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To prevent Naruto from becoming the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Miyuki Uzumaki made her decision. She would use the Reaper Death Seal. She would seal the beast into herself.
Hearing that she couldn't do it from Minato, her eyes blazed with resolve. "It has to be possible. I will seal all of the Nine-Tails into me before I die. And I will leave you time. Time to find the next jinchūriki. But I'm begging you, Minato… please. Not Naruto."
She took a shuddering breath. "You have your ninja way. I never had one. Not until Naruto was born. He is my ninja way. I am his mother. My way is to protect him. I won't let him carry this burden. All I want… is for him to grow up happy."
Minato Namikaze's heart twisted. He could face the village with a clear conscience. But not his wife. Not his son.
Qianyu, watching from the shadows, pinched the bridge of his nose. A massive headache was brewing.
He hadn't predicted this. Not even close.
In the original script, Minato was the one to wield the Reaper Death Seal. Now? It was Miyuki Uzumaki stepping up.
And damn it, he understood. He got it completely.
Miyuki wasn't raised in Konoha. She didn't love it. She might even hate it. The idea that Minato would sacrifice their child for the village's sake? She couldn't comprehend it. She would never accept it.
Qianyu sighed, long and heavy. "Tch. Annoying. Well, a promise is a promise. Breaking it would leave a bad taste."
He vanished. A flicker of movement.
He reappeared outside the barrier. His left eye blazed with crimson and black.
"Dōjutsu: Ten Thousand Rejections."
The barrier shimmered. Then it dissolved into nothing. Rejected from existence entirely.
Miyuki began the hand seals for the Reaper Death Seal. The spectral form of the Shinigami began to manifest behind her.
Qianyu's hand shot out. He grabbed her wrist. His chakra flooded into her system—a violent, disruptive surge.
The ritual shattered. The Shinigami's presence faded.
Miyuki collapsed, her chakra pathways in chaos. The golden chains of the Adamantine Sealing Chains that bound the Nine-Tails vanished. The seal holding Minato in place also broke.
Outside, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others saw Qianyu. A wave of relief washed over them. If Qianyu was here, there was hope.
Hiruzen moved to approach.
Qianyu didn't even look at him. Four shadow clones appeared around the area in a square. Their hands flew through seals in perfect unison.
"Four Purple Flames Barrier!"
Four walls of purple, translucent flame erupted, forming a rectangular prison. The flames licked hungrily at the air.
Then, Qianyu made a subtle gesture. The purple walls turned opaque, solid, blocking all sight and sound from the outside.
Hiruzen and his men were locked out. One shinobi, acting on instinct, reached out to touch it.
"ARGH!"
Purple fire raced up his arm. Another ninja blasted it with a Water Style jutsu just in time, putting the flames out.
Hiruzen's brow furrowed deeply. "Is Qianyu planning to deal with the Nine-Tails alone with Minato and Miyuki?"
Inside the barrier, Minato saw Qianyu. Hope flared in his eyes. "Qianyu! You're here! Hurry, suppress the Nine-Tails! Don't let it break out and harm the village!"
Qianyu turned. The look he gave Minato was pure disgust. "Your wife is ready to die for your son. To seal the beast with her own life. And all you care about is the village? You haven't even asked if she's okay. Minato Namikaze… you really are a piece of work."
Minato froze. He looked at Miyuki, slumped on the ground. Guilt and shame flooded his gaze.
Miyuki held Naruto close, gently stroking his cheek. Tears fell freely, dripping onto the baby's blanket.
The Nine-Tails, a whirlwind of pure rage, didn't recognize Qianyu. It roared, a massive claw swiping down to crush him.
Qianyu turned his head. Calm. Unimpressed.
"Sage Mode."
Power erupted. Horn-like protrusions formed on his forehead. Scales rippled across his skin. A cloak of vibrant, blue-green senjutsu chakra enveloped him.
His hands formed a single seal.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation."
The ground itself awakened. Stone and rock, lifeless moments before, surged with a terrible will. They shot upward, wrapping around the Nine-Tails' limbs, its torso, its very neck. In seconds, the colossal beast was swallowed by living stone, completely immobilized.
"Beasts will be beasts. So easily blinded by anger."
A flicker. Qianyu stood atop the Nine-Tails' trapped head.
His fist descended.
BOOM!
The force, amplified by senjutsu chakra to rival Tsunade's monstrous strength, cratered the ground. The Nine-Tails' head was driven into the earth.
Minato stared, shocked. Sage Mode? Qianyu had mastered Sage Mode?
He knew it himself, the Toad Sage's version. But gathering natural energy took time. Maintaining it was a strain. For a shinobi who relied on speed, it was rarely practical.
The Nine-Tails struggled, a dark orb of chakra beginning to form in its maw—a Tailed Beast Ball.
"Still not clear-headed?" Qianyu's voice was cold.
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun.
A genjutsu, vast and overwhelming, crashed into the beast's mind. The Tailed Beast Ball fizzled out. The Nine-Tails' furious roars died to a low, confused growl. Controlled.
Qianyu landed softly back in front of Minato and Miyuki. His eyes flicked to the baby in Miyuki's arms.
This was a major event. Only a few people were here. The outcome was inevitable. Naruto would become a jinchūriki.
He looked at Minato. "Alright. Speak. Fourth Hokage of Konoha. Who gets the Nine-Tails? Miyuki? You? Or the baby in her arms?"
He held up a finger. "Let me be clear. Miyuki had the beast extracted. Her life force is critically low. She forced herself to use the Adamantine Sealing Chains, the seal on you, and almost pulled off the Reaper Death Seal. Her chakra reserves are nearly gone."
He pointed at her. "In her current state, she can only handle half of the Nine-Tails. The full beast would kill her outright."
His finger moved to Naruto. "Same for the newborn. A baby's body is too fragile. Half is the absolute maximum."
His gaze settled on Minato, a mocking glint in his eye. "And you… you look like you can't handle the full thing either. So. Choose. How do you want to split the fox?"
Minato Namikaze stood paralyzed. The weight of the decision crushed him.
Qianyu watched, the mockery in his eyes deepening.
If it were him and Kushina? He'd choose himself and Kushina. No question.
But if Minato could do that… he wouldn't be Minato Namikaze.
Between Miyuki, Naruto, and Konoha… Minato loved the village more.
Minato's voice was hollow, the words tearing out of him. "I choose… Miyuki. And… Naruto." He couldn't look at his wife. "Miyuki, I… I believe in Jiraiya-sensei's prophecy. Naruto is the Child of Prophecy. The savior of the future shinobi world."
Miyuki looked at him. Her face was a blank mask. Her eyes were dead. Empty. Devoid of any light.
Minato's guilt was a physical pain. He couldn't meet that hollow gaze.
He took a shaky step toward her. He reached for Naruto.
Miyuki's arms tightened. A silent, desperate refusal.
Minato's jaw clenched. His hand formed a seal. "Paralysis Jutsu."
Miyuki's body locked. Her arms went stiff. Helplessly, she watched as Minato pried her fingers loose and lifted Naruto from her embrace.
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