Outside Konoha Hidden Leaf Village, in a secret Anbu base, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane secretly brought Kushina out of the village, arriving there without attracting any attention. Outside the base, over twenty elite Anbu guarded the perimeter, vigilantly observing their surroundings, preventing any suspicious individuals from approaching.
Kushina followed behind the two elders. This was a cave carved into the mountain rock, meticulously arranged inside to be the perfect location for the Nine-Tails transfer. The atmosphere was very silent; Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were not talkative people to begin with, and in this situation, their expressions became even more serious, making people hesitant to speak.
Kushina was usually a very brave girl, but at this moment, she couldn't utter a single word. Looking at the path stretching out before her, she felt as if it were the mouth of some giant beast, and she was slowly walking into it. She felt a chill, rubbed her hands together, and blew a breath into them, wishing to warm herself up.
Finally, the three arrived at their destination. There were no superfluous decorations here, save for the special sealing jutsu written on the ground with a unique ink, and a stone platform placed in the center. Around it stood several people dressed in Anbu attire, all of whom, without exception, had vibrant red hair, identical to Kushina's.
These were the Uzumaki clan members who had accompanied a young Kushina to Konoha Hidden Leaf Village. After graduating from the Ninja Academy, they were all recruited into the Anbu, forming a sealing squad. Besides performing other missions, one of their tasks was to protect Kushina, who was a candidate for the Jinchuriki. Now, as the Nine-Tails was about to be transferred into Kushina's body, they would assist Mito in the transfer.
At this moment, Mito was sitting on the stone platform, conversing with Fumori Masaki. The transfer of the Nine-Tails had his approval. After concluding the alliance with the Land of Lightning, he returned from the Land of Iron in time for this Nine-Tails transfer ceremony. Such a significant event required the presence of the Hokage.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Mito smiled as she looked at the three who entered, primarily Kushina, who was behind them. Then, she looked at Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Fumori Masaki, who walked over, and said, "I apologize, but if anything goes wrong, I'll leave the aftermath to you."
"You don't need to worry, no matter what, we will not let the village face any trouble," Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado replied, while Fumori Masaki also nodded slightly, his gaze very calm, making everyone feel at ease.
Mito said to Kushina, "Come, Kushina."
Kushina walked to Mito's side. Mito had her sit on the edge of the stone platform, gently stroked her soft red hair, and silently looked into her eyes, saying, "I'm entrusting it to you from now on. I hope you can find happiness in the future."
"Grandma," Kushina whispered, looking up at her and nodding, "I will work hard."
"Remember what I told you before: as long as there is love in your heart, even if you bear the destiny of a Jinchuriki, you can still find happiness," Mito said. "I wonder when you'll find that right person."
"I don't know yet," Kushina said, and a vague image of someone appeared in her mind, but she quickly told herself—no, it wasn't certain yet, that might not be the right person, at least not yet—but it was indeed a possibility.
Mito observed Kushina's expression, and a faint smile appeared on her face, though others couldn't discern the profound meaning in her smile. She turned to the clan members on guard nearby and said, "I'm counting on you. It's imperative to ensure stability during the transfer process. Once it gets out of control, it will be a huge problem."
Every Uzumaki clan member nodded solemnly. They understood very well that if something went wrong during the Nine-Tails transfer, that terrifying Tailed Beast would regain its freedom. Back then, only the First Hokage had absolute confidence in controlling the Nine-Tails; his Wood Style possessed a power similar to Uzumaki chakra in suppressing Tailed Beast chakra.
Although the current Hokage was powerful, he did not possess the special ability to suppress Tailed Beast chakra, so dealing with the Nine-Tails would not be an easy task.
Mito took a deep breath, formed hand signs, and her chakra began to gather in her abdomen. Gradually, a dark sealing jutsu emerged through her clothes, becoming visible to everyone. Following this, the sealing jutsu began to change shape, gradually becoming like a black hole, giving off an ominous feeling. Immediately, a wisp of dark red chakra began to emerge, like a sturdy dam with a hole drilled into it, and the Nine-Tails' chakra rushed out at an astonishing speed.
The nearby Uzumaki clan members immediately began to act, forming hand signs. Powerful chakra was released from their bodies, transforming into golden chains that wove together around the stone platform, forming a barrier to control the Tailed Beast chakra within a certain range. At the same time, the dark red chakra erupted from the black hole of the seal on Mito's abdomen like a volcanic eruption, quickly taking the shape of a demon fox. Because it was not yet fully unsealed, its appearance was still in a chakra form, without any physical manifestation. Even so, the immense pressure it generated made the others break out in a cold sweat.
