Amid the shattered ruins, the golden Adamantine Sealing Chains remained tightly wrapped around the Nine-Tails.
The colossal fox lay pinned to the ground.
Its once-ferocious crimson eyes now showed only exhaustion…
And perhaps even a hint of resignation.
Minato stood beside Kushina, supporting her weakened body as they looked at the scene before them.
The beast that had nearly destroyed Konoha…
Now lay as docile as a declawed tiger.
Then Minato looked at the calm young man standing before it.
His heart remained anything but calm.
“…Yu.”
Kushina’s voice was weak from childbirth, but it carried even more relief and gratitude.
She gripped Minato’s hand so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
Yu slowly turned around.
The golden chakra cloak had already faded.
The nine tails had vanished.
Once again, he wore the same relaxed expression as always.
“How are you feeling, Kushina-senpai?”
Kushina opened her mouth, but tears spilled down her face before the words came.
“It’s thanks to you…
We…
I…”
Minato stepped forward solemnly.
“Yu.”
“My wife and I will never be able to repay what you’ve done for us.”
He understood better than anyone.
Without Yu…
Tonight would have ended in absolute tragedy.
Konoha.
Kushina.
Naruto.
Even he himself.
Everything would have been lost.
Yu simply waved a hand.
“No need.”
“It wasn’t much.”
“I’m part of Konoha too.”
“I couldn’t exactly stand by while an angry fox tore the village apart.”
He spoke so casually…
As though he had merely helped with an everyday chore.
That effortless attitude only made him seem even more unfathomable.
“As for this big fox…”
Yu looked toward Kurama.
The Nine-Tails slowly lifted its massive head.
A pair of heavy snorts escaped its nostrils.
Minato instinctively tensed.
“…Yu.”
“What are you planning to do with it?”
“Seal it back inside Kushina?”
That would have been the obvious solution.
But Kushina had only just survived childbirth…
And the forced extraction of the Nine-Tails.
Her body was in no condition to endure such a burden again.
“…No.”
Yu answered without hesitation.
“Kushina-senpai can’t withstand the Nine-Tails’ full power anymore.”
“And honestly…”
“It’s unfair for one person to shoulder that burden forever.”
He paused briefly.
“I also have no intention of becoming its next Jinchūriki.”
Both Minato and Kushina froze.
Not Kushina.
Not Yu.
Then…
What would become of the Nine-Tails?
Surely he wasn’t planning to leave it roaming free?
Even Kurama looked genuinely confused.
What exactly was this human planning?
“I’ll separate a portion of its purest Yang chakra…”
“And fuse it with Naruto.”
“…What?!”
Kushina gasped.
Even Minato’s expression changed dramatically.
“Yu!”
“That’s far too dangerous!”
“Naruto was only just born!”
Directly placing Tailed Beast chakra into a newborn…
It was unheard of.
Yu calmly shook his head.
“I’m not turning him into a Jinchūriki.”
“It’s simply a blessing.”
“A safeguard.”
“That chakra will strengthen Naruto’s vitality and unlock tremendous potential.”
“But he won’t become the Nine-Tails’ vessel.”
“The village won’t treat him like a Jinchūriki.”
“He’ll never suffer the prejudice or hatred that usually comes with that title.”
His tone remained calm.
Yet every word carried unquestionable conviction.
“I trust my own control.”
His confidence came from strength no one else in this era could even imagine.
Minato and Kushina exchanged a long glance.
There was hesitation.
Concern.
But also hope.
Yu’s proposal sounded outrageous…
Yet perhaps…
It truly was the best solution.
Naruto would inherit the Nine-Tails’ gifts…
Without bearing its curse.
“…Then…”
“What about the rest of Kurama?”
Kushina asked softly.
Even Kurama perked up.
Yu smiled faintly.
“As for the rest of him…”
Golden sealing formulae appeared within his palm.
Subtle ripples of space surrounded them.
“I’ll use an improved sealing technique.”
“And relocate him into an independent pocket dimension I’ve created.”
“The scenery’s nice.”
“Far better than spending eternity trapped inside someone’s body.”
He smiled at the giant fox.
“And when the time is right…”
“I’ll consider giving him real freedom.”
Silence.
Even Kurama stared blankly.
Freedom.
The word felt almost unreal.
The fox searched Yu’s face for deception.
There was none.
Only calm certainty.
“…Why…”
“…Should I believe you?”
Kurama’s deep voice was filled with suspicion.
Yu answered without changing expression.
“Because I can knock you flat with one punch.”
“And I can make sure you never speak another word.”
Kurama visibly shuddered.
Yu continued.
“I don’t need your trust.”
“I only need your cooperation.”
A completely transparent ultimatum.
Kurama fell silent once more.
