(A/N: If any of you are interested in a Naruto fanfic with a Zoro template, check out Naruto: King of Hell. I had dropped it before, but now I'm rewriting it.)
After Shanks had removed the seal from Naruto's body with Raphael's help, he looked toward Minato and said, "Get ready."
Minato nodded immediately. There was no reason to delay any longer; every minute mattered.
A few minutes later, they moved to an open area within one of Konoha's forest training grounds. The clearing was wide enough for a large-scale sealing ritual and safely isolated from the rest of the village. Kushina stood near the edge of the trees, her hands clasped tightly as she watched with an anxious, heavy heart.
Minato sat cross-legged in the center of the clearing. Directly behind him sat Erza, whom Guy had brought over earlier after Shanks had explained the procedure. A short distance away, Naruto's unconscious body lay carefully on a prepared blanket. Shanks stood in front of Minato while Guy stood watch beside Erza.
The atmosphere was heavy. No one spoke. Extracting even half of the Tailed Beast that too Nine-tails was never something to be taken lightly, but they had a flawless plan.
Shanks glanced toward Erza, who gave a firm nod. Guy followed suit. Minato took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Seeing that everyone was positioned, Shanks nodded. Instantly, the three began weaving hand seals, their fingers moving in a blur. The chakra in the surrounding area began to violently fluctuate.
Simultaneously, Shanks and Guy slammed their palms onto the ground.
The instant they did, black markings erupted beneath them. Like living ink, the formulas rapidly expanded across the earth, forming a massive, intricate circular sealing formation around Minato. The entire clearing began to glow faintly.
At the same time, Erza placed her palm directly against Minato's back. The extraction process began.
Inside Minato's sealing space, his consciousness materialized before the massive Nine-Tails. The gigantic fox sat behind its cage-like bars, its enormous crimson eyes staring down at him.
For a moment, neither spoke. Minato looked at Nine-tails quietly before letting out a soft sigh and offering a genuine bow.
"I apologize for what is happening right now," Minato said, his voice sincere. "Using you merely as a sealing tool was never something I wanted to do. But my son's future will be in jeopardy if I don't. So, I deeply apologize."
The Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes and let out a loud huff, its massive tails swaying behind it, but it did not respond.
Seeing that reaction, Minato smiled helplessly. "I suppose you have every right to be angry. We have lived together for more than a decade, and yet, I never even learned your name. Before leaving... tell me, what is your name?"
The Nine-Tails simply stared at him in silence.
Outside, the extraction process continued seamlessly. The cooperation between Shanks, Erza, and Guy was flawless as massive amounts of chakra flowed through the sealing formation. The Nine-Tails' chakra was slowly and steadily being pulled from Minato's body.
Minato felt an acute, strange emptiness gradually spreading through him. However, he did not resist. Instead, as one of the greatest sealing masters in the world, he actively assisted, adjusting the internal seal to ease the extraction.
Sweat poured down Minato's forehead. Outside, even Guy and Erza looked strained under the sheer volume of chakra they were handling.
Gradually, the extraction neared its final stage. The core of the physical chakra had already been removed, leaving only the final remnants of consciousness—the last connection between host and Tailed Beast.
As the final bond approached its breaking point, the Nine-Tails suddenly opened its mouth. Its deep voice echoed throughout the fading sealing space.
"Kurama."
Minato blinked, a warm smile spreading across his face. "So your name is Kurama. Thank you."
The giant fox merely snorted, but Minato's smile widened. Those were the last words he spoke before the connection severed completely. Minato's vision blurred, the sealing space went dark, and his consciousness faded into blackness.
Outside, the extraction finally reached completion.
BOOOOM!
An overwhelming wave of crimson chakra erupted throughout the clearing. The chakra condensed into a fully formed, massive manifestation of the Nine-Tails, its enormous body towering over everyone present. Nine massive tails lashed through the air, causing the surrounding trees to shake violently from the sheer pressure.
The giant fox threw its head back and let out a deafening roar, scattering birds into the sky as the ground trembled. Then, its massive eyes locked onto Shanks, twisting with absolute fury.
"DAMN YOU, UZUKAGE!" Kurama pointed a massive claw directly at him. "It was you who split me into two halves! And now it's you again who is extracting me from Minato's body!"
The giant fox was clearly furious. This was the second time Shanks had interfered with it in such a manner.
Meanwhile, Shanks remained completely calm, crossing his arms as he looked up at the raging Tailed Beast. "Well, I have no choice anyway. To save Naruto and secure a better future for him, you'll have to suffer a little."
