The eight Chakra tails behind Minato Namikaze had dwindled to just four, a testament to how much Chakra he had consumed using Shadow Clones and the Flying Thunder God Technique to rush to this battle.
Unlike a true Jinchūriki, Minato didn't have the Nine-Tails sealed within him. The Chakra he was using had been deliberately leaked from Kushina Uzumaki into his body through the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style.
This borrowed Nine-Tails Chakra was fleeting, like rootless duckweed. Once depleted, it was gone. To use it again, Minato would need to carefully and painstakingly extract more from Kushina over an extended period.
After all, Kushina, like Mito Uzumaki before her, had always maintained a suppressive and sealing stance toward the Nine-Tails. As someone who was not a Perfect Jinchūriki, she couldn't freely share Chakra with Minato like Naruto would later be able to with Kurama.
Back when Kushina was nearing childbirth, the Great Toad Sage had proposed a plan to Minato: split the Nine-Tails into Yin and Yang halves and seal them. The sage had claimed it was the only path to peace.
At first, Minato had been deeply shocked by this proposal. Under normal circumstances, neither he nor Kushina would have agreed to seal the Nine-Tails inside their own child.
Moreover, with his conventional sealing techniques, Minato couldn't have split the Nine-Tails into Yin and Yang halves on his own.
It wasn't until Jiraiya and Fukasaku Sage persuaded him, and the Great Toad Sage revealed some hidden methods, that Minato and Kushina reluctantly agreed to the plan.
As it turned out, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy was entirely accurate.
There was indeed a hidden force in the ninja world coveting the Tailed Beasts, and the enemies of Konohagakure had grown increasingly formidable.
Among these threats, the most troublesome was the man standing before him now—Sōmi of Sunagakure.
At this moment, Minato had employed every method he could think of to enhance his strength.
Yet even with the borrowed Nine-Tails Chakra, Minato still wasn't confident he could defeat Sōmi.
"Where is Fugaku Uchiha?"
"Trade him for these two bodies. One for two."
Sōmi's eyes narrowed as he spoke. He couldn't sense Fugaku's presence, which meant Minato had teleported him far away.
"Impossible!"
Minato's rejection was cold and resolute. As Hokage, he would never sacrifice a comrade.
"Then... what if I trade for the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques?"
Sōmi had anticipated Minato's refusal. After a brief pause, he proposed a new condition.
"Sealing techniques?"
"With your level of expertise in sealing, why would you need the Uzumaki Clan's techniques?"
A flash of surprise crossed Minato's cross-shaped pupils. This demand was not something he had expected.
"I have a lifelong passion for archaeology and study. I'm deeply interested in the ancient techniques and knowledge passed down by the Uzumaki Clan."
"But they must be high-level, secret techniques. Don't try to fool me with common scraps!"
Sōmi's voice rang out boldly, carrying a tone of academic obsession.
The purple patterns spreading through the void swayed without wind, resembling the branches of a willow tree rippling in the air.
The flickering purple glow was a clear warning to Minato not to entertain any thoughts of trickery.
"Well?"
Sōmi's expression turned cold, his tone laced with impatience.
Minato's mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts.
The Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques were indeed precious, but the information hidden within Jiraiya and Fukasaku Sage's corpses could potentially hold even greater value for Konohagakure.
What Minato didn't realize was that, to Sōmi, such village secrets were utterly meaningless.
Furthermore, the Uzumaki sealing techniques were primarily used for controlling Tailed Beasts. However, as a Perfect Jinchūriki, Sōmi had no need for such techniques, significantly diminishing their strategic importance.
Jiraiya and Fukasaku Sage had both been mentors who had guided Minato with great care...
The thought of them brought a surge of emotion that gradually overwhelmed Minato's rationality. He clenched his fists tightly, frustrated by his own lack of power.
After a few moments of silence, Minato finally forced out a single word through gritted teeth:
"Fine!"
Thus, the exchange proceeded with utmost caution, as both Sōmi and Minato were in Sage Mode and wary of each other.
Neither side was willing to act recklessly or engage in futile actions.
Since it was raining, Minato couldn't write the scrolls in the open. He also didn't trust Sōmi to conjure a shelter of golden sand for him.
They ultimately decided that Minato would retreat to a safe location, write down the secret techniques, and return to complete the transaction.
Much time passed.
After the exchange was completed, Minato vanished in a flash of light, leaving the area.
Sōmi, satisfied with the sealing scroll he had obtained, also departed on his golden cloud.
With Shukaku's power nearly depleted, Sōmi had no confidence in forcing Minato to stay.
Moreover, if he took Jiraiya's body back to Sunagakure for study, Minato would likely pursue him relentlessly, and he wouldn't gain access to the high-level sealing techniques he desired.
In Sōmi's recollection, Jiraiya had never demonstrated mastery of advanced sealing techniques.
Within Konohagakure, the only person who could rival Sōmi in sealing techniques was Minato Namikaze.
However, their areas of expertise differed. Sōmi focused on spatial restrictions and Tailed Beast sealing, while Minato excelled in spatial traversal and teleportation, thanks to the Flying Thunder God Technique.
For now, Sōmi's gains were already substantial. He planned to return and digest his newfound knowledge before plotting his next move.
As for Minato, with only four Chakra tails remaining, he lacked the confidence to defeat Sōmi, whose Senjutsu Chakra was still abundant.
If Minato were to fall here, Konohagakure would become utterly defenseless, a lamb awaiting slaughter.
The Great Toad Sage had once said that everyone's existence had its own purpose. Jiraiya's mission was to guide, while Minato's mission was to protect.
And the future... that belonged to the Child of the Prophecy.
Minato forced himself to suppress the anger and sorrow in his heart. His wife, his son, and his entire village still needed his strength.
He had to stay by Naruto's side until the boy grew into the leader prophesied by the Great Toad Sage—someone who would lead the ninja world into an unprecedented era of peace.
A flash of light.
Minato reappeared inside a spacious stone cave, large enough to shelter dozens of people from the rain.
But at the moment, only one man lay on the ground, clad in a Konohagakure flak jacket. The ground beneath him was soaked red, the damp soil saturated with blood.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the pale-faced man was already a corpse.
The cause of death was evident. If one flipped him over, they would find his spine and internal organs exposed to the air, as though someone had carved away the flesh with a blade.
"Fugaku-sama, rest assured!"
"I will carry out your final wishes!"
"The Uchiha Clan will forever be heroes of our village!"
Minato's eyes brimmed with sorrow as he stood respectfully beside Fugaku's corpse, bowing deeply.
After a long pause, Minato retrieved a sealing scroll and carefully stored Fugaku's body.
This war, with Sōmi's intervention, could only be described as a pyrrhic victory.
Though Kumogakure's main forces had been largely annihilated by Minato, Konohagakure's top-tier combatants had been wiped out by Sōmi.
Jiraiya, Fukasaku Sage, Fugaku, Shisui...
These renowned warriors of Konohagakure would never be seen again.
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