Then, Kushina opened up her memory fragments for Morkel to receive.
Morkel shared the memories he had read with Naruto, who was right beside him.
Together, they began to relive Kushina's past from her own perspective...
They saw the moment when Kushina was chosen to be the Second Nine Tails Jinchūriki, how she bid farewell to the Whirlpool Village, and began her journey toward Konoha.
They experienced the difficult days when Kushina was ostracized at the ninja academy, simply for being an outsider…
Until that fateful day when a blond boy named Namikaze Minato appeared in her life.
One night, Kushina was kidnapped by ninja from the Cloud Village, and it was Minato who saved her in a spectacular fashion.
His heroic rescue, complete with a princess carry, completely stole the girl's heart.
Even Naruto, while watching this memory, couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, Dad was so cool back then!"
They then witnessed the wedding of Kushina and Minato.
Just as the two were about to witness the more intimate moment of Naruto's conception from Kushina's point of view, the memory abruptly stopped!
In the golden mental space, Kushina's cheeks turned red. "Let's skip this part! It's not appropriate for children!!"
The memories quickly jumped forward to when Kushina discovered she was pregnant. She and Minato embraced in joy.
Then, the scene shifted again—to October 10th, sixteen years ago, Naruto's birthday.
Because the sealing of a tailed beast weakens during childbirth, Kushina was taken to a secret location outside the village to give birth.
At first, everything seemed normal, and Naruto was born safely.
But just when everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a masked man suddenly appeared and kidnapped newborn Naruto!
He used the baby as a hostage, forcing Minato to hand over Kushina, the Jinchūriki.
He also placed a complex seal on Naruto's blanket, forcing Minato to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport the baby away to safety.
As a result, Kushina fell into the masked man's hands.
Using sinister techniques, the masked man released the weakened seal within Kushina's body, unleashing the Nine Tails.
With his Sharingan, he took control of the rampaging beast, directing it to wreak havoc upon Konoha.
The masked man even attempted to kill Kushina using the Nine Tails, but Minato arrived in time to save her.
Minato then placed Naruto and Kushina in a safe location before donning the Fourth Hokage's cloak to confront the masked man.
Though it's unclear exactly what strategy he used, Minato ultimately broke the masked man's control over the Nine Tails.
However, the beast was still filled with fury. It launched a savage attack and even destroyed the building housing Kushina and her son.
Thanks to Minato's quick thinking, the mother and child were saved and the Nine Tails was relocated.
At the final moment, Kushina, already drained of energy, used her remaining chakra to restrain the Nine Tails long enough for Minato to act.
Minato then performed a sealing technique, splitting the Nine Tails' chakra: half was sealed within Naruto, and the other half within himself using the Reaper Death Seal.
Before dying, he also infused Kushina's remaining chakra into the seal, allowing her to appear and guide Naruto in the future.
After finishing the seal, both Minato and Kushina collapsed.
Minato's memories explained his reasoning: he believed Naruto would grow into a hero—a Jinchūriki who could lead the world into a new era.
Having watched the entire memory sequence, Morkel had only one thought: that masked man was despicable!
Kushina then turned to Naruto and said, "Naru, I didn't understand why your father did all this at the time…"
"But seeing you now, I think I finally do."
"My son has grown up into an excellent ninja."
Kushina continued with a smile: "Now that you've seen my memories, what comes next is up to you."
"I'm just a soul from the past."
"I don't have much time left, so let me give you some final advice."
"Eat well. You're still growing, and I want my son to be tall and handsome..."
"Take a hot bath daily, don't stay up too late, and make sure to get plenty of rest…"
"Make good friends—not many, just trustworthy ones. Morkel is a wonderful friend."
"Work hard to learn ninjutsu. Everyone has strengths. Even if you struggle, take your time."
"Don't give up. Respect your teachers and seniors…"
"Save your earnings. Don't waste money. And no alcohol until you're twenty…"
"Naruto, you're at that age where you'll start noticing girls. Just don't fall for the weird ones."
"Find someone wonderful—like your mom…"
"And... you're still young. Life will bring both joy and sorrow."
"Go at your own pace. Chase your dreams. Believe in yourself. You're truly amazing…"
As she spoke, Kushina's form began to shimmer and fade. Her body dissolved into golden particles of light...
"Naruto, thank you for letting us be your parents."
"I'm sorry we couldn't be there for you as we should have."
"Thank you so much for coming to meet us…"
"There's still so much I want to tell you... I really wish I could've lived with you…"
"Lastly…"
"Mom loves you. I love you very, very much…"
Kushina vanished completely.
Tears streamed down Naruto's face, falling silently into the golden void.
"Mom... don't apologize. I'm not sad that I'm the Nine Tails' Jinchūriki."
"I used to suffer... but now I understand."
"My parents gave their lives for me. I'm proud to be their child."
Usually so cheerful, Naruto broke down crying and clung to Morkel, sobbing uncontrollably.
Morkel didn't say anything. He simply patted Naruto's back gently and promised that he would always be by his side.
Meanwhile, in the sealed space...
