Musashi Ryomiya never thought the Sealing Jutsu he had schemed for would fall into his hands so easily.
The problem was, he couldn't bring himself to be happy about it.
Over the next few days, he continued his deep-dive training into Yin-Yang Release with Kushina. Mastering the chakra extraction was just the base level; flexible application was a long road ahead.
During his sessions, Musashi started making "offhand" comments to Minato Namikaze. Things like, "You should really put Flying Raijin markers all over the house and the neighborhood," or "If you aren't by Big Sister Kushina's side the second she needs you, you're toast."
He knew it probably wouldn't work, but he desperately hoped to change the ending.
The version of Obito who triggered the Nine-Tails attack was simply too strong. With his Kamui ability allowing him to phase in and out of reality, Musashi couldn't think of a single counter-strategy. He couldn't exactly walk up to Minato and say, "Your idiot student is coming to kill you on the day your son is born." No one would believe him, and he'd end up in a Root interrogation cell before sunset.
When the Yin-Yang lessons suddenly stopped and Kushina was moved to a secret, protected location, Musashi knew.
Naruto was about to be born.
---
Late Night.
Most of the Leaf Village was fast asleep.
A blood-curdling roar shattered the silence, piercing the very heavens. Then came the tremors—the earth groaned and shook violently.
"What's happening?! Is it an earthquake?!"
"Is the Hidden Cloud attacking?!"
"Where is the Police Force?!"
Panicked civilians scrambled out of their homes. Some didn't even make it to the door before collapsing buildings and crushing pressure snuffed out their lives. Those who survived looked up and saw a shadow so massive it blotted out the stars. Their bodies shook with primal terror.
"What... what is that monster..."
"The Nine-Tails! It's the Nine-Tailed Fox!!"
"Run for your lives!~"
"Help! Someone save me!~"
Under the cloak of night, a colossal fox with nine lashing tails was laying waste to the village. The moonlight cast its monstrous silhouette across the ground like a death sentence. With every swipe of its claws and every lash of its tails, the earth cracked, and boulders were sent flying like shrapnel.
Up close, you could only see a wall of fur or a single massive tail. From a distance, you could see the full, terrifying scope of the beast.
Many people were cut down by flying debris before their brains could even process the shock.
"Move! Form up! Get the children to the outskirts!" Masked ninjas blurred through the streets, grabbing every child they could find. Parents who could keep up followed; those who couldn't were left behind. In this chaos, survival was a roll of the dice.
One ninja was in the middle of a rescue when a stray boulder pulverized him. No one had the time to mourn.
The enemy was just one creature, but the damage was equivalent to an entire invading army. With civilians dying by the hundreds, the ninjas didn't even have enough hands to save the children, let alone the adults.
Musashi had been awake the moment it started. He had been living on high alert for nights.
The second the chaos erupted, he was already dressed and leaping onto his roof. He stared at the massive, orange-red shape in the distance.
"So... that's the Nine-Tails."
Seeing that mountain-sized figure, Musashi realized with a pang of dread that he was terrified. His heart hammered against his ribs, and his blood surged—his body was screaming at him to run. It was the natural fear of a mortal facing a god.
"Can human strength... really defeat something like that?"
With a swipe, reality itself seemed to shatter. With a roar, the earth wailed. The rushing wind carried a scent of copper that snapped Musashi out of his trance. The screams and the blood brought him back to his first days of exile in this world.
His gaze hardened. After calculating the beast's range of motion, he bolted toward a nearby house.
CRASH!
The wooden door splintered under the force of his momentum, followed by a girl's scream.
"Ah!~"
"Big Sister Ayame, it's me!"
Ayame had just been jolted awake, her face pale with shock.
"Get your coat on, now!"
Musashi had no time for pleasantries. Ayame was paralyzed by fear, the magnitude of the disaster not yet sinking in.
"There's no time!" Nearby buildings were already being leveled. Musashi didn't hesitate; he grabbed a thick quilt, wrapped Ayame into a bundle, and threw her over his shoulder.
He ran outside and ran into a frantic Uncle Teuchi. Musashi didn't stop; he formed a hand sign.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Poof!
Civilians were too slow. Musashi and his clone each grabbed one—Ayame and Teuchi—and sprinted in the opposite direction of the carnage.
"Mu... Musashi, what is... what is that?" From his back, Ayame finally saw the giant figure against the night sky. She curled into a ball, pressing herself tightly against Musashi's back.
"I don't know, but the ninjas are on it. We just need to get clear."
He leaped across rooftops. People saw him and, assuming he was a rescue ninja, screamed for help. Musashi kept his eyes forward, ignoring the pleas.
A gut-wrenching roar echoed, shaking the very air. Musashi glanced back to see a long black staff—the Adamantine Staff—shoving the Nine-Tails backward.
