Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

"There's someone even better?"

Izumi asked curiously.

"Could it be that you're planning to release the Nine-Tails and have it perform the sealing?"

Earlier, Naruto had explained that the seal inside him was what imprisoned the Nine-Tails.

Now that they intended to undo the seal...

Could the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox, the calamity said to rival a natural disaster...

Actually know sealing techniques?

And be even more skilled than Naruto?

"Oh, releasing Kurama is part of the plan."

Naruto scratched his cheek.

"But he's actually worse than I am at sealing."

"And besides..."

"He said he's not good at using a human body."

"What do you mean I'm worse than you?!"

Kurama instantly exploded.

"Come on!"

"Undo the seal, and I'll show you personally!"

To be fair...

Kurama and Naruto had both systematically studied sealing techniques under Minato.

"With the way you were half-asleep through every lesson..."

"How could you possibly surpass someone who listened attentively..."

"...Well."

Kurama coughed awkwardly.

"Fine."

"I was only casually listening."

"But I still learned more than you!"

"What I actually said..."

"...was that I'm not used to operating a human body."

"I can't perform delicate work that way."

"Lord Kurama..."

Minato hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Naruto's still just a child."

"He was only joking."

"We'll be relying on you afterward, so please bear with him."

Kurama shot him a sideways glance.

"And you."

"Is it really necessary to get this excited?"

"All we're doing is releasing Kushina's chakra."

Usually...

Minato was calm and composed no matter what happened.

But now...

He could no longer suppress the anticipation written all over his face.

He was finally about to see his wife again.

Outside...

Naruto continued explaining everything to Izumi and Sasuke.

After hearing that not only the Nine-Tails...

But even Naruto's parents' chakra had been sealed inside him...

Sasuke's expression became rather strange.

Oddly enough...

The fact that Naruto's father was the Fourth Hokage wasn't what shocked him the most.

After all...

There wasn't much to say about the son of the Fourth Hokage growing up so poor.

Instead...

His thoughts drifted back to something Naruto had once said.

...So that's why...

Back then, when he told me he finally understood what it meant to lose your family...

It was because he'd learned the truth about his own origins.

"...Naruto."

Izumi looked at him with amazement before nodding.

"Your life truly is unbelievable."

"But..."

"I understand now."

"Then let's not waste any more time."

Naruto lifted his shirt, revealing the Eight Trigrams Seal on his abdomen.

"Sister Izumi."

"I'm counting on you."

Izumi nodded.

She slowly closed her eyes.

When she opened them again...

Her three-tomoe Sharingan had transformed into her blade-shaped Mangekyō Sharingan.

Beside them...

Sasuke also activated his Sharingan.

He stared intently at Izumi.

This was the perfect opportunity to observe the abilities of a Mangekyō Sharingan firsthand.

The next instant...

Izumi activated her power.

Chihi.

Almost immediately...

Naruto felt an intense heat rising from his abdomen.

"Sister Izumi!"

"Just remove the Eight Trigrams Seal!"

Izumi merely nodded.

She didn't answer.

Maintaining Chihi clearly required considerable concentration.

"It's starting."

Within the seal...

Kurama was the first to sense the foreign chakra entering Naruto's body.

He immediately recognized the unpleasant energy.

Watching carefully...

He saw it reach the Eight Trigrams Seal itself.

The chakra possessed an almost dissolving nature.

The instant it touched the seal's manifested prison...

The bars began melting like liquid.

However...

The process wasn't instantaneous.

It was far slower than anyone had expected.

"It seems..."

Minato observed thoughtfully.

"The effectiveness of her ability varies depending on the sealing technique involved."

"It's remarkable..."

"But at its core..."

"It's still chakra."

"If the target actively resists..."

"A sufficiently skilled shinobi should still be able to interrupt its effects."

The prison gradually dissolved.

Its structure broke apart...

Returning to tiny fragments of chakra suspended before Kurama.

That also meant...

Kurama had officially regained his freedom.

Though...

From Minato's perspective...

Lord Kurama had long since been acting as though he were already free.

As the seal disappeared...

Another chakra mass that had remained hidden within the sealing formula suddenly emerged.

"It..."

"It's Kushina's chakra!"

The moment Kushina's chakra appeared...

Kurama immediately contacted Naruto.

He told him to have Izumi stop using Chihi.

After all...

No one knew whether Chihi might damage Kushina's chakra.

