Only half of the Nine-Tails’ chakra had been sealed away.
If it managed to kill Uzumaki Naruto, the new Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki, then Minato’s seal would immediately become invalid.
Naruto had only just been born.
Forget resisting, he couldn’t even sit up.
The Nine-Tails suddenly lashed out, its enormous razor-sharp claw sweeping straight toward Naruto’s face.
If that attack landed, the newborn would be crushed into a bloody pulp.
Splurt.
Blood sprayed into the air.
But it wasn’t Naruto’s.
Standing before the swaddled infant, Minato and Kushina, both already at the end of their strength, instinctively moved together.
Using nothing but their own flesh and blood, they became a shield for their son.
The Nine-Tails’ claw pierced straight through both of their bodies.
Even so, it could advance no farther.
It stopped just inches away from Naruto.
Naruto stared blankly with wide eyes.
He had seen this scene before.
Back then, he had watched it as a manga reader.
But now he was witnessing it with his own eyes.
The impact shook him to his core.
Was this the selfless love and sacrifice parents gave to their child?
“I’m sorry, Naruto.
We won’t be able to stay with you or watch you grow up anymore.”
Kushina gazed at the tiny baby before her.
He was her son, the child she had carried for ten months before bringing into the world.
Yet all she could do now was speak with sorrow and regret.
“Naruto, don’t be picky with your food.
Eat well and grow up strong.
Remember to take a bath every day.
Don’t stay up late, and make sure you get enough sleep.
And make friends.
You don’t need a lot of them.
Just a few people you can truly trust are enough.”
“Your mom wasn’t very good at studying, but you should study hard and practice your Ninjutsu.
Everyone has things they’re good at and things they’re not, so don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t come easily.
At the Academy, always respect your teachers and your seniors.”
“Oh, and one more important thing.
About the Three Ninja Taboos, especially borrowing and lending money, always be careful.
Save the rewards you earn from missions.
Don’t drink alcohol until you’re twenty.
Drinking too much is bad for your health, so always know your limits.”
“And the most important part of the Three Ninja Taboos is women.
Well.
your mom’s a woman, so I don’t really understand men.
Someday you’ll become interested in girls, but don’t let some strange woman lead you astray.
Find someone like your mother.
Oh, and speaking of the Three Ninja Taboos, be especially careful around Master Jiraiya.”
When Kushina mentioned Jiraiya, Minato couldn’t help but smile wryly.
After all, Jiraiya was his own teacher, but there wasn’t much he could say.
“Naruto, you’ll face many painful and difficult times in the future.
But always stay true to yourself.
Hold on to your dreams, and always believe that you can make them come true.”
“And.
and.
and.
There are still so many things I wanted to teach you.
I wanted to stay by your side forever.
I love you.”
As she spoke, tears streamed down Kushina’s face.
She then looked back at Minato apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Minato.
I’ve been the only one talking.”
Minato smiled gently.
“It’s alright.
Everything Dad wanted to say is exactly the same as your talkative mom.”
At last, Naruto could no longer hold it in.
He burst into loud, heartbroken sobs.
His heart wasn’t made of stone.
Witnessing this scene with his own eyes and experiencing it firsthand moved him beyond words.
He grieved for the tragedy that had befallen this family.
It even felt as though this wasn’t a dream.
As though everything was truly happening to him.
Naruto cried until he was completely inconsolable.
He knew that Minato and Kushina had only moments left.
Minato sealed a portion of his own chakra, along with part of Kushina’s chakra, inside Naruto.
Then he sealed the remaining half of the Nine-Tails into himself with the Reaper Death Seal.
Together with the beast, his soul was dragged into the belly of the Shinigami.
Finally, the husband and wife collapsed to the ground.
They died together.
That day, Konoha suffered catastrophic losses.
Not only did it lose the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki, one of its greatest military assets, it also lost its newly appointed Fourth Hokage.
Minato Namikaze had risen above even the Legendary Sannin to become Hokage.
It was not merely because of his overwhelming strength, but also because of the immense respect he commanded.
During the early and middle stages of the Third Great Ninja War, he earned the legendary title of Konoha’s Yellow Flash.
His reputation became so fearsome that other hidden villages issued standing orders.
If anyone encountered the Yellow Flash, they were permitted to abandon their mission and retreat immediately without punishment.
For a ninja, missions were considered more important than life itself.
Kakashi Hatake’s father, the White Fang of Konoha, had once abandoned a mission to save his comrades.
For that decision, he was condemned by the village until he ultimately took his own life.
That alone spoke volumes.
The devastation caused by the Nine-Tails’ attack went far beyond the deaths of Minato and Kushina.
Countless buildings throughout Konoha were destroyed.
The number of casualties was impossible to calculate.
Although the Third Hokage reacted quickly and organized the evacuation of civilians, innumerable ninja still died trying to stop the Nine-Tails’ rampage.
After all, it was the Nine-Tails.
To make matters worse, someone was secretly sabotaging Konoha that very night.
Not only did that person refuse to help, but they also diverted nearly half of the ANBU elsewhere and even prevented one particular clan from entering the battlefield.
Had that clan’s Sharingan been allowed to fight, perhaps the destruction caused by the Nine-Tails would not have been so severe.
A certain schemer, always claiming to act for Konoha’s sake, seized the opportunity to inflict enormous losses upon the village.
None of that had anything to do with Naruto anymore.
He had already lost consciousness.
After all, he was only a newborn infant.
What could a baby possibly do?
He had experienced too much, and because he understood everything that had happened, the emotional burden became too great.
He drifted into a deep sleep.
Before his consciousness completely faded, Naruto had one final thought.
“What an incredible experience.
I guess it’s finally time for this dream to end.
Ah.
I have to get up early for work tomorrow.
I’d better get some more ‘sleep.'”
Perhaps he still believed he was dreaming.
But the dream felt far too real.
The next morning, Naruto awoke from hunger.
He slowly opened a pair of brilliant blue eyes and looked around in confusion.
The unfamiliar room was still there.
The unfamiliar ceiling.
It looked like a hospital, with everything around him colored white.
A white ceiling.
White walls.
A white bed.
Beside him sat a young nurse dressed in a white uniform, already holding a baby bottle.
“Why am I still here?”