c104: Destiny
That's all, that's all, whatever you do now is Minato's decision and once the Four Red Yang Formation is in place, nothing can be changed from the outside.
I might as well seize the opportunity to observe this so-called Shinigami.
Can I perceive it through the barrier...?
Sensory Perception: Soul Mode!
Uchiha Gen activated a refined version of the Uchiha clan's spiritual perception technique, attempting to study the so-called Shinigami through the Adamantine Sealing Chains barrier, conjured by Kushina Uzumaki.
…As expected, it failed. The Uzumaki clan's sealing arts were renowned, and this technique related to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal (Shiki Fūjin) was one of the pinnacle sealing barriers in existence, impervious even to soul perception.
Still, my instincts tell me this "Shinigami" isn't a true deity. If it were, Orochimaru wouldn't have found a loophole using the Reaper Death Seal: Release. If it was truly divine a being on par with the Sage of Six Paths how could it be manipulated by a mortal?
This suggests that the entity is more akin to a chakra construct or sealing mechanism, bound to respond like a pre-programmed curse technique more mechanical than sentient.
If it lacks sentience, its power is immense, but not limitless. That makes it flawed. And flaws can be exploited.
Inside the barrier, Namikaze Minato spoke to Kushina in a low, sorrowful tone. When she began sobbing, overwhelmed by emotion, Minato began to act.
The spectral arm of the Shinigami pierced through Minato's spectral form, then extended from his stomach as a runed, lavender chakra tentacle.
It writhed through the air and pierced the Nine-Tails' colossal frame, forcibly extracting half of its soul and chakra a cleaner, more efficient operation than when Sarutobi Hiruzen used the same jutsu years later on Orochimaru.
Part of the difference lay in age but Minato, like all Hokage, had studied Uzumaki sealing arts extensively through Kushina. His control was simply more refined.
The spectral tentacle swirled mid-air, then funneled the extracted half into Kushina's abdomen, reforming her jinchūriki bond.
Gen Uchiha's lips curled faintly. He had expected this. Minato would never let Kushina die if a sliver of hope remained. Even if Minato himself was doomed, he would give his wife a second chance. Something had changed. Perhaps his efforts weren't futile after all.
With half its soul and chakra removed, the Nine-Tails' form shrunk drastically, becoming barely a quarter its original mass. For the first time since its rampage, the beast felt truly weakened.
Sensing its impending defeat, the Nine-Tails made one final gamble.
Using the brief slack in Kushina's Adamantine Chains, it raised its now-slightly-limber right claw and struck toward the Minato family aiming to destroy the parents and Naruto in a single swipe.
If he succeeded, the seal would be incomplete, and the Nine-Tails could escape later reuniting with its severed half and returning to full power.
The plan would've worked. Minato could no longer shield his family, and no one outside the barrier could interfere. But Kushina having reclaimed part of the Nine-Tails within her had regained considerable chakra reserves.
At the very moment the claw was about to strike, the Adamantine Chains snapped taut with crushing force. The claw was yanked backward, smashing into the rocky floor instead, sending debris and dust flying into the sealed space.
Next, the chakra chains split and bound the Nine-Tails' right forelimb, immobilizing it.
"Minato... Kushina... curse you both!" the beast roared, eyes seething with ancient fury.
Ignoring the fox's rage, Minato and Kushina worked in sync seamlessly sealing the extracted half of the Nine-Tails into their infant son, Naruto Uzumaki.
This was no whim. Minato had made the decision for two reasons.
First, it was a safeguard against Uchiha Obito the masked man whose identity was still uncertain. By splitting the fox, the visible jinchūriki (Kushina) would draw attention, while Naruto's status remained hidden, a last resort if the village was attacked again.
Second, Minato had faith. With Kushina alive to teach and support him, Naruto would one day tame the Nine-Tails and inherit its power without being consumed by it just as his parents had hoped.
Once the sealing was complete, the Shinigami, whose gaping maw had been waiting, swallowed Minato's soul in full, ending his life in the process. His spirit dissolved into the void.
As his consciousness faded, Minato remembered the scroll he found the night before.
I don't know who you are... but thank you... Thank you for helping me save her... for letting me leave this world without regret.
With that final thought, Namikaze Minato's body collapsed forward. Kushina caught his warm, lifeless form in her arms, sobbing silently as she knelt beside their sleeping son.
Outside, the Four Red Yang Formation finally lifted. The rest of the ninja forces surged forward.
Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived first, cradling the sleeping Naruto. Fugaku and Shisui followed, expressions stricken with grief.
Fugaku wept not only for Minato as Hokage, but for what his death might mean for the Uchiha clan's long-awaited reconciliation with the village.
Shisui wept too, though his sorrow was pure for the loss of the man who had become his teacher.
But shinobi are resilient.
Despite their heavy hearts, they composed themselves quickly. Time was short.
Kushina was gently escorted back to her home under the care of Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Shisui both selected for their trustworthiness and their connection to Minato.
Beyond comforting Kushina, the two were also tasked with handling Minato's remains. A proper burial was needed and tradition demanded it be done promptly.
Meanwhile, the rest of the village worked through the night, tirelessly rebuilding shelter, patching roads, and restoring basic needs.
Both civilian and clan-born shinobi collapsed from exhaustion as dawn broke.
Uchiha Gen felt his own body crying for rest. He half-wished he could fake unconsciousness, but with so many medical-nin around, it was pointless unless he self-inflicted real injury and that was not worth the effort.
So he endured.
By sunrise, those who had labored overnight were given instant noodles and tea. Fresh ninja squads rotated in to carry on the work.
The Uchiha jonin, exhausted to the bone, finally returned to the Uchiha compound. The Kyuubi's rampage had devastated the district nearly 75% of the homes had been obliterated.
Still, none of them complained. They simply lay down in the few remaining rooms, or in clearings among the rubble, and fell into deep sleep.
Gen Uchiha, however, was pleasantly surprised.
His home, far removed from the center, had survived almost untouched. Its isolation once a symbol of his detachment was now a gift.
With weary limbs, he bathed, then collapsed into bed.
No one disturbed him.
His clan, following standing orders, allowed him his rest respecting the silent contribution he had made.
When Uchiha Gen awoke, it was already 8 p.m. Hunger finally drove him to rise.
After washing up, he prepared a hearty meal: four meat dishes, one broth a well-earned reward.
While eating, he pulled out the scroll his shadow clone had retrieved. The clone's memory confirmed it: the scroll had been copied from the Scroll of Seals, hidden in the Hokage residence.
Possibly due to the unique overlap of two Hokage administrations, neither Hiruzen nor Minato had moved it to their homes.
The first technique in the Scroll of Seals was the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. However, the copied scroll began instead with something much more advanced: the Flying Thunder God Technique.
It was densely packed notes, formulae, and sealing symbols filled every inch.
Uchiha Gen's Sharingan spun slowly as he began to decode the brilliance of the Second Hokage's most dangerous space-time jutsu.
Destiny had only just begun to move.
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