Chapter 17: The Child Who Will Never Celebrate Another Birthday
In the ninja world, those who dare to raise a blade against their teachers usually have a trump card up their sleeve, feeling like their power-up has come online... However, once a serious fight begins, if they don't use their power-up, they'll get a lesson from their teacher, and there's even a chance of a complete overturn.
Tonight's individual clearly brought shame to those who kill their teachers... He belonged to the category that needed re-education even with a power-up.
Moreover, there was a crow nearby, pitch-black from head to toe, including its heart.
That's just how it was... Nobody wanted this to happen... No matter what was said, one thing was unavoidable: without using Kamui, the Masked Man wouldn't last a second against Minato Namikaze.
One second, a kunai passed through the Masked Man's forehead as if through air...
One second, facing a ninja skilled in close combat, he could indeed only retreat into the Kamui dimension.
In the Kamui dimension, the expression under the mask gradually froze...
A gift package containing the true meaning of life awaited his unsealing...
Kitahara's shadow clone held a blackish-purple Tailed Beast Bomb in its beak, looking indifferently at the figure that suddenly appeared in the dimension. It knew its fate...
The Masked Man returned the same gaze, looking at the crow within the dimension... and the small Tailed Beast Bomb in the crow's beak! It seemed this was the culprit that detonated the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb...
The culprit was in his own Kamui dimension, holding a Tailed Beast Bomb in its mouth... This move was truly dirty...
The Masked Man remained silent. Given the chakra condensation level of that Tailed Beast Bomb, he probably wouldn't have time to say goodbye to this crow.
Boom!
The Kamui dimension exploded instantly!
"Koff... ah... ah..."
The pain in the roar was palpable even to the nearby Minato Namikaze... He speculated that something abnormal had occurred with his opponent's ocular jutsu.
The mysterious man's mask had long since vanished, his face contorted in agony, blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth... Even though the White Zetsu on his body had shielded him from direct damage, the impact force from the Tailed Beast Bomb's explosion still inflicted heavy trauma...
His clothes were reduced to tatters, the White Zetsu around him shattered into pieces, and even his own body was covered in wounds. One might wonder how many bones were left unbroken...
If not for the immense life force from the First Hokage's cells on his body, that grave in the Konoha Memorial Stone, the one for the "un-departed," could have been used now.
The face revealed after the mask shattered made Minato Namikaze halt the kunai in his hand...
"...You are... Obito?"
Minato Namikaze looked in disbelief at the person lying on the ground. He recognized his student at a glance. The blood on Obito's face flowed down from his forehead, right down the middle of his face.
His face seemed split in two: one half was still relatively intact, vaguely showing his youthful appearance; the other half was horribly wrinkled...
It was a scar left from that war...
The Third Shinobi World War... the Battle of Kannabi Bridge... The Yellow Flash, who became famous in one battle, lost his student, Uchiha Obito...
But now he was right in front of him... albeit, as a mortal enemy...
Minato understood that kid's temperament well enough. He asked, partly questioning, partly certain, "Because of... Rin? Right?"
Obito's hateful gaze fell upon Minato Namikaze. If he had the upper hand, he would definitely have spewed some insults... The problem was, his body was practically on the verge of death...
"Kam...ui!"
Uchiha Obito, gritting his teeth, activated his ocular jutsu...
Not daring to utter another half-sentence, he could only escape the scene using the Kamui dimension. After just a few rounds of fighting with Minato Namikaze, he had been viciously outplayed by an observing crow...
Besides, it wasn't like he was returning home in glory; what was there to reminisce about!
"...Roar!"
After Obito left, the Nine-Tails was freed from control, its rampage becoming even more ferocious. The screams from the village made the shocked expression on Minato Namikaze's face instantly fade...
As Hokage, he had more important things to do.
Kitahara watched Uchiha Obito disappear. The result of that one Tailed Beast Bomb seemed pretty good. Facing Obito, it had chosen to borrow Kakashi and Naruto's tactic... dispatching a shadow clone carrying a Tailed Beast Bomb to sneak into the Kamui dimension.
