Seimei hid within the dimensional space constructed by the "Heavenly Guardian," quietly observing the people present with a sidelong glance, waiting for their next move.
Minato Namikaze stepped forward alone, approaching Kushina Uzumaki.
Only then did his face show a clear expression—one of heartfelt pity.
As if sensing his presence, Kushina opened her eyes.
Her eyes had grown noticeably dimmer, a result of her life force draining away.
At the same time, her expression was filled with exhaustion.
But despite this, she struggled to sit up, reaching out toward Minato.
Seeing this, Minato quickly knelt down, gently taking her hand and saying softly, "Hey, stay still. Don't move."
However, Kushina didn't seem to hear him. Instead, she asked urgently, "Minato, tell me, is Naruto okay?"
Her eyes were full of worry as she spoke.
Minato smiled and said, "Don't worry, Naruto's doing great. He's healthy, chubby, and crying nonstop."
Hearing this, Kushina finally relaxed. She looked at Minato again, noticing his weary expression. Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something about what would come next.
But Minato, as if anticipating her thoughts, spoke first. "Kushina, don't worry. I've found a way to save you."
"What?"
Kushina was stunned for a moment, then gave a faint smile. "Minato, don't try to fool me. Without the Tailed Beast, I can't survive. From now on, Naruto—"
Before she could finish, Minato pulled out a scroll.
Feeling the familiar chakra of the Tailed Beast within it, Kushina's eyes widened in disbelief. "Is that… the Nine-Tails?"
"That's right!"
Minato nodded and said to her, "In a moment, I'll use the Eight Trigrams Seal to reseal it into your body. Just make sure to cooperate fully."
"Will this work?" Kushina asked.
Of course, she didn't want to die if she could live.
Not to mention that she had just become a mother and hadn't yet enjoyed the joys of parenthood, even without Naruto, as a normal person, she wouldn't want to die unless absolutely necessary.
Hearing her question, though Minato was worried inside, he showed complete confidence on his face.
"Don't worry," he said. "I've discussed it with the Third Hokage and the others. This plan is almost guaranteed to work. All you need to do is cooperate fully."
Kushina stared into Minato's eyes for a long moment before finally saying, "Alright, I understand, Minato. Do what you need to do!"
With that, she began to adjust her condition.
At the same time, the eight medical ninja teams on the perimeter received Minato's orders and began channeling the "Healing Rebirth Technique" with full force.
As a massive amount of chakra surged, the sealing array on the ground lit up with a milky-white glow, illuminating the entire underground space.
After a moment, when Kushina opened her eyes again, Minato quickly asked, "Ready?"
"Yeah," Kushina nodded.
Without wasting any more time, Minato opened the scroll.
A faint trace of dark red Tailed Beast chakra wafted out from it.
Clearly, sealing the Nine-Tails in a scroll like this was only a temporary measure. If left unchecked, it wouldn't take long for the Nine-Tails to break free.
But Minato only needed to control it temporarily, so he didn't need to worry about the long term.
Taking a deep breath, he laid the scroll out in front of Kushina and said again, "Remember, don't give up!"
"Got it," Kushina nodded earnestly.
Without hesitation, Minato began forming hand signs, undoing the seal on the scroll.
Instantly, a roar echoed from within—the voice of the Nine-Tails.
A massive surge of dark red Tailed Beast chakra poured out of the scroll, filling the underground space in an instant.
A heavy, oppressive feeling weighed on everyone's hearts, making them shudder involuntarily.
For those who had never been close to a Tailed Beast, it was hard to imagine this sensation—like a drowning person desperate to breathe but with their mouth and nose completely blocked.
In the end, they could only wait helplessly for death.
Affected by this negative energy, the eight medical ninjas maintaining the "Healing Rebirth Technique" faltered slightly in their chakra output.
As a result, the sealing array on the ground began to flicker unsteadily.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others exchanged glances before using the "Body Flicker Technique" to position themselves at the four corners of the room.
Together, the four of them formed hand signs and activated a barrier technique.
Four defensive barriers rose, connecting at the top to form a dome, containing the Nine-Tails' influence within.
