As Gento's Dojutsu activated, the massive Nine-Tails vanished from the spot in an instant.
"Phew… good thing I made it in time."
Looking at the unharmed Kushina, Gento let out a long breath.
Thud!
A soft sound rang out.
Minato could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.
Blood gushed continuously from the piercing wound in his chest, dyeing the soil beneath him red.
"Minato!"
Kushina let out a heart-wrenching cry and threw herself to his side.
Her hands tried to cover that bloody hole, but it was useless.
Minato weakly raised his eyes and looked toward Gento:
"Gento-kun… where is the Nine-Tails?"
"I've temporarily restrained it. There's no need to worry."
Hearing this, Minato finally let out a breath of relief, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Gento crouched down, looking at this man on the brink of death, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Although he had long coveted Kushina, it wasn't as if he absolutely had to put Minato to death.
On the contrary, he deeply admired Minato.
If possible, he would even be willing to save Minato as well.
The information he had previously revealed about the masked man's invasion had been an attempt to save the couple.
It was just that the arrogant and stubborn higher-ups of Leaf did not trust him.
Moreover, he also had people he needed to protect.
The Shinobi World was far from peaceful now.
With the Uchiha clan having left the Hidden Leaf Village and stationed outside, there had to be a Kage-level powerhouse guarding them.
By the time he received Shisui's message and used the Flying Thunder God mark left in the village to rush back, Minato had already used up the Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal and had been pierced through by the Nine-Tails' claw.
All he could do was barely save Kushina.
"Minato!"
A chaotic sound of footsteps approached from afar.
Hiruzen arrived late with the Anbu.
He rushed to Minato's side at once and lifted him up:
"Minato! You could have left… why?"
Minato looked at the Third Hokage weakly, his voice intermittent:
"Third Hokage-sama… this is my duty… as the Hokage… and as a father…"
He struggled to turn his head and looked at Gento, his eyes filled with guilt:
"I'm sorry… Gento-kun… for not listening to you earlier… otherwise the Hidden Leaf Village wouldn't have…"
Hearing this, Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Gento merely shook his head without saying a word.
At that moment, Kushina's body also began to give out.
Despite the Uzumaki clan's strong vitality, having the Tailed Beast forcibly extracted meant death was only a matter of time.
Minato looked at her, his eyes full of heartache and reluctance.
Summoning his last bit of strength, he spoke softly:
"Kushina… it's time to part… if there's anything you want to say to Naruto… say it now."
Kushina was in tears as she lowered her head to look at the baby in her arms, her voice gentle:
"Naruto… don't be picky with your food, eat well, and grow up strong…"
"Take a bath every day… don't stay up late… make good friends…"
"And…"
The more she spoke, the more poured out, as if she wanted to say everything she would ever tell her child in this single moment.
Gento suddenly spoke, interrupting her:
"Um… Kushina doesn't actually have to die."
…What?
Everyone present froze at the same time.
Hiruzen suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock.
Even Minato, who was on the verge of death, immediately jolted upright upon hearing this and looked at Gento.
Meeting everyone's gaze, Gento slowly explained:
"As long as the extracted Tailed Beast is sealed back into the Jinchuriki, the Jinchuriki can survive."
"And sealing a Tailed Beast requires two conditions: first, restrain the Tailed Beast. Second, possess sealing techniques."
He paused:
"I may not be much, but I happen to meet both conditions."
Kushina was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head, her voice very soft:
"Minato is dead… I don't want to live either."
Gento's heart tightened.
He knew that Kushina already had the intention of following Minato in death.
But of course, he couldn't allow her to die.
Aside from coveting her beauty, completing the system mission was also a factor.
So he immediately spoke to persuade her:
"Kushina, calm down."
"Do you really want… Naruto to grow up without his mother by his side?"
Kushina's whole body trembled upon hearing this.
Using the last of his strength, Minato tightly grasped Kushina's hand:
"Kushina… you must live."
He turned his head and looked at Gento, his eyes full of pleading:
"Gento-kun! Please… save Kushina!"
Gento looked at Kushina.
Finally, Kushina raised her head, looking at Naruto in her arms, her gaze softening.
She nodded gently.
Gento no longer hesitated.
"Yomotsu!"
Space twisted.
Boom!
The Nine-Tails, which had just been confined within the Yomotsu space, was released once more.
"ROAR!!!"
The Nine-Tails let out a heaven-shaking roar.
It swept its violent gaze over the few tiny humans below, then raised its massive claw and slammed it down fiercely!
Gento's hands rapidly formed seals.
"Yin Release: Mind Rift Gate!"
An invisible mental force instantly surged into the Nine-Tails' mind.
The claw that was about to fall stopped midair.
Within its savage eyes, three tomoe slowly appeared in its pupils.
Gento glanced at Kushina, whose face was pale and whose aura was faint, not daring to delay.
One hand pressed against the Nine-Tails, while the other pressed against Kushina's lower abdomen.
"Yin Sealing: Slave Mark!"
The Nine-Tails' enormous body suddenly trembled, then transformed into streams of violent red chakra, which surged wildly through Gento's body and into Kushina.
That chakra was far too berserk, like countless wild beasts rampaging through Gento's body.
Veins bulged on his forehead, his teeth clenched, as every muscle in his body trembled.
Regardless, he endured it with sheer force of will.
Yin-Attribute Chakra circulated within his body, suppressing that violent power bit by bit.
Finally, the last stream of chakra poured into Kushina.
On her lower abdomen beneath her clothes, a heart-shaped mark slowly appeared.
The Nine-Tails had been successfully sealed.
Seeing how easily Gento had sealed the Nine-Tails, a deep trace of wariness flashed through Hiruzen's eyes.
Immediately, at the moment the sealing was completed, Kushina's eyes closed, and she collapsed directly into Gento's arms.
"Kushina!"
Everyone cried out in alarm.
Gento caught Kushina as she fell into his arms, then raised his head and said to everyone:
"Don't worry, she's just too exhausted and has passed out."
Hiruzen immediately turned around and issued a stern command to the Anbu behind him:
"Take her to the Hidden Leaf Hospital at once! Gather the Medical Ninja!"
"Yes!"
Two Anbu stepped forward and carefully carried Kushina away.
Watching Kushina being taken away, the last trace of worry in Minato's eyes finally dissipated.
He turned his head to look at Gento, forcing out a weak smile:
"Thank you… Gento-kun."
He then looked at Hiruzen, his voice growing fainter:
"Third Hokage-sama… Naruto and Kushina… I leave them in your care…"
Hiruzen tightly held his hand:
"Don't worry… Minato… I will take good care of them…"
Minato smiled.
That smile was just like when he was alive; warm, radiant.
And, he closed his eyes.
Hiruzen looked at Minato's corpse, his thoughts unreadable.
Gento stood to the side, his emotions mixed.
He glanced in the direction Kushina had been carried away and prayed:
You have to hold on…
After all, Kushina had been put through an entire night of torment.
On top of that, the Nine-Tails had been repeatedly extracted from her body.
Even with the Uzumaki clan's constitution, Gento was worried she might not be able to endure it.
Fortunately, the system's voice sounded in time.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission: Nine-Tails Disaster!]
[Reward: Draw Chance ×1]
Gento felt a surge of joy in his heart.
Albeit his expression remained unchanged as he turned and walked toward the outside of the village.
The Uchiha clan members were still waiting for him there.
The Nine-Tails Disaster was over; it was time to bring them back.
"Gento."
Hiruzen's cold voice came from behind him.
Gento stopped in his tracks.
...
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