Konoha Year 39
March 28
Weather: Clear
Today seems to be Sakura's birthday…
Under a sky as blue and spotless as freshly washed glass, Kyusei sat cross-legged on the grass, bare-chested, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
Eight wooden stakes burned with steady flames around him, and beneath his body spread a dense, intricate sealing formation.
Outside the formation, Namikaze Minato and Tsunade stood quietly.
A short distance away, Kushina maintained her stance—dozens of golden chains crisscrossing outward from Kyusei as their center, weaving together like a heavenly net to form a vast, transparent barrier that isolated every unstable factor.
Tsunade looked at the surroundings, at the near-absolute lockdown created by the Adamantine Sealing Barrier, and couldn't help but feel awed.
Even her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, couldn't have achieved something like this.
This woman—Uzumaki Kushina—had already surpassed Uzumaki Mito.
Tsunade didn't want to admit it, but it was an undeniable fact.
After all, the existence of predecessors was meant to be surpassed by those who came later.
Outside the barrier, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood with Hatake Sakumo, both observing in silence.
To guard against any contingencies, Hiruzen had deployed a large number of ANBU around the perimeter.
"Kyusei, are you ready?"
Minato asked gently, doing his best to reassure the child and ease his nerves.
"I will be quick."
"Yeah!" Kyusei replied calmly.
"I'm fine. Little Nine is fine too."
No I'm not!!!
I've got a HUGE problem!!!
I don't want another damn seal slapped on me!!!
Inside Kyusei's body, the Nine-Tails roared furiously within the sealing space.
But all resistance was meaningless.
The fact that another layer of seal was about to be added was unavoidable.
"Little Nine?"
Minato paused in surprise.
"Is that the Nine-Tails' name?"
"Yeah," Kyusei nodded.
"Because he never wanted to tell me his real name."
"And unless something unexpected happens, he'll probably stay with me for a long time."
"So I just went ahead and named him myself."
"He doesn't really like it, though."
Minato stared at the boy, stunned, then smiled gently.
He reached out and softly rubbed Kyusei's hair.
"Kyusei," he said warmly,
"you'll grow into a truly outstanding person."
Not an outstanding ninja.
Because no matter how one tried to romanticize it, a ninja was still, at heart, an executioner.
That reality couldn't be changed.
But what Kyusei showed—respecting others, even a tailed beast—
was the behavior of someone who respected life itself.
He respected the Nine-Tails.
Even if the child usually acted mischievous, as the Third Hokage had said, it was merely a layer of armor to protect others.
"Minato, it's stable now," Kushina called from a distance.
"The Adamantine Barrier is fully secured."
"Alright," Minato nodded.
"Kyusei, we're starting."
"I'm ready."
Minato's hands flew through seals.
A vast surge of chakra erupted from his body—
so immense that visible blue flames formed around him.
"Let's begin."
As Kyusei spoke, a black, spiral-shaped seal surfaced on his abdomen.
This was the Four Symbols Seal originally placed by Uzumaki Mito.
"Here it comes!"
Minato slammed his palm onto Kyusei's stomach.
"Four Symbols Seal!"
As Minato's technique took effect, an outer ring of sealing formulae appeared around the original seal, orbiting it like stars around the moon.
"Two Four Symbols Seals… linking together…"
"To create an even more powerful sealing formula…"
"Incredible. This converts the Nine-Tails' leaking chakra directly into Kyusei's own."
"How did I never think of this?"
"What a truly outstanding young man."
A sudden voice echoed beside Kyusei and Minato.
Minato's expression sharpened instantly.
That voice—
Kyusei felt his mind go blank.
He would never forget it.
This was the woman who had personally stuffed the Nine-Tails into him.
In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed.
The training ground within Konoha vanished—
replaced by a vast space of gold and white.
This was…
Kyusei's inner sealing space.
Not far away, the massive fox lay restrained—
in addition to the stone sphere and wooden pillars, countless golden chains now bound it tightly, their other ends plunging deep into the ground of the sealing space.
Clearly, the Nine-Tails had been locked under an even stronger seal.
"Long time no see, Kyusei,"
a gentle voice said.
"I didn't expect you'd grow this big already."
A woman stood before him.
Her long red hair fell like a waterfall, her features refined and dignified.
She wore a white robe, and a violet diamond-shaped mark adorned her forehead.
She smiled warmly at the boy.
"Uh…"
Kyusei blinked.
"Miss… who are you?"
"Mito-sama,"
Minato said from behind him.
Kyusei startled and turned—only then realizing Minato had also appeared inside the sealing space.
Uzumaki Mito looked kindly at Minato.
She understood everything happening outside.
She knew this man didn't belong to this world, but to a distant, parallel time.
"Thank you for helping Kyusei," she said gently.
"Minato—another world's Kaoru."
"Mito… grandma?"
Kyusei stared at her in disbelief.
He knew she had left chakra behind in the seal—
a failsafe in case the Nine-Tails ever broke free.
But he knew Uzumaki Mito!
Back then, she had been a withered old lady!
The moment that thought crossed his mind—
Bonk.
Mito's fist landed squarely on his head.
Perfect force.
Dazed, but no brain damage.
"Kyusei," she snapped,
"don't think I don't know what disrespectful nonsense just crossed your mind."
She clenched her fist, a throbbing vein popping on her forehead.
Yep.
No doubt about it.
This stunning red-haired beauty was absolutely Uzumaki Mito.
That familiar punch instantly brought back memories of his time in the Senju household.
"I suppose this is the contingency you left behind back then,"
Minato said thoughtfully.
"Leaving your remaining chakra within Kyusei, in case of emergencies."
Mito nodded.
"That's right."
"It was meant to be a safeguard for Kyusei."
"But when you layered a Four Symbols Seal over another Four Symbols Seal to form a brand-new Eight Trigrams Seal…"
"Well, I couldn't resist."
"So I took the liberty of coming out to meet you."
She stared straight at Minato as she spoke.
Minato smiled wryly.
Yep.
That was Uzumaki Mito for you—
as willful as ever.
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