People in Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began with Demon Slayer

"The Sage of Six Paths? The situation is urgent right now. Let me finish this first."

The Sage of Six Paths shook his head and said, "No rush. Time flows at a standstill in this space, so it won't affect the outside world. I came to find you this time to stop you."

"Stop me? Why?" Yosuke asked, puzzled.

"The chosen one, Naruto Uzumaki, has been born, but according to the established plan, his parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, should have died and returned to the Pure Land. Now, with your intervention, there is a high probability that Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki will not die, which will have a serious impact on Naruto Uzumaki's growth."

Yang Jie frowned and said angrily, "Fate, arrangements, why do you always like to manipulate a person's life?"

"Yosuke, this world is not as simple as it seems. Ninjas may be the main theme of this world, but that is only the surface. If that were all, fate would not have arranged for the chosen one to appear."

The true meaning of the birth of the chosen one is to resist threats from beyond the heavens.

Yang Jie frowned and asked, "A threat from outer space? What do you mean?"

The Sage of Six Paths began to recount his story.

"Chakra is not a product of this world, but was brought by an alien race, the Otsutsuki clan."

The origin of chakra is from a divine tree. The Otsutsuki clan would travel to different planets to plant divine trees, and the Ten-Tails was a sapling of the divine tree. After it grew into a divine tree, it devoured planets and then bore chakra fruits. Chakra fruits are the foundation of the Otsutsuki clan's abilities.

This planet was originally one of the breeding grounds chosen by the Otsutsuki clan.

A thousand years ago, two members of the Otsutsuki clan descended upon this world. For some reason, one of the Otsutsuki members betrayed her duty, devoured the fruit of the Divine Tree, and killed her other partner.

Having gained the power of Bloodline Limit through the fruit of the Divine Tree, she connected to outer space and used other celestial bodies in the universe as a medium to launch the Infinite Tsukuyomi, turning all of humanity into offerings to the Divine Tree, thereby ruling the human world. Only a portion of humanity had their memories erased and were released, so that they could enjoy a supreme status on Earth.

Later, her two children discovered the truth and, in order to protect humanity, repeatedly begged her to stop worshipping the sacred tree, but she refused each time and even threatened to take back her children's abilities.

To save the world, the two children fought against their mother. The battle between the three lasted for months, bringing immense disaster to the world. In the end, at an extremely tragic cost, they sealed their mother away, releasing the Infinite Moon Blade and freeing the people trapped by the Divine Tree.

Finally, the immense chakra possessed by the Tailed Beasts was divided into nine tailed beasts, which is the origin of the Tailed Beasts.

The Sage of Six Paths looked at Yosuke and said, "In this story, I am the older brother. Sooner or later, the Otsutsuki clan will descend upon this world once again. The current power of the ninja world is simply not enough to resist them. Therefore, the birth and growth of the Child of Destiny is necessary."

The Sage of Six Paths continued solemnly, “Yosuke, you are not from this world. After you have completed your duties, you will return to your world. However, we still need to protect our own world. Naruto Uzumaki is the savior of this world, so anyone can be abandoned, but he cannot be allowed to have any problems.”

Yosuke fell silent. The Sage of Six Paths was right. To this world, he was just a passerby and shouldn't interfere in this matter.

"I understand..." Yosuke agreed with great difficulty.

“Very well, now I will bring Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki into this space and explain to them.”

As soon as the Sage of Six Paths finished speaking, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki appeared in this space.

"Where...is this?" Kushina Uzumaki looked at the pure white space with a confused expression.

"A place similar to spacetime... Mr. Yosuke, what are you doing here? Is he the enemy?" Minato Namikaze pulled out a kunai, wary of the Sage of Six Paths.

"Relax, Minato, the Sage of Six Paths will explain everything to you later."

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki exclaimed in surprise: "The Sage of Six Paths, the progenitor of ninjas?!"

The Sage of Six Paths slowly spoke, explaining the pros and cons of the matter to Minato and Namikaze, informing them of their original fate, Naruto's mission, and hoping that Minato and Namikaze would fake their deaths, leave Konoha, live in anonymity, and not meet with Naruto.

"No, I don't agree! I just want to stay by Naruto's side and watch him grow up. Why should Naruto be a sacrifice?!" Kushina Uzumaki protested vehemently.

