Minato's transformation was both subtle and profound. As his eyes shifted to scarlet vertical pupils that burned with ancient power, he turned to face Kushina with a gaze that carried the accumulated wisdom and fury of the Nine-Tails itself. The change in his presence was immediate and unmistakable—where moments before there had been a exhausted human warrior, now there stood something that transcended normal limitations.
Kushina immediately sensed that the fundamental nature of Minato's aura had undergone a dramatic transformation. The chakra signature she had known and loved for years had been joined by something far older and more primal, creating a harmonious blend that was both familiar and completely alien.
However, the dramatic change lasted only briefly. Within moments, the crimson coloration faded from Minato's eyes, returning them to their original blue appearance. Simultaneously, the enhanced state of Sage Mode that had been sustaining him also dissipated completely, its natural energy flowing away as his consciousness adapted to accommodate the Nine-Tails' will.
"Nine-Tails, you..." Minato murmured internally, his mental voice carrying a note of surprise and gratitude as he realized that the great beast had immediately returned full control of his body without any attempt at domination or manipulation.
"I will now begin communicating with the Nine-Tails that resides within Kushina's body," the familiar voice responded within his consciousness. "During this process, you had better not die, or all of our efforts will be wasted."
Despite the gruff tone, there was something approaching genuine concern in the Nine-Tails' words—a development that would have been unthinkable just hours earlier.
"Thank you," Minato replied with sincere appreciation, then refocused his attention on the external situation.
He smiled gently at Kushina, his expression carrying a warmth and confidence that had been absent during his exhausted state just moments before. "I'm fine now. Please don't worry about me."
The entire exchange of consciousness had occurred in the span of mere seconds, so Madara's latest devastating attack was still in progress, giving them only moments to prepare for the incoming assault.
"What exactly happened just now?" Kushina asked with evident concern, though she nodded in acknowledgment of his reassurance.
Meanwhile, within the sealed space of Kushina's consciousness, an extraordinary conversation was beginning to unfold. The Nine-Tails that had been imprisoned within her spiritual landscape for years suddenly heard a voice that was unmistakably familiar, yet completely unexpected.
"Send your power to Namikaze Minato," the voice commanded with casual authority.
The voice was clearly its own—another version of itself speaking with identical inflection and personality, yet somehow different in ways that were difficult to define. The Nine-Tails had long been aware that another fragment of its essence resided within Minato's body, but direct communication between the two halves had never occurred before.
"Why should I do such a thing?" the sealed Nine-Tails responded with characteristic defiance, its eyes burning with cold fury at the suggestion.
The bitterness and resentment that had accumulated over years of imprisonment were evident in every word. Being asked to voluntarily surrender its power to humans—even humans who had treated it with unprecedented respect—went against every instinct the great beast possessed.
"You should understand the true purpose behind Madara and the masked man's campaign to collect all the Tailed Beasts," the other Nine-Tails replied with patient explanation.
"The resurrection of the Ten-Tails," the sealed version responded grimly, its voice carrying the weight of ancient knowledge and terrible understanding.
There were aspects of the greater conspiracy that Minato and even most of the ninja world remained ignorant about, but the Nine-Tails possessed memories that stretched back to the era of the Sage of Six Paths himself. The implications of the Akatsuki's true goals were clear and horrifying to any being that understood the historical context.
"Remaining within this young woman's body is certainly preferable to being used by Madara once again," the free Nine-Tails continued with logical precision.
"Besides, you should have developed at least some faith by now. What the old man of Six Paths prophesied may actually come to pass."
The reference to ancient prophecies and the legendary founder of ninja techniques carried weight that transcended normal tactical considerations. For beings that had witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, such long-term perspectives held significance that humans could barely comprehend.
The Nine-Tails within Kushina's seal fell silent for several long moments, processing the implications of what was being suggested. The Nine-Tails within Minato's consciousness understood this reaction perfectly—it knew itself well enough to recognize that explicit agreement to such a request was simply not in its nature.
However, sometimes silence could be more meaningful than words, and the lack of outright refusal suggested a grudging acceptance of the necessity involved.
