Water sloshed against the candles lit around the altar Minato's first and last child laid on. Naruto was smaller than he could've imagined, smaller than his forearm and yet he would be a vessel for something as dangerous and vile as he was innocent and pure.
Minato crouched beside Kushina, her hands ran along his pink skin, tears in her eyes. She sniffled, nearly giving into a sob as Naruto found and clutched her finger, his entire hand barely enough to wrap around it.
"He needs you, more than he ne-"
"He needs both of us, Minato, both." Kushina scolded, her voice barely a whisper so Naruto wasn't disturbed, though the Nine-Tails guttural roars sung out furiously above it all, his newborn son stopped crying the moment he was with his mother.
"I know that and he will have me, I'll-"
"Speak to him through a seal? No, he needs a father not a guardian." Kushina hissed, bothering to look up long enough to glare weakly at him, "And I need you."
Her words sliced through him, leaving him mute. What could he say to that? Outside, the guttural roars of the Nine-Tails shook the earth, a reminder of the impossible decision ahead.
Minato's fists tightened. He closed his eyes, pushing the sounds of destruction to the edge of his mind. Yagura, the Mizukage, was out there holding the line—a young but formidable ally. Somehow, Yagura had known. About the attack. About the Masked Man. And though Minato had faced the fiend himself, the encounter had only deepened his doubts. The abilities he wielded… Only Madara Uchiha could have been responsible.
"Minato…seal it in me." Kushina pleaded, "I can still-"
Above them, Yagura's storm took shape—a serpentine coil of wind and water binding the Nine-Tails in place. The beast snarled and thrashed, its body scarred and bleeding from the Mizukage's relentless assault. Even so, it tore at the bindings, blasting bolts of chakra that boiled the water surrounding it.
Minato turned his gaze to his family and the sight put a smile on his face regardless—they were beautiful. "It's time, Kushina," Her terror was palpable, etched into her features like scars. Minato couldn't bear to see it. He turned away, chakra already pooling within him..
He hadn't given the Mizukage any other words than to hold the Beast off, but he trusted him enough to know what to do next. If he'd come this far already, somehow foreseen the attack on the village then there was no need for more than that.
The winds began to spiral faster around them, the water that soaked Minato's sandals was drained away as the Mizukage reinforced his jutsu with all that he could. It was barely enough though, the Nine-Tails no longer struggled against the colossal elemental, it was grievously scarred and gashed all over its body from the punishment Yagura had given it but all else was well.
Its claws pulled, ripped and tore the fleeting elemental from clinging to its body, burning, blasting and boiling away volumes of water as it charged, bounding towards Minato with murderous intent. Minato counted on it, asides Kushina and perhaps the late Lady Mito, there was no one the Nine-Tailed demon fox hated more than him. He won't escape until he's killed me.
"Minato!" Yagura's shout echoed as the Mizukage launched forward, propelling himself with bursts of wind. His speed was blinding, but even so, the Nine-Tails was faster. Its paw came crashing down, a mountain of raw power that should have flattened them all.
Golden chains shot out from Kushina's back, encircling the beast in a vice-like grip. The barrier they formed shimmered in the moonlight, holding firm as the Nine-Tails let out an earth-shaking roar.
Yagura fell backwards with a sigh of relief as the Nine-Tails wet paw hovered above like a canopy dripping water. It growled sinisterly at Kushina, its eyes bulging out at the Uzumaki singularly holding him back now. Minato's chakra swelled, there was no time left to waste, everyone had given their all and now it was time he did his duty as Hokage and finished this.
He formed the seals with practiced precision. Snake, Boar, Ram… His fingers moved faster, the air thick with power. When he slammed his hands together, a bone-deep chill spread through him.
"Reaper Death Seal!"
The Shinigami appeared behind him, a spectral figure draped in deathly silence. Its cold gaze pierced through Minato as it reached forward, spectral hair binding his soul to its grasp.
"Kushina…we have to believe now, you have to." Minato said, the cold spectre of the death god lingering behind him, its spiritual presence enough to send his cloak billowing and a sense of unease through the exhausted Mizukage. "I'm not doing this just for you, this is for Naruto as well. I've become convinced of two things today, that Masked Man will continue to bring catastrophe to this world, he will not stop. But this child, our Naruto, will be the one to stop him."
Kushina's chains rattled as she sobbed, her strength failing but her resolve unbroken. "He's our son! He shouldn't have to carry this burden. You know what it's like—what this will do to him!"
