I just arrived and I'm already going to the Little Black Room

Konoha Year 48.

"Damn you, Fourth Hokage!"

With a sharp roar, Anju witnessed a truly grim scene.

A massive fox with nine tails swaying behind it was bound by over a dozen chains glowing with golden light.

A fox head lay beneath Anju's feet, while he himself was being gripped by a tall, ethereal figure wearing a ghost mask, flying toward a man.

Clearly, Anju recognized the man beneath the tall phantom—the Death God.

Anju desperately wanted to scream!

No! Minato!

But just as he tried to shout, he realized he couldn't open his mouth.

His entire being had transformed into a fox form, hurtling straight into Minato Namikaze's stomach.

Then, Anju felt darkness; he had evidently been locked inside the Little Black Room.

It's over, it's all over! You didn't even give me a chance! Anju was paralyzed with dread. Thinking back on the Naruto series he had watched, he grew anxious. At this point in time, the Nine-Tails was supposed to attack Naruto and then kill Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze.

This could not happen, or else he would be forced to follow Minato to the Underworld.

At that moment, Anju sensed another consciousness.

Despite being in a sealed state, he could still feel the aura of another Chakra source that shared the same origin.

"Kurama! Don't!"

As the thought was projected, Kurama, who had just raised his giant claw, was stopped by the voice that suddenly appeared in his mind, causing the strike that should have landed to freeze in mid-air.

Seeing Kurama preparing to attack their child, Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze quickly shielded Naruto.

However, the claw that should have descended did not strike.

"Are you my other half?"

At this moment, Kurama hadn't yet figured out why his sealed other half had gained consciousness so quickly.

"Kurama, listen to me. I am you from the future. I know many things that happen later, so you must not attack those two humans."

"What do you want me to do?" Upon hearing Anju's words, Kurama didn't argue in the slightest, directly asking what Anju needed him to do.

After all, the situation couldn't get any worse than it already was; perhaps this future version of himself could actually help.

"Kushina cannot die. You must convince Minato Namikaze to seal me back into Kushina."

Kurama retorted bluntly, "I will not convince a human!"

He loathed the human species so much that he didn't even want to speak to them.

"Then repeat my words, Kurama!"

After hearing Anju's instruction, Kurama retracted his raised claw, and then, for every sentence Anju spoke, he repeated it.

"Minato!"

Below, seeing Kurama hold back, Minato, who had been preparing a Sealing Jutsu, paused.

"A Jinchuriki won't die if the Tailed Beast is sealed back into their body! Do you want Kushina to die? Hurry up and seal me back in!"

Kurama looked down at the Minato couple with a look of utter despair.

Although Kushina's condition was poor, it was primarily due to the loss of the Tailed Beast and the exhaustion following childbirth.

Now, hearing what the Nine-Tails said, she was filled with inexplicable joy.

What mother could refuse the temptation of accompanying her son as he grew up?

Kushina turned her glistening gaze back to Minato.

Minato was somewhat incredulous at this moment.

It was common knowledge that a Jinchuriki would die upon losing their Tailed Beast, yet now the beast was telling him that Kushina could be saved if it were simply sealed back inside her.

Was this even possible?

"If Konoha loses you as Hokage and also loses its Jinchuriki, do you want the village to fall into the flames of war once again? Think about it—why did Konoha win the Third Shinobi War? Without you and without a Jinchuriki, can Konoha still suppress the surrounding ninja villages?"

Kurama continued to repeat the words.

"That won't happen; Konoha still has the Third Hokage!"

"Without the new generation, Konoha will wither away. I am giving you a choice now: seal me back into Kushina. That way, she won't die, and a Konoha with a Jinchuriki will have the power to deter the surrounding villages."

After Kurama finished speaking, he realized something was wrong—why was his future self actively asking a human to seal him?

"Kushina doesn't have the strength to seal you again!" Minato refused flatly.

"Then seal my Yin-half and your Chakra into Kushina; that will also be enough to save her life." Once Kurama finished repeating these words, he realized Anju's plan and couldn't help but frown.

Minato also furrowed his brows, turning to look at Kushina. Seeing the spark of life and the tenderness toward Naruto in her eyes, his resolve softened.

Watching Naruto wailing on the altar, Minato felt a pang of hesitation.

Looking outside the barrier at the aging Third Hokage, he grew worried about the future of Konoha.

"Seal!"

Minato Namikaze finished speaking and gestured, executing the Sealing Jutsu he had already prepared—the technique to seal Kurama into Naruto.

Regardless of how glorious the Nine-Tails' words sounded, he had to resolve the threat of the beast first to prevent any further deception. As for Kushina Uzumaki, he would have to try to address the Nine-Tails' claims after the fact.

