A towering, emaciated spectral figure appeared behind Minato, its skeletal frame adorned with two horns and its mouth gripping a short blade. Long, white hair cascaded from the figure's head, reaching toward Minato as though attempting to pull something from within him.
The Reaper Death Seal!
Kai's expression shifted drastically. He hadn't expected Minato to resort to such an extreme measure in the end.
Divine Descent!
In an instant, Kai appeared beside Minato and shouted, "Minato! What are you doing? Stop this immediately!"
Aside from Shishio, Anko, and Kurenai, Minato was the person Kai was closest to in all of Konoha. There was no way Kai could stand by and watch Minato sacrifice himself.
"Kai, you know as well as I do," Minato said with a bright smile, utterly unafraid of death. "Once the Reaper Death Seal is invoked, the caster's soul will be devoured by the Shinigami, regardless of success or failure."
Minato's voice grew resolute as he continued, "I will seal the Yang half of the Nine-Tails' chakra into Naruto. The other half, along with my soul, will be consumed by the Shinigami."
As he spoke, Minato's gaze grew increasingly determined. His lips moved as he uttered the fateful word: "Seal!"
The Shinigami's arm, inscribed with ominous seals, extended through Minato's soul, then through his physical body, and finally reached toward the colossal form of the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails roared in pain as the Shinigami's hand grasped it, extracting its Yin chakra entirely. The massive beast's body shrank to half its original size. At the same time, Minato's soul was nearly fully pulled from his body by the Shinigami.
With its Yin chakra extracted, the Nine-Tails began to regain clarity. Seeing Minato place Naruto onto the sealing altar of the Eight Trigrams Seal, the beast realized Minato's intent to seal it once more. Seizing the moment as Minato formed hand seals, the Nine-Tails lashed out with its razor-sharp claws, aiming directly at Minato.
"You dare!"
Kai's eyes flashed with fury as he intercepted the attack. With a single powerful kick, he sent the massive Nine-Tails flying. There was no way he would allow Minato's body to suffer any further harm.
Seeing Kai take the blow for him, Minato smiled and said, "Thank you, Kai. Please take care of Naruto from now on."
As soon as he finished speaking, Minato's soul was completely extracted from his body and devoured by the Shinigami.
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with a group of Konoha ninja. His expression was grim as he surveyed the scene. "Kai, did Minato use the Reaper Death Seal?"
Kai glanced at Hiruzen and replied, "Minato used the Reaper Death Seal to seal half of the Nine-Tails' chakra, along with his own soul, into the Shinigami's stomach. The other half of the chakra has been sealed into Naruto."
No sooner had Kai finished speaking than a voice filled with hatred rang out from among the gathered ninja. "Are you saying this brat is the demon fox?!"
Steel Fist: Shattering Void!
A massive wave of chakra erupted from Kai's fist, striking the offending ninja directly. The sheer force of the impact shattered the ninja's bones and destroyed their chakra pathways. The man would never walk again, let alone continue as a ninja.
"Kai..." Hiruzen hesitated, unsure of what to say.
Kai shot Hiruzen a cold glance and said flatly, "Why shouldn't I? Lord Third, inform every ninja and villager in the village: if anyone dares to call Naruto a monster, this will be their fate."
Hiruzen sighed deeply but said nothing more. "Let's focus on preparing Minato's body for burial," he suggested instead.
"There's no need," Kai replied. "I'll handle Minato and Kushina's remains."
Forming a series of hand seals, Kai activated his technique.
Wood Release: Wooden Coffin of Souls!
Two saplings sprouted beside Minato and Kushina's bodies, rapidly growing to envelop them completely. The wooden capsules then slowly sank into the ground.
The Wooden Coffin of Souls was a Wood Release technique developed by Kai. It had no offensive or defensive capabilities; its sole purpose was to preserve corpses. The coffins continuously emitted life energy to nourish the bodies within, preventing decay for centuries. Moreover, any attempt to disturb the coffins would immediately alert Kai.
Minato's soul had already been devoured by the Shinigami, rendering the Reanimation Jutsu useless. To revive him, Kai would first need to release Minato's soul. However, lacking a deep understanding of the spiritual realm, Kai dared not recklessly use the Uzumaki clan's Shinigami mask to free Minato's soul. The risk of drawing the Shinigami's attention was too great. For now, he could only preserve Minato and Kushina's bodies for future resurrection attempts.
With one arm cradling Naruto, Kai vanished from the scene using Divine Descent.
Hokage's Office
"So you're saying the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki was taken by Mitarashi Kai?" Homura Mitokado demanded loudly.
"This cannot be allowed!" Koharu Utatane added. "The Jinchuriki is a strategic asset of the village. It must remain under Konoha's control, not in the hands of Mitarashi Kai!"
"Homura, Koharu," Hiruzen tried to reason with them. "Naruto isn't just a Jinchuriki; he's Minato's child."
But his words fell on deaf ears.
Bang! The office door slammed open with a loud crash.
Kai strode in, his gaze icy. "You two old fossils—can't go long without causing trouble, can you?"
Homura glanced at Hiruzen, seemingly emboldened by the Hokage's presence. "Mitarashi Kai, you must understand the importance of the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki to the village. You have no right to take him."
"Hand him over!" Koharu chimed in.
Kai's expression turned mocking as he interrupted, "Before I hand him over, I have a question for you two."
"What question?" Homura and Koharu asked, confused.
The derision in Kai's eyes gave way to a chilling coldness. "What's the point of your existence?"
"You—!"
"Mitarashi Kai! You're out of line!"
Homura and Koharu's faces turned beet red with rage.
Ignoring their protests, Kai turned to Hiruzen. "Lord Third, can you explain their purpose to me?"
Hiruzen hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. The position of Hokage's advisors had been created as a concession to his former comrades, granting them authority without any real necessity. It was difficult to justify their roles.
Seeing Hiruzen's silence, Kai's tone grew even colder. "If even the Hokage can't justify their existence, then they clearly serve no purpose. And if they serve no purpose, why should they exist at all?"
"Kai, no!" Hiruzen shouted in alarm, but it was already too late.
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