As they spoke, Jiraiya approached the wall of Amaterasu flames and performed the Fire Sealing Method, sealing a large portion of the fire to create a passageway. After that, he passed through the opening and left.
The matter concerning the jinchūriki was sensitive information within the village, not something to be widely known. At least until the jinchūriki matured, it wasn't wise for too many people to be aware of their identity. Thus, Jiraiya didn't plan to let any other Konoha jōnin outside the fire barrier in. Meanwhile, within the fire wall, all the regular jōnin had fallen in battle.
After Jiraiya's departure, Hiruzen turned to Fugaku and spoke gravely,
"Fugaku, hold on a little longer. Jiraiya is already on his way."
Fugaku nodded, though his expression twisted in pain. The strain of repeatedly using the Mangekyō Sharingan was taking its toll. His eyes weren't just aching—they were starting to blur. Still, he could push through a bit longer.
Roughly ten minutes after Jiraiya left, there was movement at the edge of the fire wall. A gap suddenly opened in the roaring black flames of Amaterasu, and Uchiha Mikoto, cradling three-month-old Sasuke, entered through it. Moving swiftly, she quickly approached the group.
Upon seeing the bodies of Minato and Kushina, Mikoto's face turned somber. She murmured sorrowfully,
"Kushina…"
She stood in silence, gazing at their bodies for a while before moving to Fugaku's side. Seeing Fugaku in his current state, Mikoto spoke softly,
"I've brought Sasuke. As the son of the Uchiha Clan's leader, I believe he can endure the fate of a jinchūriki."
"Don't worry," Fugaku forced a slight smile, brimming with confidence. "The so-called tragic fate of a jinchūriki won't exist for our Uchiha clan!"
Fugaku then turned to Akira and said gravely, "Akira, it's in your hands."
Mikoto carefully placed Sasuke on a flat stone not far from the segment of the Nine-Tails that Fugaku controlled.
Akira nodded and, forming hand seals, stepped closer to Sasuke. By the time he reached Sasuke, he had completed the Eight Trigrams Seal.
Although Akira's skill in sealing jutsu wasn't advanced enough to overlay two Four Symbol Seals to form an Eight Trigrams Seal, after observing Minato's use of the technique, he had found solutions to all his problems and mastered it.
A web of densely packed sealing symbols spread from under Akira's feet, enveloping the segment of the Nine-Tails controlled by Fugaku. Akira's hand seals shifted, and the sealing symbols expanded, wrapping around the Nine-Tails segment, forming a nearly 30-meter-wide black sphere. Within the sphere, faint red glows flickered.
As Akira's hand seals continued to change, the massive black sphere shrank while moving closer to Sasuke. By the time it hovered over Sasuke, it had reduced to the size of a fist.
With a final hand seal, the black sphere entered Sasuke's abdomen, emitting a faint red glow as the Eight Trigrams Seal appeared on his belly. Then, everything fell silent, and the seal faded.
The sealing was complete.
Relieved, Fugaku and Mikoto, who had been watching with tense expressions, let out a sigh of relief. As Sasuke began to cry, Mikoto gently cradled him, soothing him with tender strokes.
Seeing this, Hiruzen also exhaled in relief. It seemed that Sasuke, as a jinchūriki, would be fine for now. The seal was intact, and with Akira here, there was no risk of the seal breaking later.
After sealing this portion of the Nine-Tails, everyone present felt a weight lift from their shoulders.
Some time later, Jiraiya returned, accompanied by Rika Uzumaki, who held her four-month-old daughter, Karin, close to her chest. It was clear that convincing her hadn't been easy.
Holding Karin tightly, Rika bowed her head slightly and greeted, "Third Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen sighed, speaking gently, "I apologize for the burden we're asking you to bear."
With red-rimmed eyes, Rika whispered, "Third Hokage-sama, as long as Konoha treats Karin well in the future, I'll be content."
She understood a little of what it meant to be a jinchūriki. Childhood would rarely be joyful, shadowed instead by secrets and suspicion.
"Rest assured," Hiruzen said seriously. "Konoha will keep the identity of the jinchūriki strictly confidential. Only when the child truly comes into contact with the tailed beast's power will we reveal everything to her."
"Then I can rest easier," Rika replied quietly.
The sealing ritual concluded without any unexpected incidents, unfolding smoothly. With the black sphere merging into Sasuke, a red glow flashed briefly, and the Eight Trigrams Seal manifested and vanished again. The sealing was complete, and the battlefield fell into a deep silence.
"The matter of the jinchūriki must remain confidential," Hiruzen instructed, looking gravely at the others. "This is of utmost importance, there are bound to be enemies who seek the jinchūriki."
The battlefield around the Nine-Tails had been crowded with Konoha ninja at the start. However, as the battle intensified, Nagato had used the Chibaku Tensei, and Fugaku's Amaterasu flames had scorched the land. Now, the area was nearly deserted, leaving only those few who knew the jinchūriki's identity.
"I must remind everyone," Hiruzen continued with a serious tone, "Nagato and Madara's aim may be to collect tailed beasts, so we can't afford any complacency here!"
"We're well aware of the stakes," Fugaku assured him. "The Uchiha clan won't reveal the jinchūriki's identity. You have my word, Third Hokage."
"I trust the Uchiha clan," Hiruzen nodded.
After completing the sealing, Akira meticulously sealed away the blood left behind by the Nine-Tails, ensuring nothing was left to chance. By then, it was past midnight.
With the Amaterasu flames extinguished, the sheer extent of the battle's devastation became clear. Nearly a tenth of Konoha lay in ruins—an immense toll. The conflict had claimed the Fourth Hokage and his wife, severely injured many jōnin, and left Konoha deeply wounded.
Later that night, back in the Uchiha compound, Akira sat on the edge of the veranda, a deep frustration weighing on him.
"After everything I've done, this is the outcome?" he thought, feeling helpless.
It wasn't just Konoha's destruction that irked him. He had thought that, after all his efforts, this incident might end differently. Yet everything had come full circle, back to the starting point. Akira couldn't shake his discontent.
Suddenly, his eyes brightened as an idea struck him. "Maybe this is the perfect time to deal with Obito."
Obito was gravely injured, having just fought Minato, likely feeling victorious and complacent. That complacency was exactly what Akira intended to exploit.
Forming a hand seal, Akira used the Spirit Transformation Technique. As his spirit expanded outward, he immediately sensed Obito's chakra far away in Amegakure.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Read more than +70 chapters and support me on Patreon
Patreon(.)com/Jixo