The eight medical ninjas outside the barrier felt the pressure lift and quickly focused, stabilizing the sealing array on the ground.
Inside the barrier, Minato didn't give the Nine-Tails much time. The moment it began to take shape, he formed hand signs and used the "Four Symbols Seal" on Kushina.
A circular seal appeared on her abdomen, with the character for "four" at its center, surrounded by spiraling runes radiating outward.
Its appearance was like a black hole, frantically absorbing the surrounding Nine-Tails chakra.
"Roar!"
Sensing danger, the Nine-Tails let out another roar and began struggling fiercely.
But with Minato controlling the seal, this half of the Nine-Tails had no chance to break free. It could only watch as it was gradually drawn into Kushina's body.
However, this didn't mean Minato had succeeded.
When the Nine-Tails was outside, its influence on Kushina was limited. But once it entered her body, the real challenge began.
"Ah!"
A cry of pain escaped Kushina's lips.
A flood of dark red chakra spilled from her body, eroding her flesh while assaulting her consciousness.
Her eyes visibly turned reddish-black, filled with madness and bloodlust.
Seeing this, Minato's expression changed drastically.
When he had examined the Nine-Tails earlier, he had noticed something off. This wasn't the full Nine-Tails but only half of it—and the half filled with most of its malice and negative emotions.
He also knew that sealing it into Kushina would affect her mind.
But he hadn't expected the impact to be this severe.
While maintaining the seal to contain the Nine-Tails' chakra, he shouted to Kushina, "Hold on, Kushina! Don't forget, Naruto needs his mom. He's waiting for you!"
Minato's words had some effect.
At the mention of "Naruto," Kushina's consciousness cleared slightly.
"Naruto…" she murmured, before crying out in pain again. "Ahh!"
Minato's heart ached watching her, but all he could do was keep calling out to her, trying to awaken her will.
However, sealing the Nine-Tails' chakra took time, and it seemed they were running out.
Just then, Uchiha Shisui, who had been maintaining the barrier with Sarutobi and the others, suddenly stopped his technique.
In a flash, he appeared at Kushina's side.
The next moment, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Staring into her nearly black eyes, it was as if he could see the Nine-Tails' eyes through them.
In that instant of eye contact, he unleashed his "Genjutsu: Sharingan."
In a split second, the Nine-Tails' consciousness was trapped in an illusion.
As a result, Kushina's consciousness regained control, and her eyes returned to normal.
Seeing this, Minato was overjoyed.
But then, as if realizing something, he quickly turned to Shisui.
Blood tears streamed from Shisui's eyes, running down half his face, looking eerie.
"Shisui, are you okay?" Minato asked with concern.
Shisui waved a hand, indicating he was fine, then deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan. His voice weak, he said, "Fourth Hokage, hurry."
"Alright!"
Seeing Shisui was okay, Minato nodded and turned back to Kushina. Once the seal on her body stabilized, he formed hand signs again and used another "Four Symbols Seal."
This time, unlike the previous one, the "Four Symbols Seal" was reversed.
The first sealed the Nine-Tails' chakra.
The second guided it.
Together, they formed the true "Eight Trigrams Seal."
Kushina's abdominal seal transformed from a single-layered spiral rune to a double-layered spiral, with the central rune changing from "four" to "seal."
Eight radiating runes extended outward from the seal.
Seeing the "Eight Trigrams Seal" take shape, Minato finally relaxed.
Looking at Kushina again, he could clearly sense that while her aura was much weaker than before, it was no longer deteriorating.
This meant she was out of danger.
"Phew…"
Minato let out a long breath and sat down on the ground.
No one knew the immense pressure he had been under.
But the outcome was good.
Even Sarutobi and the two elder advisors, who had been skeptical of the plan, now smiled.
After all, the Nine-Tails hadn't entered its revival process.
Seimei, who had watched the entire process, also smiled. He had brought back this half of the Nine-Tails to save Kushina's life.
Now that her life was saved, no matter how things unfolded—whether his identity was exposed or not—Minato likely wouldn't be too hard on him.
After all, he wasn't the one who released the Nine-Tails.
With that thought, Seimei quietly left the underground space.