After a long while…
“…Hmph.”
“I’ll…
watch what you do.”
It wasn’t agreement.
But it wasn’t refusal either.
Minato and Kushina could hardly believe what they had heard.
The strongest and most violent of all the Tailed Beasts…
Had actually compromised.
Yu nodded in satisfaction.
“Wise choice.”
Turning toward Kushina, he said,
“Kushina-senpai.”
“I’ll need a little of your blood.”
“It’ll serve as the medium for separating and converting the chakra.”
She nodded immediately.
“Anything.”
“As long as Naruto will be safe.”
Her Uzumaki bloodline naturally resonated with sealing techniques.
Then Yu placed a glowing hand gently against her shoulder.
Soft green light flowed from his palm.
Pure Sage chakra.
“This will speed up your recovery.”
Warm energy spread throughout her body.
Color quickly returned to her pale face.
Her depleted strength recovered at a visible rate.
Kushina looked at him in amazement.
Not only was he unbelievably powerful…
He possessed miraculous healing abilities as well.
Everything proceeded more smoothly than anyone expected.
Perhaps Kurama had truly been beaten into submission.
Or perhaps…
The promise of eventual freedom had stirred something inside him.
Either way…
He cooperated.
A small sphere of warm, pure Yang Nine-Tails chakra slowly separated from his enormous body.
Under Yu’s precise control…
It gently entered baby Naruto.
The infant merely smacked his lips in his sleep.
As though wrapped in comforting warmth.
Then he slept even more peacefully.
Tears once again streamed down Kushina’s face.
Her son…
Would never become a Jinchūriki.
Yet he had still received Kurama’s blessing.
His destiny had changed forever.
Minato stepped beside her.
The couple exchanged a silent glance.
Then…
Together…
They bowed deeply toward Yu.
The highest salute one shinobi could offer another.
“Yu.”
“My wife and I will never forget this.”
“From this day onward…”
“You are our closest friend.”
“Naruto’s greatest benefactor.”
“And Konoha’s eternal guardian.”
His voice was unwavering.
Filled with absolute sincerity.
Yu accepted the bow without embarrassment.
He had earned it.
Then he helped them back to their feet.
“‘Guardian’ is a little excessive.”
“I simply did what I believed was right.”
His gaze settled on the sleeping Naruto.
“…That boy has a bright future.”
He formed another series of hand seals.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains shifted shape.
Their golden links resonated with the spatial formula glowing within his palm.
Kurama’s enormous body gradually became translucent.
Space distorted gently.
Then…
The Nine-Tails disappeared completely.
Rather than imprisoning him inside another Jinchūriki…
Yu had relocated him into an independent world built upon the foundation of Kamui’s dimension.
Mountains.
Rivers.
A sky complete with sun, moon, and stars.
It was infinitely better than the endless darkness inside a human seal.
For perhaps the first time in centuries…
Kurama entered a new home without roaring.
He simply looked around quietly.
Maybe…
A different life wasn’t so bad.
At least…
No Uchiha would be using Sharingan to enslave him ever again.
The crisis…
Was finally over.
Konoha had suffered tremendous damage.
But its greatest pillars remained standing.
Hiruzen.
Minato.
And now…
Yu.
The village would recover.
It was only a matter of time.
Standing atop the Hokage Monument, Hiruzen quietly looked toward the devastated village…
Then toward the young man standing beside Minato and Kushina.
Bathed in the first light of dawn…
Yu almost seemed to glow.
“…Shinzuki Yu…”
The Third Hokage murmured to himself.
He had witnessed everything.
The defeat of the Masked Man.
The suppression of the Nine-Tails.
Those feats surpassed everything he thought a shinobi could accomplish.
“…The village owes him more than it can ever repay.”
How should someone like that be rewarded?
Ordinary promotions.
Money.
Even forbidden techniques…
None of them were enough.
Meanwhile…
After finishing the chakra transfer, Yu found that his understanding of Tailed Beast chakra had advanced yet again.
His already perfect Nine-Tails Chakra Mode became even more refined.
The golden chakra flowing through his body grew denser.
Sharper.
Even easier to control.
“…A pleasant surprise.”
A faint smile crossed his lips.
The villagers slowly emerged from the shelters.
Their homes lay in ruins.
Yet instead of despair…
Gratitude filled their hearts.
“It’s Lord Yu!”
“Konoha’s Golden Shield!”
“A living god!”
Voices rose one after another until they became a thunderous chorus.
Yu neither accepted nor denied their praise.
He simply looked toward the rising sun.
A new day…
Had begun.
Minato walked over and gently patted him on the shoulder.
“So, Yu…”
“What are you planning to do next?”
Beside him, Kushina cradled Naruto, looking at Yu with the same quiet curiosity.