Kurama's massive body was quickly sealed into Naruto Uzumaki. At this moment, Minato Namikaze pushed his body to its limit once more, intending to seal a portion of his own Chakra along with the Yin Nine-Tails back into Kushina Uzumaki.

However, after the continuous battles, he had little Chakra left.

In the Sealing Space, Anju sensed Minato Namikaze's attempt to squeeze out his remaining Chakra and immediately shared his own, lest he be sent into the Shinigami's Stomach, which would be far more unpleasant.

With this surge of new energy, Minato Namikaze quickly performed the seal again, locking his own Chakra and the Yin Nine-Tails into the Sealing Space within her belly.

Kushina Uzumaki then used the Adamantine Sealing Chains to pull Minato Namikaze's Sealing Space directly into her own body.

After completing all of this, Kushina Uzumaki collapsed beside Naruto, completely drained.

As for Minato Namikaze, he sank weakly to his knees. After gripping Kushina Uzumaki's hand, the phantom of the Shinigami behind him pulled out Minato Namikaze's soul, swallowed it, and vanished.

Once the barrier dissipated, Hiruzen Sarutobi rushed in with the Anbu.

After a brief investigation, the Anbu reported back.

The Nine-Tails had been sealed into the infant, Kushina Uzumaki was unconscious, and Minato was dead.

This time, unlike the original history, Kushina Uzumaki had survived, and there was an additional infant Jinchuriki.

That night at the Hokage Building, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzō Shimura began preparing for the aftermath.

"Hiruzen! The top priority now is to elect a new Hokage to take charge of the situation and then rebuild the village!"

Danzō Shimura was the first to speak.

"That won't be necessary. These are extraordinary times; I will resume the position of Hokage. First, summon all the clan heads to the Hokage Building for a meeting to assess the losses."

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew exactly what his old comrade was aiming for, so he immediately cut him off and issued his orders.

Danzō looked as if he had swallowed something foul; he turned and left in a huff.

"Oh, and Danzō, handle the new zoning arrangements for the clan districts."

Naturally, he left the thankless tasks to his old friend.

After all, he was the greatest Third Hokage, the "strongest" Hokage!

With a dark expression, Danzō accepted the order and left.

At this moment, inside Kushina Uzumaki's Sealing Space.

Anju sat with Minato Namikaze, looking quite serious.

Kushina was currently in the hospital. The Sealing Space had originally belonged to Minato Namikaze, but since he was dead, Anju was now the master of the space.

To host the portion of Minato's Chakra that had been sealed alongside him, Anju used his Chakra to manifest a bright sky, a gentle breeze, an endless grassland, and a small, out-of-place pavilion.

He then shrank down into the form of a grayish orange fox.

Ever since arriving in this world of Naruto, Anju had been unable to return to his human form.

Minato Namikaze's Chakra was also seeing a grassland inside a Sealing Space for the first time, and he looked somewhat bewildered as he sat on a stone stool in the pavilion.

"Hello, Minato Namikaze." A grayish orange fox hopped onto the stone table, capturing Minato Namikaze's attention. "Nice to meet you. I am the Yin Nine-Tails. You can also call me Anju!"

"You are the Nine-Tails?" Minato Namikaze looked at the small Anju with vigilance, forming a Rasengan in his hand.

"Yes, but we are the same now—we've both been sealed, don't forget that."

Minato Namikaze then remembered that he had sealed the Yin Nine-Tails, and then Kushina had sealed his own Chakra along with the Yin Nine-Tails.

"That's right, I should be dead as well." Minato Namikaze let out a sigh of relief and dispersed the Rasengan in his hand.

"Correct, you are dead. But as long as I am here, you won't completely disappear," Anju said with a smug look.

"What are you planning to do?" Minato Namikaze looked at the grayish orange fox before him with curiosity; he couldn't quite grasp what Anju intended.

Were Tailed Beasts really this easy to talk to?

"I'm going to take you along to witness a miracle."

PS: This book focuses on logic. Kushina's personality is too blunt; she prefers to take action rather than talk. Her only weakness is Naruto, so in the early stages, she will be heavily suppressed by the Third Hokage due to her personality.

After the suppression of the Third Hokage is lifted, Kushina's behavior will change significantly, so please don't say the protagonist has changed her personality; it is simply the difference between being suppressed and being free.

In the later stages, as the prospect of Kushina succeeding as Hokage grows, she will begin to let go of her inhibitions. Please read carefully and with some thought.

Note: Minato Namikaze is a robot; only a dead Minato is a good Minato.