After Minato disappeared with in a yellow flash, Kushina did her best to slowdown the loss of her vitality because of the Tailed Beast being forcibly extracted from her body.
Normally, a Jinchūriki would die almost instantly after such an event but she was special.
First of all, the Nine Tails' chakra wasn't same as other Biju's chakra, being on a completely different category. Not only was it overwhelming in quantity, it possessed a vast amount of burning vitality. Even after being extracted from her body, its energy lingered in every cell inside her body, like embers, refusing to go out.
This chakra was so potent, that if poured into a dried tree, it could make it bloom and bear fruits again.
And Kushina, being an Uzumaki with the highest bloodline materialization in her entire generation, had an extraordinarily resilient body.
So her life didn't bleed away like air from a burst balloon as it should. Instead, it escaped slowly, like a balloon with pinholes.
Without the beast sealed inside her, she couldn't stop the process entirely, but she could at least slow it down.
Tremors continued to shake the ground. The ceiling above quaking with aftershocks. Dust trickled down, making it harder to breathe.
Kushina was worried about Minato, but she stayed calm. Her babies, however were different. Naruto whimpered softly, clutching Menma's little hand, while Menma was smacking his lips, probably hungry.
If she weren't in such a condition, she would have tried to breastfeed them. Maybe they would calm down. But she couldn't, not while death loomed so close to their family.
Still, full of a motherly love, she gently stroked her two newborns, undisturbed by their wrinkled skin.
Naruto had soft, pale yellow hair and a spotless, cherubic face that made anyone want to nibble his cheek.
Menma, on the other hand, had vibrant red hair like a newly lit flame. On each cheek were three fine whisker-like lines lanugo, that made him resemble a tiny kitten. She wondered if those markings would stay as he grew. Maybe they would give him an unseen charm, making every girl like him more.
Her senses told her that both children had awakened chakra, indicating a high degree of Uzumaki bloodline activation.
But Menma's chakra... it was at least three times stronger and more violente than Naruto's. Even more alarming, it radiated a rare, intense vitality, a trait scarcely seen in her clan.
It reminded her of a forbidden secret: a body like Kaguya's, capable of healing others with its own life force. Such a person was considered priceless even within the clan, even though it was called a cursed body.
If others found out about such secret, it would mean certain death or annihilation of the entire clan. Not that there was any left. She silently prayed Menma didn't had that body.
As she tried harder to stabilize herself, she realized something else. The residual Nine Tails chakra was more effective at preserving her life than her own yang chakra. She had isolated a small portion of it before to gave her the ability to enter the nine tails chakra mode. Now, after the seal is broken, those chakras were slowly flowing inside her vessel. If she wasn't focused, she wouldn't even notice them. Seeing the effects, she allowed small amount of chakra to flow through her body, enough to materialize a single tail.
The result was incredible. It didn't just slow her declining vitality, it started repairing her broken body. In moments, she had enough strength to stand up without a need for a support. An impossible feat for someone who had just delivered twins. Hope flared inside her.
As she drew in more and more of the Nine Tails' chakra, nearing the two tailed chakra mode, Menma suddenly grabbed her finger with his tiny hand.
Scared, she looked down, hoping that he would not be burned by the nine tails chakra but what she saw made her gasp in shock.
Another thin layer of Nine Tails' chakra now cloaked Menma's tiny body too, as if he was also in nine tails chakra mode.
It should have been burning him. That kind of chakra would melt any normal infant's skin. But Menma looked... comfortable. Blissful, even. Like he was enjoying a rare treat.
She examined him quickly, looking up and down, not even bothered to take care of her own body. But she found that Menma's body was slowly absorbing the chakra and feeding it to his calls, and then increasing his own chakra. It was as if he was eating the chakra. Not to mention that even a tiny bit of it didn't move to Naruto, who was still holding Menma's hand...
She looked at the little kitten-like face, those three delicate lines on his cheeks. She had a wild guess what was going on, but it reminded to be tested.
