As Minato sensed the Nine-Tails' icy chakra, his consciousness was immediately plunged into darkness, as if pulled into a chaotic void.
Yet he showed no sign of panic. Following the method stored in his memory and drawing upon insights gained from days of practicing sealing techniques, he focused inward once more and slowly materialized within his spiritual realm...
"Fourth Hokage!"
The familiar voice, filled with hatred and killing intent, rang in his ears. Opening his eyes inside the spiritual realm, Minato faced the fox's head—an apparition formed from the Nine-Tails' remaining power.
Though composed purely of chakra, its grotesque fangs gleamed with an almost tangible sharpness.
Minato carefully observed the Nine-Tails. Its residual strength allowed only this much—just like the last time he had come.
Seeing Minato completely ignore it, the Nine-Tails burned with fury. As the king among Tailed Beasts, it had been repeatedly sealed, controlled, and even exploited by these insignificant humans.
But the world operated under the laws of mutual restraint. Despite possessing nearly the greatest power in existence, it could not overcome that pair of blood-red eyes—the Sharingan… or those sealing techniques nullifying its abilities.
This time, however, the situation was far worse than ever before; its power had actually been stolen away.
Human souls were fragile, but with its vast chakra, the beast somewhat understood how the [Dead Demon Consuming Seal] had entwined their souls across space-time itself. Under those forces, this transformation had occurred.
Space-Time power—it was something even the original creator of the Nine-Tails and the other eight Tailed Beasts couldn't reach. That force already surpassed every natural boundary of this world.
No matter how powerful someone may be, in the end, they will turn to dust in the wind.
And yet, its power had protected this man who had sealed it for over a decade!
After observing it closely, Minato became nearly certain that the Nine-Tails' strength, due to some unknown force, had begun gradually returning to him. So far, it seemed to do more good than harm.
At last, Minato met the Nine-Tails' gaze. He knew that expression all too well—he had seen it countless times before.
"You really hate me, don't you? Nine-Tails!" He stared back without attempting to hide his own feelings.
It was impossible to say he didn't despise this creature either. The Masked Man who had manipulated it to attack Konoha bore the true blame for that assault.
Yet when Minato lifted the Contract Seal and freed it from control, it continued rampaging through the village. If he hadn't arrived just in time, Konoha would have been flattened by a single [Tailed Beast Ball].
Undeniably terrifying—that kind of power… precisely why Minato had once sought to use it—to bestow it upon his own son, turning him into a Jinchuriki to support the future.
But now, perhaps he himself had become something similar.
Minato used to think the Nine-Tails was nothing more than pure hatred. But as its chakra slowly seeped into his body, he realized it was just raw power—way stronger than any regular chakra.
That meant the Nine-Tails was basically just a huge mass of chakra—itself neutral by nature.
It wasn't some mindless beast either. Minato had known this for a long time already.
Then why did the Nine-Tails end up like this?
Reincarnated into this world once more, he now carried a completely new set of beliefs.
He once heard that B, the Cloud Ninja he'd fought before, was trying to communicate with the Eight-Tails sealed within him.
And now, having become a jinchuriki himself, Minato found himself considering similar ideas.
As for Minato's inquiries, the Nine-Tails probably didn't even care to respond. Its gaze remained fierce, yet it seemed to realize resistance was pointless now and slowly began to restrain its hostility.
Minato hesitated slightly.
"Don't think you can fool me, Fourth Hokage," the Nine-Tails sneered, referring to itself as "an ancient being." In truth, the Nine-Tails had existed for countless years; no one really knew when it first appeared.
Such a title wasn't inappropriate at all.
"What do you mean?" Minato asked, his eyes instantly darkening. The Nine-Tails indeed saw through everything.
With another cold laugh, the Nine-Tails said, "You, who've been reborn into a child's body once more, aim to use your past knowledge to alter what fate has already decided. This time, you only wanted to test how merging my chakra with your body would affect you, right?"
"Hah! Now that's truly ironic—seeing how you see me as the one who hurt Konoha, yet still desire my power! Fourth Hokage, don't you find yourself ridiculous?"
Minato fell silent. The Nine-Tails wasn't lying—he truly knew everything...
Yet with Minato's deep experience, he wouldn't let a few biting remarks shake his composure.
Then he lightly chuckled and replied, "Aren't you just the same? Though you hate me beyond reason, not only can you do nothing about it, but you've also lost your former strength to someone weaker who managed to seal you."
The Nine-Tails' eyes sharpened instantly—Minato had hit a nerve.
"Even if you were reborn, nothing will change. Kushina still became the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and both the Second Great Ninja World War and the Third Great Ninja World War remain unchanged. The very nature of what you call ninjas won't change—it's nothing but weaklings chasing after daydreams!" the Nine-Tails roared in fury.
Minato momentarily fell silent, and a flicker of satisfaction passed across the Nine-Tails' face.
But this silence didn't last long. Soon enough, Minato lifted his gaze again, fixing his calm stare on the Nine-Tails.
"At least we possess the determination and courage to change things. How can we know unless we try?" he said steadily.
"Foolish fantasy!" snapped the Nine-Tails.
Originally, Minato had sought a way to coexist with the Nine-Tails. However, both carried deep hatred in their hearts, making reconciliation impossible in the short term.
Thus, inside his spiritual realm, Minato formed hand seals with both hands, and his figure gradually faded away.
The Nine-Tails burned with fury, but now… it could do nothing...
"Hmph!" Minato exhaled slowly after finishing his conversation with the Nine-Tails.
His heart had long since hardened. After all, he'd already stared death in the face once before.
Once he was sure the Nine-Tails' chakra wouldn't hurt his body—at least for now—Minato let out a deep breath and finally relaxed.
Glancing outside at the pale dawn light, he suddenly dropped onto his bed, barely conscious before his head hit the pillow.
Days of relentless training and recovery—even if his body could endure it—his mind still had a breaking point.
...
(To be continued.)
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