It was no surprise that his caring father, Namikaze Minato, was deeply moved by Kushina's selflessness.
"No! Kushina, don't say anything! You made me your husband, the Fourth Hokage! I'm the father of this child! But… why is our son giving the middle finger?"
Minato, confessing his feelings, looked in disbelief at Naruto's tiny hand, which somehow raised two middle fingers high into the air.
The moment shattered the tense atmosphere, and Minato gently pressed Naruto's fingers down.
"Uh… what if something happens to us and the baby?"
Watching his bumbling parents flirt desperately, Naruto felt like giving up.He knew this big idiot wouldn't leave Kushina alone.
There was a simpler way to deal with the Nine-Tails.If the jinchūriki died, the Tailed Beast would temporarily vanish with him.At that moment, the Nine-Tails wouldn't have been a problem.
But this lovesick fool had already convinced himself to take responsibility.To prevent the main villain — the one who unleashed the Nine-Tails — from appearing, he followed his bride into sacrifice.
The reason Naruto's life had been so miserable up to now was largely because of this irresponsible father figure.Half of the blame belonged to him, the other half to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Kushina looked at suffering Naruto and shed bitter tears.
"I only have one final wish… I want to see… Naruto when he grows up."
Seeing Kushina so sorrowful, Minato's eyes filled with tears as well.
"Kushina, you don't have to die along with the Nine-Tails!"
He looked at his struggling wife and said firmly,
"I will use your remaining chakra to ensure you see Naruto."
Kushina lifted her head, confused, and saw Minato wiping the corners of his own eyes, determined as ever.
"I will direct all your remaining chakra to Naruto and merge it with the Eight Trigrams Seal."
He rose, and looking at the Nine-Tails paralyzed by Kushina's chains, he quickly performed the complex hand signs.Soon, the Shinigami appeared, knife in hand.
Kushina's face went pale with shock.
"What are you doing?! Using the Shinigami Seal could kill the caster!"
Minato ignored her protests and muttered to himself,
"On the other hand, the Nine-Tails in my body is only half-sealed.If it's sealed without a proper jinchūriki from the Uzumaki Clan, the balance of the Tailed Beasts would collapse.
If I use the Shinigami Seal, I can permanently seal half of myself and the Nine-Tails, while the other half will be transferred to Naruto through the Eight Trigrams Seal."
Kushina stared at Minato like a stranger.He quietly reassured her,
"I understand your worries, but today I confirmed two things:We must attack the masquerading enemy — this guy must shed blood.And this child… our son, will stop him.This child, named after the lineage of Jiraiya, will shape the future as a jinchūriki."
Naruto, who could do nothing, raised his tiny middle fingers again.
"My day… your responsibility, aunt!"
Why must he solve his student's problems instead of handling them himself?You, a wielder of the Rasengan who nearly destroyed Obito, leave such matters to me?
Seeing Naruto's silent protest, Minato once again pressed his middle fingers down.
"Regardless… this must be done."
Naruto: Wow… hang in there, uncle!
Minato then set Naruto down, preparing for Kushina to seal the Nine-Tails.
Kushina, as a mother, felt overwhelmed.
"Minato! But—"
Minato smiled and waved a hand.
"Trust this child! He's our son. When the Shinigami Seal is complete, I will transfer your chakra to Naruto.I hope it will help him as a jinchūriki in controlling the Nine-Tails."
Kushina finally exploded in anger, shouting at Minato:
"He is our son! Why place such a heavy burden on Naruto?Why use the Shinigami Seal just so I can see him grow for a short while?Why must you die for this?I want to be with Naruto! To watch him grow! Why?For the balance of the Tailed Beasts? For the country? For the village?You want to make Naruto a sacrifice! You want him to bear the Nine-Tails!"
Her screams echoed through the forest.Blood continued to flow from her mouth.
Yet Minato remained calm, his face stone-like.
"Refusing the country, refusing the village… is like abandoning your children.You must deeply understand what it means for the homeland to fall.What cruel life must one live who dies for their nation?And our family… we are all shinobi!"
Naruto watched from below, wanting only to punch the Fourth Hokage.
In his previous life, Naruto hadn't been impressed by the Fourth Hokage's death; he remembered him as a hero.But now he realized…This was another form of insanity, the brainwashing of the Will of Fire by the Third Hokage.
Why take responsibility for your own son?Better to be an ordinary citizen than this.
When Konoha achieved prosperity through capturing the Tailed Beasts,now, without the Nine-Tails, it seemed as if Konoha would fall immediately.
Naruto, furious, could only watch as the Fourth Hokage changed his tone and smiled at Kushina:
"Being ready to die for your son is also a father's duty.I couldn't have done it even if I lived longer, and what I taught Naruto wasn't enough.It was my duty as a parent.This is not just for you… it is also for Naruto."
He lifted Naruto.
Kushina always felt Minato's words were unreasonable, but she had no strength left to argue.
Naruto, who could not resist, could only raise his middle finger, expressing his relief…
Knowing that his truly difficult life was only just beginning.