Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 162 The End is Also the Beginning

After the Nine-Tails was forced out of the heart of Konoha, the previously chaotic village finally enjoyed a moment of peace. However, just as people breathed a sigh of relief, they were horrified to discover that the Nine-Tails' eyes, flashing with eerie Sharingan patterns, showed no sign of stopping.

The Nine-Tails' massive body crouched slightly, like a ferocious beast poised to pounce. Its nine thick tails spread out like a peacock's tail, waving wildly. Then, the Nine-Tails opened its gaping maw, large enough to swallow several people whole, and a powerful gust of air erupted from it. At the same time, a continuous stream of chakra within the Nine-Tails began to frantically gather at its mouth, instantly condensing into a gigantic dark sphere several meters in diameter.

This colossal object, formed from a massive amount of chakra, was none other than the Tailed Beasts' most iconic attack technique—the Tailed Beast Ball! Gazing upon this terrifying Tailed Beast Ball, the Konoha ninjas turned ashen-faced, their hearts filled with despair. If such an attack were to directly strike Konoha, it would not only severely damage the village, potentially leveling more than half of its area, but the casualties would be incalculable.

At this moment, Konoha Village was like a lone boat adrift in a raging storm, seemingly on the verge of capsizing at any moment. Every Konoha ninja present stared blankly at the scene before them, their faces ashen, filled with a profound sense of helplessness. They widened their eyes as they watched helplessly as the enormous Tailed Beast Ball, imbued with boundless destructive power, hurtled towards the village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, also wore a look of despair. Despite his extraordinary strength, he was helpless against a Tailed Beast Ball imbued with countless amounts of chakra. After all, he had exhausted his strength in the previous battle with the Nine-Tails, even depleting most of his chakra to expel it from Konoha. Now, he was powerless and unable to unleash any powerful ninjutsu to stop the enemy's onslaught.

The Tailed Beast Ball streaked across the sky at an astonishing speed, trailing a long tail like a dazzling meteor. Its destructive aura was suffocating, threatening to raze the entire Hidden Leaf Village to the ground. All the Hidden Leaf ninjas could only stand there, their eyes filled with deep despair, silently watching the Tailed Beast Ball rapidly approaching the heart of the village.

Just as the Tailed Beast Ball was about to reach the center of Konoha and was about to explode, a figure appeared in front of the Tailed Beast Ball like lightning—this person was none other than the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze! After several years of rapid growth and training, Minato's strength has now reached a state of perfection.

Faced with the black-robed attacker's fierce offensive, he surprisingly defeated him in just a few minutes, delivering a heavy blow. He originally intended to press his advantage and eliminate the enemy in one fell swoop, but then he suddenly sensed a destructive tailed beast power approaching from within the village. Helpless, he could only watch as the black-robed figure fled the scene.

At this critical moment, Minato knew he had to race against time to return to the village and resolve the current Tailed Beast Ball crisis. Standing before the menacing Tailed Beast Ball, he gripped his specially made kunai tightly, his surging chakra flowing continuously into the kunai, instantly activating the powerful sealing techniques and Flying Thunder God seal contained within them.

In an instant, countless sealing runes, shimmering with mysterious light, rapidly appeared along the kunai, forming a dense net that instantly enveloped the enormous Tailed Beast Ball. Then, the Flying Thunder God Seal flashed, and the Tailed Beast Ball vanished from Konoha Village in a flash! As if it had never existed.

Suddenly, a dazzling white light erupted more than ten kilometers outside Konoha Village, accompanied by a deafening explosion. Immediately afterward, an incredibly powerful shockwave unleashed a violent gale, sweeping across the entire village like a raging ocean wave.

Without a doubt, in that very instant, Minato Namikaze unleashed his unparalleled Flying Thunder God Technique, rapidly teleporting the entire Tailed Beast Ball to a location far from Konoha Village to detonate. Because of this action, the Tailed Beast Ball, which would have caused catastrophic consequences within Konoha Village, did not explode there, preventing a devastating catastrophe from befalling this peaceful village.

However, Kurama did not give up. It immediately began to reassemble a second Tailed Beast Ball. After all, as a Tailed Beast with a massive amount of chakra, attacks like the Tailed Beast Ball, which are formed by the convergence of a huge amount of chakra, were not difficult for it. It could easily launch dozens or even more attacks in succession.

