Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun? Is there something else you haven't finished talking about?"

Sasuke didn't answer, but instead turned to look at the blond figure who had been silent for a long time.

The Fourth Hokage.

Minato Namikaze was taken aback and subconsciously replied, "What's wrong?"

"You just said that in your time, there was also a man who called himself Uchiha Madara."

Sasuke's voice was calm, yet it made everyone present tense. "What does that mean?"

His expression turned quite solemn, because this Uchiha Madara, who should have died, was very likely the one who controlled the Nine-Tails during the Nine-Tails' rampage, indirectly causing the Uchiha clan's annihilation.

This question caused a serious look to appear on Minato's face.

"That was the day Naruto was born..." He took a deep breath and began to slowly recount the tragedy of that night in a concise manner.

A masked man silently breached Konoha's strongest barrier, snatched his wife, who had just given birth, from his grasp, and forcibly extracted the Nine-Tails from her body...

“His space-time ninjutsu is superior to mine, and his style of doing things is strange and powerful.” Minato’s voice was tinged with lingering fear. “He called himself Uchiha Madara and controlled the Nine-Tails to launch an attack on Konoha.”

"In the end, although I managed to repel him, but..."

"--impossible!!!"

Hashirama Senju rudely interrupted Minato.

"Although I don't know how you became the fourth generation."

Hashirama frowned, his voice booming, "But I know Madara's strength better than anyone! Even at my peak, I would have to risk my life to fight him! With your meager chakra, how could you possibly defeat him?!"

“This…” Minato was taken aback by these words and scratched his head awkwardly.

"Humph."

Tobirama Senju, standing to the side, let out a cold snort, crossed his arms, and nodded in approval.

My brother is right.

He thought to himself that he had retrieved Madara's body back then and conducted a thorough study on him. Madara had indeed died in the Valley of the End and there was absolutely no possibility of him being resurrected.

However, I can't say this directly to my older brother.

So, who exactly is this guy that Minato encountered?

"so......"

Hashirama looked at Minato's embarrassed appearance, and a look of sympathy gradually appeared on his face. He patted Minato on the shoulder and let out a long sigh, "You died in that battle to protect the village? You were truly a remarkable Hokage."

"Ah, yes."

Minato nodded, his voice tinged with bitterness, "In order to stop the Nine-Tails from going out of control, I finally sealed it away with the 'Reaper Death Seal'."

"Seal?" Hashirama murmured, but his confusion was evident on his face. A seal could kill people.

Sasuke's gaze swept over Minato, and a more crucial question welled up in his mind.

"Then why does the aura within your body contain the Nine-Tails?"

"Shouldn't the Nine-Tails be inside Naruto?"

Minato's wry smile deepened: "Well... because of the emergency, I used the Reaper Death Seal to split the Nine-Tails' chakra into 'yin' and 'yang' halves."

"The Yang attribute half, along with my and Kushina's chakra, was sealed inside Naruto's body."

He paused, then pointed to himself, "And the Yin attribute half, along with me, was sealed inside the belly of Death."

"why?"

Sasuke pressed on, "Why go through all that trouble? Wouldn't it be safer to seal the Nine-Tails completely?"

"Well..."

Minato scratched his head again, a very embarrassed expression on his face. "The situation was too complicated at the time, and I don't remember the specific reasons very clearly."

"..."

Sasuke fell silent, looking into Minato's azure eyes, a hint of determination flashing within them.

"In that case..."

"Hand it over."

“…Huh?” Minato’s movements froze.

"Give me the Nine-Tails inside you," Sasuke repeated calmly.

However, just as Minato was about to refuse, he suddenly felt the will within his body.

Those azure eyes were instantly replaced by a scarlet beastly gaze, and even his voice became hoarse.

At the same time, a surge of ecstatic crimson chakra erupted from Minato's body.

"Kid! Are you serious?!"

"Shut up, be quiet."

Sasuke merely glanced at him coldly, his crimson Sharingan slowly turning.

