Speaking softly to calm Kushina's emotions, Minato could still feel her life force slipping away and knew time was running short.
The Hyuga elites who were wrestling against the power of the tailed beast were already at their limits. While they held on with what strength they had left, the Nine Tails grew even more violent, thrashing harder as it saw Minato rise and approach.
Locking eyes with the beast, Minato's hands blurred through a sequence of seals. In the blink of an eye, black sealing symbols spread across the ground beneath the Nine Tails, enveloping its massive form before dragging it toward Kushina's abdomen.
With every inch the Nine Tails was pulled closer to her, its size shrank dramatically.
"Damn it!!"
"You're sealing me again!?"
The Nine Tails howled furiously, struggling with all its might—but its resistance only drew another flurry of attacks from the three giant toads guarding nearby.
At last, the monstrous chakra mass collapsed inward, compressing into a dark crimson sphere. Wrapped in black seals and golden chains, it was pulled into Kushina's abdomen and vanished.
The immense chakra of the tailed beast disappeared from the forest.
Having completed the Eight Trigrams Seal, Minato quickly moved to Kushina's side, simultaneously checking her condition and the state of the seal.
To his surprise, the Eight Trigrams Seal held perfectly. The Nine Tails' chakra didn't leak out at all—it seemed that as long as Kushina's emotions didn't fluctuate too violently, the seal would remain stable for some time.
For now, that was good enough for Minato. They would have time later to research a more permanent solution.
At the same moment the beast was sealed away, Kushina's rapidly fading chakra flow stabilized and stopped leaking.
Perhaps from exhaustion, she gently took Minato's hand, her lips curving faintly before she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
"Kushina?" Minato called out worriedly.
Hiashi, who had been observing with his Byakugan, spoke up at once to reassure him.
"Don't worry—she's only asleep. Just too exhausted."
"Her chakra is calming down. She'll be fine."
The Byakugan could clearly see the chakra flow within a body. Normally, only when a shinobi's chakra had completely run dry would true death follow. Kushina's condition, thankfully, was far from that.
Hearing this, Minato exhaled in relief and nodded. Suddenly remembering something, he turned toward Satoru, placed a grateful hand on the young man's shoulder, and said earnestly,
"Satoru… thank you. My whole family owes you our lives."
The words came from the heart.
If not for Satoru, Minato would never have known that simply resealing the beast could save Kushina's life. If not for Satoru's warning, he might have already performed the Reaper Death Seal—a choice that would have cost him his life.
And if that had happened, without Minato's protection, even if Kushina and Naruto survived, they would likely never be safe under Uchiha Obito's threat.
Konoha, too, would have lost its young Hokage and been plunged once more into the fires of war.
In every sense, Satoru's intelligence and intervention had saved them all.
"Minato-sensei, you're too kind," Satoru said with a small smile. Seeing Kushina finally safe brought genuine relief to his face, and the warmth in his tone toward Minato returned to its usual familiarity.
From this incident, Satoru could faintly feel the flow of destiny shifting. Though the path had been filled with danger, his efforts had not been in vain.
The fate of the Fourth Hokage's family had been rewritten—giving Satoru new confidence for what lay ahead.
Naruto's future might now be completely different because of his interference, but Satoru believed the boy would still grow into a great shinobi.
The soul of Asura would guide this child of destiny to heights few could ever reach.
And with both Minato and Kushina to teach him, Naruto's potential might even surpass what destiny had originally planned. The Nine Tails' power was certainly an important aid—but as a member of the Uzumaki clan, Naruto would never lack chakra. What he lacked… was the means to use it.
Surely, the Naruto of this altered future wouldn't rely on Rasengan alone to face his enemies.
As the dust settled, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally arrived with his ANBU unit, a little too late.
Seeing the devastated battlefield—and the exhausted Hyuga shinobi slumped to the ground—his eyes flashed sharply.
The Hyuga… arrived before me?
And by the looks of it… the Nine Tails incident has already been resolved?
His gaze fell upon Minato and Kushina. In an instant, he appeared at Minato's side, quickly glancing at the sleeping Kushina before asking, voice taut with urgency:
"Minato—the Nine Tails…?"
He wanted to understand what had happened, but Minato had no time or energy for explanations. Shaking his head slightly, he replied,
"I'll explain everything later, Lord Third."
"For now, I have to take Kushina and Naruto to the hospital."
"Lady Biwako is safe—the ANBU at the cave should report to you soon."
"I'll take my leave for now."
His mind was entirely on his wife and child. Seeing his fatigue, the Third Hokage simply nodded, not pressing further.
But Satoru noticed the glint of curiosity in the old Hokage's eyes—Hiruzen kept glancing at Kushina, clearly puzzled as to how she was still alive.
It seemed likely that after tonight, he, Hyuga Satoru, would enter the direct attention of Konoha's upper echelons.
Still…
That didn't matter.
He now wielded the Flying Thunder God Technique. Though not as refined as Minato's, it was still enough to protect himself.
And as Hiashi's son, the village's leadership—no matter what their intentions—wouldn't dare to threaten his safety.
Compared to Konoha's internal politics, Satoru was more concerned about Uchiha Obito. Had the man noticed him?
Probably not.
Minato had marked Obito with the Flying Thunder God seal during battle—if Obito hadn't yet removed it, he wouldn't dare show his face near Konoha again.
After this, Minato would undoubtedly stay alert for Obito's return. The man was sure to become one of Konoha's most wanted missing-nin soon.
Hiruzen didn't leave immediately after Minato departed. Instead, he walked over to Hiashi and struck up a cordial conversation, subtly probing for details about the incident.
Hiashi didn't hide the broad strokes but avoided unnecessary specifics. He explained only that the enemy had been driven off and that the Nine Tails had been resealed within Kushina by the Fourth Hokage.
That was enough to satisfy the Third—for now.
When the Third and his ANBU finally left, Hiashi approached Satoru, gently patting his head with pride.
"Satoru, well done."
"After this, the bond between our Hyuga Clan and the Fourth Hokage is unbreakable."
Hiashi's tone was filled with satisfaction—this incident had brought their clan immense benefit.
Satoru, however, merely smiled faintly. Unbreakable bonds?
This is only the beginning.
In twenty years' time, their fates would be tied together in a far crueler way—when retribution came, they would be judged side by side…
"Satoru," Hiashi continued, "you've seen how cruel the shinobi world can be."
"I plan to recommend you for promotion to Special jonin. Once you're more mature, you'll begin taking on combat missions."
"Even as the heir of the Main Family, a shinobi must grow through blood and sweat."
"I've heard Uchiha Fugaku's son was taken to the battlefield at just four years old—and that the boy has already shown remarkable skill."
"I don't want you to fall behind that child."
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