The world blurred.
Wind rushed past his face.
The ground beneath him disappeared into streaks of shadow and fire.
"…W-WOAH—!"
The child clung instinctively—
Except he didn't need to.
Because he wasn't running anymore.
He was being carried.
The shadow of the ANBU squad captain moved like a phantom, its form flickering across rooftops and broken terrain with unnatural speed and precision. Each step it took was silent, yet impossibly fast—far beyond anything a normal shinobi could achieve.
One moment they were on the ground—
The next, they were already several meters ahead.
Then higher.
Then closer.
"…This is cheating…"
The child muttered, gripping lightly onto the shadow's shoulder out of reflex, even though the hold was perfectly stable.
The battlefield drew nearer.
The pressure intensified.
The air itself felt heavier, suffocating, saturated with Kurama's overwhelming chakra.
But this time—
He didn't slow down.
Because the shadow didn't.
"…So this is what having a summon feels like…"
His eyes narrowed slightly, focusing ahead.
And then—
He saw it.
A barrier.
A massive, dome-like barrier glowing faintly in the distance, isolating a section of the battlefield from the rest of the chaos.
Inside—
Everything felt different.
More focused.
More intense.
"…That's…"
His breath caught.
At the center of it—
Two figures stood.
A man with blond hair.
A white cloak flowing behind him.
Calm.
Focused.
Unshaken.
And beside him—
A woman.
Long red hair flowing wildly, her chakra chains extending outward, binding—
Kurama.
"…Minato… and Kushina…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
This was it.
The moment.
The turning point of everything.
The shadow slowed slightly, stopping at the edge of the battlefield—just outside the main clash, hidden among broken structures and flickering darkness.
From here—
He could see everything.
Kurama roared violently, its massive form struggling against the glowing chakra chains restraining it.
Its tails lashed out wildly, cracking the ground, shattering whatever remained standing nearby.
Its eyes burned with rage.
With hatred.
With defiance.
And then—
It moved.
One claw lifted.
Slowly at first.
Then—
Violently.
It shot forward.
Straight toward—
A small figure behind them.
A baby.
"…Naruto…"
Time seemed to slow.
Kushina's eyes widened instantly.
"NO—!"
Her chains tightened, straining as she tried to hold Kurama back.
But it wasn't enough.
Minato moved.
Instantly.
He appeared in front of the claw, arms spreading slightly, ready to intercept.
But even he—
Couldn't fully stop that force.
The claw tore through the air.
Relentless.
Unstoppable.
"…Move…!"
The child's voice came out before he even realized it.
His body moved on instinct.
His mind reacted before logic could interfere.
"—SAVE HIM!"
The command echoed.
Sharp.
Absolute.
The shadow moved.
In a blur—
The ANBU captain vanished.
And reappeared—
Between the claw…
And the child.
The shadow raised its blade.
Darkness condensed around it.
CLANG—!!!
The impact shook the entire area.
The shadow was pushed back violently, its feet carving into the ground as it resisted the overwhelming force.
Cracks spread beneath it.
Its form flickered—
Unstable—
Strained—
"…It's not enough—!"
The child clenched his fists.
Minato's eyes widened for a fraction of a second.
He saw it.
The shadow.
The child.
The impossible interference.
But he didn't hesitate.
In the same instant—
He acted.
Minato shifted position slightly—
Just enough—
And the claw—
PIERCED THROUGH.
Silence.
For a moment—
Everything stopped.
The claw had been redirected.
Not completely stopped.
Not fully blocked.
But altered.
Minato stood there.
Back straight.
Unmoving.
Kushina—
Right behind him.
Both of them—
Impaled.
"…No…"
The child's voice broke.
Blood dripped.
Slowly.
Silently.
But their eyes—
Were calm.
Minato looked down slightly.
At the child behind them.
Naruto.
"…We did it…"
Kushina whispered, her voice weak but filled with relief.
The claw stopped.
Frozen in place.
Kurama's movement halted as the chains tightened once more.
And then—
Minato began forming hand signs.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Final.
"…This is…"
The child's eyes widened.
He recognized it instantly.
The sealing technique.
The one that would change everything.
"…Eight Trigrams Sealing Style…"
The air shifted.
Darkened.
A chilling presence descended.
Something unseen.
Something unnatural.
Something that didn't belong to the living world.
"…And…"
His breath hitched.
"…The Reaper Death Seal…"
Behind Minato—
A massive, ghostly figure began to form.
Distorted.
Terrifying.
Holding a blade that seemed to cut through existence itself.
The Shinigami.
The atmosphere dropped to absolute zero.
Not physically—
But spiritually.
Even the shadow beside him stilled.
For the first time—
It didn't move.
Didn't react.
As if even it…
Acknowledged that presence.
Minato didn't falter.
His expression remained calm.
Resolute.
A man who had already accepted his fate.
