Forcibly Saving Minato and Kushina, Exploiting the Death God's Bug!

"Ghh—!!!"

The Death God's grotesque face twisted painfully, its features contorting together.

It let out an enraged, piercing silent shriek, wildly swinging its short blade with its free hand in an attempt to sever Yoru's restraint.

The entire space within the barrier shook violently beneath its fury.

But it was useless.

Yoru's hand, covered in sage chakra, was like the ultimate nemesis welded onto its ghostly hand.

No matter how frantically the Death God struggled, that hand stood as immovable as an ancient divine mountain rooted in the void!

"Don't waste your strength."

Yoru's voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable dominance.

"You won't be meeting your KPI today."

KPI?

Minato and Kushina, who had completely become spectators, slowly developed question marks over their heads.

What kind of insane thing was that to say?

He was negotiating business with the Death God—and even talking about KPIs?!

Who the hell was this kid?!

Yoru had no time to explain modern terminology to them.

The reason he could suppress the Death God was the max-level sage chakra Naruto had passed down to him, along with that trace of Six Paths power's absolute restraint over spiritual entities.

But this thing was still a god, after all. He could suppress it for a moment, but not forever.

To solve the problem completely, he had to exploit a bug.

"Come out, my sacrificial substitute!"

Yoru shouted inwardly as his left hand flashed to his ninja tool pouch and drew out a spatial scroll he had prepared long ago.

"Poof!"

The white smoke dispersed.

A "White Zetsu clone" appeared before them, its skin deathly pale and devoid of vitality, yet containing immense life force within its body.

It was loot Yoru had casually picked up on the battlefield of the future. He had never expected it to come in so handy today.

Minato's pupils contracted.

"This is... the First Hokage's Wood Release cells?!"

"Correct. Too bad there's no prize."

Yoru grinned, then tossed the White Zetsu clone in his hand straight at the Death God's huge face as if he were throwing away trash.

"According to the contract, you have to take away a sacrificed soul before you can leave, right?"

"Here. This soul has abundant vitality, high energy purity, and a great flavor. A guaranteed five-star rating."

"Take it. No need to thank me!"

The Death God instinctively caught the White Zetsu with its other hand.

When it sensed the pure life energy within the White Zetsu—comparable to that of a tailed beast—a flicker of something called desire flashed through its hollow eyes.

It seemed to be weighing whether to keep fighting this tough opponent or take this unexpected "premium delivery."

Now!

In that one-tenth of a second while the Death God hesitated, a cold glint burst from Yoru's eyes.

He drew a kunai infused with Wind Release chakra from behind his back, then, without the slightest hesitation, slashed it viciously at the translucent contract line made of chakra between Minato and the Death God!

"Sever!"

Screech—!

Like a red-hot knife slicing through butter.

That indestructible soul contract line was utterly fragile before the blade infused with Sage Art Wind Release, snapping apart at once!

"Argh—!!!"

The Death God let out a scream ten times more miserable than before.

The backlash from having its contract forcibly severed made its phantom form shake violently, as though it might collapse at any moment.

It looked at the completely unharmed Minato in shock and fury, then lowered its gaze to the "high-quality soul" that had fallen into its hands. In the end, greed overcame anger.

If it kept fighting, it might not even get to keep this extra prize.

No loss here!

With that thought, the Death God no longer wished to fight.

Clutching the White Zetsu's soul, it shot Yoru a vicious glare, as though it wanted to engrave that face into its DNA. Then, filled with resentment, it transformed into a wisp of green smoke and rapidly retreated to the underworld.

As the Death God vanished, the bone-chilling, oppressive aura around them dissipated instantly.

"Thud!"

Minato could no longer hold on. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

Though his soul had been saved, the backlash from forcibly using the forbidden technique had still weakened him to the extreme.

"Minato! Are you all right?!"

Kushina dragged her exhausted body over to her husband's side.

The two exchanged a look of relief at having survived the ordeal, seeing shock and lingering fear in each other's eyes.

What had just happened was more absurd than any dream.

They had actually... survived the Death God?

And they had been saved by a young Uchiha in a manner that was practically teasing a god?

Their gazes shifted in unison toward the black-haired young man in the middle of the scene, who was calmly putting away his kunai.

Yoru blew nonexistent dust off the kunai, looking utterly composed, as though he had merely swatted a fly rather than confronted a god head-on.

"Job done."

Yoru clapped his hands and was just about to check on Naruto.

Suddenly, a barrage of piercing sounds came from every direction.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of figures wearing animal masks descended like ghosts, surrounding the three people amid the ruins.

At their head was Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in combat gear and holding the Adamantine Staff.

His murky old eyes swept across the scene. When he saw the weakened Minato and Kushina, along with the completely unharmed Yoru, his gaze filled with shock and wariness.

"What... happened here just now?"