However, now that Minato Namikaze had appeared, he couldn't just stand by and watch Kurama continue to condense the Tailed Beast Ball and launch an attack. It's important to understand that transferring a Tailed Beast Ball requires an enormous amount of chakra; he had already expended a great deal during his battle with the mysterious black-robed man. Now, having successfully transferred another Tailed Beast Ball, Minato's remaining chakra was already quite low, making it difficult for him to continue expending it in this manner.

Minato Namikaze's figure flashed like lightning above the Nine-Tails. He swiftly completed the hand seals and then forcefully swung his palm towards the sky. In an instant, countless mysterious runes shone like stars across the sky—this was a powerful summoning jutsu! Immediately afterward, a gigantic toad with a sharp dagger at its waist emerged from the void, stepping out from the clouds.

This giant toad, with its imposing presence like a moving mountain, slammed down onto the ground with overwhelming force. Its astonishing size and immense weight caused it to crash heavily into the Nine-Tails' massive body. Even a behemoth as large as the Nine-Tails could not withstand such a powerful impact and was knocked to the ground. Its actions, which were gathering energy in preparation for launching a Tailed Beast Ball, were abruptly halted.

However, how could the proud and arrogant Nine-Tails tolerate being suppressed by others? Its body began to twist and struggle wildly, and its thick tail lashed out violently, as if to tear everything around it apart. The enormous force made it difficult for the giant toad that had been barely holding down the Nine-Tails to maintain its position. It had no choice but to shout loudly to Minato Namikaze, who had returned to its head, indicating that it was no longer able to suppress the enemy.

After successfully summoning the giant toad Gamabunta to suppress the Nine-Tails, Minato Namikaze rushed to his lover's side without hesitation. He gazed at her pale face, pale with exhaustion, his heart filled with endless pain and pity. A gentle smile played on his lips as he softly reached out and caressed Kushina's cheek.

Immediately afterwards, Minato Namikaze focused intently on casting various powerful sealing and barrier techniques, creating a tight protective barrier around the area. Furthermore, he carefully placed the newborn child at the core of the sealing technique to ensure absolute safety.

Recalling the difficult choice he had made earlier—whether to save the child or protect his beloved—he found his answer when he saw Kushina's unwavering gaze. He resolved to accompany his beloved to the underworld, unwilling to let her leave alone. This was the most selfish decision Minato Namikaze had ever made, a decision made since childhood with the ultimate goal of protecting the village.

After everything was arranged, Minato Namikaze quickly returned to the top of Gamabunta's head and swiftly set up the Flying Thunder God Technique seal next to Kurama. After expressing his sincere gratitude to Gamabunta, he resolutely dispelled the summoning jutsu and stepped into the carefully prepared barrier with Kurama.

At this moment, Minato Namikaze had made his decision: to seal the Nine-Tails directly into the body of his newborn child, giving this tender life the strength and hope to survive. He firmly believed that only in this way could they protect their shared future.

Minato Namikaze knew very well that once he and his wife Kushina Uzumaki passed away, there would be no one to properly care for their newborn child. However, if his child became the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Konoha would undoubtedly do everything in its power to protect the child and ensure his healthy growth. The ninja world was not a peaceful place; without a strong and reliable support system, living safely was virtually impossible. Moreover, if the Nine-Tails' immense power were used wisely, it would undoubtedly give the child a higher chance of survival in the face of future hardships.

In the year or so since becoming Hokage, Minato Namikaze had learned a little about Hiruzen Sarutobi. Although his previous actions may have greatly displeased Hiruzen, he firmly believed that even if Hiruzen harbored resentment towards him, he would spare no effort to ensure the child's safety and survival when it came to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, who was of vital importance to the village.

With the sealing technique complete, Minato Namikaze used his last ounce of strength to seal a portion of his and Kushina Uzumaki's chakra into their newborn child—Naruto Uzumaki. In his endless nagging, one could almost hear this great father's hopes and blessings for his son's future growth.

However, fate cruelly played a cruel trick on this family. At that moment, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki both heroically sacrificed themselves, leaving only the lonely little Naruto behind. Standing outside the barrier, Hiruzen Sarutobi silently watched everything that happened before his eyes. He knew the deeper meaning behind Minato Namikaze's actions, but deep down, an indescribable joy welled up within him.

Minato Namikaze's departure meant that the power of the Hokage was about to return to Hiruzen Sarutobi. This old man, who had once lost power, was finally ushering in a new era that belonged to him. Moreover, Minato's dying words and that meaningful look made Hiruzen fully understand the significance they contained.

The era of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, has come to an end, but the children he left behind may be a new beginning.