Birth of a Hero's Son

The Light Screen in the sky changed once again.

The title of this broadcast was

"Birth of a Hero's Son"

The video in the sky began to play...

This Light Screen broadcast was a preview, a five-minute short video.

A sorrowful song began to play.

"Obviously"—the tearful version.

Kushina Uzumaki's voice came through, ragged with sobs. "I want you to stay by Naruto's side."

"Watch over him until he grows up."

"Why?"

The video slowly revealed a weakened Kushina. Summoning every last bit of strength, she cried out to Minato Namikaze in anguish. "For the village?"

"Does our Naruto have to become a sacrifice for this village?"

Minato Namikaze looked at Kushina, his face filled with grief, but said nothing.

Kushina continued to demand through her pain, "For this village, do you have to sacrifice yourself for me, too?"

"Why...?"

Minato Namikaze's voice came slowly. "Abandoning your country and your village is the same as abandoning your child."

"You, of all people, should know what it's like to lose your homeland."

"You know how cruel a life people from a fallen country are forced to live."

Minato Namikaze gazed at Kushina, frail and bleeding from the mouth. Fighting down his heartache, he continued, "Besides, all three of us are ninja."

"And if I stay alive, I'll never win an argument with you, even if we have only a short time left."

"As Naruto's mother, you can teach him far more than I can as his father."

Minato Namikaze slowly crouched before Kushina and looked at her with unwavering resolve. "That's a mother's duty. And I'm not doing this for you."

"I'm doing it for our Naruto, too. That's my duty as his father."

"We're both willing to die for our child. That's our duty as parents."

Minato Namikaze carefully picked up Naruto and looked at Kushina with determination.

Kushina stared at Minato Namikaze in a daze, unable to speak.

The scene in the video changed.

Outside the barrier, Hiruzen Sarutobi struck it again and again with the Adamantine Staff.

No matter how desperately Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to break through the barrier,

he failed...

As Hiruzen Sarutobi considered how to destroy it,

two Anbu ninja rushed up behind him and asked anxiously, "Third, what's happening?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi answered grimly, "It's no use. Minato put up several barriers ahead of us to keep the Nine-Tails from getting out."

"We can't get in at all. They intend to deal with the Nine-Tails themselves."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared uneasily at Kushina and Minato Namikaze inside the barrier.

The video changed again.

Minato Namikaze had already used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to seal half of the Nine-Tails' chakra inside himself.

The moment that half of the Nine-Tails' chakra entered his body,

Minato Namikaze gritted his teeth against the agony and forced out, "It hurts... It hurts. My whole body's gone numb."

"I never thought his chakra would be this heavy."

Gasping for breath, Minato Namikaze remembered

the Mysterious Man in the Tiger-Stripe Mask holding the newborn Naruto,

then covering the baby with explosive tags,

and abducting his wife before forcibly summoning the Nine-Tails to kill her. The scenes flashed through his mind one after another.

Minato Namikaze gritted his teeth and endured.

Behind him, the Nine-Tails had lost half its chakra.

Its massive body instantly shrank.

The golden chains binding the Nine-Tails began to fall away, one by one.

Minato Namikaze struggled to pick up Naruto, then raised his right hand and slapped it against the ground.

Poof!

The smoke cleared.

A small altar appeared on the ground, and Minato Namikaze carefully laid Naruto on it.

Minato Namikaze said to Kushina, "All right, Kushina. All that's left is the Eight Trigrams Seal."

"I'm going to seal the Nine-Tails inside Naruto."

The Nine-Tails heard that Minato Namikaze intended to seal it away yet again.

He's going to seal me away again?

And inside that brat right in front of me?

The Nine-Tails roared in fury, "Unforgivable! Unforgivable!"

At that moment, Kushina's body finally gave out.

She no longer had the strength even to stand.

She struggled to crawl toward Naruto, but the pain wracking her body made her cough up blood again and again.

Ahead of her, Minato Namikaze heard her.

He hurried over and asked, "Kushina, are you all right?"

That instant of distraction gave the hate-filled Nine-Tails its chance.

Now!

The Nine-Tails swiftly raised a claw and drove it down toward Naruto on the altar.

As if sensing what was coming, Kushina and Minato Namikaze sprang up...

Shhk...

Blood spilled across the ground, where strands of Kushina's red hair lay scattered.

The blurred image slowly came into focus.

The Nine-Tails' claw had pierced straight through Minato Namikaze's stomach.

But it was still pushing forward, toward Naruto.

Kushina had thrown herself in front of Naruto as well, and the claw pierced her stomach too.

Kushina endured the agony as blood poured from her mouth.

Still, she gripped the claw with all her strength, refusing to let it move another inch.

She and Minato Namikaze fought with their lives to protect Naruto.

At last, the Nine-Tails' claw stopped, a hair's breadth from killing the child before it.

The Nine-Tails had no strength left. It had not yet recovered from losing half its chakra.

And with Minato Namikaze and Kushina blocking its claw with their lives, it could not push any farther.

The Nine-Tails howled in frustration, "I was so close! No! I won't accept this!"

It remained where it was, roaring in rage.

Its roars rang with a beast's hatred for humanity.

"Remember this, Minato Namikaze!"

Minato Namikaze struggled to speak. "I told you, this is what I can do as his father."

Kushina answered with difficulty, "Then as his mother, I should do my duty too."

"This is the first time I've ever lost an argument with you, Minato."

"Now I finally understand how serious you are."

Despite the pain tearing through his body, Minato Namikaze forced a gentle smile. "Thank you, Kushina."

Minato Namikaze raised his right hand and wiped the blood from his mouth.

His hands flew through the signs. "Summoning Technique!"

Poof...

The white smoke cleared, revealing a small, slender Green Frog.

The moment the Green Frog opened his eyes and saw the Nine-Tails in the distance, he shrieked in fright.

"Waaah!"

"The N-N-Nine-Tails!"

Note: There have been too few gifts, and my reading income is too low. I really need the money.

I've spent the past few days looking for work. I think I've sorted it out now.

So I'll start updating again.

If you have any free gifts, I hope you'll send them my way. I'd really appreciate it.