Killer Bee paced around nervously. "Didn't Morkel go check on Naruto? Why is he crying like Naruto now?"
Just then, Naruto and Morkel both opened their eyes.
Naruto wiped away his tears and looked at the Nine Tails, still bound by golden chains...
Nine Tails: I've got a bad feeling about this!
Back in the real world, Might Guy noticed that Naruto's blood-red chakra cloak had vanished.
"Awesome! Looks like they did it!"
"But... why haven't they woken up yet?"
As if on cue, Naruto, Morkel, and Killer Bee opened their eyes.
Naruto smiled, "It's done."
Guy excitedly patted the shoulder of the person next to him. "As expected of you! You're Kakashi's student after all—truly impressive!"
---
Elsewhere, in the Fire Country, at the Hokage's Office
Tsunade was reviewing a report when her expression turned grim.
"What? Yamato is missing?!"
"How could a man like him disappear?"
An Anbu member knelt before her. "According to Sai, who is still recovering in the hospital, their team was ambushed by the Akatsuki during a mission to purchase ninja tools."
Tsunade frowned. "So, Yamato is dead?"
"No," the Anbu said. "According to Sai, the enemy specifically targeted Yamato. After capturing him, they didn't pursue or harm the others."
Tsunade's expression darkened. Yamato being captured instead of killed might be even more dangerous.
As the only successful test subject of the Wood Style experiment, Yamato in the wrong hands could lead to disaster...
"Forget it. You're dismissed."
"Do everything you can to find him."
"Oh, and has the sensory team discovered the Akatsuki base yet?"
The Anbu shook his head. "Not yet, but they are still searching actively..."
---
Inside the Hidden Akatsuki Base
The masked man had replaced his yellow mask with a white one. His left eye now contained a Rinnegan.
He looked at the unconscious Yamato, who had just been brought back by Kabuto.
"Isn't he just a test subject with Wood Style? Why bother? You'd be better off figuring out how to deal with Morkel."
Yamato would have rolled his eyes if he were awake. I taught Morkel! How am I not even worth a toe?!
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "He's Orochimaru's only successful Wood Style subject. With him, our combat strength could greatly increase."
"And he may know Konoha's plans for the upcoming war."
Kabuto added, "I've heard the Allied Shinobi Forces have gathered 80,000 ninjas."
"You alone can't fight that."
The masked man smirked. "So you've done your homework."
Kabuto bowed slightly. "A little. Zetsu is fascinating. If you'd let me study one…"
The masked man cut him off. "Catch a tailed beast first. Then we'll talk."
He then led Kabuto into a deep chamber beneath the base.
Kabuto saw a vast, strange statue. Then they descended even deeper, arriving at a bottomless pool of green fluid.
There, he met a strange, plant-like man with no lower body.
"This," the masked man explained proudly, "is Senju Hashirama—well, not the real one. I cultivated him using his active cells."
Kabuto peered into the fluid... and saw thousands of White Zetsu!
"This army cost most of the chakra we took from the captured tailed beasts," the masked man said smugly.
Kabuto asked, "So, will you attack the Allied Forces HQ?"
The masked man shook his head. "No. We need to find Morkel, Naruto, and Killer Bee first."
"And the three tailed beasts inside Morkel... I need your help."
Kabuto nodded. "But nobody knows where they are."
The masked man smiled coldly. "You brought back someone with a tongue, didn't you? Just ask him."
---
Above an Ancient Ruin
Mitarashi Anko led a scouting team.
Suddenly, pain flared in the curse mark on her shoulder.
She gasped, "The seal's reacting. Something linked to Orochimaru must be nearby!"
"Tokuma, use your Byakugan!"
Hyuga Tokuma scanned the area. He looked down—and gasped.
"I see an army… underground!"
Anko's heart sank. "Send word back to the village. Now!"
As the scouts left, Anko stayed behind—only to hear a sinister voice behind her.
"Too bad you found this place. You won't be reporting it."
It was Kabuto.
Anko turned, shocked. "No wonder the seal activated! You were here!"
"You've turned into... some ghostly freak!"
Kabuto smirked. "You were abandoned by Orochimaru. You could never understand me. I am—!"
Before he finished, a snake burst from under his cloak and subdued her instantly.
The masked man arrived shortly after, ready to kill Anko.
But Kabuto stopped him. "She has the Heaven Curse Mark—valuable for research. Also useful for the Impure World Reincarnation."
The masked man withdrew his hand. "Fine. But send your undead army. We can't let this base be exposed."
Kabuto smiled. "Of course."
As he walked away, the masked man watched him thoughtfully.
White Zetsu emerged. "This is all his fault…"
The masked man nodded. "He's using us. But we'll use him, too. For now."
---
In Konoha
With the war approaching, Tsunade led the Shinobi Alliance toward Cloud Village.
In the Konoha ranks, some were anxious, some excited.
Inuzuka Kiba patted Akamaru. "If I perform well, I might be the next Hokage!"
Shikamaru scoffed. "We haven't even arrived yet. Stop dreaming."
Neji added calmly, "The five great villages have gathered 80,000 elite ninja. Standing out won't be easy."
---