If she guess right, because Nine Tails who was sealed near her lower abdomen, close to her womb have been leaking his chakra. It was inevitable that the chakra then, had leaked into the womb, bathing the fetus in itself for months. Menma had essentially grown inside that chakra. No wonder he was fine and was shield from being noticed by medical ninjas.
But how did he pulled the chakra out of her control like that? Even if the chakra was outside her body, she still had full control over it, so it wouldn't hurt the babies.
It was like someone had stolen a ring off her finger without her being able to do a thing about it...
As she pondered this, a flash of light, signaling Minato's sudden return, appeared next to them. He stood next to her in an instant, scooping her and the twins into his arms and teleporting them again without a single delay.
Just as they landed outside, a thunderous boom erupted behind them, followed by a crushing shockwave.
"Ahh!"
"Waaah! Waaah!"
Kushina gasped in pain, and the startled twins burst into tears...
She tried to calm them while looking at Minato. He was covered in dust but didn't appear to have any visible wounds. However, he was panting hard, clearly exhausted and didn't seemed to have much chakra left.
"Sorry… Kushina. I had to bring him here to seal it… I'll just arrange a barrier… In a while… I'll deal with him… one way or another… Then, I'll do what I should… you are what I must protect…"
He lowered his head while panting, looking at Naruto in his embareas. Pulling him to his chest, he continued, still panting:
"…many Precious… things… I have to keep them all saf … I have sworn… I'm not going to give up."
His speech was broken from fatigue and panting. Kushina could see he was doing his best. She couldn't bear to see him, her most beloved, like this.
Determined to help, she handed Menma, whom she had been holding while receding the nine tails chakra from his body, to Minato, speaking softly, full of care.
"Minato, wait… you know… I can also do what I should. You know, I'm the princess of the Uzumaki clan. This is nothing for me!"
She formed a hand seal, gathering her own chakra, mixed with nine tails' and in the next moment, massive chakra chains erupted from her back, drilling into the ground then bursting out like flower roots, completely binding the confused Nine Tails, who had just stood up and was trying to get up after enduring the explosion blast with his face.
"…To hell with your family, Kushina…!" Kurama muttered bitterly.
"Huff… Huff… Huff…"
Minato quickly rushed to Kushina's side who had almost emptied eighty percent of her chakra, bounding Kurama so tightly that he wasn't even able to open his mouth to shout!
"Kushina!! Don't push yourself!"
"Huff… Don't worry about me. I've recovered a lot… Huff… Just arrange the sealing ritual… After all… You promised me."
Minato was surprised at how well she seemed to be. He knew what would happen when a Jinchūriki lose his or her Biju.
But here, Kushina was, fine and stable.
Touching her hand and checking her pulse and body, he was shocked at how much she had recovered in such a short period. He was genuinely happy. After so many things, this was one that gave him the hope to keep on. But he found something else too.
Kushina's body couldn't contain the Nine Tails' entire chakra anymore, not with how badly her body and spirit were damaged.
Even if he forcibly sealed the entire beast back into her and guarded the seal, it wouldn't work. She would die along with the Nine Tails.
There was no solution unless the Nine Tails lost at least half its chakra, but that was impossible.
Unless he could cut it in half in one single move, otherwise, its recovery speed exceeded all consumption and would be back together.
Only a Tailed Beast Bomb, pressed to be as thin as a paper could do so.
No other option would be able to cut its chakra to two parts.
But, an absurd idea struck him.
He considered the feasibility, and realized it was possible and it might actually work wonders, solving the problem for once and all, even for the next generations of Konoha.
But the cost…
Thinking of how it could strengthen the village, save his wife, and protect his children, he made his decision, as a Hokage, a husband, and a father.
He retracted his hand, considered his words carefully, and said:
"Kushina, your body can't contain Nine Tails as whole in its current state."
Hearing this, Kushina was stocked for a moment. It took her a while to understand what Minato was saying, and then she looked at her two children in Minato's arms with deep sadness.
