"Four Symbols Seal, Release!"
As his hands finished forming the seals, Jokichi's hands were filled with chakra.
He nodded in satisfaction, reaching for the sealing paper on the door.
Both Naruto and the Nine-Tails stared at him without blinking. Watching that hand getting closer and closer to the sealing tag, their breathing involuntarily became heavier.
"Smack!"
His hand touched the talisman, and no resistance occurred.
"It seems to have been successfully executed."
Jokichi nodded in satisfaction, about to tear off the talisman.
Suddenly, a hand reached over from the side and grabbed his wrist.
Before Jokichi could react, his vision blurred, and he was teleported away from the prison door.
In the dim environment, an extra man appeared, wearing a white coat with flame patterns printed on the bottom edge.
He had dazzling blonde hair, a handsome face, and a faint smile hanging on his face, giving people the warmth of bathing in sunlight.
— The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
"Wh-wh-who are you!"
Naruto was startled by this suddenly appearing person.
"Naruto, I have a lot I want to tell you, but right now..."
Minato looked back at Naruto with a smile, then turned back to Jokichi, the expression on his face turning serious.
"Let's first resolve the matter here!"
"Oh, oh!"
Although he didn't know what the matter was, seeing this big brother's sunny smile, Naruto couldn't help but nod in agreement.
However, this person is so familiar!
"I haven't asked for your name yet!"
Minato looked at Jokichi, a smile appearing on his face.
"Let me introduce myself first. I am the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato."
"Eh, eh, eh, eh...!"
Naruto's astonished voice echoed in the dark sewer.
Large drops of sweat dripped from Minato and Jokichi's foreheads.
Did this guy not recognize him?
"Detestable Fourth Hokage!"
The Nine-Tails glared fiercely at the back standing in front of the cell.
Twelve years ago, it was this guy who split him into two and sealed them in Naruto and the Shinigami's bodies respectively.
Minato glanced back at it and said indifferently.
"Nine-Tails, I also have a lot I want to tell you, but I don't have the time right now."
"What's going on with the Fourth Hokage?"
Naruto jumped in front of the two, pointing at Minato and asking in astonishment.
"Why is the Fourth Hokage in my body?"
"Because, I was the one who sealed the Nine-Tails in your body!"
Minato turned to look at him, saying with a smile.
"This is just the chakra I left behind in your seal. It can only last for a while."
"You are—"
"I know you have a lot to say, and so do I. But this will cannot be maintained for too long."
Minato explained gently.
"Let me finish the proper business first, then I'll tell you slowly, alright?"
Looking at that familiar and friendly face, Naruto nodded hesitantly.
"...Mhm!"
Minato also nodded, looking back at Jokichi with a smile.
"What about you, the boy who uses Wood Release. What is your name?"
"My name is Sakakura Jokichi."
Jokichi said indifferently.
"Then Jokichi..."
Minato hesitated for a moment, saying.
"You should know that even if the Nine-Tails is willing to lend its chakra to Naruto, with his current abilities, it would be very difficult to control it, right!"
"Mhm!"
Jokichi nodded in admission.
"Then you..."
"It was just to draw you out."
"Hmm?"
Minato froze for a moment, then realized.
"You knew from the beginning that I left chakra in the seal?"
"You are the Fourth Hokage, after all!"
Jokichi said flatteringly.
"No matter how strong a seal is, it will loosen one day. I don't believe you didn't make preparations."
"I'm very happy to receive your praise, but using up the seal's failsafe for this kind of thing..."
Minato gave a bitter smile.
"Relax, if there are problems with the seal, I will fix them."
Minato glanced at the torii gates pressing down on the Nine-Tails, nodded in deep agreement, and then bowed deeply at 90 degrees to him.
"Then I'll leave Naruto to you."
"I am his friend!"
Jokichi said indifferently.
"To have a friend like you, he is truly lucky!"
Minato sighed with emotion. Then, his face turned serious, asking.
"Since you didn't hesitate to loosen the seal to draw me out, there must be a very important matter, right!"
"Mhm!"
Jokichi nodded, telling him one by one about Naruto's match against Gaara in a month, Gaara's situation, and Orochimaru's plan.
"I want to ask you to teach Naruto a sure-kill ninjutsu, otherwise, he won't be able to defeat Gaara."
Minato fell silent after listening.
After a good while, he finally sighed with emotion.
"No matter what era, this world is never peaceful!"
"I am already dead and can no longer do anything for Konoha. In the future, we will always have to rely on you young people to protect it."
Minato paused and said.
"You come along too, I will also teach you my unique technique."
Saying that, the surrounding environment changed, and everyone arrived at a vast plain.
Jokichi and Naruto curiously observed the environmental change.
Minato spoke up.
"I don't have much time, I can only teach you once. You don't necessarily have to understand it, but you must remember all the steps."
He extended his right hand, and chakra condensed and materialized on it, forming a ball spinning at high speed.
"Rasengan!"
Minato pushed the chakra ball in his hand toward a giant rock taller than a person nearby, instantly blasting it to pieces.
Naruto stared with wide eyes.
And Jokichi was lamenting that the Rasengan is only at its most powerful when it hits something other than a person.
Next, Minato explained the casting steps of the Rasengan to the two one by one.
Naruto listened to the latter part and forgot the former part.
Minato could only look helplessly at Jokichi.
"Rest assured, I have already memorized it and will teach Naruto properly," Jokichi patted his chest and promised.
In fact, he had already learned how to use the Rasengan from the Mobile Library long ago, he just hadn't used it all this time.
However, after today, he could use it openly and aboveboard.
"Thank you," Minato said with a smile.
"For Naruto to have a friend like you, it is truly his good fortune!"
"Same for me."
"I still have things I want to say to Naruto alone, so..."
"Understood."
Jokichi made an OK gesture, saying.
"However, I also have things I want to say to you alone. Can you come find me before you dissipate?"
"Alright."
As the words fell, Jokichi returned to the front of the Nine-Tails' prison door.
Looking at the Nine-Tails pressed firmly by the torii gates unable to move, Jokichi deactivated the sealing jutsu.
"You bastard."
Once free, the Nine-Tails immediately reached its claws out toward him, but was firmly blocked by the prison door in front.
Jokichi calmly sat cross-legged.
"Alright, stop fussing, what happened earlier was just to scare you!"
In fact, he had wanted to play good cop/bad cop with Naruto to foster the relationship between Naruto and the Nine-Tails.
Unfortunately, the current Naruto was still too young.
Without experiencing Pain's attack on Konoha, Naruto, who had never seriously considered the feelings of others, hadn't thought about the Nine-Tails' feelings at all.
Naturally, he didn't speak up for the Nine-Tails, making Jokichi's role as the good cop in vain.
"Detestable humans."
Seeing it couldn't do anything to him, the Nine-Tails had no choice but to give up.
But the look in its eyes was still full of hatred.
"Nine-Tails, ask you something. You know the Sage of Six Paths, right? Is he still alive?"