Minato Namikaze looked pained, realizing how cruel it was to force a mother to leave her newborn child.

The Sage of Six Paths said earnestly, "As long as you live, you will meet again one day. When Naruto becomes a strong person who can stand on his own, you will be able to meet again."

After comforting Kushina Uzumaki for a while, Minato Namikaze gradually calmed down.

They all knew that the Sage of Six Paths was right: as long as they lived, they would meet again one day.

With great difficulty, Minato and his wife said, "We...agree."

Chapter 178 The Sudden Appearance of Danzo

"Your sacrifices will be rewarded one day. Making you live in anonymity does not mean restricting your freedom. You are ninjas, so I want to entrust you with a mission."

The Sage of Six Paths had a solemn expression, and this serious atmosphere made Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki nervously swallow.

"The entire ninja world is being controlled by an invisible hand, one that even I cannot detect. I would like to ask you to investigate who is behind this!"

"Could Madara Uchiha really still be alive? The only person I can think of who could be an enemy of the entire ninja world is him," Minato Namikaze guessed in disbelief.

The Sage of Six Paths shook his head and said, "If it were just Uchiha Madara, there would be no need for me to entrust you with the investigation. Right now, we have almost no clues, so you need to start the investigation from the beginning."

After a moment of contemplation, Minato Namikaze said, "We've accepted the commission. I also need to investigate who the masked man who attacked us is. He gives me a sense of familiarity, but it's not the feeling of an enemy; it's the feeling of an ally."

"I will not interfere in what follows. I have done my best to eliminate all unexpected factors. Now it depends on whether the chosen one can grow into a qualified savior. If something unexpected happens... then we will have to start over before the Otsutsuki clan comes into this world."

As a mother, Kushina Uzumaki couldn't bear to hear anyone question her child, so she firmly retorted, "I believe in Naruto, he will definitely become a qualified savior!"

"I believe it too, after all, he is the chosen one... Alright, you should leave now. I hope everything goes well for you..."

The Sage of Six Paths' figure gradually became ethereal and indistinct. Yosuke, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki left this void of pure white space.

The three returned to the battlefield. Yosuke looked at Minato Namikaze, who nodded back.

Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport away, and when he returned, he was holding Naruto, who was crying incessantly, in his arms.

Minato Namikaze handed Naruto to Kushina Uzumaki.

The couple said to Naruto with remorse, "We're sorry, Naruto. As your parents, we have really failed in our duty, making you bear such a heavy responsibility from the moment you were born."

Minato Namikaze said, "Kushina, it's almost time to use the Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique, so if you have anything you want to say to Naruto, do it now."

With tears in her eyes and a choked voice, Kushina Uzumaki gave Naruto her final words of advice: "Naruto, don't be a picky eater. Make sure you eat your fill every day so you can grow strong and healthy. Remember to take a hot bath every day, and don't stay up late. Make sure you get enough sleep. Also, make friends. It's okay if you don't have many; a few trustworthy companions are enough."

...

Naruto... From now on, you'll face many hardships and pains. Stay true to yourself, keep your dreams alive, and turn them into reality. Have faith in yourself... I have so much... so much more to tell you, so much more to say. I want to live with you again... I love you...

"Sorry, Minato... I was just getting carried away with what I was saying..."

Kushina Uzumaki was already sobbing uncontrollably.

"No...it's okay...Naruto, what Dad wants to say...is the same as your nagging Mom...when you become an excellent ninja, Dad and Mom will meet you again. So, goodbye Naruto."

Just as Minato Namikaze was about to use the Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique to split the Nine-Tails into Yin and Yang and seal them into Naruto and Kushina Uzumaki respectively, an unexpected change occurred.

"Secret Technique? Insect Tornado!"

Suddenly, Ryoma Aburame, a ninja from Root, appeared on the battlefield. Countless parasitic insects created a whirlwind that swept towards Yosuke, who was focused on binding the Nine-Tails.

The moment the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, saw Ryuma Aburame and those parasitic insects, he immediately questioned the shadowy figure behind him, "Danzo?! What are you trying to do?!"

Danzo slowly emerged from the shadows, his eyes filled with malice as he looked at Yosuke: "Ubuyashiki Yosuke is an invader who invaded Konoha and the instigator of the Nine-Tails' rampage. In order to protect Konoha, he must be killed immediately!"