Although the Uzumaki clan's chakra possessed the power to suppress Tailed Beast chakra, the strength of this power was also related to the user's own ability. Only Mito and Kushina possessed the powerful chakra capable of suppressing the Nine-Tails; the chakra quality of the others was not strong enough to that extent. Fortunately, with many people working together, they were still able to temporarily suppress the Nine-Tails' power. However, as the Nine-Tails continued to unseal, these individuals would certainly not be able to sustain it.
"Nine-Tails, be quiet." Mito knew that even if she said that, the Nine-Tails would not obediently listen. Once it had a chance to regain its freedom, it would not choose to communicate well with humans. She could feel the Nine-Tails' impatient joy.
Thus, golden chains of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, but with a completely different power, emerged from behind Mito, firmly binding the giant form of the demon fox. The demon fox let out an unwilling roar, and the continuously expanding dark red chakra began to be suppressed.
Kushina watched the giant demon fox figure before her in shock. It was her first time seeing the Nine-Tails' appearance. Although it was still purely a chakra form, she felt as if a gaze was fixed on her, sending a deep chill down her spine, and the wind it stirred made her red hair flutter.
"Kushina, don't be afraid. You have the power to suppress it." Cold sweat seeped from Mito's face. Unsealing the Nine-Tails while simultaneously binding its form was too much pressure for her. "Kushina, as I taught you before, begin sealing the Nine-Tails."
"Yes!" Kushina snapped back to attention, quickly replied, and formed hand signs. The light of the Adamantine Sealing Chains also emerged from her body. Although fewer in number, chains of comparable quality emerged from her, locking down the dark red demon fox before her and dragging it towards her abdomen.
As the dark red chakra entered her body, Kushina immediately felt that immense power, and faintly, she seemed to hear a voice. That voice was extremely exasperated, scolding someone, and the name it spoke seemed to be Mito.
She immediately realized that the owner of this voice was the Nine-Tails. Perhaps because they would have to live together from now on, her feelings were very complex. However, this was not the time for her to be sentimental, but to continue performing the sealing jutsu, guiding the Nine-Tails' chakra into her body.
Although the Nine-Tails was unwilling to be sealed like this, under the combined efforts of many Uzumaki clan members, it could not stir up any major trouble. The only relatively dangerous part was that as the Nine-Tails' chakra was continuously extracted, Mito's body also suffered severe damage. Normally, when a Tailed Beast is extracted from a body, the Jinchuriki dies. However, relying on the Uzumaki clan's strong life force, Mito could barely maintain her life and still use the Adamantine Sealing Chains. But she was already very old, and her chakra was greatly depleted, making her feel somewhat powerless at this point.
However, at this moment, it was Kushina who took over Mito's responsibility. Kushina fully unleashed the Adamantine Sealing Chains, rapidly suppressing the rampaging Nine-Tails' chakra and then dragging it into her own body. Even though her body felt numb from the influx of powerful chakra, her technique showed no hesitation, and her gaze remained firm.
"Kushina…" Mito's eyes widened slightly as she watched the girl smile at her.
"I am the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Sealing the Nine-Tails isn't just your responsibility, Grandma. From now on, I have to rely on myself, and I can't always depend on others' help," Kushina said loudly.
Hearing the girl's vibrant voice, Mito's face couldn't help but show a look of relief. With such resolve, Kushina would definitely be able to bear the responsibility of a Jinchuriki in the future. It seemed she didn't need to worry, and Kushina would surely find the love to fill her heart, perhaps even reconcile with the Nine-Tails.
Amidst the Nine-Tails' furious roar, the dark red chakra was completely drawn from Mito's body and surged into Kushina's. Kushina's entire chakra network, due to the influx of Tailed Beast chakra, was now almost imperceptible. While forming hand signs to stabilize the seal, she felt a numbness in her hands.
However, Kushina was not alone. The other Uzumaki clan members immediately took action, using the sealing jutsu arranged on the ground to inject chakra into it. The powerful force generated was concentrated on Kushina, assisting her in stabilizing the seal within her body.
Kushina looked at them gratefully, slowly stabilizing the seal. After everything had calmed down, she collapsed to the ground, exhausted, covered in cold sweat, and gasping for breath. Even though she was born with chakra strong enough to suppress the Nine-Tails, its power was still immense, and Kushina hadn't expected the sealing process alone to require so much effort.
The other Uzumaki clan members also felt very tired, but their hearts were undoubtedly filled with joy, as no accidents had occurred, and the Nine-Tails had been completely transferred into Kushina's body. Fumori Masaki and the others also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling very fortunate, especially Fumori Masaki. Although he knew it was unlikely, the incident in the original story where Kushina was kidnapped by Obito and the seal was released always made one wonder if any accidents would happen. Fortunately, no "Obito Uchiha" came to disrupt things.
