Chapter 285: Kushina: You're Naruto's Girlfriend, Right?
Inside the Seal
The Nine-Tails, wild with fury, sent its chakra howling outward in an endless storm, its nine massive tails lashing out at Naruto.
And at that moment—
"Lightning Release — Chidori Sharp Spear."
A cool, clipped voice cut through the chaos. A dark shape appeared out of nowhere, vaulting past Naruto, ignoring Minato entirely, and drove a Chidori straight into the incoming tail.
The technique — which should have needed direct contact to land — stretched, suddenly, extending far enough to intercept the massive tail head-on.
"Chidori..."
"That's the kid."
Minato smiled faintly, recognizing the familiar technique in the newcomer's hand.
He'd met Sasuke twenty years ago.
And at that same moment, another dark shape shot forward.
This one carried a long sword wreathed in fire — a wave of flame cut through the air alongside Sasuke's strike, and together they knocked the massive tail completely off course.
Another Uchiha, then...
Watching the two of them stand shoulder to shoulder, Minato felt something in his chest ease considerably.
The Nine-Tails stared at the pair of Mangekyō-wielding Uchiha in front of him, and his massive beast eyes only grew more furious.
One after another...
One after another...
Damned humans, every single one of them!
At that moment, several golden chains surged up out of the darkness, shooting straight for the Nine-Tails.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
The Nine-Tails, furious, tried to avoid contact with them. But like Minato, he found himself hemmed in — the cramped seal severely limiting his movement.
Within a blink, several of his tails were already bound tight by the chains.
"Quiet down."
"Beast."
Sasuke fixed his cold gaze on the massive creature before him, his three-tomoe Sharingan shifting into full Mangekyō.
Hikaru followed suit, activating her own Mangekyō without hesitation, eyes locked on the Nine-Tails.
Two Mangekyō users, plus a set of Adamantine Sealing Chains — every one of them a natural counter to a tailed beast.
"Looks like I might not even need to step in."
A faintly lazy figure emerged from the shadows, flanked by two others.
Red hair, wrapped in Adamantine Sealing Chains — Karin.
A restraint-style outfit, controlling a chakra rat clone — Yuki.
"Sakura. It really has been a while."
Minato turned and looked at the young woman — familiar and yet unfamiliar all at once — with a faint, warm smile.
But his gaze, after resting on Sakura briefly, drifted, unbidden, toward Karin, who stood controlling the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
This girl...
Sakura watched Minato, expression calm.
Just as I thought. He set the seal on himself.
Minato — who should have known his own death was coming, and could have avoided it — had still chosen to die.
To avoid interfering with the future.
"Any regrets?"
Sakura asked, looking at the man before her.
"This is the best version of the future there could have been."
Minato looked at the Fifth Hokage standing before him.
Twenty years apart, and the Fourth and Fifth Hokage were meeting once again.
"If I'd survived, there's a good chance you'd never have reached the level you're at now."
"And Konoha wouldn't have either..."
He glanced around at the young shinobi gathered here — every one of them.
"All of these people are Konoha's future."
Minato felt no regret about it.
To him, these young, vibrant successors were exactly what would keep Konoha alive and thriving. If he'd survived the Nine-Tails incident sixteen years ago, there was a real chance none of them would even exist as they did now.
So, as far as Minato was concerned, this was the best possible future for Konoha.
He'd traded his own life for their existence.
Minato had no regrets about the trade at all.
"Quite the crowd."
"Looking at how things are going, I might be able to save myself some chakra."
An unfamiliar woman's voice rang out, and Minato's eyes lit up instantly.
"Kushina!"
Countless points of golden light streamed off Naruto's body, coalescing into a red-haired woman.
"Long time no see, Minato."
Kushina looked at Minato standing beside Naruto and walked over to her husband without thinking, reaching up on instinct to touch his cheek.
"There are a lot of kids here, you know."
"Kushina."
Minato caught her hand gently before it reached his face, his voice warm.
"Ah, hehe. Couldn't help myself."
Kushina laughed sheepishly, then looked around, her eyes beginning to drift across the young women present.
The Two-Tails jinchūriki — a bit too old for him, probably.
That Uchiha girl's gorgeous, but Naruto might not be able to handle her.
Huh? There's even one of my own clan here...
This pink-haired one looks pretty easygoing. Should suit Naruto well.
"Kushina..."
