Too Weak, Fourth Hokage!

"Reaper Death Seal?!"

Weak as she was, Kushina had watched Minato drive back the powerful enemy Obito Uchiha. Before she could even feel relieved, she heard the name "Reaper Death Seal" from Minato's mouth.

"You're going to use the Reaper Death Seal?"

Kushina did not listen to any of Minato's convoluted reasons. All she knew was that her husband intended to use that legendary Forbidden Jutsu, and her face instantly changed.

"Yes!"

Minato nodded, his expression resolute.

But Kushina grabbed Minato's arm again and again, shaking her head as tears streamed down her face.

"No, absolutely not!"

"Minato, there must be another way!"

"Use the Eight Trigrams Seal, please! I've already mastered the Adamantine Sealing Chains. With my strength, I can definitely suppress the Nine-Tails."

"You don't need to use the Reaper Death Seal at all!"

The Reaper Death Seal was a Sealing Jutsu passed down through generations of the Uzumaki Clan, as well as a powerful Forbidden Jutsu that required the user to offer up their life.

According to the records, the caster could make a deal with the Death God using their soul, trading their own soul for the enemy's imprisonment by the Death God. It was a ninjutsu that took both sides down together.

The Reaper Death Seal could seal not only the body and Chakra, but even the soul.

Though it came with tremendous risks, it also possessed terrifying power. That was precisely why this technique had been passed down to the present day.

After Minato and Kushina became husband and wife, Kushina had taught Minato every Sealing Jutsu she knew, including the Reaper Death Seal.

Minato knew that he lacked a truly overwhelming finishing move. A genius like him had naturally been planning for the future all along. He had imagined that one day, he would encounter a powerful enemy whom neither the Rasengan nor the Flying Thunder God Technique could defeat.

To give himself a move that could decide everything in one blow, Minato had chosen the Reaper Death Seal.

In his eyes, this very moment was the best time to use it.

"Kushina, calm down and listen to me."

"This isn't just about sealing the Tailed Beast. More importantly, it will give you and Naruto a chance to wield the Nine-Tails' power in the future!"

"Its power is too great. It would be far too difficult to master its full strength."

"But if the Tailed Beast's Chakra can be divided into two parts, not only will the seal require less strength, the Jinchuriki will also have a chance to master the Tailed Beast's power."

"A Jinchuriki who can make use of that power will surely surpass me in the future! They will become an important force in protecting the village."

"For you, for Naruto, for the village, everything I do will be worth it!"

In those few short minutes, Minato had clearly already made up his mind. Kushina's persuasion had no effect on him.

Minato might have been gentle as water, but once he made a decision, he would not easily change it.

Kushina's tears would not stop. She could see that Minato had made up his mind, and she knew she could not convince him to give up.

Just as Minato rose to his feet, preparing to act, Shinichi Hyuga suddenly shook his head and said mockingly, "How weak, Fourth Hokage!"

Shinichi was already within the Hyuga Clan's battle formation, not far away. Naturally, he had heard every word Minato and Kushina exchanged.

The moment he heard that Minato Namikaze intended to use the Reaper Death Seal on the Tailed Beast, Shinichi felt a headache coming on.

He had put in so much effort, provided so much information, and even followed the Hyuga Clan's ninja to the front lines of the battlefield. Was it all just to watch Minato Namikaze use the Reaper Death Seal and perish alongside the Tailed Beast?!

Ah, no, the Tailed Beast would not die. Minato was just throwing his life away unilaterally!

He had only known Minato for a short time, but he had never expected Minato Namikaze to be such a weak and impulsive person.

"Shinichi?"

"When have I ever been weak?"

Even Minato froze upon hearing Shinichi call him weak, stopping what he was doing.

After all these years... no one had ever described him with such a word, not even as he prepared to sacrifice his life to protect Konoha.

Minato was not arrogant, but neither did he think the word "weak" had anything to do with him.

"Abandoning your wife and child, caring only about dying yourself, unable to face a difficult future head-on—should that be praised as bravery?"

At this point, Shinichi could no longer care about politeness. If he did not curse Minato awake here, this idiot who would use the Flying Thunder God to block the Nine-Tails' claws would really do it.

"I'm doing this for..."

Minato opened his mouth to explain, but Shinichi cut him off directly.

"For what?!"

"Isn't it for yourself? You chose this method because it would make things easier for you, didn't you?"

"I've heard of the Forbidden Jutsu known as the Reaper Death Seal. The caster dies."

"But I don't think you're being brave."

"You don't trust Teacher Kushina's strength, and you don't trust your own strength."

"I know sealing a Tailed Beast is no easy task. But precisely because it is difficult, shouldn't everyone work together?"

"No seal can possibly be foolproof, but so what?"

"Just because it's difficult, do you choose the easier path from the very beginning?"

"And who's to say that easy path isn't a dead end?"

"Even if you succeed and split the Nine-Tails before sealing it, will that truly solve everything?"

"After you die, who will stop the Masked Man if he attacks Konoha again?"

"If the other Ninja Villages learn that the young Yellow Flash has died in battle, won't they start having ideas about Konoha?"

"Once you die, it will all be over for you. But how are the living supposed to ease the pain they must bear?"

"Fourth Hokage, you're not just weak—you're selfish!"

Shinichi was practically pointing at Minato Namikaze's nose as he cursed him out. He spoke so quickly that Hiashi did not even have time to stop his son from speaking so recklessly.

But upon thinking it over carefully, Hiashi felt that his son was right. In his view, things had not reached the point where they had to make a desperate last stand.

"Cloud Ninja's Sealing Jutsu is weaker than Konoha's."

"The Iron Wall Seal cannot compare to the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu at all."

"Their Eight-Tails Jinchuriki often had problems before this."

"But so what? Didn't they eventually cultivate a Perfect Jinchuriki?"

"If Cloud Ninja can do it, can't Konoha do it too?!"

By now, Shinichi no longer cared if he exposed more information. With his status as a member of the Hyuga Main Family, he could explain away many of his intelligence sources.

What mattered most was making Minato abandon the idea of using the Reaper Death Seal.

After Shinichi said so much, it was impossible for Minato to remain unmoved.

Though he was surprised by Shinichi's "vast knowledge," what truly struck Minato were the words about Obito possibly attacking Konoha again, and hostile Ninja Villages perhaps attacking Konoha after his death.

For someone like him, his family and village were what he cared about most.

In fact, Konoha's safety ranked even above his family and his own life.

Minato could not help lowering his head in thought.

His mind rapidly worked through the possibilities that might arise in the future.

"Minato!"

"Naruto cannot grow up without his father by his side."

"Let's get through this first. Afterward, we can ask Teacher Jiraiya and the Third Hokage to think of a solution with us, all right?"

"Don't worry. I will do everything I can to restrain the Nine-Tails. I absolutely won't let it have a chance to destroy the village!"

On the scales in Minato's heart, Kushina and Naruto were ultimately the heaviest weights.

Hearing his wife's tearful pleas, Minato's expression finally softened. He bent down and held Kushina in his arms.

"Kushina..."

"I'm sorry... this was my mistake. I made you and Naruto worry..."

"I trust you. I have always trusted you."

"Don't worry. I will stay with you and Naruto!"