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Konoha Hospital.
When Minato opened his eyes, he saw Kaito's paper clone studying a damaged puppet on the experimental table.
"What is this?"
Minato floated closer to the experimental table, leaned down, and carefully examined the puppet. His expression changed.
"Is this a human puppet made from a corpse?"
"Yes, this person was once a member of Konoha's Root. He joined the Akatsuki to seek revenge for Danzo."
Kaito looked up.
"You came at the right time. You should be quite familiar with the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, right?"
Minato smiled modestly. "Well, Kushina taught me a few things."
"Then work with me on this." Kaito pointed at the corpse of Terai. "Lady Tsunade was sealed by this guy using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal…"
"Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"
Minato quickly moved closer to the corpse for a detailed inspection.
"Jiraiya asked me to undo the seal, and I'm still researching it," Kaito added. "So, do you have any ideas on how to break this seal?"
Minato straightened up, his expression grave. "The Dead Demon Consuming Seal is different from the Four Symbols Seal. It's a sealing technique that requires the caster to expend their entire life force. It will be very difficult to undo."
"To be honest, after several days of research, I've already found a way to break the seal," Kaito said seriously.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Minato urged excitedly. "Hurry and save Lady Tsunade!"
Kaito shook his head. "There is a way to break the seal, but…"
"But what?" Minato's excited expression faded.
"Pervy Sage, Sakura, Granny Tsunade…"
Suddenly, Kaito heard Naruto shouting loudly outside the door.
He glanced at Minato and casually dispelled the barrier in the room.
Minato immediately heard Naruto's voice as well.
"Because of what happened to Dad, I've been staying in the hospital room. I only heard about it today…"
"Naruto!" Minato immediately turned and phased through the door.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Outside, Naruto was still yelling.
"Dad, Granny Tsunade… I will never, ever forgive those bastards!"
"What do I do? Naruto can't see me at all!"
Minato phased back into the room, looking helplessly at Kaito.
"You're a spirit now. He doesn't have spiritual energy, so of course he can't see you!"
Kaito, annoyed by the noise, rubbed his temples and pushed open the door.
"Uncle Kaito?"
"Kaito, how is it?"
"Lord Kaito!"
When Kaito opened the door, the people waiting outside rushed forward.
"Wait, wait," Kaito raised his hand helplessly.
Everyone obediently quieted down, their eyes fixed on him.
"What's going on, Uncle Kaito? Why are you here?" Only Naruto was out of the loop, rushing forward. "Uncle Kaito, my dad was eaten by that monster. Do you have a way to save him?"
"Alright, alright."
Kaito flicked a spark of spiritual energy from his fingertip, enveloping Minato's spirit. Minato immediately appeared beside him.
"Here, your dad is right here."
"Dad! So you're okay!!!"
Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes as he immediately cried out and lunged forward.
But he passed right through Minato's spirit and fell flat on his face.
"Naruto!"
Minato quickly tried to help his son up, but his hand passed through Naruto's body.
"Dad, I thought you were… wuwuwu…"
"Naruto…"
"Dad!"
"Naruto!"
Kaito looked away, not wanting to deal with the father-son duo anymore. He turned to Jiraiya and said, "Jiraiya, you'll need to make the decision about breaking the seal."
Jiraiya, sensing something was wrong but still holding onto a sliver of hope, forced a smile and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Never mind, come in and I'll explain."
Kaito turned around, grabbed Minato and Naruto with one hand each, and tossed them out the door. Jiraiya followed him inside.
Kaito closed the door behind them, leaving Sakura and the others outside, looking on eagerly.
"The Dead Demon Consuming Seal is a forbidden technique. I assume you're somewhat familiar with it, Jiraiya, so I'll be blunt."
Kaito didn't give Jiraiya any time to prepare.
"Go ahead."
Jiraiya leaned against the wall, his eyes weakly fixed on Terai's corpse on the experimental table.
"Using this technique consumes the caster's entire life force, so breaking the seal will also consume Lady Tsunade's life force," Kaito explained slowly.
Jiraiya suddenly turned his head. "Are you saying that even if we break the seal, Tsunade will definitely die? If that's the case, can't we use someone else's life force instead?"
"Unfortunately, no," Kaito shook his head. "The structure of the sealing technique is precise. This technique can only be undone from the inside out."
"Then what's the point of breaking the seal?" Jiraiya slumped down, holding his head in his hands.
"That's why I've prepared two plans," Kaito continued.
"The first plan: After breaking the seal, Lady Tsunade's strength will likely be reduced to less than ten percent, and her lifespan will be significantly shortened."
"What did you say?" Jiraiya immediately stood up and grabbed Kaito's hand. "You're saying Tsunade can still live?"
"Jiraiya," Kaito said helplessly, pulling his hand free, "she can live, but her strength will be greatly diminished, and her lifespan will be much shorter."
Jiraiya spoke with difficulty, "As long as she's alive, that's enough. As for her strength, Konoha doesn't rely solely on Tsunade."
"If we choose the first plan, Lady Tsunade will definitely not be able to maintain her youthful appearance," Kaito added.
"This…" Jiraiya hesitated. "What about the second plan?"
"Actually, I recommend the second plan."
Kaito began to explain.
"The second plan is to completely abandon the body. While breaking the seal, we fully consume the body to nourish the soul. After breaking the seal, Lady Tsunade's soul power will actually increase!"
"Only the soul remains?" Jiraiya's face fell. "That's just death."
Kaito firmly denied this. "For an Onmyoji, as long as the soul remains, it's not death. Just like Minato—strictly speaking, he's not dead."
"What? Didn't I die a long time ago?" Minato's head suddenly popped out of the wall.
"No, you're not dead. You never went to the Pure Land, and your soul hasn't been tainted by its aura," Kaito explained seriously.
"This… I guess that's true."
Minato fully emerged from the wall, stroking his chin as he recalled.
"When I used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, I was swallowed by the Shinigami. After coming out, you immediately intercepted me, and then we formed a contract. I never went to the Pure Land."
"Are you saying that Tsunade should form a contract with you, just like Minato?" Jiraiya immediately looked at Kaito with suspicion.
"What's wrong with being like Minato?" Kaito argued. "For the past two years, haven't you all forgotten that he was once dead?"
"What's so good about not being able to eat or drink? Tsunade would be furious if she couldn't drink!" Jiraiya refused to accept this.
"Who said she can't eat or drink? Making a vessel that can eat and drink is a piece of cake for me…"
Kaito's voice trailed off, and he guiltily turned to look at Minato.
"Kaito," Minato said with a fake smile, "why didn't you tell me about this? I'd like a body that can eat and drink too."
"Ha… haha… sorry, I forgot."
Kaito quickly changed the subject. "Right now, the most important thing is to discuss how to save Lady Tsunade. Jiraiya, you need to make the decision!"
"This… I don't know!"
Jiraiya frantically grabbed his hair, pacing back and forth in the room, muttering to himself, "Why do I have to choose? Why can't there just be one answer… If I choose the first option, Tsunade might not be able to accept growing old… The second option… she wouldn't really be alive…"