Chapter 66: Dirge — Kushina
The moment the red-haired woman appeared, the Nine-Tails' already feral face twisted even further in fury. Its teeth ground audibly as it spat out the name:
"Uzumaki Kushina!!"
First Namikaze Minato, now Kushina — only now did the beast realize that both of them had left safeguards behind.
If not for Yuto's interference, it would still have been blissfully unaware.
Yuto smiled faintly as he looked at Kushina's manifested form. Just as he expected.
To bring forth Minato required tearing the sealing talisman, but to summon Kushina demanded something else — allowing the Nine-Tails' malice to reach Naruto's mind.
Even in death, those two protected their son completely.
Minato's eyes widened at the sight of his wife, guilt flashing within them. In an instant, he flickered to her side.
Drip… drip…
Kushina lifted her head to look at him, tears spilling uncontrollably from her eyes.
Then, to the surprise of both Yuto and the Nine-Tails, she broke down entirely — sobbing like a child.
"Minato… M-Minato, Naruto… he's suffered so much!"
Kushina clung to him tightly, her body trembling with grief.
"I'm sorry, Kushina…"
Minato's voice trembled as he held her, guilt slicing deep into his chest. In Naruto's subconscious, both he and Kushina could feel their son's pain — even if they hadn't seen it directly, they knew.
"Even so… even so… that boy keeps smiling every day, doesn't he?"
Her tears streamed down unchecked as she turned toward Yuto, her expression twisting into rage.
"Why do you people have to hurt that child!? I don't care if you're the First Mizukage or some great legend — I won't let you lay a single finger on Naruto!!"
Breaking free of Minato's embrace, Kushina unleashed every ounce of her remaining chakra.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Adamantine Sealing Chains!
Dozens of glowing chakra chains burst forth, flooding the space like a golden storm as they lunged toward Yuto.
Her chakra — even as a lingering remnant — was fiercer than Minato's.
Bang! Bang!
In the blink of an eye, the chains coiled tightly around Yuto, pinning him where he stood.
"Even as a fragment, this power… impressive," Yuto murmured, feeling the immense energy rippling through the bindings.
"Minato, seal him now!"
Kushina shouted, urgency cutting through her voice.
She had watched the earlier battle between them — ninjutsu and taijutsu were useless against Yuto. Only sealing might work.
Minato didn't hesitate. A golden flash burst forth as he appeared beside Yuto, ready to act.
But before he could move, the chakra chains shuddered — then began to melt away, being absorbed into Yuto's body.
Kushina staggered backward, nearly falling, her form growing faint as Yuto continued to devour the chains' energy.
In desperation, she severed the connection, cutting the chains off from herself before they could drain her entirely.
"Pity," Yuto said quietly, looking at her with something almost resembling respect. "Had you been alive, those chains might have actually troubled me."
Then —
Boom!
A thunderous roar tore through the space as Yuto unleashed his own version of Adamantine Sealing Chains, far stronger than Kushina's. They erupted outward, surging toward both Minato and Kushina like golden spears.
Because of Yuto's earlier absorption, Kushina's remaining chakra had grown so faint that she couldn't even move to dodge. All she could do was watch helplessly as the golden chains surged toward her like executioner's blades.
Minato's form flickered in a burst of light. In the next instant, he was in front of her.
He wrapped his arms tightly around Kushina, smiling through the tears streaming down his cheeks. "You've suffered enough…"
Thud! Thud!
The adamantine chains pierced straight through their chakra bodies, suspending both of them in the air.
Kushina lifted her head weakly. Despite the tears on her face, she forced a faint, teasing smile and raised her trembling hand to lightly tap Minato's head.
"M-Minato… men shouldn't cry… or they'll… lose everyone's respect…"
At her words, Minato's tears broke free completely. They rolled down his face as he held her closer, powerless to change anything.
Kushina turned her head toward Yuto, her voice fragile, barely above a whisper.
"Please… please don't hurt Naruto. I just… I just want to see him once… to tell him… to eat properly…"
Yuto fell silent. He didn't reply.
At that moment, any promise he could offer would be meaningless.
Under his control, the chains trembled violently — and then tightened.
Before Kushina could finish her words, both she and Minato dissolved into motes of light, their chakra scattering into the air like dying embers.
Yuto stood there quietly, his expression unreadable.
Once, unifying the ninja world had been just another mission given by the system — something to complete and move on from.
But now… now he thought it might not be such a bad goal after all.
At least, if he succeeded, the shinobi world might finally stop drowning in endless war.
Senju Hashirama… your ideals were wrong.
Even Uchiha Madara must have realized that much.
Minato Namikaze had been a capable Hokage. Every decision he made had been right for Konoha at that time — yet as a father, he had failed.
Kushina Uzumaki, however, was both a true mother and a devoted wife.
With the vitality of the Uzumaki clan, she could have survived much longer if she had wanted to. She chose to die with Minato.
If she had lived even a little longer, she could have ensured Naruto's safety and future before the end.
And when Minato sealed the Nine-Tails, he could easily have sealed half its chakra into Naruto and the other half back into Kushina.
It wasn't impossible — when Naruto later lost the Yang half of the Nine-Tails and nearly died, Obito sealed the Yin half back into him, reviving him. That alone proved it could have been done.
Standing there, Yuto found that he respected Kushina more than Minato.
From opposite sides or not, he knew — if Kushina were still alive, no one in Konoha would have dared treat Naruto the way they had. She would have torn the village apart herself.
After a brief silence, Yuto lifted his head, his calm gaze landing on the caged beast before him.
"Now then," he said softly, "it's your turn."
The Nine-Tails' fur bristled instantly, a chill running through its massive body.
Even separated by the seal, for the first time, the beast felt that the cage might actually be the only safe place left.
It rose to its full height, eyes narrowing with murderous rage as it glared down at the small figure before it.
(End of Chapter)
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