Minato instinctively covered his own face with one hand.
As her husband, he knew Kushina's personality all too well.
She only had a limited window here — and she was clearly already rushing to pick out a daughter-in-law.
"Sasuke?"
"Is that Sasuke?!"
Unexpectedly, Kushina's gaze landed on Sasuke instead.
That left Naruto completely baffled, and even Sasuke a bit confused.
Why would Naruto's mother know who I am?
"Ah!"
"It really is Sasuke!"
"I held you when you were a baby, you know!"
"You've grown up looking so much like Mikoto!"
"Thank goodness you didn't take after that old stiff Fugaku."
Kushina's excitement built as she looked at the young man who bore more than a passing resemblance to Mikoto Uchiha.
"?!?!"
"What?!"
"Mom held Sasuke as a baby?!"
Naruto was suddenly, thoroughly outraged.
Unbelievable! Mom never even held ME as a baby!
You bastard, Sasuke!
How dare you steal my mom too!
"Um, you're... hello, ma'am..."
Sasuke opened his mouth, looking at the delighted Kushina, at a genuine loss for what to say.
He was, apparently, looking at his own mother's old friend.
"Such a shame you and Naruto are both boys. If one of you had been a girl, you two would have gotten along wonderfully!"
Kushina's train of thought was genuinely unpredictable enough that Minato clapped a hand over her mouth immediately.
"Mmph!"
"Mmph mmph!"
"Mmmph!"
Kushina glared at her husband, indignant.
She'd finally gotten the chance to come out here, and Minato wasn't even letting her finish a sentence!
Absolutely unreasonable.
"WHAT?!"
"You want me and this guy to... um..."
Hearing his mother's words, Naruto's fury flared up instantly — but then a thought crossed his mind, recalling the terrible idea Sasuke had once talked him into: disguising himself as a girl to get close to Sakura.
Hmm... hehehe...
Actually not out of the question, is it~
Just you wait, Sasuke!
I'll give you a memory you'll never forget~
Sasuke, watching Naruto's inexplicable grin aimed directly at him, felt a chill run down his spine.
Especially remembering the day of their academy graduation ceremony, three years back, when this damn blond had kissed him out of absolutely nowhere...
This bastard.
He's not actually thinking—
Sasuke instinctively edged a little further away from Naruto.
"What's with that punchable grin, you idiot?"
Karin watched Naruto's strange smile and instinctively raised a hand to flick him — but her hand froze mid-swing.
Ah...
What am I doing?!
Naruto's parents are right here, watching!
Hitting their son in front of them...
I'd be committing a crime!
Karin's expression froze on the spot.
"You..."
Kushina pulled Minato's hand off her mouth and trotted straight over to Karin.
Warm, brown, watery eyes fixed on the young woman who shared her own clan blood.
So it's true — Naruto's mother is here to interrogate me!
Karin let out a mental wail of despair.
"I..."
Karin opened her mouth, shrinking back slightly under Kushina's gaze.
But Kushina suddenly grabbed her hand, eyes shining with a delight Karin couldn't quite bring herself to look directly at.
"You're Naruto's girlfriend, right?"
"Y-yes— wait, WHAT?!"
Karin had meant to open her mouth with an apology, but caught herself a half-second too late.
Having heard nothing but "yes," Kushina's face lit up instantly, and she gripped Karin's hand even tighter.
"Just as I thought — my son has exactly his father's taste!"
"Both of you, in love with our red hair!"
Karin's head spun. What was even happening right now?
How had she suddenly, inexplicably, become Naruto's girlfriend?
"Oh! Oh, right!"
"There's a jade bracelet in the top drawer of my bedroom back home — go grab it whenever you get the chance!"
"Consider it a welcome gift, from me!"
Kushina held tight to Karin's hand, then suddenly paused, looking a little embarrassed.
"Oh, right — what's your name?"
"Karin. Uzumaki Karin."
Off to the side, Sakura, watching the mother-in-law-meets-future-daughter-in-law scene unfold, kindly supplied the answer.
"Karin!"
"What a lovely name!"
"When you two have kids someday, the boy's name will be Boruto, and the girl's will be Himawari!"
"I've already got it all figured out!"
?!?!
Sakura blinked, a little dazed.
So Boruto and Himawari's names came from Kushina, then?
"Naruto!"
"Did you hear that?!"
Kushina turned a fierce glare on Naruto, who looked equally baffled.
