After using the Body Replacement through the Wave Vortex Gate to assume Ash's appearance, Ash immediately scooped up Kushina from the ground. Sliding backward, he dragged the heel of his shoe across the dirt, wiping away the message she had hurriedly written.
"Where do you think you're escaping to?"
Realizing that Minato had suddenly turned into Ash and taken Kushina, the Third Hokage barked sharply. His Adamantine Staff swung down in a vicious arc toward Ash's head.
But even with only thirty percent of his full strength, Ash's speed was no joke. Using Soru-like bursts, he easily slipped past Hiruzen's strike.
"Kushina's body… I'm taking it with me."
With that, a spiraling space–time vortex opened behind him, drawing Kushina's body into a sealed pocket dimension.
"You're Ash Ketchum? Where did you get Minato's body technique?"
Seeing Kushina vanish into the vortex, the Third Hokage's expression hardened. The spatial ninjutsu Ash had just used had clearly shaken him.
"The Yin half of the Nine-Tails' chakra belongs to me now. As for Kushina's child—leave him in Konoha. Make sure he survives. If he dies… I won't hesitate to let Konoha repeat tonight's disaster."
Leaving that chilling warning behind, Ash disappeared before Hiruzen and Danzō could react.
At the Home of the Fourth Hokage
"So this is the sealing technique of the Uzumaki Clan… Even these few remaining scrolls contain immense power."
Ash stood in Minato's home, unconcerned. With the village still in chaos, patrols were nonexistent. Locating Kushina's personal sealing scrolls had been trivial.
While examining them, he noticed multiple Leaf-forged sealing scripts mixed in with traditional Uzumaki methods.
"So when the Uzumaki Clan was annihilated… Konoha helped itself to their inheritance as well."
Finishing the last of the deciphering, Ash smirked.
"Not bad. My luck really is excellent today."
Rummaging through Minato's archives, he collected several useful scrolls—including detailed notes on the development and refinement of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
It was only natural; this was the home of the Fourth Hokage. His training and research materials would of course be stored safely here, and Ash had taken full advantage of that.
Events unfolded almost exactly as in the original timeline.
Minato and Kushina died sealing the Nine-Tails.
Naruto's early life mirrored canon.
Even though the Third Hokage attempted to prevent trouble, Danzō acted first, spreading poisonous rumors about the newborn Jinchūriki.
Hiruzen's biggest concern wasn't the Nine-Tails—it was Ash. He remembered clearly the warning Ash had given: Konoha must never again be ravaged by a tailed beast.
Danzō had heard that warning as well, but dismissed it. He had already been bitten hard during the Nine-Tails incident, and his alliance with the masked man—the false Uchiha Madara—had not gone smoothly.
Believing Ash was simply the masked man in disguise, Danzō ignored the threat.
He would later pay dearly for that mistake.
By the next morning, the entire shinobi world was in turmoil.
Ash Ketchum, the one who killed Kushina, manipulated the Nine-Tails, caused Minato's death, and brought great casualties to Konoha—this news spread like wildfire. The remaining Four Great Nations immediately escalated their alert levels.
Someone who could use a Mangekyō-like ability to control the Nine-Tails had not appeared since the era of Uchiha Madara.
Ash instantly became the primary target of surveillance across all major villages.
Akatsuki Hideout
"You caused quite the disturbance this time," Nagato said, his voice echoing through the dim chamber.
"No helping it," replied the dark silhouette seated across from him—a figure with a spinning tomoe pattern in its eyes.
"I was… a little excited."
"But I truly didn't expect it… You were able to control the Nine-Tails to that extent."
Orochimaru's golden snake-like pupils narrowed, studying Ash's Sharingan intently.
"Konoha suffered quite the loss this time."
"What's this meeting about? I have plenty to handle already."
Ash dismissed him with a wave. Between deciphering seals, handling the Yin Nine-Tails chakra, and analyzing Minato's techniques, he was more than busy.
"Because of the chaos you caused," Nagato replied, "the Akatsuki must enter an incubation phase. It's best if none of us appear publicly for a while."
Everyone silently agreed. The organization currently had only nine members, and two were missing. Aside from Konan, Nagato, Kakuzu, and Hidan, the rest hadn't been fully integrated.
After the Meeting
Once the meeting concluded, Ash released the Body-Switching Transformation he had used earlier. Controlling his clone, he returned to his true body.
Like the Izanagi-style turning technique, this method required the body of a still-living host—once the body's internal systems stopped, its vitality waned rapidly, rendering the technique unusable. Ash had taken advantage of this dwindling window to continue using Minato's body for jutsu examination.
Kushina's body had already been handled with care. Ash had placed it in a wooden coffin, sealed it within a scroll, and stored it safely in his ring space.
"Explain."
As he finished securing Kushina, Ash dispelled the Transformation technique. His clone reverted to Minato's original appearance—lifeless, untouched by further decay only because Ash was sustaining it.
"As expected," Ash murmured, sensing the residual chakra.
"The Yin half of the Nine-Tails persists. Tailed Beasts are, after all, constructs of pure energy—they don't simply vanish."
Drawing out another prepared sealing scroll, Ash pressed his hand forward.
"Seal."
The Yin Nine-Tails chakra residing within Minato's body was drawn out and locked into the scroll. Once completed, Ash quietly prepared Minato's body and stored it as well in the ring space.
...
TN:
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