"Uh......"

Nine-Tails' aura suddenly froze, and its violent energy was forcefully suppressed by that single glance.

"You bastard, it's that damn Sharingan again..." Kurama roared, handing control of his body back to Minato.

Minato regained his clarity, while the Nine-Tails within him roared madly.

Damn Uchiha!

But going out and temporarily following this Uchiha brat doesn't seem like an unacceptable option.

After all, humans live for several decades longer, and once he dies, he will be free.

This is how the Nine-Tailed Fox was simply imagined.

Why is it that my stupid half-body can run around freely outside, while I have to spend my whole life inside this dark belly?!

It's unfair! This is absolutely unfair!

This intense jealousy was clearly transmitted to Minato's heart, plunging him into an internal struggle.

Chapter 165 I accept Itachi's love, but I refuse to forgive.

Minato Namikaze looked at the calm young man before him, while simultaneously feeling the restlessness and desire surging within his body.

He recalled the long years spent in that endless darkness, confronting and understanding this proud and solitary beast.

He was about to return to the Pure Land, and the duties that belonged to the Fourth Hokage had long since ended.

But the road ahead for the Nine Lamas is still long.

"Sasuke, I promise you."

Minato finally let out a long breath, a relieved smile on his face. "After returning to the Pure Land, I no longer need this power."

He looked at Sasuke with a solemn entrustment in his eyes.

"Although the Nine-Tailed Fox has a bad temper, it's not inherently evil. Rather than letting it perish in the Pure Land with me, it would be better to..."

His gaze passed over Sasuke and landed in the distance, as if he wanted to see the golden figure still training outside the village. "Why not let it witness a new era?"

After saying that, he no longer hesitated.

"Let's go out."

As they stepped out of the Namian Hall, the moonlight shone on them again, casting long shadows on each person.

The group followed him silently to the long-abandoned shrine courtyard.

Minato stopped and stood side by side with Sasuke.

He took a deep breath, slowly raised his right hand, chakra flowing in his palm, and finally gently placed that hand on his abdomen.

"It's about to begin."

Minato whispered something, and a complex sealing technique spread out from the center of his palm.

Immediately afterwards, a surge of crimson chakra, filled with an ominous aura, erupted from Minato's body like a prehistoric beast breaking free from its cage.

Because it was an impure body, the departure of the Nine-Tails from Minato's body did not cause any backlash.

Crimson chakra gathered and surged wildly in mid-air, eventually coalescing into a gigantic fox demon as large as a mountain.

Nine ferocious tails danced wildly behind it, each swing bringing up a gust of wind.

"Roar--!!!"

A roar, suppressed for decades and filled with a fervent yearning for freedom, exploded over Konoha.

Crimson chakra shot into the sky, staining the night sky with an ominous blood-red hue.

The Nine-Tails lowered its massive head, its crimson beastly eyes fixed on the tiny black-haired boy below, and two scorching breaths spewed from its nostrils, as if it wanted to devour Sasuke.

However, the ferocity on its face suddenly froze the next moment.

Hashirama Senju had somehow appeared beside Sasuke, arms crossed, watching him with a smile.

"..."

Nine-Tailed Fox's entire body of fox fur bristled, and the roar it was about to continue was abruptly cut off in its throat.

Soon, the savagery in its scarlet beast eyes vanished completely, replaced by an almost fawning ingratiation.

"Hey, long time no see."

Hashirama stepped forward, naturally raised his hand, and patted Kurama's mountain-like legs. "Seeing you so energetic, I'm relieved."

The Nine-Tails' enormous head nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, and even lowered its head to rub its cheek against Hashirama's arm, making a series of unintelligible "woo-woo" sounds.

His obedient and docile appearance made Tobirama's eyes twitch.

"Listen carefully, this child will be your new partner from now on."

Hashirama pointed to Sasuke beside him and said gently, "You two should get along well and become friends, understand?"

Nine-Tails nodded frantically again, but inwardly he was sneering and cursing.