"Lady Mito." Fumori Masaki quickly stepped forward, looking at Mito, who was slumped beside the stone platform. With the Tailed Beast extracted from her body, Mito's life was like a candle about to go out; even for an Uzumaki clan member, she couldn't live much longer.
"Grandma!" Kushina staggered to her feet and rushed over, placing her hands on Mito. Seeing Mito's pale face and closed eyes, she felt a sudden panic and cried out, "Grandma, please wake up!"
Fumori Masaki frowned slightly. Although the Uzumaki clan's vitality allowed them to survive for a period after a Tailed Beast was extracted, Mito was ultimately old and frail, and her body might not be in such good condition. In the original story, Kushina was able to seal the Nine-Tails even after it was extracted and was confident she could delay it until she forcibly sealed it within herself, dying with it. However, Mito had almost failed to control the Tailed Beast just now, which seemed to indicate something.
After a moment of silence, Fumori Masaki reached out and placed his hand on one of Mito's chakra points, injecting his Sage Mode chakra into it. Sage Mode chakra possessed powerful restorative properties; thus, those who used Sage Mode would not become exhausted from excessive chakra depletion like ordinary people. Jūgo, for instance, could use his cells, which contained natural energy, to heal others.
Sasuke Uchiha, whose lung was pierced by Killer B, survived only with Jūgo's cells and Karin's blood. However, because Jūgo had insufficient control over his own power, his cells were highly corrosive, and it was difficult for those who were not curse mark adaptors to accept Jūgo's cellular healing. Fumori Masaki, however, did not have such limitations.
Furthermore, Sage Mode itself was a method for the Sage of Six Paths to allow mortals to approach his realm, and those with a Sage Body were best suited to absorb natural energy, filling their cells with life force. Even if Mito did not have a complete Sage Body, she had the bloodline of a Sage Body. After injecting Sage Mode chakra, her depleted cells would be able to regain new vitality.
If there were someone with a true Sage Body, simply injecting Fumori Masaki's refined Sage Mode chakra could allow them to reach a realm close to the God of Shinobi in a short time. For example, Yamato in the original story, if he were to receive Fumori Masaki's Sage Mode chakra, the Hashirama cells within him could unleash the power they possessed with their true owner. The Wood Style Yamato used would certainly not be of that level, but rather comparable to the God of Shinobi.
"Masahiro." Mito slowly opened her eyes.
"Grandma, you're awake!" Kushina was overjoyed.
Mito, however, shook her head slightly and said, "It's just a brief flicker of life."
Fumori Masaki understood that even with the injection of Sage Mode chakra, it was only a temporary burst of vitality. Matters of life and death were not a joke; to save a life, an equivalent price had to be paid. Like forbidden jutsu such as Rinne Rebirth, Living Corpse Reincarnation, and Earth Grudge Fear, they either sacrificed oneself or sacrificed others, but it was impossible to achieve merely by expending a little chakra.
"Kushina, I thought I could accompany you for a while longer, but it seems I overestimated myself," Mito's voice was very faint. "I'm going to die soon, and I truly regret it."
Then, Mito looked at Fumori Masaki beside her and said, "Masahiro, I'm entrusting the village to you from now on, just as Hashirama and Tobirama told you."
Mito's dying words were very simple, and the reason was also simple: Fumori Masaki was not new to the position of Hokage, and his achievements over the years were evident to all. There was no need to elaborate, just as before Tobirama's death, there was nothing much to say in detail about the future of the village; instead, there was more casual conversation.
Unfortunately, Tobirama had no descendants in his lifetime, so Fumori Masaki could not convey his gratitude to his esteemed teacher's future generations. What Tobirama left behind was this village and its people.
"Mm." Fumori Masaki nodded gently.
Mito smiled contentedly, looked at Kushina with affection, and spoke to her in a low voice. Tears streamed down Kushina's face, and she nodded intermittently. Gradually, Mito's voice grew softer and softer, until it was no longer heard.
Kushina could no longer hold back and burst into loud sobs. The faces of the other Uzumaki clan members, hidden behind their masks, were also exceptionally sad. Mito had shown deep kindness to everyone, and her passing was undoubtedly difficult for them to accept.
Fumori Masaki, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane, all nearing forty, felt the same, but they had encountered such losses before and would only hide their grief within their hearts.
Although Mito had left this world, her will continued to be passed on. The Will of Fire itself is an unextinguishable, fiery will passed down through generations, transmitting light and hope. As old leaves wither, new green leaves will grow. Mito's will is now passed on to Kushina, and in the future, it will be passed on to others.