By the Naka River.
"Naruto, remember that Mommy will always love you."
After whispering those words, Namikaze Minato turned to face the fox behind him. His eyes held nothing but resolve.
"Nine-Tails—Reaper Death Seal!"
He was determined to leave a safeguard for his child.
"You're sealing me again?!"
But Kurama was furious! Absolutely furious!
Decades ago, that man had sealed him away with one hand, claiming his power was too great!
Later, before he'd even done anything, he'd been sealed inside a red-haired woman.
Now, he'd finally managed to escape, and they wanted to shove him right back in?
Then what was the point of all this chaos?
His temper flared.
His nine crimson tails began lashing about wildly.
He vented his fury.
Boom!
Rumble!
The ground suddenly split apart, and eerie, fiery-red Chakra shot in every direction like flames!
The giant fox's tails came crashing down without warning.
But as soon as the phantom figure with a blade clenched between his teeth appeared, all the chaos was cleaved in two.
The Nine-Tails struggled desperately, but could only be torn apart against his will.
Half of him entered the young Naruto's body.
When the battle ended, Namikaze Minato and Kushina collapsed on either side.
Between them, their hands cradled a naked, blond-haired infant.
Three faint whisker-like marks could be seen on either side of his face.
Looking at his child, Minato finally smiled.
It was a smile filled with joy, relief, hope, regret, and heartache.
Summoning the last of his strength, he leaned close to the baby's ear and whispered, "Actually... Daddy... loves you very much too, Naruto."
"With the Nine-Tails inside Naruto, even without his mom and dad to protect him, the villagers won't dare cause trouble, will they?"
"And with the Third Hokage, Lord Jiraiya, and that kid from the Hatake family, they should be able to protect you."
"Naruto, please don't blame your mom and dad..."
Beneath the burning clouds of Chakra, the Four Red Yang Formation let out a dying hum.
The blood-red barrier enclosed the entire depression in a hemispherical cage.
On closer inspection, countless tiny sealing symbols moved across the barrier's surface.
Occasionally, a few sparks burst from it.
Pfft.
They easily melted honeycomb-like holes into the rocks.
Its power was terrifying!
"By order of the Third Hokage! No one is allowed to approach!"
Outside the formation, an Anbu Jonin wearing a dog mask stood with his blade drawn.
The three members of the Kiganma squad halted in their tracks, right where the sword pointed.
Shiranui Genma spat out the Senbon in his mouth and asked with a frown, "Take a good look. We're the Fourth Hokage's guards!"
The Anbu silently shook his head and continued blocking their way.
The Fourth Hokage was dead. The Third Hokage was in charge now.
Whoosh—
Fifty meters behind them, the hem of a white robe bearing the words "Fourth Hokage" fluttered in the night wind.
But its dazzling golden-haired wearer had long since lost his light.
Plop.
Uchiha Jin huddled behind a charred tree stump.
The Nine-Tails had put up one hell of a fight. It had taken until now for him to be completely sealed.
He turned to look at the three-man squad, his gaze gradually settling on them.
Before his eyes floated colorful spots that only he could see—the traits belonging to other people!
A rare purple glow danced above the head of the guards' captain, Shiranui Genma.
[Partial Flying Thunder Array: Gather three people to form a formation. Once activated, it can transport you to a marked location. Limited to three uses per day.]
"So this is... a cut-down version of the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Behind the tree stump, Jin's chubby baby cheeks puffed up slightly.
Like a cautious night cat, he crept along the shadows.
Along the way, seven Anbu corpses lay scattered across the cracked ground, beaten to death by the fox's rampaging tails.
One of the dead men, wearing a respirator like Hanzo of the Salamander's, lay very close to him.
The Demon Fox's Chakra still lingered above the man's shoulder armor.
Was this a corpse?
Jin's heart stirred.
He looked toward the formation. The four Anbu guards hadn't noticed him.
He stuck out his tongue and licked the corner of his mouth. After a moment's thought, he decisively stopped.
After all, he'd never looted a corpse before. He had to practice first!
The next second, he dropped into the shadows cast by the stump and reached out.
As soon as his fingertips touched the first corpse, a cold system notification rang out in his mind:
[Contact with Elite Chunin corpse!] [Stolen common trait, nimble hands and feet (White): Slightly improves limb coordination (stackable).] [Stacking... Congratulations, host! You have obtained a high-quality trait (Green): Light as a Swallow.] [Light as a Swallow: Increases limb flexibility by 50% and speed by 50%.]
In an instant, a tingling sensation shot up his spine and spread to the back of his neck!
Then it spread from his neck to his limbs.
The muscles in his legs seemed to have grown more solid.
His arms also felt much lighter. For a moment, he really did feel as light as a swallow.
It had upgraded!
Two identical white traits had actually upgraded!
"So this is what looting feels like? No wonder it's so addictive!"
He licked his dry lips and continued toward another corpse.
This corpse even dropped a green trait!
[Contact with Elite Chunin corpse!] [Stolen elite trait, Dynamic Vision (Green): Your eyesight can track a fly (stackable).]
The moment the green light entered his body,
Jin clearly felt his eyes grow hot.
Soon, the surroundings in the darkness seemed to slow down slightly in his field of vision.
He could even make out the cursing lip movements of the Hokage's guard squad in the distance.
"Not bad."
He took a deep breath, eyed the other corpses a short distance away, crouched, and tentatively pushed off the ground.
Whoosh.
Plop.
His two-and-a-half-year-old body leaped two meters in a single bound. When he landed, not even a speck of dust had risen.
The Anbu were still outside the barrier, staring helplessly at the three guards.
No one noticed the Uchiha toddler quietly looting corpses in the corner.
Crackle!
When Jin reached the fifth charred corpse in a mask, something unexpected happened!
The dead man suddenly grabbed his wrist.
A raspy "Heh, heh" came from his crushed throat.
"Yikes! Corpses can play dead in Naruto, too?"
Without hesitation, he reached out and snapped the brittle bone!
Only then did he realize it was the lingering Lightning Release Chakra in the corpse that had caused it.
He lowered himself and curled up in the dark shadows.
Not moving an inch.
"Hm?"
At the same time, the Anbu had also heard the noise.
The men casually glanced over, but when they saw it was one of their dead comrades, they paid it no more attention.
Only Shiranui Genma narrowed his eyes and looked closely.
He was puzzled.
"What is it, Captain?" Raido Namiashi asked, scratching his head as he rested a hand on his long sword.
"Oh, nothing. I may have heard wrong."
Shiranui Genma shook his head and spat out the Senbon in his mouth.
Whoosh!
Pfft!
The Senbon sank into the body over there, but there was no reaction.
He shook his head and paid it no more attention.
Only after another three seconds did Jin finally relax a little, his eyes gleaming with wonder.
"What's the difference between this trait and turning invisible...?"
"You can't even see me when I'm right in front of you. How is this not a J-10C?!"
Still, the incident made him give up on looting any more corpses.
He turned toward the increasingly dim Four Red Yang Formation and headed around to the other side.
It was getting late. If he didn't get inside soon, the barrier would break.
Ten seconds later, on the other side of the formation,
Jin activated his Golden Body in the moonlight.
A faint golden glow made his entire body slightly translucent.
Then, without drawing anyone's attention, he walked right into the formation as if he owned the place!
Before you continue