Minato crouched and caressed her bruised cheek, it had been a long and rough night. "Once I've taken half of the Nine-Tails with me, I'll seal some of your chakra into the Eight Trigram Seal for Naruto, you'll be there to guide him no matter what happens." Minato spared a moment for his unlikely ally, who even now he didn't understand what could have motivated a Kage of another village to interfere so deeply.
"Mizukage-dono, I'm sorry, it looks like we won't get to work together after today." Minato said with a smile, the young Kage in question merely sat there with his Bo-staff between his legs, his eyes constantly flickering around the Nine-Tails.
Yagura returned the sad smile as he shook his head, "Don't apologize, I should have…I should have done more, faster, earlier…" he trailed off, eyes glazed over in a world of thought before he added, "It was a pleasure fighting the same enemy for once, Hokage, I hope our villages continue to do so. You can trust me with her and…him, I will make sure they return safely."
Minato smiled thinly, grateful albeit confused by the young Kage, "I'm glad I met you and I'm glad you're here, Yagura. Whatever you know of the Masked Man, don't hesitate to confess, Naruto won't be ready for some time and the world…the world will need protecting."
The Mizukage said nothing to confirm but gave a curt nod that Minato returned as he stepped back from Kushina's cradling embrace. It was time.
Six white cold flames followed the death god, it said nothing with the blade between its teeth but its beads rattled in hand, a sound only Minato could hear. The god continued to count its beads, its pale purple face looked down on Minato with a calm yellow gaze that held only one question; who?
Minato chose and the reaper began a chant in a language frightening to hear let alone comprehend. A cursed seal spread across its beaded arm and with a single thrust the reaper reached in through Minato's soul and body, its spectral limb extending up and over at the Nine-Tails. With a vicious yank, the reaper drew away the portion of the Nine-Tails Minato could seal.
Before his eyes the reaper split apart the Nine-Tail's soul with its mere touch. The spectre of the demon fox's soul was dragged through the air like a pet dog, its chakra and soul treated like nothing more than a package to be sealed. And sealed it was. The reaper shoved the Nine-Tails split soul, its Yin half into Minato
The chains around its body slackened as its weight was sundered. The Nine-Tails fell back on itself, the paw that hung over their heads was no longer as giant and now desperately used to keep stable against the surely painful sensation of having its soul split and ripped out. It growled, drooling hate as it sneered down at Kushina and Naruto but she wasn't having any of that. Her chains snapped around the Nine-Tails once more, their grip on it tighter and fiercer than ever before as she stood with her hands raised at it, blood dripping from her nostrils.
"Kushina, take it…easy." Minato gasped, his stomach was searing steam as a freshly fused seal weighed him. Even half of the Nine-Tails chakra was cumbersome enough to have his knees wobble and his vision dazed. Still, Minato shuffled over to his son laid down on the Ritual Altar he'd summoned, the candles were still lit and there was only one more thing left before the [Eight Trigram Seal].
He bit his finger and smeared the blood on his palm, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Garutora appeared in a poof of smoke, the toad floated with his arms folded, "Garutora, I'll prepare the sealing formula's key, leave it to Jiraiya once I'm finished."
The toad nodded grimly, his stomach extended to its full length in anticipation. Minato sat beside Naruto, scooped him up in his arms all while the Shinigami lingered, waiting to devour. Minato ignored the cold in favour of the Mizukage, "This is my son, Yagura, I am a father, have you ever considered being one?"
Yagura clutched his Bo-staff, his lips pursed with a flood of words but only a few came free, "Yes, once or twice, my Uncle wants me married as soon as possible."
Minato chuckled, his chakra already moulding necessary amounts for the seal, "Married life has been a joy. Find your love, if you haven't already and a son might be fast on the way, I hope they become friends."
"I'll make sure to visit with him…or her, whenever I can." Yagura said softly, he breathed a sigh and ran a hand through his grey mop of hair, "The Masked Man... he's strong. Even if he isn't Madara, he's learned enough to act like him. It's more complicated than I can explain.."
Minato nodded, his fingers moving through the hand seals, "I figured it would be, the truth I mean. You're right from Tea Country, aren't you?" The unspoken question lingered; How could he know?
Yagura didn't answer but he didn't need to, "Whatever the truth is, however much you know about this threat, I trust you, Yagura, I trust you want to do what's right." Cradling Naruto in his arms, Minato looked down at the boy who would one day save them all. His voice softened. "Naruto, my son… I'm already so proud of you."
Behind him, the Shinigami loomed, its spectral blade poised to claim its due. Minato took one last look at Kushina and Naruto, his heart full even as his life slipped away.
"I love you," he whispered, as the Eight Trigram Seal was completed.