"Old man! You're talking nonsense! Yosuke has been helping Konoha resist the Nine-Tails from the very beginning, how could he be an invader!" Asuma cursed at Danzo.

"Hiruzen, you should really discipline your son. If you can't, then hand him over to Root and teach him a lesson about hierarchy!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't care less about any of that right now: "Even if we need to capture it, we have to wait until the Nine-Tails' seal is broken!"

Danzo sneered, "Hiruzen, you're still so naive. Ubuyashiki Yosuke's target is the Nine-Tails. Once the seal is complete, he'll take the Jinchuriki and leave Konoha. Who among you can stop him?!"

Thinking of the strength that Yosuke had displayed, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent. If Yosuke's target was indeed a Jinchuriki, then none of the ninjas here could stop him.

"But the Fourth Hokage and Kushina are at a critical moment in the sealing process. If they are not careful, they will not be able to escape death either."

"As the Hokage, shouldn't you have been prepared to sacrifice yourself for the village? Jinchuriki can be found again, but once the Nine-Tails is gone, it's truly gone. I don't need to remind you of the Nine-Tails' importance to Konoha. Without the Nine-Tails, Konoha will be attacked by other ninja villages, and the Fourth Shinobi World War will begin. Haven't you always longed for peace? Third Hokage! Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was still hesitating, while Danzo sneered, "Since you can't do it, then leave it to me. As the root of Konoha, aren't these things all done by me?"

Danzo waved his hand, and all the Root ninjas behind him sprang into action, rushing towards Yosuke.

Asuma angrily questioned, "Old man, are you confused? You believe all that nonsense Danzo is spouting?"

"Asuma, shut up! Ubuyashiki Yosuke is from another village. Danzo may have acted extremely, but he was a Konoha ninja, and everything he did was for the sake of Konoha."

"What about the fourth generation? Was he also from another village? What you're doing now is abandoning them!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, "I believe Minato can understand..."

Asuma felt all his strength drain away, staring in disbelief at his father, the father who had always taught him the Will of Fire, who now seemed like a complete stranger.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki also overheard Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo's conversation, and their disappointment was palpable.

Chapter 179 Escape

In order to block the attack aimed at him, Yosuke could only concentrate on swinging the Ama-no-Murakumo sword to counterattack.

However, due to Yosuke's distraction, the Nine-Tails, which had been struggling to break free of its restraints, twisted its body with all its might and successfully snapped several ropes woven from blood.

Having regained some of its mobility, Kurama immediately gathered a Tailed Beast Ball and launched it at Yosuke, who was binding it.

Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique to instantly teleport in front of Yosuke, forming hand seals to create a barrier and transfer the Tailed Beast Ball.

With Minato Namikaze's support, Yosuke successfully re-binded the Nine-Tails.

Taking this opportunity, Minato Namikaze unleashed the Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique.

"seal!"

An invisible force pulled at the Nine-Tails' chakra, causing it to transform into a grayish-brown Nine-Tails.

The pulled-out gray-brown Nine-Tails was successfully resealed into Kushina Uzumaki's body.

The Nine-Tailed Fox's enormous body instantly shrank by half.

Just as Minato Namikaze was about to seal the remaining Yang-type Nine-Tails into Naruto's body in one fell swoop, the Root ninjas attacked once again.

Kushina Uzumaki, having recovered some chakra, used the Adamantine Sealing Technique to bind the Nine-Tails along with Yosuke's Dark Binding Technique.

With Kushina Uzumaki's help, Yosuke was finally able to free up his hands to counterattack.

Yosuke had long harbored murderous intent towards these ungrateful ninjas.

"Blood Breathing? Third Form? Storm Flame Blood Blade!"

Countless flying, blood-red blades swept towards the Root ninja.

In an instant, the Root ninjas struck by Yosuke's blood blade were instantly corroded by the blood and died. Only a few ninjas who barely managed to dodge the blood blade's attack survived.

Seeing his fellow villager killed, Minato Namikaze felt no anger, only sorrow.

"Blood Breathing? First Form? Crimson Corruption!"

A giant blood-red flower appeared around Yosuke, enveloping Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and the Nine-Tails.

The ninjas outside the scarlet flower stamen wanted to destroy it, but after smelling the pollen, they all lost their minds and started fighting with their comrades.