"Minato!"
Seeing Namikaze Minato appear by his side without notice, Aburame Shigeo's eyes flashed with surprise.
"You finally made it!"
"Sorry!"
Minato smiled bitterly.
"I ran into some trouble earlier. I'll explain everything later if I get the chance. For now, let me handle this beast."
With that, he placed his hand on the Nine-Tails and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Swish!"
Minato's figure vanished in an instant, taking the Nine-Tails—on the verge of completing its Tailed Beast Bomb—with him.
"Boom!"
The Great Toad Brothers fell to the ground, missing their target, and a huge cloud of dust rose.
A moment later, a bright white light illuminated a distant valley, followed by the deafening roar of an explosion.
"Over there?"
Shigeo's expression shifted. He dispelled the summoning technique for the Great Toad Brothers and transformed into a swarm of insects that scattered.
He used his Insect Body Flicker Technique once more.
When Sarutobi Hiruzen saw Shigeo disappear, he also used the Body Flicker Technique to head toward the explosion site.
When he arrived, he saw the Nine-Tails bound by golden chains and Minato forming seals.
"That seal... Could it be…?"
Hiruzen's face showed shock, quickly replaced by understanding.
"Ah… it's the Reaper Death Seal!"
He tried striking the barrier made of Adamantine Sealing Chains with his Enma Staff, only for it to be repelled.
At that moment, two other Leaf shinobi arrived.
After landing, they immediately turned to Hiruzen and asked, "Third Lord, what's the situation?"
Hiruzen struck the sturdy barrier again and clenched his fist in frustration.
"It's no use. To prevent the Nine-Tails from escaping, a barrier has been erected up ahead. We can't get in. They plan to handle the Nine-Tails on their own!"
While he spoke, inside the barrier, Minato had already used the Reaper Death Seal to extract half of the Nine-Tails' chakra and seal it within himself.
Watching this, Hiruzen's face filled with emotion.
"As I thought… the Reaper Death Seal. I can't believe he actually used it…"
One of the Leaf shinobi behind him asked in confusion, "But the Nine-Tails is still here. Wasn't it completely sealed? Although it does seem smaller."
Hiruzen remained silent, unsure himself.
Only when Minato summoned an altar for a sealing ritual and placed the newborn Naruto on it did Hiruzen understand.
"So that's it. Minato plans to make his own child a Jinchūriki to save the village."
"Yes, he hopes Naruto will become the village's hero."
Shigeo stepped out from the shadows, his face grim, staring at Hiruzen with unconcealed anger.
"Isn't the Third Lord hailed as the 'God of Shinobi' and the 'Professor of Ninjutsu'? How can you not even break a mere barrier technique?"
"…"
Hiruzen stayed silent.
Behind him, the two Leaf shinobi exploded in fury and berated Shigeo.
"How dare you!"
"Show respect to the Third Hokage!"
As the two prepared to act, Hiruzen raised his hand to stop them, then looked at the barrier before him.
"This is no 'mere barrier.' It's the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline limit, the Adamantine Sealing Chains. As long as the caster lives, this barrier cannot be broken… not even by the Nine-Tails!"
"Haah… haah…"
Shigeo took a deep breath, then bowed to Hiruzen.
"I apologize, Lord Third. I was out of line. I will take responsibility for my offense, no matter the punishment…"
"That's irrelevant!"
Hiruzen interrupted him sharply, then turned his gaze back to the Nine-Tails and Minato inside the barrier, his expression grave.
"Until the sealing of the Nine-Tails is complete, we cannot afford to relax. If anything happens to Minato, it will be up to us."
"They'll succeed!"
Shigeo also stared at the barrier, adjusting his sunglasses slightly.
"I trust Minato, just as everyone does. I also trust Naruto, just as Minato and Kushina believed in him. His achievements will surpass his father's."
"Naruto, huh?" Hiruzen squinted slightly. "That's a rather casual name. Kushina must have chosen it, right?"
"No, it was Jiraiya-sensei!"
Shigeo's lips curved into a faint smile, and his eyes softened.
"It comes from Sensei's first novel, *The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi*. Minato loved that story, so he borrowed the protagonist's name."
"Haha, I see!"
Hiruzen chuckled as well.
"If it's that Jiraiya, then it's no surprise he'd come up with such a name."
As he spoke, his gaze toward Shigeo grew kinder, tinged with both compassion and regret.
Jiraiya was his student, and Minato and Shigeo were Jiraiya's students, all part of his lineage.
From Shigeo's impressive performance in restraining the Nine-Tails, it was clear his abilities were exceptional. Unfortunately, his time in the village had been too short, and his contributions insufficient to build significant renown.
Otherwise, he would have been an excellent candidate for the Fifth Hokage, second only to Jiraiya.
Unaware of Hiruzen's thoughts, Shigeo kept his focus on the barrier.
What happened next proceeded as in the original story: the Nine-Tails seized an opportunity to attack Naruto, only for Minato and Kushina to sacrifice themselves to stop it.
In their final moments, Minato sealed the Nine-Tails' yang chakra, along with both his and Kushina's chakras, into Naruto. At the cost of his soul to the Reaper, he also sealed the yin chakra of the Nine-Tails.
With the Nine-Tails gone, the Adamantine Sealing Chains barrier vanished. Minato and Kushina passed away, leaving only a crying infant Naruto.
Shigeo was the first to step forward, picking up Naruto and holding him tightly before turning to Hiruzen.
"According to my agreement with Minato and Kushina, Naruto is my godson. I won't hand him over to anyone."
Hiruzen's expression darkened. "What if I refuse?"
"You'll agree."
Holding Naruto in one arm, Shigeo adjusted his sunglasses with the other.
"I only wish to protect Naruto in place of Minato and Kushina, not to oppose you. Besides, your Will of Fire needs to be passed on."
He glanced at the now-sleeping Naruto in his arms and murmured softly.
"Wherever leaves dance, fire burns. The shadow of the fire will shine on the village and cause new leaves to sprout."
Hiruzen was visibly moved.
"So that's your understanding of the Will of Fire? No wonder Minato trusted you so much!"
He looked deeply at Shigeo, then cast his gaze at Minato's lifeless body.
"Fine. If this is the Fourth's decision, I have no reason to object. Naruto is in your care. Teach him well."
"I won't disappoint you!"
Shigeo promised firmly.
*(End of Chapter)*