Chapter 3: The End of the Nine-Tailed Incident
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Konoha Village, in that final battlefield shrouded and isolated by a massive barrier, the scene was a thousand times more brutal than the streets where Naoki was.
Scarlet, ominous Chakra permeated the space within the barrier like a thick, bloody mist. At its center stood the Nine-Tailed fox, as vast as a mountain and filled with an aura of destruction.
Every time it swung its sharp claws or let out a roar, the barrier shook violently, as if it might shatter at any moment.
And at the tip of the Nine-Tailed's giant claws, which were capable of tearing through steel, two figures were pierced and tightly embraced—the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina.
Minato's Flying Thunder God Kunai lay on the ground not far away, its light dim.
His handsome face was devoid of color, blood constantly overflowing from the corners of his mouth, and his golden hair was stained with dust and gore.
Yet even so, the arms holding his wife remained as steady as a rock, without the slightest hint of loosening.
He was whispering urgently in Kushina's ear, his voice hoarse yet firm, as if confirming the final seal, or perhaps pouring out his final reluctance and farewell.
Uzumaki Kushina's condition was even worse.
As the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, after the Tailed Beast was forcibly extracted, she could hold on until now only because of the tenacious vitality of the Uzumaki Clan and the fervent obsession in her heart to protect her child.
Her originally healthy, rosy face was now as pale as paper, almost transparent, and the radiance of life was rapidly fading from every part of her body.
But her fire-red long hair danced endlessly in the violent Nine-Tailed Chakra currents, like the last flame in the wind that refused to go out, symbolizing its owner's unyielding will.
Her body trembled slightly, but she used the last of her strength to convert the remaining Chakra within her, derived from the powerful bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan, into materialized golden chains—the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
These chains were meant to bind the rampaging Nine-Tailed, but they also wrapped around her and her husband Minato's waists, as if to eternally fix this final moment of embrace with power and emotion.
The Nine-Tailed's sharp claws remained deeply embedded in their bodies, bringing continuous, terrible damage and Chakra erosion that would have instantly killed an ordinary person.
But whether it was Minato or Kushina, their gazes crossed the immediate threat of death and were cast toward the swaddle quietly lying in the center of the sealing formation before them.
There lay their daughter, who had just been born not long ago, Uzumaki Naruko.
Kushina's gaze was focused on the child's small face, trying hard, extremely gently.
Tears accumulated and swirled in her beautiful eyes, eventually falling uncontrollably, mixed with blood and dust.
She tried hard to lift the hand not tightly held by Minato, her arm trembling violently, every subtle movement pulling at fatal wounds and bringing excruciating pain.
Yet she stubbornly, bit by bit, reached her finger toward Naruko.
Her fingertip finally touched the baby's soft, warm cheek.
At that moment, it was as if endless radiance relit in her eyes that were about to dim.
She gazed at her child greedily and lovingly, her lips moving, using her last strength to speak intermittently but clearly the words she had rehearsed countless times in her heart, yet would never have the chance to witness in person:
"Naruko... don't be a picky eater... eat plenty of food... grow up quickly..."
"Take a bath every day... keep your body warm..."
"Also... don't stay up late... get plenty of sleep..."
"And... make friends... it doesn't matter if you don't have many... just having a few trustworthy companions is enough..."
"Study hard... and practice Ninjutsu..."
"And... and..."
Tears blurred her vision, and her words were interrupted by sobs. She took a deep breath, as if to deeply imprint the child's current appearance into her soul.
"And... respect the seniors in the Village..."
"And... the most important point... regarding the three prohibitions of a Ninja... especially borrowing money... be cautious..."
"Save your mission rewards properly..."
"Alcohol... wait until you are twenty to drink... drinking too much is bad for your health... so be moderate..."
"Also... the biggest problem is boys... Mom is also a woman... so regarding this... anyway... there are only men and women in this world... you will fall in love with some boy... when that time comes... you must treat him well... get along with him well..."
"Finally... be careful of Master Jiraiya..."
Nagging, filled with the most ordinary, trivial, and profound maternal love. This was a mother's every instruction and concern for her child's future that she could think of at the very last moment of her life.
"That's about... all of it..."
Her voice grew lower and lower, her breath weaker and weaker.
"And... and... Naruko... in the future... no matter how painful or sad... move forward... and believe in the future... as long as there is light in your heart... you will definitely be able to overcome the darkness..."
"And... and... I love you..."
Before the words were finished, the hand stroking the child's cheek finally dropped weakly.
On the other side, Minato Namikaze endured the excruciating pain and the sorrow about to burst forth, completing the final sealing formation.
He glanced at his wife's profile, which carried endless regret amidst her peacefulness, and stared deeply at his sleeping daughter, his eyes filled with responsibility as heavy as a mountain and fatherly love as deep as the sea.
He bit his thumb, performed hand seals rapidly, used his last Chakra and vitality, and whispered:
"Summoning Jutsu!"
After a burst of white smoke, Gamatora appeared beside him.
"Minato? This is?!" Gamatora looked at the tragic scene before him in shock.
Minato had no time to explain; he said urgently with his last breath: "Gamatora... please... give the key to the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style... to Master Jiraiya... in the future... when Naruko needs to control the Nine-Tailed's power... it will be useful..."
"I understand! Minato! You..." Gamatora's voice was filled with grief.
Minato shook his head gently, signaling it to leave quickly.
Gamatora nodded with tears, and instantly disappeared in a puff of white smoke.
After doing all this, Minato took one last look at his beloved wife, one last look at his young daughter, and seemed to look through the barrier at the Konoha Village he swore to protect with his life. His eyes were tired yet firm, carrying an unregretful determination.
"Kushina... Naruko... I'm sorry..."
"Sealing Jutsu: Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"
"Eight Trigrams Sealing Style!"
Dazzling light and eerie darkness erupted simultaneously, swallowing Minato, Kushina, and the Nine-Tailed's massive figure.
The massive Chakra was forcibly torn apart and sealed. The Nine-Tailed's unwilling roar came to an abrupt end, turning into a beam of red light; half was swallowed by the Shinigami, and the other half, along with the remaining Chakra and will of Minato and Kushina, were all sealed into the belly of that blonde baby.
The light dissipated.
Only the broken earth remained within the barrier, and in the center of the seal, the baby sleeping safely with a spiral-shaped sealing mark on her belly—Uzumaki Naruko.
The great Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash Minato Namikaze, and his wife, the former Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Uzumaki Kushina, sacrificed their young lives to seal the Nine-Tailed and protect the Village and their newborn child.
And the child, for whom they traded peace and hope with their lives, would in the near future have to bear the infamous name of "Demon Fox" because of the "monster" sealed within her, and spend a lonely childhood full of misunderstanding.
[Large-scale plot event 'Nine-Tailed Incident' core phase ended. External threat level significantly decreased.]
[Newbie mission'Survive' in detection...]
[Host survival confirmed.]
[Newbie mission'Survive' completed.]
[Task reward distributed: C-rank Ninja module 'Uzumaki Naruto' x1 has been stored in the system space.]
[Please check and use.]
The cold system prompt silently brushed across the deepest level of his consciousness while Naoki was in a deep sleep.
The night of catastrophe in Konoha was gradually drawing to a close.
In the deepest darkness before dawn, the flames of sacrifice had been extinguished, and new, faint sparks—whether it was the child of prophecy called the "Demon Fox," or that black-haired baby sleeping ignorantly with an otherworldly system—had already been quietly planted.