Namikaze Minato casually set a piece of grilled meat onto the plates of both Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Kaien before continuing the conversation.
"If I'm remembering correctly, the history of Konoha says we've got the strongest Tailed Beast in the shinobi world—the Nine-Tails."
"Yeah. I've never seen its power in action myself, but it's supposed to be the strongest. Back when I was in Kumogakure, I saw the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, but honestly, he wasn't all that impressive."
"Ah... right..." Minato scratched the back of his head.
Kaien might have said it lightly, but... wasn't the Eight-Tails still incredibly strong?
Nearly a year ago, Minato had listened to Kaien explain intel about the Eight-Tails in the Hokage's office. It all sounded like a confusing mess at the time.
Back then, he was just the background guy—quiet, unnoticed—only able to listen and then investigate on his own afterward.
Always being the one who didn't know anything around his friends had left Minato a little embarrassed.
Unfortunately, Jiraiya was out of the village, and even Hatake Sakumo didn't know much about Tailed Beasts.
So Minato took it upon himself to hit the library.
Tailed Beasts weren't exactly a top secret in the shinobi world. The real secrets were always the identities of the jinchūriki. That said, it wasn't like the major villages were doing a great job protecting them either.
Kumogakure believed in training their jinchūriki to strengthen their will and dominate the beast. Iwagakure wasn't all that different. Kirigakure had kept the Six-Tails sealed away for years without finding a compatible host, and the Three-Tails was in the same situation.
Those were basically Tailed Beasts just waiting to be claimed. There was a reason Uchiha Madara had chosen Kirigakure—it was easy pickings. Two Tailed Beasts practically handed to him on a silver platter.
As for Sunagakure, their jinchūriki, Bunpuku, didn't have it all that bad either. He was a monk, tasked with nothing more than keeping the Tailed Beast under control from inside a temple. In fact, he was one of the few who could actually communicate with his beast.
Only Konoha had managed to keep the identity of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—Uzumaki Kushina—a complete secret.
Sure, later on everyone would come to know Naruto as the demon fox, but the level of protection they'd given Kushina back then? It was airtight.
"It's both a shackle and a source of power, Kushina."
"If you can master the Nine-Tails' strength, you'll stand among the most powerful in the entire shinobi world. Everyone fears Tailed Beasts... but everyone also craves their power."
Even though Kushina had spent years preparing for this mentally, now that the time had come to become the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, she couldn't stop herself from feeling nervous.
From the moment Lady Mito first told her about the Nine-Tails to now, when she was about to inherit that very power—it all felt like some kind of dream.
But hearing Kaien call the Nine-Tails "power" made her heart waver even more.
Did she really have the determination to control it?
Lady Mito's goal had always been for this power to become Kushina's ally. As long as she could tame the beast through love...
And now Kaien was saying the same thing...
"Believe in yourself, Kushina. You're an Uzumaki. You carry within you a strength that rivals even the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"Your clan's sealing arts can take you places that most people couldn't even dream of." (Not that I'm including myself in that, Kaien thought.)
Then Kaien glanced over at Minato, who was grilling meat and chatting away. That guy's potential wasn't anywhere near its limit either.
Even when Kaien only had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Minato had been able to draw strength from sheer willpower alone. That kind of thing didn't come from nowhere—his bloodline had to be something special.
In a world where bloodline meant everything, Minato, the father of the so-called Child of Prophecy, obviously had some unique traits of his own.
Especially back during the heretic god incident—Kaien had infused chakra into Minato, and the way his body absorbed it so easily... that wasn't normal.
The conversion efficiency was insane—no ordinary shinobi could pull that off.
Every shinobi's chakra nature was unique. That was common knowledge. But a shinobi's bloodline determined their ultimate ceiling.
So why could Minato absorb Uchiha-level chakra so efficiently? The answer was obvious.
He had a bloodline on par with Kaien's.
Physique wasn't just about stamina. It affected chakra volume, recovery rate, even the speed of cellular regeneration.
Take the same injury: Senju Hashirama could heal instantly without seals. A regular person? They'd be stuck in a hospital for weeks.
The difference in bloodlines was clear as day.
Right now, Kaien was seriously starting to suspect that Minato had Senju blood. There weren't many blondes in Konoha to begin with.
Aside from the Yamanaka clan and Tsunade, Minato's golden hair definitely stood out. Couldn't be just a random mutation, right?
Especially considering the Senju were known for their colorful hair.
"If you don't think you can handle the full Nine-Tails, well... splitting it with Minato is an option too."
Kaien offered the line with a half-smile, clearly trying to ease Kushina's nerves as if it were just a joke.
Then he happily resumed eating the meat Minato had grilled.
Having someone else grill for you? Pure bliss. Kaien absolutely loved freeloading like this.
"Not bad, Minato. Your grilling's gotten even better."
"I'm glad you like it."
Minato smiled softly. Seeing his girlfriend and his best friend enjoying the food made him happy too.
...
"Splitting the Nine-Tails with Minato... actually doesn't sound like a bad idea!"
Minato, focused on grilling, froze mid-turn as the words hit him.
Kaien had clearly been joking... but did Kushina just take it seriously?
"Minato's way better than me in every respect. If it's him, I'm sure he can tame the Nine-Tails!"
"I'm going to talk to Lady Mito about it right away!"
Kushina's voice was firm and resolute.
Maybe part of it was not wanting to be the only "monster." But more than that, Kushina genuinely wanted to share this power with Minato.
Kaien's words had really struck a chord. If splitting the beast could lighten her burden and strengthen Minato, then wasn't that a win-win?
Without another bite, Kushina got up and excused herself, her red hair fluttering behind her as she dashed off toward the Senju compound.
Kaien watched her go, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"You were joking, right, Kaien?"
Minato raised a hand as if to stop her, but Kushina had already vanished.
"Maybe. But if you want to become Hokage, you're going to need more than just the basics."
There was no doubt in Kaien's mind that Minato could control the Nine-Tails. The only problem was, Minato didn't know it yet.
Kaien had made up his mind—he'd help Minato build that confidence.
"If you master the Nine-Tails, there's no doubt in my mind you'll be Hokage one day."
"Minato, deep down, you're not satisfied with just watching, are you? You see someone like me, born with bloodline power, climbing higher and higher... and you wonder if someone without that advantage can really surpass me using just hard work alone."
"You've always been gentle, but your resolve is stronger than anyone's."
"Kaien, I..."
Minato wanted to refute him—but no words came.
Looking back on everything so far, his performance had always fallen short. Being a prodigy was one thing... but bloodline power? That was a whole other level.
Of course he wasn't satisfied. Who would be, watching a friend rise past them step by step?
No matter how close they were, being left behind like that... how could anyone truly be okay with it?
"So, face your feelings, Minato. What you need—"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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