Nor did Kurama know whether forcefully destroying Chihi himself would cause Izumi to suffer backlash.

So...

He split his attention...

Communicating with Naruto outside.

Meanwhile...

Minato hurried toward the newly emerged chakra.

Suddenly—

"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

Countless golden chains burst forth from the chakra mass.

Caught completely off guard...

Kurama, who had been focused on speaking with Naruto, was instantly tied up from head to toe.

Even all nine of his tails were tightly restrained.

"...?"

Both Kurama and Minato froze.

The chains continued surging outward.

Even Minato...

Who had been about to help...

Found himself unexpectedly bound before he could react.

In an instant...

Both he and Kurama were completely immobilized.

Unable to use chakra.

Unable to move freely.

The floating chakra mass slowly descended to the ground.

Then...

It took human form.

A beautiful woman with long crimson hair...

Dressed like a young wife...

Stepped forward.

She looked exactly as Minato remembered.

Uzumaki Kushina.

Yet her expression was filled with grief...

And fury.

She stared coldly at Kurama and Minato.

"Nine-Tails..."

"I never imagined..."

"You'd actually break through the seal Minato left behind."

"...You're even stronger than I thought."

Kurama's head filled with question marks.

It wasn't that he couldn't break free.

The real issue was...

Kushina...

Didn't she see Minato standing right there?

"Kushina..."

"It's me—"

"Don't call me that!"

She interrupted furiously.

"And don't use Minato's appearance to address me!"

"That trick..."

"Won't work on me..."

"...You monster!"

Before Minato could finish...

Several more chains shot toward him.

They wrapped around him completely.

Even his mouth was tightly bound.

The sharp tips of the chains rose like countless blades...

Ready to pierce straight through his head.

"Mmph!"

Minato's eyes widened.

He stared helplessly at the chains controlled by the woman he loved...

About to stab him.

But...

The attack never came.

Kushina looked at him...

Her eyes overflowing with sorrow and despair.

She bit her lip.

"...Minato."

"I'm sorry."

"Even knowing..."

"That all of this is fake..."

"I still can't bring myself to kill you..."

Oh no...

She misunderstood!

Minato immediately realized what had happened.

The chakra sustaining him was entirely Kurama's.

With Kushina's extraordinary Uzumaki sensory abilities...

She naturally assumed this "Minato" was merely one of Kurama's disguises.

Exactly as Minato had guessed...

That was precisely her conclusion.

She glanced at him once more...

Then wrapped chains around his face, completely covering it.

No longer willing to look at the fake Minato meant to confuse her...

She turned toward Kurama instead.

Kurama...

Rather than resisting...

Had even rolled onto his side to make his tightly bound tails more comfortable.

"You've won..."

"Nine-Tails..."

Kushina's voice was filled with helpless despair.

"...Huh?"

Kurama blinked.

"...Oh."

I see.

He finally understood.

Kushina had completely misunderstood the situation.

Instead of explaining...

A mischievous thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"Hmph."

"Kushina."

"You and Minato caused me enough suffering back then."

"No..."

"You humans have always treated me as nothing more than a tool."

"You sealed me."

"You exploited me."

"And now..."

"I've merely made the two of you turn your weapons on each other."

"And that's already too much for you?"

Kushina slowly closed her eyes.

Just as she'd believed...

The Nine-Tails was mocking her by wearing Minato's face.

She clenched her fists.

Then slowly relaxed them.

After a long silence...

She asked softly,

"...Can you tell me..."

"Is Naruto..."

"...still alive?"

"For now."

Kurama answered.

"He is."

"...How old is he now?"

"Twelve."

Hearing the answer...

Kushina's heart sank.

Naruto was only twelve.

Still just a child.

If the Nine-Tails had escaped...

Then as its jinchūriki...

Naruto should already be dead.

At that moment...

Kushina had no interest in wondering how the seal had broken.

Who had done it.

Or why.

None of that mattered.

Even if she was only a fragment of chakra left behind by Minato...

As Naruto's mother...

She would do everything she could for her son.

Thud.

Kushina suddenly knelt before Kurama.

Before even Kurama could react...

Her crimson hair cascaded over her shoulders.

She lowered her head completely.

Tears dripped onto the ground.

"I beg you..."

"I beg you..."

"Please..."

"Don't leave Naruto's body..."

"H-Hey!"

"You don't have to do this!"

The moment she knelt...

Kurama panicked.