While this profound conversation was taking place within the spiritual realm, Minato quickly explained to Kushina what had just occurred within his consciousness. The explanation was necessarily brief, but it conveyed the essential points: the Nine-Tails had offered to help restore his strength by facilitating a connection with her sealed Tailed Beast.
"Bang!"
At that moment, Madara's latest attack reached their position with devastating force. The Complete Susanoo's single strike carried enough destructive power to shatter mountains and reshape landscapes, creating shock waves that spread across the battlefield like a natural disaster made manifest.
"Ready," the Nine-Tails' voice suddenly announced within Minato's mind, indicating that the necessary preparations had been completed.
"Understood," Minato replied, then immediately grasped Kushina's arm with gentle but firm determination.
Swish!
Both figures vanished from their current location in an instant, reappearing at the base of a broken mountain that had been severed halfway up its peak by one of Madara's previous attacks. The partial concealment would provide some protection from observation while they completed the power transfer process.
"Please proceed," Minato said aloud, addressing the Nine-Tails consciousness within his body with respectful formality.
"Whoosh!"
As soon as the words left his lips, dark golden flames erupted around his body with magnificent intensity. The ethereal fire was identical in appearance to the chakra manifestations that Kushina had displayed during their previous battles, creating a visual link between their shared connection to the Nine-Tails' power.
The dark golden chakra condensed and took shape, forming massive claws that extended toward Kushina's abdomen where the sealing formula had been inscribed years earlier. The claws moved with purpose and precision, clearly guided by intelligence that understood exactly how to interact with the complex seal structure.
When the chakra claws made contact with the sealing marks on Kushina's stomach, they began to pull with gentle but insistent force, careful not to damage either the seal or its container.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
From within the black sealing symbols, streams of dark golden chakra began to flow continuously, traveling along the ethereal claws and pouring directly into Minato's body. The transfer was smooth and controlled, speaking of cooperation between the two Nine-Tails halves that transcended their normal competitive nature.
"Thank you, Kushina. Thank you, Nine-Tails," Minato said with genuine gratitude as he felt his depleted chakra reserves beginning to restore themselves at an incredible rate.
His words were directed both to his wife, who was voluntarily allowing this potentially dangerous procedure, and to the sealed consciousness within her body that was choosing to cooperate despite years of resentment and imprisonment.
In the distance, Madara observed this unprecedented development from his position within the Complete Susanoo, his legendary perception immediately identifying what was occurring. When he sensed the Nine-Tails chakra flowing continuously from Kushina's body into Minato's spiritual system, his pupils contracted with shock and growing alarm.
"This young man can actually use the Nine-Tails to restore his chakra reserves!" Madara's voice carried genuine surprise mixed with tactical concern.
Even with his vast experience and legendary knowledge, he had never witnessed or even conceived of such a technique. The implications were staggering—if Minato could maintain access to Kushina's chakra reserves, he would possess effectively unlimited energy for the remainder of their confrontation.
Recognizing that allowing this power restoration to continue unchallenged would be strategically disastrous, Madara immediately activated his Complete Susanoo for another devastating attack.
"Bang!"
Minato's enhanced perception immediately detected the incoming threat from the massive construct in the distance. Without hesitation, he created a shadow clone with practiced efficiency, the duplicate forming with perfect synchronization of movement and purpose.
Swish!
The shadow clone immediately grasped Kushina's arm and vanished from their current position, reappearing instantaneously on top of the Hokage building back in Konoha village. The distance was considerable, but the Flying Thunder God technique made such transportation effortless regardless of range.
Dark golden chakra claws immediately extended from behind Minato's shadow clone, continuing the power transfer process without interruption. The connection between the two Nine-Tails halves transcended normal physical limitations, allowing the chakra flow to continue even across vast distances.
Meanwhile, on the main battlefield, Minato faced Madara's approaching attack with renewed confidence and determination. He brought his hands together in a gesture that was both meditative and practical, focusing his consciousness on the task of reintegrating with natural energy.
Gradually, the distinctive orange eye shadow began to reappear at the corners of his eyes, marking the return of his enhanced Sage Mode state. His pupils shifted from blue to the brown-yellow horizontal configuration that indicated perfect harmony with natural forces, though they trembled slightly with the enormous power flowing through his system.
