Luring Monsters is My Specialty

"That creature has already broken free from control, yet it still refuses to stop!"

Outside Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen knelt on the ground, weakened. With the help of a ninja, he rose to his feet and glared at the Nine-Tails ahead.

Inside the Nine-Tails' maw, a purple-black sphere of light swelled, growing nearly solid. It was the ultimate release of Tailed Beast power—the Tailed Beast Bomb!

If this Tailed Beast Bomb struck Konoha, the entire village would be razed to the ground!

"Summoning Jutsu!"

At the critical moment, a giant toad clutching a pipe descended from the sky, slamming into the Nine-Tails with a thunderous crash and pinning it firmly to the ground.

"It's Minato! And the one he's holding in his arms... is Kushina!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had keen eyesight; he spotted the two figures atop the toad instantly.

"Senior Gamabunta, please, hold the Nine-Tails down for a while!" Minato pleaded.

Gamabunta's mouth, still gripping the pipe, trembled slightly. "Damn it! Even I can't suppress this monster!"

Minato ignored the toad's complaints, looking down at Kushina in his arms with hopeful eyes.

"Kushina, do you still have the strength to seal the Nine-Tails back inside your body?"

Kushina shook her head slowly. Minato's gaze froze, and his heart sank.

Once a jinchuriki loses their Tailed Beast, even one with immense vitality... cannot escape death.

"Oh no!"

Noticing that the Tailed Beast Bomb in the Nine-Tails' mouth hadn't vanished and was still radiating terrifying energy, Minato's pupils contracted sharply.

Whoosh!

The moment the Tailed Beast Bomb was fired, a pitch-black space-time barrier opened, swallowing the blast in an instant.

BOOM!

A deafening roar echoed from the nearby mountains. A small peak was leveled by the terrifying energy, and the resulting white flash illuminated half the sky.

Thud.

Minato was too fast. After teleporting the Tailed Beast Bomb away in the blink of an eye, he flashed back just in time to catch his wife as she fell from the air.

"I can still hold on for a little longer, Minato."

Kushina forced the corners of her mouth up, offering Minato a smile.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Five golden chains shot out from her body. The moment Gamabunta was dispelled into smoke by the Nine-Tails' strike, the chains locked onto the beast's limbs and tails, driving deep into the earth to bind it.

"Cough... cough..."

"Kushina!" Watching his wife cough incessantly, a flash of grief crossed Minato's eyes.

"I will use my remaining chakra to restrain the Nine-Tails, and then... I will die with it."

Kushina looked at Minato, tears in her eyes. "This way, we can delay the Nine-Tails' resurrection. It's the only way."

"Grrr!"

The Nine-Tails struggled frantically, the chains rattling violently. It looked as though they were beginning to loosen.

"No, keep attacking! Don't let it break free!" Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted sharply.

There was no need for his reminder; the remaining ninjas roared and charged at the Nine-Tails like madmen.

Tears slid down Minato's cheeks as he choked out, "Kushina, I failed to protect you!"

"Don't say that, Minato. Every day I spent with you was full of happiness," Kushina said softly.

"Aside from wanting to live a life as a family of three, what more could I... possibly ask for? Oh, I really wanted to see Naruto all grown up..."

Tears welled up as Minato looked at his dying wife. His gaze grew resolute, and he made a decision.

"Kushina, you don't have to die with the Nine-Tails. I will seal your remaining chakra into Naruto's body so that you can see him when he grows up."

"I will handle the Nine-Tails. Such immense power cannot be suppressed by physical means; I will use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to lock it away!"

If they could not live together, then they would die together!

"No, I don't want that! I don't want you to become a sacrifice for my sake!" Kushina protested.

"It's alright, Kushina." Minato flashed over, holding Naruto, and placed him in front of her, speaking gently.

"I am doing this not just for you, but for Naruto as well. To be willing to die for one's son—that is a father's duty!"

"Father! Mother!"

As the battle grew increasingly desperate, an eleven or twelve-year-old boy suddenly burst onto the battlefield, shouting at two ninjas who were attacking the Nine-Tails.

A middle-aged man turned around, his face changing drastically. "Iruka, this is no place for you! Go back at once!"

"No, I want to stay and fight alongside Father and Mother!" Iruka shouted stubbornly.

Bang!

In a moment of distraction, Iruka's father was struck by the tip of the Nine-Tails' tail.

He was sent flying backward, tracing an arc through the air before landing, unluckily, right in front of the Nine-Tails.

"Damn it, don't lose focus on the battlefield!"

Yuhi Shinku roared, rushing toward Iruka's father in an attempt to scoop him up and carry him to safety.

"Lord Shinku! Watch out behind you!"

Iruka's father's eyes were wide with terror.

The Nine-Tails was dragging its chains by force, swinging its claw down; a shadow the size of a building instantly engulfed the two men.

Sarutobi Hiruzen collapsed to the ground, exhausted, while Minato formed hand seals, prepared to face death. Shinku and his companion were hanging by a thread.

Fate descended like toppling dominoes; this chain of tragedies seemed destined to happen, unavoidable!

But just as the first domino was about to fall!

A laugh, wild and unbridled, echoed from above, instantly drawing everyone's attention... including the Nine-Tails'!

"Stinky fox, your daddy has arrived, hahahaha!"

Click.

The Nine-Tails froze in place, unable to believe its own ears.

In all its long years of life, this was the first time anyone had dared to curse it like that; it was completely stunned.

...In all its time, it had never seen anyone so arrogant!

Minato's hands, mid-seal, paused as he instinctively turned to look toward the sky.

He wondered who was brave enough to claim the title of "daddy" in front of a beast capable of destroying the world.

"This voice sounds so familiar..."

In an instant, Hyuga Hizashi identified the owner of the voice and shouted in utter horror.

"Genye, get out of—!!!"

However, the Nine-Tails reacted faster than Hizashi, its eyes turning blood-red with rage: "Brat, you're courting death!"

Genye had drawn so much aggro that the Nine-Tails instantly abandoned its attack on the others, lunging with claws and fangs toward the falling Genye.

"No!" Hyuga Hizashi cried out in agony.

"Sigh." Hiruzen slowly closed his eyes, unable to bear watching; too many children had already died before his eyes today.

"Damn it!" Minato gritted his teeth. From this distance, he couldn't possibly use Body Flicker to save the boy.

"This kid actually... just to save me!" Yuhi Shinku's eyes went—oh, apologies, his eyes were already red.

Snap.

Under the gaze of everyone, filled with grief or regret, Genye's figure was instantly swallowed by the Nine-Tails' massive maw and vanished.

"Hm? Awoo~ Awoo?"

The Nine-Tails smacked its lips, feeling as though it had bitten into nothingness; it hadn't tasted a thing.

"Idiot, I'm up here!"

Genye appeared instantly atop the Nine-Tails' head, humming a little tune as he raised his fist and brought it crashing down.

"My Door Is Always Open~~ Gentle Fist—Blast the hell out of him!"