Silence reigned beneath the blood-red moon.
In the forest not far from Konoha, the deafening roar of the Nine-Tails shook the night sky.
"Damn it… we have to remove the sealing formula as fast as possible!" shouted Namikaze Minato, the man known as the fastest shinobi in the world.
In one arm, he held a newborn infant. In the other, he supported Uzumaki Kushina, the "Red-Hot Habanero" of Konoha. He had just rescued her from his own former student.
Behind him, the massive body of the Nine-Tails thrashed violently. Minato's body was already pushed to its limits. The shockwaves from the Tailed Beast's attacks were draining what little chakra he had left.
Kushina looked at her husband and spoke weakly.
"I… can hold on a little longer… Minato…"
The moment she finished speaking, golden chains burst from her back and shot into the earth.
The Nine-Tails, having just been released from the control of the Sharingan and still in a state of confusion, was instantly bound by the chains.
The terrifying sealing technique of the Uzumaki Clan displayed its full might.
Even outside her body, Kushina could still rely on her monstrous life force and chakra to temporarily restrain the Nine-Tails.
"Kh—!" She coughed violently, her body already at its limit.
Minato looked at her anxiously.
"Kushina!"
At that moment—
The baby in Minato's arms suddenly opened his eyes.
But instead of crying like a normal newborn, he looked around in shock.
Wait… did I transmigrate?
His vision was blurry — a newborn's eyes weren't fully developed yet — but he could barely make out silhouettes.
Did the heavens give me a second chance at life?
Excitement flashed across his tiny face.
In his previous life, he had been a web novelist on the Feilu platform, overworking himself to exhaustion. One day, under relentless pressure from readers demanding updates… he had died at his keyboard.
And now—
A second chance.
In this life, he had already decided: He would become a lazy salted fish and make up for the misery of his previous life.
But then—
Wait… isn't this supposed to be a delivery room? Why is it so noisy?
The roar of the Nine-Tails echoed again.
Why does a newborn sound like he's inside an anime battlefield?!
Then a soft voice entered his ears.
"I'm sorry… for waking you… I'm so sorry… Naruto…"
His thoughts froze.
Naruto?
No, no, no. That must be a coincidence. It's just the same name, right? This can't actually be that Naruto.
He tried to calm himself.
Then he heard Minato's grave voice:
"To seal the Nine-Tails… I may have to sacrifice my life…"
Naruto: [...]
What kind of scam is this?!
Did I seriously reincarnate into the Hokage world where the average life expectancy doesn't even reach forty?!
Although Senju Hashirama ended the chaotic Warring States Period, this world still treated human life like disposable grass.
And the worst part—
He had become Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Sure, the later plot might not be that dark…
But thinking about how Naruto was treated as a child — remembering Gaara's past — his heart sank.
Then realization hit him.
It wasn't just Minato.
His own mother was prepared to sacrifice herself for the Will of Fire.
Wait.
Hold on.
The Uzumaki Clan possessed extraordinary life force. Extracting a Tailed Beast didn't mean instant death — it would only shorten one's lifespan.
Just look at how Chiyo used the Reanimation Technique to revive Gaara.
Or how Uchiha Obito survived after the Ten-Tails was extracted.
As long as Kushina didn't continue exhausting her chakra, she wouldn't necessarily die.
Don't do it! Naruto screamed internally.
If you die, I'm doomed too!
But as a newborn—
All that came out was crying.
Kushina smiled faintly.
"That's right, Naruto… you agree too, don't you? I'll use all my remaining chakra… to help you…"
Naruto: […] !
Think of your future son's trauma!
Do you know how unreliable the Third Hokage is?
And what about Danzō? That old schemer will definitely try to manipulate me!
Yet Kushina only looked at Naruto with gentle eyes.
Everything she did was for the village's peace — and for her son's future.
Soon…
She poured all her remaining chakra into the golden chains and forced a strained smile as she looked at Minato.
"Thank you… for everything."
Naruto immediately rubbed the corners of his eyes with his tiny hands, trying to wipe away tears that didn't even exist.
I can't even speak yet…