Kurama let out an annoyed growl and prepared to thrash against the perimeter, but the moment the words left Shanks' mouth, brilliant golden adamantine chains erupted directly from Shanks' body. Like striking serpents, the massive chains coiled tightly around the beast's limbs, torso, and tails, instantly suppressing its chakra and pinning it to the earth.
The giant fox struggled violently for a moment, making the golden links rattle, but as the chains tightened further, it ultimately stopped resisting, letting out a frustrated snort.
Shanks, Erza, and Guy exchanged rapid glances before beginning another sequence of hand seals. The sealing formation beneath them lit up once more.
Erza walked over to where Naruto lay, kneeling beside him and placing her palm gently on his stomach. The moment she did, the entire sealing formation activated, vibrating the very air around them.
Kurama felt an irresistible pulling force. Its eyes widened as its chakra began flowing out of its body like a massive river of crimson energy, dragged directly toward Naruto.
The transfer was exceptionally smooth, micro-adjusted by the combined efforts of the three powerful fighters. More and more of Kurama's chakra poured into Naruto's body. Gradually, the enormous form of the Nine-Tails began shrinking, drawn in at an astonishing speed.
Within minutes, the last remnants of the Nine-Tails were dragged into Naruto, and the giant fox completely disappeared. The sealing process was complete.
The moment Kurama was fully sealed inside Naruto, a remarkable change occurred. The regenerative power of a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki took effect immediately. Tiny streams of chakra flowed through pathways that had previously been shattered, reconnecting cracked channels and repairing destroyed networks.
The healing was visible to everyone capable of sensing chakra; Naruto's crashing life signs steadily stabilized.
Seeing this, Shanks formed a single hand seal and removed the Vitality Sealing Technique from Naruto's body. The seal faded away completely.
Naruto's breathing became steadier, his heartbeat regular, and the dangerous paleness on his face began to recede.
"Naruto should be fine," Shanks finally spoke, breaking the heavy tension.
Kushina rushed forward from the sidelines, looking between Naruto and Minato, both of whom were currently unconscious. Minato had slumped over right after the extraction. Even though Shanks had declared Naruto safe, a mother's worry didn't fade so easily.
Erza stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Kushina's shoulder. "Do not worry, Kushina. Everything is fine. We performed the extraction gently and properly; there was no reckless force involved. Minato has not suffered any major permanent damage."
Kushina visibly relaxed, wiping a tear away.
"The damage to his chakra pathways is completely repairable," Erza continued, folding her arms. "After a few days of treatment and rest, Minato will be able to fight as the powerful shinobi he always was. Of course, there is one exception—the enormous chakra reserves of the Nine-Tails are gone. He will no longer be able to use Kurama's power."
The relief on Kushina's face became absolute. Naruto was alive. Minato would recover. For the first time since the crisis had begun, tears of pure happiness formed in her eyes.
Everything had worked out. Or so they thought.
Suddenly—the expressions of every ninja in the world changed.
A monstrous chakra pressure erupted somewhere far away. The sheer magnitude of it made the surrounding air feel thick and heavy. Everyone instinctively whipped their heads toward the horizon.
The chakra was violent, and overwhelming.
Shanks' eyes narrowed immediately. "Ten-Tails," he murmured. "The Ten-Tails has been revived."
For a few moments, the terrifying pressure expanded across the world. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it began to violently condense and fade.
But before anyone could relax, another chakra signature emerged from that same spot. It was smaller than the Ten-Tails itself, yet vastly more concentrated. More lethal.
Shanks immediately understood what had happened, and a faint, dangerous smile appeared on his face. "It seems Madara has succeeded in becoming the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails."
"It seems he is quite impatient," Shanks added, crossing his arms. "And also fearful that I might interfere."
No one doubted that statement. Madara had rushed the process rather than ensuring everything was perfect because he feared Shanks' return. He knew that if Shanks appeared before the ritual was complete, his entire plan would fall apart.
Shanks chuckled softly. "Well, that fear... I like it."
Meanwhile, far away on the battlefield, Madara stood silently.
The transformation was complete. The moment he became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, an unimaginable surge of power flooded through his being. His hair had turned completely white, and a robe resembling that of the Sage of Six Paths covered his body, decorated with black tomoe patterns. A black staff rested in his hand, and several Truth-Seeking Orbs floated silently behind him.
The surrounding space itself seemed to distort under his sheer presence.
Madara slowly looked down, clenching his fist. An overwhelming, limitless amount of chakra surged through his pathways. The sensation was intoxicating.
A wide smile spread across his face, his Rinnegan gleaming with absolute power. "So this... this is the power of the Sage of Six Paths."