Flowing Blade, Like Fire

Under the black night sky, an orange-red fox with nine tails rampaged, wantonly destroying everything in its path. Its savage roar could be heard for miles.

Countless ninjas who tried to stop it were struck by the Nine-Tails' sweeping tails and killed in a single blow.

Just then, countless golden chains emerged from somewhere and instantly bound the Nine-Tails, making it difficult for it to move.

A baby's cry rang out at that moment...

"I woke you up... I'm sorry... Naruto..."

Kushina spoke with difficulty, panting heavily. Bright-red blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Having just been separated from the Tailed Beast, she was already at the end of her strength.

"Kushina!"

Minato cried out in anguish. The Naruto in his arms began crying even louder.

"If I keep the Nine-Tails restrained like this... I will die too... That way... I can delay the time of the Nine-Tails' resurrection a little longer... Using my remaining Chakra to help you is the only way..."

After forcing out those words, Kushina revealed a relieved smile.

"Thank you... for everything you've done for me all this time..."

Naruto's cries softened somewhat, while the trapped Nine-Tails continued struggling, trying to break free of the chains.

"Kushina, you made me the Fourth Hokage, you made me your husband, and you made me this child's father. But I..."

Minato's heart was filled with guilt.

"Minato... don't make that face... I'm happy... I have your love... And besides... today is this child's birthday..."

Kushina looked at Naruto in Minato's arms, her eyes full of love and reluctance to part. Naruto seemed to sense something. Tears glimmered at the corners of his eyes as he revealed the first smile of his life.

"I only have... one last wish... I really want to see... Naruto after he grows up..."

Kushina wanted to reach out and touch Naruto, but her body was already utterly exhausted. She could not even manage such a small movement.

"I understand. I'll use your remaining Chakra to let you see Naruto. I'll seal all your remaining Chakra into Naruto and combine it with the Eight Trigrams Seal. As for the Nine-Tails, I'll deal with it. Since I'm not a Jinchuriki, I can only use the Reaper Death Seal."

Minato wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes and made his decision.

Kushina was stunned when she heard this.

"But... that sealing technique will cause the caster to..."

"And the Nine-Tails sealed inside me will only be half of it. I plan to seal the other half inside Naruto using the Eight Trigrams Seal."

Minato continued speaking as he placed the swaddled Naruto on the ground, then stood up.

After forming several hand seals, a terrifying white-haired figure in white robes appeared behind him.

"PRIVATE_PERSON is our child!"

Because she herself was a Jinchuriki, Kushina knew perfectly well what becoming one would entail. From the bottom of her heart, she did not want her child to bear the same fate as her.

"For the balance of the Tailed Beasts, for the country, and for the village, I have no choice but to do this. Abandoning the country and abandoning the village is just like abandoning a child. You, who witnessed your homeland's destruction, should understand this deeply. You know what kind of cruel life a person from a fallen nation is forced to live..."

Minato's gaze was resolute, without the slightest trace of hesitation.

The Shinigami behind him slowly bound his soul. Once it captured the soul of its next target as well, it would devour them together.

Just then, the Shinigami seemed to sense something and directly reached out to grab at the empty space before it.

Minato and Kushina both noticed the change and looked toward where the Shinigami's hand had extended, but from their perspective, there was nothing there.

"What... what's going on...?"

From another perspective, Ye Wuyue stared in terror at the Shinigami's hand, which was about to seize him.

"Damn system! Fuck your mother! What is this thing?"

He had originally been an utterly ordinary university student. Today, he had fallen asleep during a substitute lecture, only to be forcibly bound by some ridiculous system and immediately transported to the Naruto World.

He had even crossed over as a soul, without finding a host for it yet. And now he was already facing an enormous threat.

Ye Wuyue immediately recognized the scene before him. This was the Nine-Tails' rampage, and the Shinigami summoned by Minato had seen him and was trying to capture him.

"Having detected that the host is under threat, and given that this danger was caused by a system error, the host is hereby compensated with the Zanpakuto Flowing Blade, Like Fire, the Hollow Mask, and a Captain-level Spiritual Pressure Experience Card. Please check your compensation."

As soon as the system finished speaking, Ye Wuyue felt the compensation it had mentioned.

Damn! Is this really happening?

Ye Wuyue thrust out his right hand, and a long blade appeared in it. At the same time, he felt his soul instantly grow much stronger.

That was exactly what had happened. The moment he obtained the Zanpakuto, a short-haired youth wearing a black haori suddenly appeared in Minato and Kushina's field of vision. Although his body was still an apparition, it had reached the point where humans could see him.

At the same time, a fiery-red mask with a demonic face appeared in his left hand.

Ye Wuyue did not dare hesitate. He immediately drew Flowing Blade, Like Fire.

"Everything in creation, reduce it all to ashes—Flowing Blade, Like Fire!"

Following the Shikai release phrase he had seen before, blazing flames immediately spread outward from the Zanpakuto in his hand.

Ye Wuyue raised his blade and slashed at the Shinigami's arm. He felt his soul weaken slightly after delivering the strike.

Fortunately, the attack worked. One of the Shinigami's arms was severed by his blade.

Ye Wuyue's soul floated in the air, sword in hand, staring at the Shinigami before him as flames raged around him.

The Shinigami was completely dumbfounded by the attack. Every soul it had encountered before had been utterly helpless, but this one seemed different. It could sense the terrifying power emanating from the long blade in the man's hand—a power it could not withstand.

After weighing the situation for a second, the Shinigami suddenly threw Minato's soul down and fled. The pale-blue soul reentered Minato's body.

Ye Wuyue's heart surged with excitement. Although that strike had left him somewhat weakened, the exhilaration it brought was indescribable. He had fallen in love with the feeling.

"Crossing over into this world doesn't seem so bad after all. No, I should say it's absolutely fantastic!"

He had enjoyed watching Naruto before and yearned for the various abilities of the Naruto World, wanting to change some of its regrets. His earlier panic had only been caused by the sudden crisis. Now that the danger had passed, he immediately became excited.

On the ground, Minato stared at Ye Wuyue in midair and the vanished Shinigami, momentarily at a loss.

However, just then, a huge claw suddenly reached toward Naruto, who lay on the ground. Ye Wuyue reacted at once and raised his blade to block the attack.