"That was an incredible tactic," Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help saying.
He never expected that in such a clearly hopeless situation, the Fourth Hokage could actually turn the tables.
The more he watched, the more he felt that aside from their similar faces, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Naruto were nothing alike.
Naruto was always loud and impulsive, charging ahead on instinct.
Minato, on the other hand, stayed calm from start to finish. He analyzed everything, struck decisively, and carried himself with effortless composure.
No matter how Sasuke looked at it, the man didn't seem like Naruto's father.
And yet, he undeniably was.
Did Naruto grow up crooked because no one was there to guide him?
"This is Flying Thunder God: Second Step," Minato explained.
Building on the technique left behind by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, he had refined it further, surpassing his predecessor.
Even Tobirama himself had admitted that the Fourth Hokage's talent in space-time ninjutsu exceeded his own.
The Rasengan's terrifying power was fully displayed in that single blow.
The masked man staggered, gasping for air. Half of his body had been modified by White Zetsu, but taking a direct hit like that still nearly knocked the life out of him.
A teacher was still a teacher. A student was still a student.
Even with so little information, the Fourth Hokage had thoroughly punished his wayward disciple.
Everyone watched as one of the masked man's arms slumped down like soft clay.
"You turned it around on me… so this is what they mean by elusive. I can't afford even the slightest carelessness."
Before he could finish speaking, Minato appeared in front of him again, giving him another harsh lesson in real combat.
"Flying Thunder God… I see. You marked me."
Only now did the masked man realize how grave his mistake had been.
"Contract Seal. You're planning to separate the Nine-Tails from me?"
"Once that's done, it won't belong to you anymore."
Minato formed the seal instantly, cutting the connection between the masked man and the Nine-Tails.
In the distance, the Sharingan pattern in the beast's eyes vanished, returning to its original feral pupils.
The entire tempo of the fight was now in Minato's hands. He was controlling every move, completely outplaying his opponent.
For someone like Uchiha Itachi, who relied heavily on strategy, this kind of battle was deeply satisfying to watch.
And yet, no one's heart eased.
The Nine-Tails might have broken free from the Sharingan's control, but its desire to destroy hadn't diminished. If anything, it had grown even more violent.
Decades ago, it had been captured by Uchiha Madara and forced into battle against Senju Hashirama. After that, it had been sealed inside a Jinchuriki. Two generations had passed in succession. In the blink of an eye, dozens of years had gone by.
Its rage had only deepened.
Facing the rampaging Nine-Tails, even the Third Hokage, who specialized in fighting human opponents, could only push with all his strength, using the Adamantine Staff to force the beast away from the village and minimize the damage.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Hokage had vanished from sight.
He was still locked in battle with the masked man.
This time, after being struck again, the masked man was no longer oozing that strange fluid. He was bleeding.
"As expected of the Fourth Hokage. I didn't think you'd injure me and sever my control over the Nine-Tails. But it will be mine eventually. I am the one who will unify this world. I have more than enough methods."
After delivering that declaration, he used his space-time ninjutsu and disappeared.
"That didn't sound like a lie," Minato muttered.
There was no time to rest.
He rushed back toward the village without pause.
To keep the Nine-Tails from advancing further, every adult shinobi was fighting desperately.
Not only were civilians evacuated, even the younger ninja were barred from joining what was essentially a suicide battle.
That included those who would one day become Konoha's pillars, Hatake Kakashi, Guy, Sarutobi Asuma, Kurenai, and the others.
If they had insisted on fighting, they would only have died. None of them could possibly contend with a monster like the Nine-Tails.
History proved that decision correct.
Had those young ninja perished twelve years ago, Konoha would have faced a devastating generational gap.
Watching the diary's projection, Hatake Kakashi felt that more deeply than anyone.
Back then, he had known almost nothing. He had simply been ordered to evacuate.
He had been confused and disoriented, unaware of what was truly happening.
Only now, through Kaede Kitahara's diary, did he learn what had unfolded that night.
From Kushina's ambushed childbirth, to the Nine-Tails' release, to his teacher driving off the mysterious enemy, and finally to Minato standing alone before the raging beast.
Kakashi lowered his head.
He already knew how this battle would end.
The Fourth Hokage and his wife would die here.
In the projection, Minato returned to the battlefield and immediately noticed the Nine-Tails gathering a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Below, the village lay in ruins.
There was no time to mourn.
At the last possible moment, he summoned Gamabunta from Mount Myoboku.
The giant toad dropped from the sky like a small mountain, pinning the Nine-Tails beneath him.
The sight of the Fourth Hokage's return reignited Konoha's morale.
"Hold it down for a while," Minato said to the toad beneath him.
"Even I can't suppress something like this," Gamabunta grumbled.
They might look similar in size, but the difference between them was enormous.
He was merely a powerful Summoned Beast who had grown large through sage training.
The Nine-Tails was something else entirely.
Among all the Tailed Beasts, it stood at the top. Even if the others combined forces, they might not defeat it.
Holding it down, even briefly, was no simple task.
"To redirect an attack of that scale will cost a tremendous amount of Chakra."
In an instant, Minato teleported the Nine-Tails away from the village.
"He… he took the Nine-Tails with him?"
The Third Hokage saw a distant mountain range erupt in a blinding explosion, turning the night sky white.
Minato had poured everything into that move.
He brought the Nine-Tails away, along with Uzumaki Kushina and baby Naruto.
By now, he was exhausted.
His Chakra reserves were nearly depleted. Unlike the Uzumaki Clan, he did not possess extraordinary reserves. He was simply at a normal Kage Level.
"We need to set up the barrier quickly. My Chakra is almost…"
He struggled to breathe.
"I can hold on a little longer, Minato."
Kushina's lips were stained with blood.
From her body surged the Adamantine Sealing Chains, which shot out and bound the Nine-Tails in an instant.
The beast thrashed, but it could not break free.
Amid the chaos, little Naruto began to cry.
"If I restrain it like this, I'll die with it," Kushina said quietly, a firm resolve in her voice. "That will delay its revival. I'll use the last of my Chakra to help you. It's the only way. Thank you… for everything you've done for me."
Outside the projection, Tsunade could no longer hold back her tears.
She had not cried in years.
But she understood exactly what Kushina intended.
According to the Senju Clan's records, when a Jinchuriki died, the Tailed Beast sealed inside would also die.
That death was not permanent.
After some time, the Tailed Beast would revive somewhere in the world.
Kushina planned to reseal the Nine-Tails within herself and die with it, delaying its rebirth for years.
Even though everyone knew that wasn't what ultimately happened, otherwise Naruto would not exist as a Jinchuriki, the thought still made Tsunade's chest ache.
It reminded her of her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, the first Jinchuriki of Konoha.
Hearing his wife's resolve, Minato's calm composure finally cracked.
He understood at last.
Tonight, he would lose the woman he had loved since youth.
"I have only one wish," Kushina whispered. "I want to see Naruto when he's all grown up."
Faced with her determination and sacrifice, the woman who had made him a husband, a father, and the Fourth Hokage, Minato made his choice.
He would not let her die in vain.
He would leave their Chakra behind.
"Kushina, you don't need to die with the Nine-Tails. I'll use your remaining Chakra so you can see Naruto."
He had decided.
He would face the Nine-Tails alone.
"As someone who isn't a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki… the only option left to me is the Dead Demon Consuming Seal."