Konoha: The Man Who Became the Fourth Hokage Chapter 32: As Willful as Ever

Konoha Year 39

March 28

Weather: Clear

Today seems to be Sakura's birthday…

Under a sky as blue and spotless as freshly washed glass, Kyusei sat cross-legged on the grass, bare-chested, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.

Eight wooden stakes burned with steady flas around him, and beneath his body spread a dense, intricate sealing formation.

Outside the formation, Namikaze Minato and Tsunade stood quietly.

A short distance away, Kushina maintained her stance—dozens of golden chains crisscrossing outward from Kyusei as their center, weaving together like a heavenly net to form a vast, transparent barrier that isolated every unstable factor.

Tsunade looked at the surroundings, at the near-absolute lockdown created by the Adamantine Sealing Barrier, and couldn't help but feel awed.

Even her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, couldn't have achieved sothing like this.

This woman—Uzumaki Kushina—had already surpassed Uzumaki Mito.

Tsunade didn't want to admit it, but it was an undeniable fact.

After all, the existence of predecessors was ant to be surpassed by those who ca later.

Outside the barrier, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood with Hatake Sakumo, both observing in silence.

To guard against any contingencies, Hiruzen had deployed a large number of ANBU around the periter.

"Kyusei, are you ready?"

Minato asked gently, doing his best to reassure the child and ease his nerves.

"I will be quick."

"Yeah!" Kyusei replied calmly.

"I'm fine. Little Nine is fine too."

No I'm not!!!

I've got a HUGE problem!!!

I don't want another damn seal slapped on !!!

Inside Kyusei's body, the Nine-Tails roared furiously within the sealing space.

But all resistance was aningless.

The fact that another layer of seal was about to be added was unavoidable.

"Little Nine?"

Minato paused in surprise.

"Is that the Nine-Tails' na?"

"Yeah," Kyusei nodded.

"Because he never wanted to tell his real na."

"And unless sothing unexpected happens, he'll probably stay with for a long ti."

"So I just went ahead and nad him myself."

"He doesn't really like it, though."

Minato stared at the boy, stunned, then smiled gently.

He reached out and softly rubbed Kyusei's hair.

"Kyusei," he said warmly,

"you'll grow into a truly outstanding person."

Not an outstanding ninja.

Because no matter how one tried to romanticize it, a ninja was still, at heart, an executioner.

That reality couldn't be changed.

But what Kyusei showed—respecting others, even a tailed beast—

was the behavior of soone who respected life itself.

He respected the Nine-Tails.

Even if the child usually acted mischievous, as the Third Hokage had said, it was rely a layer of armor to protect others.

"Minato, it's stable now," Kushina called from a distance.

"The Adamantine Barrier is fully secured."

"Alright," Minato nodded.

"Kyusei, we're starting."

"I'm ready."

Minato's hands flew through seals.

A vast surge of chakra erupted from his body—

so imnse that visible blue flas ford around him.

"Let's begin."

As Kyusei spoke, a black, spiral-shaped seal surfaced on his abdon.

This was the Four Symbols Seal originally placed by Uzumaki Mito.

"Here it cos!"

Minato slamd his palm onto Kyusei's stomach.

"Four Symbols Seal!"

As Minato's technique took effect, an outer ring of sealing formulae appeared around the original seal, orbiting it like stars around the moon.

"Two Four Symbols Seals… linking together…"

"To create an even more powerful sealing formula…"

"Incredible. This converts the Nine-Tails' leaking chakra directly into Kyusei's own."

"How did I never think of this?"

"What a truly outstanding young man."

A sudden voice echoed beside Kyusei and Minato.

Minato's expression sharpened instantly.

That voice—

Kyusei felt his mind go blank.

He would never forget it.

This was the woman who had personally stuffed the Nine-Tails into him.

In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed.

The training ground within Konoha vanished—

replaced by a vast space of gold and white.

This was…

Kyusei's inner sealing space.

Not far away, the massive fox lay restrained—

in addition to the stone sphere and wooden pillars, countless golden chains now bound it tightly, their other ends plunging deep into the ground of the sealing space.

Clearly, the Nine-Tails had been locked under an even stronger seal.

"Long ti no see, Kyusei,"

a gentle voice said.

"I didn't expect you'd grow this big already."

A woman stood before him.

Her long red hair fell like a waterfall, her features refined and dignified.

She wore a white robe, and a violet diamond-shaped mark adorned her forehead.

She smiled warmly at the boy.

"Uh…"

Kyusei blinked.

"Miss… who are you?"

"Mito-sama,"

Minato said from behind him.

Kyusei startled and turned—only then realizing Minato had also appeared inside the sealing space.

Uzumaki Mito looked kindly at Minato.

She understood everything happening outside.

She knew this man didn't belong to this world, but to a distant, parallel ti.

"Thank you for helping Kyusei," she said gently.

"Minato—another world's Kaoru."

"Mito… grandma?"

Kyusei stared at her in disbelief.

He knew she had left chakra behind in the seal—

a failsafe in case the Nine-Tails ever broke free.

But he knew Uzumaki Mito!

Back then, she had been a withered old lady!

The mont that thought crossed his mind—

Bonk.

Mito's fist landed squarely on his head.

Perfect force.

Dazed, but no brain damage.

"Kyusei," she snapped,

"don't think I don't know what disrespectful nonsense just crossed your mind."

She clenched her fist, a throbbing vein popping on her forehead.

Yep.

No doubt about it.

This stunning red-haired beauty was absolutely Uzumaki Mito.

That familiar punch instantly brought back mories of his ti in the Senju household.

"I suppose this is the contingency you left behind back then,"

Minato said thoughtfully.

"Leaving your remaining chakra within Kyusei, in case of ergencies."

Mito nodded.

"That's right."

"It was ant to be a safeguard for Kyusei."

"But when you layered a Four Symbols Seal over another Four Symbols Seal to form a brand-new Eight Trigrams Seal…"

"Well, I couldn't resist."

"So I took the liberty of coming out to et you."

She stared straight at Minato as she spoke.

Minato smiled wryly.

Yep.

That was Uzumaki Mito for you—

as willful as ever.

To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon

patreon/DarkVerse146