"…This is the end…"
The child whispered.
He watched.
Unable to look away.
Not as a participant.
Not as a hero.
But as a witness.
To the final moments—
Of a legend.
As the seal began to activate—
Light and darkness intertwined.
Chakra surged violently.
Reality itself seemed to bend.
And in that moment—
Standing there in the ruins of a burning village—
A three-year-old child watched history unfold before his very eyes.
The night continued.
But something—
Had already changed forever.
Light swallowed the battlefield.
Not gentle light.
Not warm light.
But something fierce—blinding—final.
The air twisted as the sealing reached its climax.
Chakra surged violently, spiraling outward in waves that distorted everything they touched. The very space around them trembled as if reality itself was being rewritten.
The towering form of Kurama roared—
But this time—
It wasn't rage.
It was resistance.
"…It's… happening…"
The child whispered, barely able to keep his footing as the pressure spiked to an unbearable level.
Behind Minato—
The spectral form of the Shinigami loomed, its blade drawn, its presence suffocating.
A force beyond life.
Beyond death.
And then—
It ended.
The roar cut off.
Abruptly.
Violently.
The massive chakra that once flooded the battlefield vanished in an instant, collapsing inward like a storm being forcibly sealed into a single point.
Silence.
Not complete.
But enough.
The pressure disappeared.
The suffocating weight lifted.
The world… breathed again.
The child staggered slightly, his knees nearly giving out as the sudden absence of that overwhelming force left him disoriented.
"…It's… gone…?"
Where Kurama once stood—
There was now only stillness.
Minato exhaled slowly.
A final breath.
Kushina's chains faded, dissolving into faint particles of light as her strength gave out.
Both of them—
Still standing.
But barely.
"…No…"
The child's voice trembled as reality settled in.
The price.
He ran.
"—WAIT!"
His legs moved on instinct again, unsteady but desperate, carrying him forward as fast as they could.
The shadow followed silently, never leaving his side.
He reached them.
Up close—
It was worse.
Their bodies were failing.
Their strength gone.
Their time—
Almost over.
"…Why…"
His voice cracked.
"…Why did you… have to…"
Kushina smiled softly.
Even now.
Even like this.
"…Because…"
Her voice was weak.
Fading.
Yet filled with warmth.
"…That's what parents do…"
Minato's gaze shifted.
Not to the battlefield.
Not to the destruction.
But to the child in front of him.
"…You came back…"
The child froze.
"…I…"
Before he could respond—
Kushina moved.
Slowly.
Painfully.
But with purpose.
In her arms—
Wrapped carefully—
Protected even through everything—
Naruto.
"…Take him…"
The child's eyes widened.
"…What…?"
Kushina gently extended her arms.
Her movements trembling.
Weak.
But unwavering.
"…Please…"
For a moment—
He didn't move.
Didn't react.
Because his mind couldn't process it.
They're giving him… to me…?
Minato stepped closer as well, supporting her movement.
"…There's no time…"
His voice was calm.
Even now.
"…Take him."
The child's hands lifted instinctively.
Slow.
Hesitant.
Shaking.
And then—
Naruto was placed into his arms.
Warm.
Small.
Alive.
"…!"
The weight—
It wasn't heavy.
Not physically.
But something inside him shifted.
"…He's…"
Naruto stirred slightly, letting out a soft cry.
Unaware.
Innocent.
"…So this is…"
The future.
Kushina's hand rested briefly over Naruto.
Then—
Lightly—
On the child's head.
"…Take care of him…"
Her voice was barely a whisper now.
Minato looked at him again.
Deeply.
Seriously.
"…Listen…"
The child's gaze snapped up.
"…You're not normal…"
The words hit again.
But this time—
He didn't deny them.
"…That power…"
Minato glanced at the shadow behind him.
"…It doesn't belong to this world…"
Silence.
"…But…"
A faint smile appeared.
"…That's exactly why…"
His eyes softened.
"…You can protect what others can't."
The child tightened his grip slightly around Naruto.
Careful.
Protective.
"…I don't even know if I can survive…"
Minato exhaled slowly.
"…Then survive."
Simple.
Direct.
"…And become strong enough… so you don't lose what you're holding now."
Behind them—
A presence arrived.
Hiruzen.
"…Minato…!"
He stepped forward—
Then stopped.
Because the shadow stood in his way.
Silent.
Still.
Guarding.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
Confusion flickering across his face.
"…What is that…?"
But he didn't interfere.
Not yet.
Because Minato spoke again.
"…Tell me…"
The child looked at him.
Still holding Naruto.
Still shaking slightly.
"…Your name…"
Time slowed once more.
His name.
His past.
His present.
His future.
Everything stood at that moment.
He looked down at Naruto.
Then back at Minato.
At Kushina.
At the burning remains of Konoha.
At the shadow behind him.
Then—
He opened his mouth.
"…My name is—"