Massive amounts of natural energy coalesced in front of Minato, forming a barrier of incredible density and resilience designed to withstand even the Complete Susanoo's devastating attacks.
"Bang!"
The shock wave generated by Madara's assault swept toward Minato's position with the force of a hurricane, but something extraordinary occurred as it approached the barrier. Cracks suddenly appeared in the air itself, spreading outward like fractures in a sheet of glass as reality struggled to contain the conflicting forces.
Rather than being overwhelmed by the attack, Minato surged directly toward the massive Complete Susanoo at the center of the battlefield, his movement creating a path of least resistance through the chaotic energies surrounding them.
When the air in front of him completely shattered like crystalline glass, the shock wave had already passed beyond his position and continued sweeping across the landscape behind him. The technique had been not merely resisted, but actually channeled and redirected through superior understanding of energy manipulation principles.
Madara's expression darkened with concern and frustration as he realized he could no longer detect Kushina's chakra signature within his sensory range. When he witnessed Minato not merely surviving but actually advancing through his devastating attack, his legendary composure began to show cracks of genuine alarm.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Minato continued his relentless advance through the omnidirectional shock waves created by the Complete Susanoo's movement, his form cutting through the chaos with supernatural determination and skill. Each step brought him closer to his impossibly large opponent, defying all conventional wisdom about engaging such overwhelming force at close range.
Finally, he reached the base of the Complete Susanoo, standing beneath the towering construct like a war god made manifest. He raised his head to look up at Madara's position high above, and even amidst the rolling clouds of dust and debris, his hair and white Hokage robes moved without any wind to disturb them.
The movement was caused by natural energy continuously gathering toward his position, drawn by the incredible focus and power he was displaying. The very elements themselves seemed eager to contribute to his cause.
"Madara," Minato's voice carried clearly across the battlefield despite the distance and ambient chaos, each word heavy with determination and righteous anger. "No matter what grand schemes you may have planned, since you have already departed from this world, you have no right to return and add to its suffering!"
As he finished speaking, an incredible force suddenly erupted from his body and continued to surge outward in all directions. The chakra wave was released without any restraint or reservation, creating pressure that could be felt across vast distances.
When this overwhelming power fully manifested, Minato's brown-yellow horizontal pupils were completely overwhelmed by the intensity of the energy flowing through him. The distinctive Sage Mode eyes were replaced by a dark golden light that burned with the concentrated essence of Tailed Beast power.
But the transformation didn't stop with his eyes. Dark golden light erupted directly from beneath Minato's feet, causing his blonde hair and pristine white robes to billow upward as if he were standing in the center of a supernatural updraft. The radiance enveloped his entire body, creating an aura of power that was both beautiful and terrifying to behold.
The ninja clothing he wore was completely obscured by this brilliant illumination, but as the light stabilized, new details became visible. Black magatama appeared on both sides of his collar, marking him with symbols that had not been seen since the era of the Sage of Six Paths himself.
Similar magatama manifested on the clothing beneath Minato's neck, and below these symbols, black spirals took shape—vortexes of concentrated power that seemed to contain infinite depth. On either side of these spirals, patterns reminiscent of the Eight Trigrams Seal extended outward with mathematical precision.
When the transformation finally reached his hands, black vortexes condensed on the backs of both appendages, then connected to each other through intricate black sealing lines that pulsed with their own inner rhythm.
Minato's originally gentle and approachable aura underwent a fundamental change as his appearance completed its metamorphosis. The kindness remained, but it was now tempered with an authority and power that commanded respect from even the most prideful opponents.
Even Minato himself was stunned by the extent of the changes that had occurred within his body and spirit. The transformation exceeded anything he had anticipated or experienced before.
"This is the Nine-Tails' true, complete power," he murmured with awe and growing understanding.
While the total amount of chakra within his body had not increased dramatically, the fundamental quality of that energy had become far more refined and potent. Every technique he could perform would now operate on a completely different level of effectiveness and destructive potential.
Madara was equally shocked by Minato's transformation, but more significantly, the aura radiating from the Fourth Hokage now triggered every instinct the legendary Uchiha possessed. For the first time since his resurrection, he was experiencing something that could genuinely be called concern—and perhaps even the faintest echo of fear.
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