Karin... how did she become my girlfriend?
Naruto opened his mouth to correct the misunderstanding — but his eyes drifted, unbidden, down to Kushina's feet.
There, a faint glow had already begun to shimmer, her form starting to fade toward transparency.
Mom's running out of chakra...
She's about to go...
"Y-yeah, okay!"
"Boy's Boruto, girl's Himawari!"
Naruto nodded, and for some reason, that only made a wave of unnamed fury rise up in Karin's chest.
Damn blond idiot!
You didn't even confess to me properly!
And now you're just deciding I'm your girlfriend?!
"Well!"
"This visit really was a lot of fun!"
Kushina looked at the "gentle," "sweet" Karin before her, thoroughly satisfied.
Minato watched his wife with a faintly awkward expression.
But given this was Kushina's last stretch of remaining chakra, he decided not to say anything more.
Sorry, kids of Konoha...
Just bear with her a little longer...
"Well, then. Time to get down to business, I suppose."
Kushina's gaze shifted to the Nine-Tails in the distance, now pinned down under the combined pressure of the two Mangekyō and the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
By now, the Nine-Tails' eyes had already taken on the three-tomoe pattern.
He looked, for all the world, like a lamb waiting for slaughter.
"Sorry, Nine-Tails."
"Let me have this last bit of selfishness."
Kushina's eyes softened with something like guilt as she looked at the Nine-Tails.
She'd become his jinchūriki at six years old, and spent eighteen years living beside him, day and night.
She understood the Nine-Tails. And the Nine-Tails understood her.
At that moment, Kushina dissolved into countless points of golden light, settling onto Naruto's body—
And a golden chain shot out from Naruto's stomach!
Straight for the Nine-Tails!
This was — the Adamantine Sealing Chains!
Thanks to Karin's chains and the pressure of two Mangekyō Sharingan already holding him down, Kushina didn't need to burn extra chakra generating a fresh set of her own.
The chain aimed at the Nine-Tails sank directly into his body.
And at that instant, the Nine-Tails' eyes suddenly cleared.
He looked down at the golden chain buried in his chest and let out a furious roar:
"That's — Kushina's chakra!"
Just as the Nine-Tails registered his shock, a stream of deep blue chakra began flowing out of his body, along the chain, back toward Naruto.
Kushina had begun exerting force.
The tug-of-war against the Nine-Tails' chakra had begun!
"Damn it!"
"Kushina, you're haunting me even after death!"
The Nine-Tails raged, straining to stop the flow of chakra.
"Now, I suppose it's time for a father to give his son a little help too."
Watching this, Minato pressed his palm against the same chain, the one now piercing straight through the Nine-Tails' body.
His own form had visibly begun turning translucent.
He, too, had started lending his strength to the tug-of-war.
"Dad..."
Naruto looked at Minato — a father who might vanish at any moment — and felt his eyes grow damp despite himself.
"Do your best, all right?"
Suddenly, Naruto felt a hand settle on his shoulder.
Kushina's last reserve of strength.
"Idiot. Don't you dare let some overgrown animal outdo you."
Sasuke stepped up beside Naruto and grabbed hold of the chain at his stomach.
"Right!"
Naruto wiped at his eyes and grabbed the chain himself, ready to draw the Nine-Tails' chakra out.
"Moron."
Karin glanced at Naruto, seemingly by accident, and set her own hand on the chain as well.
"Count me in."
Hikaru glanced at Sasuke, then took hold of the chain too.
"Guess I'm not much use here, but I'll help where I can."
Yuki glanced at the pink-haired woman nearby and rested her hand on it as well.
"Don't let the Nine-Tails beat you, Naruto."
Sakura took hold of the chain at Naruto's stomach too.
"Everyone..."
Naruto looked at all of them, gathered around him, helping — and felt something rise up in his chest, his eyes hardening with resolve.
As long as everyone's together...
Even the Nine-Tails...
...isn't impossible to beat.
"Everyone's pulling together now, Nine-Tails."
Kushina's voice rang out once more inside the seal, and the Nine-Tails clenched his jaw, teeth grinding.
This many people, all ganging up on one beast!
Have you no shame at all?!
"ROOOOAR!"
The Nine-Tails let out a furious howl toward the sky.
But no matter how furious he got, no matter how loud he roared — in the end, it was all for nothing.
(End of chapter.)
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