"What was that?" Kushina cried in shock, staring at herself and Naruto in her arms in disbelief.
After activating Yang Release, Naruto finally fell into a deep sleep.
Outside the barrier, the many Konoha ninja were equally dumbfounded. They too could not understand what had just happened.
An Anbu stammered, "Th-Third Hokage-sama, what happened?"
"Um... well... this..." The Third Hokage wore the same stunned expression.
"Yes, it was a hidden Sealing Technique of the Uzumaki clan. That must be it. Minato sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. He saved all of Konoha!"
The Third Hokage declared with absolute certainty, silently nodding to himself. Only that explanation made sense—how else could he explain what had just happened? Still, he had not expected Minato to possess such a hidden Sealing Technique. It had been activated without a sound or trace; even he had failed to notice anything. He would have to ask him about it later. Once the Nine-Tails vanished, the barrier opened as well, and the Third Hokage and the others hurried toward Minato Namikaze.
"Haha, splendid work, Minato! I never expected even the Nine-Tails to be sealed so easily by you. Choosing you as the Fourth Hokage truly was a wise decision." The moment he arrived at Minato's side, the Third Hokage laughed heartily and patted his shoulder.
"Third Hokage-sama, I didn't..." Minato Namikaze was about to explain that sealing the Nine-Tails had not been his doing.
But the Third Hokage slapped his shoulder again, giving him no chance to explain. "No need to say more, Minato. This time, you are Konoha's hero. Every ninja in Konoha will be grateful to you."
Minato immediately showed a helpless smile. He glanced at Kushina, who was holding Naruto beside him, then swallowed the words that had reached his lips.
No. If he said