A tear slowly slipped from the corner of her eye. She wanted more. She wished for a better life with her family. She hoped for it. But reality was hard. Seeing Kushina so emotionally unstable, he wanted to continue, but Kushina didn't give him time.
"Then, I'll take Nine Tails with me to death!! This way, the interval would be delayed until he is revived again!"
Seeing his wife being so decisive, he immediately jumped to stop her from doing anything extreme!
"There is no need for you to die! Kushina... you are the one who gave me the strength to become the Fourth Hokage, allowed me to become a father... And the person who turned me to a man!"
" I could see our family's bright future. A happy family of four! But my wishes... they can't become truth..."
" Kushina, you shouldn't be the one to die. I'll be the one!! I want you to watch them grow up in my place. I want you to teach them how to be an excellent man, just like how you showed me to be. And... and if... you could.... Please tell them how their father was when he was alive."
After saying those words, Minato stood up, handing Naruto to Kushina and walked to the flat ground on the side, while holding Menma, leaving the confused Kushina there, to summon two ritual altars.
"Wait!! Didn't you say I can't keep the Nine Tails? Then, why are you the one to die?! Minato! What are you going to do?? Explain to me! Beside.... How can I live alone in this world without you?! Minato, answer me! Don't do anything stupid! I beg you! Please!"
Minato summoned two altars and made the preparations for the sealing ceremony as fast as he could, not answering Kushina, who was keeping Nine Tails captive and was staring at him.
After finishing everything, he walked to the smaller altar and stood in front of it, looking at the stronger twin, Menma, hesitating. Finally, he made a decision and placed his red-haired child, already resembling Kushina, inside of it.
Then he walked to his wife, kneeled beside her, holding her shoulder, and slowly, despite the chains hanging behind her, moved her to the bigger and closer altar.
Kushina kept glazing at him, at two alters and Menma, lying confused and bare on another alter, seeking answers but still followed his guidance, moving to the center of the altar.
In fact, she had already guessed what he wanted to do, especially after eeing his actions. But she couldn't figure out how he was going to do it, nor why he had to die.
After finishing everything, Minato finally talked.
"There is no need for you to die. I'm going to seal the half of Nine Tails inside Menma, and the other half, inside you. Dividing him in half will solve the problem and will make it easier to control the Nine Tails in the future."
" It is the best outcome for us, the village, and our family's future. I won't be there with you, but you will have what remains of me by your side. And not just one, but two."
Saying that, Minato stood up, grabbed Naruto from her arms and smiled at her, while looking at the twins.
" They will give you all the love I couldn't, and keep your heart full of love by loving you unconditionally, never letting the helix to become a spiral again."
Those words, touched Kushina's heart so deeply that tears kept dropping nonstop just like a waterfall.
"I'll also leave part of my chakra, as a part of the Eight Signed Seal, inside you and Menma, always watching over Menma and you, so you won't be hurt either. As for why I won't be with you... Reaper Death Seal!!"
Hearing the name of the jutsu, everything started to connect.
"But Minato!!!"
She understood the price of it and it's effect, as that was the jutsu she had reached him personally.
"Kushina, remember the world upheaval and calamities that teacher Jiraiya said. Today, I became convinced of two things: the masked man who attacked you today, he will bring catastrophe to the world as I can feel he has already fled the village prison. Even though earlier, I sealed his chakra, he has scaped the village, and these children, Menma and Naruto, will be the ones stoping him at that time!"
Turning to Menma, Minato extended his hand to him and touched the child's face lightly.
" I have this feeling that, if it wasn't for his existence, perhaps everything would be different. He will open up the future as a Jinchuriki. I don't know how, but I'm sure of it. Especially since you will be guiding him. He won't be consumed by the hatred of the Nine Tails, not for a second and will wash the darkness from this world."
Retracting his hand, Minato grabbed the blanket thrown at the side and placed Naruto on the ground at the side, now warped in Menma's blanket, sleeping tiredly.
"Also, if Nine Tails dies, the balance will be broken and war will be inevitable. Flames will burn this whole ridden village and this country again. And I'm afraid Konoha, won't be able to hold on this time."
