Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

The hand holding Jiraiya's sake cup froze in midair.

For the first time since their conversation began, the playful, carefree expression on his face vanished, replaced by genuine confusion.

[Minato is still alive?]

[How could that be?]

Back then, he had refused to believe it.

The moment he received the news, he had rushed back to the village.

What he saw with his own eyes was the truth.

The bodies of Minato and Kushina.

An undeniable fact.

No matter how much he wanted to deceive himself, reality had been cruel and absolute.

There was no escaping it.

Jiraiya had once believed that Namikaze Minato was the Child of Prophecy spoken of by the Great Toad Sage.

The savior destined to change the ninja world.

He had believed he would one day witness Minato fulfill that destiny.

He had eagerly awaited the birth of Minato's child.

Yet in the end...

All he received was devastating grief.

Minato and Kushina's deaths were among the reasons Jiraiya chose to leave Konoha once more.

Partly to continue searching for the true Child of Prophecy.

Partly to avoid being haunted by memories.

Even now, the despair and sorrow from that day lingered deep within his heart.

"Impossible."

"It wasn't only me who confirmed their deaths."

Jiraiya suppressed his emotions and forced his voice to remain calm.

"I know how unbelievable it sounds."

"I attended Minato-sensei's funeral too."

Kakashi lowered his gaze.

"But... I've encountered someone I can't explain."

Jiraiya looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Jiraiya-sama."

Kakashi raised his head.

"Do you know Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Naruto..."

How could Jiraiya not know that name?

The very name Minato chose for his son had come from one of Jiraiya's novels.

The memory was still vivid.

Minato and Kushina holding his book.

Smiling as they discussed their future child's name.

"What about Naruto?"

"I suspect Minato-sensei has been teaching him since childhood."

Kakashi spoke slowly.

"He has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique."

"He can use the Rasengan."

"And in a direct confrontation..."

Kakashi paused.

"...even I may not be his opponent."

"And this year, he's only twelve years old."

Jiraiya's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

If Kakashi wasn't joking, Naruto's situation was unprecedented.

A twelve-year-old possessing combat power beyond ordinary jōnin wasn't impossible.

Jiraiya had seen prodigies before.

Even outside the Five Great Nations.

But Naruto was different.

"Isn't the Nine-Tails sealed inside him?"

"With the Nine-Tails' chakra constantly interfering..."

"Even if he somehow learned those highly precise techniques, he shouldn't be able to use them properly at that age."

"...Regarding the Nine-Tails."

Kakashi hesitated.

"There's something else I need to tell you."

After a moment of silence, he finally revealed the secret he had hidden for so long.

Because Minato had once told him:

"If there's anyone in this world worth trusting, it isn't me."

"It's my teacher."

To Minato, Jiraiya was someone he trusted more than almost anyone else.

And for Kakashi himself, Jiraiya was someone he deeply respected.

After learning that Obito might still be alive, Kakashi desperately needed someone he could genuinely share his thoughts with.

As Jiraiya listened to Kakashi describe the sealing technique once placed upon him by the Nine-Tails, his eyes widened.

The Nine-Tails knew sealing techniques?

What kind of absurd joke was that?

"Let me see."

"Where exactly is this seal?"

Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

Soon afterward, Kakashi cooperated fully as Jiraiya conducted a thorough examination.

And with his exceptional expertise in fūinjutsu, Jiraiya quickly discovered the mark.

"...It's already inactive."

He stared at Kakashi's neck.

There truly was a tiny sealing formula there.

The seal had already exhausted its chakra.

Its effects were long gone.

Yet none of that was what truly shook him.

Because he recognized the craftsmanship.

It was Minato's.

A style derived from Uzumaki sealing techniques and refined by Minato himself.

The structure.

The logic.

The flow of chakra.

None of it could be mistaken.

As Minato's teacher, Jiraiya had often learned new things from his own student.

He had never been ashamed to ask questions.

And because of that, he knew Minato's work better than almost anyone.

There was absolutely no chance he could mistake it.

[Minato is alive?]

[Minato is really alive!?]

A surge of joy erupted within him.

Then immediately disappeared beneath an avalanche of questions.

[If he's alive, why hasn't he contacted me?]

[Why hasn't he returned to Konoha?]

[No...]

[Could his situation be similar to the Nine-Tails being sealed?]

[Even if he's trapped somewhere, there's no way Minato would've spent all these years unable to contact anyone.]

[According to Kakashi, Naruto inherited Minato's teachings.]

[That means Minato can influence Naruto somehow.]

[And if he can influence Naruto, he should be able to contact others through him.]

[At the very least, he's already influenced Kakashi.]

[Yet he hasn't revealed himself.]

[Which means this is intentional.]

[He doesn't want people to know.]

"Well?"

Kakashi asked.

"Can you confirm anything, Jiraiya-sama?"

[Could he be inside Naruto as well?]

[But if that's true, what exactly is he trying to hide?]

[Himself? Naruto?]

[Or perhaps...]

[The Nine-Tails?]

Jiraiya's thoughts raced.

Few people understood Minato better than he did.

Even without speaking directly to the Minato inside Naruto, he was already trying to decipher his former student's intentions.

Though his heart was in turmoil, Jiraiya's expression remained calm.

He deliberately frowned.

"The fact that the Nine-Tails could affect you but apparently not Naruto is very strange."

"I'll need to meet Naruto personally."

"Perhaps then I'll discover something."

Kakashi nodded.

"Maybe you'll notice clues that I missed."

A trace of disappointment appeared in his eyes.

Even Jiraiya seemed unable to confirm Minato's situation.

"However, aside from that seal..."

Jiraiya suddenly pointed toward Kakashi's forehead.

His expression turned serious.

"There's another seal."

"...What?"

Kakashi froze.

"Right here."

Jiraiya tapped his own forehead.

"And unlike the one on your neck..."

"This one hasn't activated yet."

He examined it carefully.

"It feels similar to a puppet-control formula."

"An unfinished trigger mechanism."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"The Nine-Tails left another one on me?"

"No."

Jiraiya immediately shook his head.

"The chakra signature and construction are completely different."

"The concealment is decent..."

"But the craftsmanship is inferior."

[Nowhere near Minato's level.]

"It wasn't the Nine-Tails?"

Kakashi fell into thought.

Another seal...

Inside his body?

"You didn't know it was there?"

Jiraiya asked.

Kakashi shook his head.

While speaking, Jiraiya's hands had already begun gathering chakra.

"Just to be safe..."

"I'll remove it."

"It might hurt a little."

"Bear with it."

His eyes narrowed.

"And take off your forehead protector."

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