The memory transmitted after the shadow clone dispersed was of the crumbling White Zetsu and Uchiha Obito's despairing face. Although it wasn't sure about the power of the Tailed Beast Bomb condensed from its own chakra... it looked pretty good.
Kitahara flapped its wings in satisfaction... After tonight, it was no longer an ordinary crow. Flying Thunder God Technique plus Tailed Beast Bomb... In the future, it would definitely not tolerate Sasuke spitting at it anymore!
Within Konoha Village.
Due to Obito's departure, the Nine-Tails was fighting almost purely on instinct driven by anger... After so many years, it was controlled by the Mangekyo again!
...This matter... was truly shameful...
Anger caused its combat intelligence to drop by more than one level... Even escape... How could the Nine-Tails escape? It was the strongest existence in the world!
The strongest Tailed Beast's chakra was so vast, even for the Uzumaki clan, which had the most chakra in the ninja world... That clan hadn't been wiped out yet!
A head of vibrant red hair was somewhat dazzling under the moonlight... This woman was actually still alive!
Uchiha Obito, taking advantage of Kushina Uzumaki's weakness during childbirth, had undone the seal and released the Nine-Tails... A Jinchuriki, once the Tailed Beast is removed from their body, will inevitably die. The life force from the Uzumaki clan allowed Kushina to barely hold on for a while.
However, no matter how strong the Uzumaki clan's life force was, it couldn't possibly last this long, especially since she had just given birth to her son...
"Sealing Jutsu: Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Kushina Uzumaki clutched her wound tightly, half-kneeling on the ground. Eight massive chakra chains extended from her back, binding the Nine-Tails in place.
The Nine-Tails utterly detested this woman... detested everything about her!
As a Jinchuriki... getting married... having children... not missing out on anything! Did she ever consider the Tailed Beast's feelings when doing these things!
The Nine-Tails clenched its teeth, struggling against the chains' binding, "...Kushina Uzumaki... you bastard... die!"
"Kushina!" Minato Namikaze arrived via the Flying Thunder God Technique, quickly supporting his weakened wife, "You should have waited for me..."
"Minato... Shhh..." Kushina was supporting herself almost entirely through willpower, her voice becoming faint, "I am the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... and also your wife... Konoha is where I grew up..."
Even with only a breath remaining, she felt she should be here... It was just that after using the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Kushina was on the verge of death...
Flying Thunder God Technique!
Still possessing a considerable amount of chakra, Minato Namikaze held his wife tightly and disappeared from the spot. Vanishing with them was the Nine-Tails... Konoha was safe.
Kitahara continued to follow Minato Namikaze's trail.
Only it knew... the Fourth Hokage's story... was still continuing...
On the mountaintop, the crow's crimson eyes watched below. Everything before it rendered it powerless; it could only see them off... The rest was family matters.
The newborn infant lay on the bed. The Nine-Tails was trapped by Kushina's remaining chakra... She could only watch helplessly as her husband calmly formed hand seals...
The ultimate forbidden technique from the Uzumaki clan – Reaper Death Seal!
Exchanging one's own soul for the power of sealing from the Shinigami... The Nine-Tails' chakra was too immense for their child to bear... Half of it had to be sealed separately.
"I don't love the village as much as I thought, nor the honor of being Hokage as much as I thought... It feels like I've done enough for the village. Actually, I love you more than I imagined..."
Taking one last look at the infant on the bed, Minato Namikaze added, "I love you both more..."
Reaper Death Seal!
The towering spectral image of the Shinigami appeared within the barrier behind the mountain!
"Caw... Ah!"
Everything was over...
The crow watched from afar as the infant on the bed cried ceaselessly, a small amount of red Nine-Tails chakra remaining on his navel... The two bodies of the couple, gradually growing cold... accompanied him.
Perhaps... this child would maybe never celebrate a birthday in his life.
(End of this chapter)