"But... Minato....."
Minato stepped a little to the side and summoned another toad, which had a long scroll in the middle of its body.
He took and raised Naruto handing him carefully to him and then stood behind Menma, facing the Nine Tails.
At this moment, Menma was awake and babbling something softly, making him look very cute.
"Let's believe in him.... After all... he is our son..."
Kushina broke down when she heard those words!
"It's because he is our son... that I don't want him to bear... such... heavy burden...!! And why Reaper Death Seal?! I want you to stay with them and watch over their development! Why... why does Menma have to be sacrificed for the balance of the tailed beasts?! For the peace of this country and this village?! And why do you have to sacrifice yourself for my sake?! Sniff... Huff..."
Minato smiled at Kushina with love and sadness, trying to explain to her.
"Forsake one's country, one's village... it's the same as forsaking one's children! You are an Uzumaki, you should know too well how harsh life is to those who have no land to call home! Besides... our family is a ninja family! Death and sacrifice is part of it! Finally, if I were to live, I'd lose out to you!"
Kushina couldn't hold on anymore, so she fell down inside the alter and started to cry hard. Minato, understanding her pain, couldn't help but tear up as well.
"There are only things you can tell them that I can't tell. That's a mother's role. You'll also be able to fill my role in their growth. So I'm not doing it just for the sake of the village or you. I'm doing it for their sake too! I'll die for my children. This is my duty as their father!"
Saying these, Minato made many hand seals with determination and hope...
Moments later a ghostly figure appeared behind him. He looked down upon his newborn child, a tear sliding down his face, and then looked up to the furious Nine Tails.
"Humph. Seal!!!"
The reaper raised its hand and thrust it through Minato's chest toward the sky. It flew high and then entered Nine Tails' head, grabbing something from inside. The moment it grabbed Nine Tails, he sensed something and looked at Minato and the familiar and unfamiliar ghostly figure behind him. Trying to remember, he thought of old and painful memories he had with the Uzumaki clan and was horrified.
"What!! ... Don't tell me you...!!"
"Seal!!"
Just as Minato shouted, the hand pulled out hard, grabbing a massive amount of dark and heavy chakra.
At first, it was like a miniature Nine Tails, but as it pulled more, it became a big ball of highly compressed chakra. Just as Nine Tails reduced to half of his normal size, the chakra stopped separating and then flowed toward Minato.
Minato once more made another series of hand seals, at a very fast speed. Just as the ball of chakra was about to enter his body, he slapped it downward to the sealing altar in front of him and the chakra followed his command.
The moment it entered the center of alter, the chakra was absorbed very fast and entered inside Menma, settling in the Eight Signed Seal that appeared on his stomach.
Menma, being pushed to his limits, grunted in pain but calmed down soon, falling asleep neverthelessly fast.
The reaper, that had lost its prey, seemed enraged and tried to grab the chakra back, but Minato's earlier seals came handy at this moment.
No matter how hard the reaper tried, it couldn't touch the altar. Finally, after the sealing ceremony finished, it calmed down and slowly retracted its hand back, waiting patiently to eat Minato's soul.
"Ugh... finally done."
Kurama, now smaller and weaker, tried to attack. But the chains bonding him tightened again, making him unable to move at all. Enraged, full of hatred, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"You.... What have you done!... Minato... I'll rip you Fourth Hokage!!!"
Minato looked at the smaller Nine Tails and checked his own chakra, not forgetting to look at Menma's seal to find any problems. After seeing everything was fine, he weakly and slowly walked to Kushina's side, kneeling beside her, just like at the wedding they had but this time not for union, but for separation.
Kushina couldn't bear it any longer. She hugged him tightly, crying bitter tears one after another, shaking nonstop.
"Minato... Huff.... Why does this have to happen... to us... why..."
Minato, tired and worn, hugged her back, comforting her at the little time they had.
"It's alright, Kushina! I'm sorry! I couldn't protect you well... I'm afraid, you have to walk the rest of the road with our children, alone. I'll wait for you, but please, don't rush to me, like you always do.... Now, let's begin!"
