For a moment, the atmosphere grew awkward.
Minato, Hoshiyomi, and the Nine-Tails stood in a tense triangle.
Hoshiyomi stared directly at the Nine-Tails, while the beast glared back, trying to read something—anything—from his expression.
Minato, on the other hand, looked between them nervously—afraid both that the Nine-Tails would agree, and that it wouldn't.
After a long silence, Hoshiyomi finally spoke:
"So... it's just as I thought—you really are the tsundere type."
Both the Nine-Tails and Minato almost fell over.
The Nine-Tails glared furiously at the human before him, but there was also a trace of flustered embarrassment behind that rage.
Minato, meanwhile, could hardly believe his eyes—his wise, composed, brilliant teacher Hoshiyomi... what in the world had gotten into him today?
Sensei, please, get a grip! This isn't your usual character!
Just as the situation grew even stranger, the Nine-Tails' expression suddenly changed. It had sensed it—large numbers of humans were rapidly approaching. Clearly, they were coming to seal him.
Could this all have been a trick? Had this human been stalling for time?
The Nine-Tails glared suspiciously at Hoshiyomi. Hoshiyomi, , who had also sensed the sealing team approaching from behind, spoke quickly:
"Hey, how about you don't struggle and just go back quietly for now?
We can continue our negotiation later... inside Kushina's mindscape?"
The Nine-Tails stared at Hoshiyomi's perfectly serious face—and snapped. It swung its massive claw down as it roared:
"Human, don't try to deceive me! Once you seal me, your goal will be achieved! You'll never come to talk again!"
"Sensei, look out!"
Minato shouted in alarm—but to his shock, Hoshiyomi didn't move. He didn't dodge or defend himself. Instead, he spread his arms wide and closed his eyes, completely calm, as if accepting death.
Damn it! At this distance, I can't even use Flying Thunder God in time!
Minato's heart leapt into his throat. All he could do was watch helplessly as the Nine-Tails' claw came crashing down.
Whoosh!
The wind from the beast's strike whipped Hoshiyomi's face painfully. For a split second, Hoshiyomi almost used his Dance of the Startled Swan to escape.
But he'd bet correctly—the Nine-Tails' claw stopped just three inches from his face.
Breathing heavily, the Nine-Tails glared at him. "Damn you… why didn't you dodge?"
Hoshiyomi exhaled slowly, relief flooding his chest, though his face remained calm and faintly smiling.
"Because I believed you were truly considering my words," he said gently. "So I showed my sincerity. Looks like my gamble paid off."
The Nine-Tails stared at him in shock. Instinctively, it used its ability to sense good and evil—to probe Hoshiyomi's heart for deceit.
But there was none. Hoshiyomi truly held no ill will toward him. He was genuinely thinking about the Nine-Tails' feelings.
If Hoshiyomi had known what the beast was thinking, he'd probably be laughing inside. After all, as someone who had read the manga, he knew the truth of the Nine-Tails' nature.
Why would he ever wish harm on this proud, tsundere fox—one who would become such an important ally in the future?
The Nine-Tails was stunned, while Minato was completely awestruck—filled with reverence for his teacher.
Sensei is truly thinking about the relationship between Konoha and the Tailed Beasts, he thought. He's using the purity of his own heart to move the Nine-Tails—to help it let go of hatred and resentment, to realize the noble dream of peaceful coexistence between humans and Tailed Beasts.
And to think I doubted him before… How shallow I was!
I thought Sensei was on the first level—but he's actually five levels ahead!
Minato's thoughts were gradually becoming more and more "indoctrinated"…
After staring silently at the smiling Hoshiyomi for a long moment, the Nine-Tails finally growled viciously:
"Fine, I'll reluctantly believe you this one time. But if you dare to deceive me—if I ever get the chance to break free again—I swear, even if it means dying with you, I'll destroy Konoha!"
Seeing the ferocity in the fox's eyes, Hoshiyomi just smiled and replied calmly:
"Don't worry. That's not going to happen. In just a few days, you'll have your freedom again! I just need to take care of some Uchiha business first. Once that's settled, I'll come back and finish our negotiation."
Feeling the sealing team approaching rapidly, the Nine-Tails gave Hoshiyomi one last long look, then slowly lowered itself to the ground.
When the sealing team finally arrived, they saw Hoshiyomi and Minato standing before the massive fox—who now lay weakly on the ground, glaring resentfully at Hoshiyomi with an expression that practically screamed, 'You're lucky I don't have the chance, or I'd bite your head off right now!'
Seeing this, the sealing team erupted into cheers.
"Lord Hoshiyomi really is a god among men! He actually defeated the Nine-Tails!"
Minato, on the other hand, could only stare blankly at the fox's exaggerated performance.
Seriously? With acting like that, you're still claiming you're not tsundere? Who reacts like this if they're not?
Trying hard not to laugh, Hoshiyomi turned to the others and said:
"Well, since everyone's here, let's begin the sealing preparations."
"Yes, sir!"
At Hoshiyomi's command, the sealing team shouted in unison.
The group—made up mostly of members of the Uzumaki Clan—quickly spread out and formed a circle around the Nine-Tails.
Following their captain's lead, half of the team began forming hand seals, while the other half threw out long, glowing chains they had prepared in advance.
The golden chains shot through the air and wrapped tightly around the Nine-Tails' limbs and neck, glowing with sealing energy.
This was clearly a simplified version of the Adamantine Sealing Chains—used in combination with the Eight Trigrams Seal, it formed the core of the technique to seal the Nine-Tails.
Feeling the chains tighten, the Nine-Tails let out a furious roar, its enormous body thrashing violently. But strangely, its struggles looked weaker than before—almost… restrained.
The sealing team members exchanged excited looks. Not long ago, it had been nearly impossible even to approach within a hundred meters of the beast. Now, the sealing was proceeding shockingly smoothly.
"Lord Hoshiyomi is terrifyingly powerful…"
Finally, under everyone's coordinated effort, the Adamantine Chains fully wrapped around the Nine-Tails' body. Once the lock was secured, every member of the sealing team began forming the hand signs for the Eight Trigrams Seal.
With each seal they formed, the chains tightened further and further. The Nine-Tails' massive form began to shrink—smaller and smaller—until it finally condensed into a bright orange-red cloud that flowed into Kushina's abdomen, glowing faintly red.
Seeing this, Minato's heart twisted in pain. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, caught Kushina in his arms, and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, vanishing toward Konoha's hospital in an instant.
And with that—
the Eight Trigrams Seal was finally complete.