He immediately abandoned the joke.

With one swipe of his claw...

He snapped apart the chains Kushina was no longer controlling.

Unfortunately...

That only convinced Kushina even further that she had no other options.

She continued pleading desperately.

All she wanted...

Was to beg for one path of survival for her child.

"...What do I do now?"

Kurama realized he'd taken the joke far too far.

Even his fur stood on end in panic.

He opened his mouth...

Yet couldn't think of how to explain.

Finally...

He turned toward the tightly wrapped Minato lying nearby and roared,

"You idiot!"

"You're only a lump of chakra now!"

"Since when does covering your mouth stop you from talking?!"

The reminder immediately snapped Minato back to his senses.

He'd forgotten something incredibly simple.

His form dissolved into the glowing chakra sphere he'd once been.

He slipped effortlessly out of the chains...

Floating over to Kushina.

"Kushina!"

"It's me!"

Kushina froze.

She could clearly sense it now.

The overwhelming Nine-Tails chakra surrounding him was fading.

Without that interference...

The tiny amount of warm, familiar chakra she remembered so well...

Finally reached her senses.

"...Minato?"

"It really is you?"

She stared blankly.

"...It's me."

Minato's voice was weak.

Once Kushina recognized him...

Kurama cooperatively returned his chakra to Minato.

Minato's human appearance reformed.

His eyes filled with tenderness as he gently helped Kushina to her feet.

"What is all this..."

"No need."

Kurama hurriedly interrupted.

"I already prepared something."

After the chaos he'd caused...

He had no intention of fooling around anymore.

He immediately produced a specially prepared bundle of chakra.

"Take it."

"I've already stored everything inside."

"Your memories are waiting there."

Before Kushina could ask another question...

Kurama directly infused the chakra into her.

As the specially prepared chakra enveloped her body...

Everything that had happened between Minato, Naruto, and Kurama over the years...

Flowed into her mind.

Her tear-filled eyes gradually lost their confusion.

Her expression slowly softened.

She turned toward Minato.

"Kushina..."

"How are you—"

"Oof!"

Before he could finish...

A sharp punch landed squarely in his stomach.

Minato doubled over instinctively.

Standing before him...

Was a blushing Kushina.

Her fist still raised.

"You..."

"You..."

"Why didn't you explain sooner?!"

"You did that on purpose!"

"You made me embarrass myself like that!"

"I was trying to explain..."

Minato laughed helplessly.

Before he could finish...

Kushina threw herself into his arms.

"I missed you so much, Minato..."

"...Me too."

Minato gently embraced his wife.

Though he forced his voice to remain calm...

His arms never loosened their hold on her.

"And besides..."

"What was embarrassing about it?"

"What I saw..."

"...was an incredibly beautiful..."

"...and truly wonderful mother."

Kushina said nothing.

She simply held him even tighter.

Minato softly stroked her beautiful crimson hair.

Neither of them spoke again.

All this time...

He had missed her just as deeply.

Kurama originally wanted to remind them...

That this wasn't the time for a heartfelt reunion.

After all...

They were merely remnants of chakra.

Long ago...

Minato had willingly chosen to die alongside Kushina.

Yet now...

Their souls remained worlds apart.

Minato's soul was still trapped within the Shinigami's stomach.

Kushina's wandered the Pure Land alone.

But...

Watching them quietly embrace beneath the silence...

Kurama, who never truly understood human emotions...

Ultimately chose not to interrupt.

Now that the seal had been removed...

He no longer needed to continuously link their chakra just so they could perceive the outside world.

Kurama casually waved a claw.

The endless white space gradually faded away.

In its place...

Appeared the scenery beyond Naruto's mind.

Within Izumi's Tsukiyomi...

A brilliant full moon hung high in the night sky.

Kurama guided that gentle moonlight...

Allowing it to fall upon Minato and Kushina.

Once...

A young girl who had been rescued fell in love for the first time.

A boy, like a hero, leapt into her world.

Beneath the moon...

Their love began.

Once...

A lonely girl burdened by fate wandered through darkness.

A young man who vowed to protect her used his spiraling resolve to hold up her sky.

Beneath the moon...

Their love was witnessed.

Once...

A dying mother tearfully bid farewell while protecting her child.

A father fulfilled his duty with his final gift.

Beneath the moon...

Their love became its greatest legacy.

...

Now...

Beneath the same moon...

They met once again.

This time...

Everything had changed.

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