Seeing that Minato was standing up, Kushina grabbed him hard, struggling for one last time, wanting him to stay with her for even just a moment longer.
"You know.... Minato.... This is the.... first time.... I lost an argument.... with you.... But it doesn't prove.... That you are right! Fine.... you better wait for me.... don't rush for incarnation! Not that you can! Before I leave, I'll break the reaper's seal and we will be united one more time. I promise you, so you wait for me... Promise me you would wait..."
Minato leaned down and kissed her head for one last time.
"Hmm. I promise....!"
Making a few more hand seals and injecting what remained of his chakra along with it, Minato pulled kurama's remaining chakra and sealed the half of Nine Tails inside Kushina.
"Nooo...!!! Not again...!!"
Kurama, being sealed again, screamed in agony one last time...
Kushina's chakra chains lost their target and slowly disappeared. Kushina, who had endured so much pain, physical and psychology, finally lost her consciousness, leaning to the side.
Minato grabbed her weakly and walked staggeringly, not paying attention to the reaper, who was raising the blade in his mouth to kill him, taking Kushina to Menma's side.
Putting her down, he called the toad holding Naruto to his side, taking Naruto from him and placing him next his two family members.
Not bothering to take his eyes of them, Minato said to the toad, standing at the side.
"I'll give you the key to the both seals. After this, rush to Master Jiraiya's side and have him take you in. Be careful and don't mention what happened to anyone else, Gamataba."
Biting his finger, he pressed a bloody mark at the scroll, which, turned to vast numbers of seals, making the keys. Receiving the keys, Gamataba gathered the scroll and looked at Minato's back.
"I'm off then, Minato. And.... goodbye, it was nice to know you."
Puff.
Just as Minato was ready to lie down by his family's side at his last moments, the Third Hokage came, shouting his name.
"Minato!!!"
Minato raised his eyes weakly, obviously at his limits.
"Lord Third! I'm sorry, I couldn't protect the village as I should have."
Third hokage grabbing Minato, looking at him and his family.
"No Minato. You have done more than enough!"
Minato smiled relived weakly and slowly closed his eyes, using his last bit of energy to warn the third hokage.
"Then I'm relieved! Lord Third, the person behind this was a masked man. Probably from the Uchiha clan, but he isn't a member of the village. I think he is a successor of... cough... Uchiha Madara!"
Hearing the name, third hokage was shocked.
"What!! How is that possible!!"
Minato didn't bother to explain.
"I'm not sure, but he will definitely do something bad and destroy the very foundation of society!"
"I have left a few notes on his intelligence in the hideout beneath the Hokage office. Also, I'll leave Kushina, Menma, and Naruto to you. Please take care of them and guide them."
Looking at Kushina, third hokage noticed her weak breathing.
"Wait! How is Kushina still alive?"
"About that... I have divided Nine Tails into two beasts."
"What?!"
Minato lay down, not having the energy to explain, and grabbed Kushina's hand, injecting the very last bit of chakra he had, inside her, embarrassing the death.
"Well, things happen, you know. Finally, the village is back in your hands! Tell my regards to Master Jiraiya. Oh, and their names are Naruto and Menma, our children!"
After saying those words, Minato's soul was taken away by the reaper and his lifeless body lay next to his family for last time.
The Third Hokage moved forward and checked him, but found his body was lifeless.
Letting his body lay next to his family, he checked Kushina and the children.
He was quite surprised to see two children, which should have been one, but that was fine.
The child with red hair, who was called Menma and was the Jinchuriki, along with the other one, Naruto, were fine.
In return, Kushina wasn't in a good condition. The seal was stable but her pulse and life signals were weak. Knowing that she was in danger, he ordered his men to take her and the children to the hospital, to be taken care of, unaware of the greedy eyes looking at the family.
He stood at the devastated battlefield of love and hate, looking at the night sky, deep in thoughts, worried about the unknown enemies in the future.