If only we could all survive.
If the three of us could stay together.
raise Naruto.
watch him grow up.
watch him get married and have children.
that alone would have been enough to make me happy.”
Such a simple dream.
Yet even that would never come true.
Hearing those words, tears finally streamed down Minato’s face.
He forced himself to smile.
“Don’t worry, Kushina.
I’ll seal part of your chakra inside Naruto as well.
That way, you’ll still be able to see him grow up.
And someday, he’ll need the Nine-Tails’ power.
When that day comes.
I hope you’ll help him.”
Kushina smiled bitterly.
“Just for that.
you’re willing to give your life.?”
Was it really worth such a price?
To Minato, the answer was undoubtedly yes.
At last, Kushina stopped trying to persuade him.
Minato proceeded with the sealing ritual.
Unable to resist under Kushina’s chakra chains, the Nine-Tails was forced to surrender half of its chakra.
Naruto was still far too young, having only just been born.
Minato knew that if he sealed the entire Nine-Tails into his son, the beast’s influence would be far too great.
So he sealed only half of the Nine-Tails’ chakra into Naruto.
Using the Dual Four Symbols Seal to form the Eight Trigrams Seal, he created what could be considered one of the finest sealing formulas ever used on a Jinchūriki.
With everything finally complete, Minato was just beginning to breathe a sigh of relief.
Then, without warning.
The Nine-Tails, unwilling to accept its fate, seized the brief moment when both Minato and Kushina relaxed their guard.
Its gigantic, razor-sharp claw shot toward the newborn Uzumaki Naruto.