The Third has entered the fray.
Dark chakra began to swirl in the sky, a heavy, oppressive feeling that made everyone's skin crawl. When a dense sphere of purple-black energy began to condense in front of the fox's jaws, the veteran ninjas knew the end was near.
Tailed Beast Bomb.
The bomb tore through the air. Just as the defenders accepted their deaths, a figure appeared. An invisible barrier warped the space, swallowing the blast whole.
"Lord Hokage!"
"It's the Fourth!!"
"We're saved!"
The chaos finally seemed to ebb. As a semi-transparent barrier rose to contain the beast, Musashi reached the safe evacuation zone. Ninjas were already there, organizing the crowds and setting up shelters.
The Fox was contained. They were safe.
I'm safe. It's okay. Just stay here, protect Ayame and Uncle Teuchi, and this will all blow over.
Musashi told himself this. Seeing Ayame shivering next to him gave him the perfect excuse to stay put. He didn't have to think about Kushina. He didn't have to face the crushing pressure of the beast.
Just stay here. Going there won't change anything.
His fists clenched tighter and tighter, his knuckles turning white, the veins on his forehead bulging.
"It won't change anything."
"It won't change anything!"
He muttered it like a mantra.
"DAMN IT!"
With a sudden shout, Musashi shoved Ayame into the arms of his Shadow Clone and turned, sprinting back toward the center of the village.
He didn't look back at Ayame's cry of concern. He pushed his speed to the absolute limit, heading straight for the barrier.
"To hell with it!! Change or no change, I have to go!" he cursed.
The wind bit at his face. He passed teachers rounding up students, villagers running in terror, and eventually, he saw Itachi Uchiha, protecting Izumi and a small baby (Sasuke).
Musashi didn't slow down. He fixed his eyes on the barrier. Inside, Kushina was likely taking her final breaths, and Minato was preparing for his final sacrifice.
The Nine-Tails, the monster of his nightmares, was still thrashing.
He reached the edge of the battlefield. From a distance, he could see the Fox being suppressed by the Adamantine Sealing Chains. He saw the Anbu. He saw Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He stopped.
Coming here didn't change a thing. But he had to come anyway. Even if it was just to see Kushina one last time—even if she was just a distant blur.
Even if it was just to stand before the Fox and ask himself: Are you ready? Do you have what it takes to face this kind of power?
Musashi's eyes went wide, his clenched fists drawing blood.
Remember this.
Remember the terror.
Remember the helplessness of being unable to change the outcome.
---
Inside the Barrier.
As Minato Namikaze sealed half of the Nine-Tails' chakra into himself using the Reaper Death Seal, the life force of both parents began to fade rapidly.
Minato leaned against Kushina's back, his voice as gentle as ever even in the face of death.
"It's time to say goodbye."
"Kushina... if there's anything you want to say to Naruto, say it now."
We don't have much time left.
Kushina's face was a mask of exhaustion and heartbreak. She looked at Naruto—her son, whom she had just brought into the world, and whom she now had to leave forever.
"Naruto... don't be a picky eater. Eat a lot so you grow up big and strong."
"Remember to take a hot bath every day. Don't stay up late..."
"Make friends. You don't need many, just a few you can really trust."
"I wasn't very good at it, but study your ninjutsu. If it doesn't go well, don't get discouraged. Respect your elders..."
"One more thing: the Three Prohibitions of a Ninja. Watch out for those. Save your mission pay, don't waste it. No alcohol until you're twenty."
"And as for women... well, I don't know much about that, but be careful of the bad ones. Find someone wonderful like your mother."
"You're going to face a lot of pain in the future, but don't be afraid. If people bully you... find Big Brother Musashi. I know he's actually pretty strong, even if I always bonked him on the head. Honestly, it was because his clothes were so ugly; hitting him just made me feel better."
"Have a dream. Work hard for it. Believe in yourself."
Kushina's tears fell like rain. Her voice grew faint, filled with a desperate longing to stay.
"And... I love you. There's so much... so much more I want to tell you..."
"I wanted to spend so much more time with you..."
But there was no time left.
With a final surge of energy, Minato performed the Eight Trigrams Seal, locking the Nine-Tails within Naruto forever.
The chaos fell silent.
When the barrier vanished, Hiruzen Sarutobi was there instantly. On the ground, Minato Namikaze was gone. Kushina Uzumaki, held together only by the legendary life force of the Uzumaki clan, clung to one final breath.
She looked at Hiruzen and used the last of her strength to speak.
"Lord Third... this child... his name is Naruto. Minato and I... chose it together."
"Please... take care of him..."
Hiruzen's face was solemn. He nodded.
"I understand."
"The child is in my hands. Rest easy."
Hearing those words, Kushina's final spark flickered out.
The air smelled of blood; the world was in ruins.