Kushina's arms shook as she tightened her hold on Naruto, Minato's words still echoing in her ears. Her face was pale, but her eyes burned with anger that cut through the weakness in her body. She lifted her head and glared at him, every word trembling with fury. "Minato, you failed me. You failed Naruto as a father. You failed to protect the last of the Uzumaki bloodline in me. Naruto may live on, but do you truly think he'll have a good life in this village? You know the people in charge better than I do. You know they won't treat him well. With Danzō in the shadows, with the Third Hokage pulling strings, you should know better what those old men will do."
Minato's lips parted, but no sound came. His eyes widened as if struck by a blade, yet his silence was the only answer he could give. Kushina's voice grew bitter, a rasp torn from the last reserves of her strength. "But fine. I'll sacrifice my life if it means saving Naruto."
Minato lowered his gaze and raised his trembling hands, the last motions of the Shiki Fūjin weaving into place. The spectral Reaper reached again, tearing Kurama's Yang half from the beast's essence and pressing it into Naruto's small, fragile body. Kushina pressed her hand over the seal, her chakra flowing, her life force burning like a candle's final flame to stabilize it. Glowing scripts spread across Naruto's belly, binding the raging chakra within him. The child whimpered, his cries muffled by the seal's glow.
When it was finished, Minato swayed, his body trembling on the edge of collapse. He staggered toward her, reaching out. "Let's hold each other, Kushina," he whispered, voice raw. "If we must die… let us die together." His arms extended, desperate to draw her into one last embrace.
Kushina's foot lashed out, striking his chest. Minato stumbled back, the shock in his eyes cutting deeper than any wound. Her voice dripped with venom. "You failed me. You failed your family, Minato. I'll never forgive you for this."
He crumpled to the ground, despair etched into his fading features. His breaths grew shallow, the seal draining the last light from his body. "I tried my best…" he murmured, a hoarse whisper barely reaching her.
Kushina shook her head, her eyes blurring with tears, her voice breaking though she tried to keep it cold. "You didn't try hard enough. I still care for you, but I can't bring myself to love you anymore, Minato. You failed me too many times."
Her anger faded into sorrow as she looked down at Naruto, his tiny chest rising and falling, his cries soft and fragile. She lowered herself and cradled him tighter, her lips quivering. "Naruto, my son… I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you, raise you, or love you like a true mother should. You're the last of the Uzumaki bloodline. And I fear this village won't give you the future you deserve." Her voice trembled, and her breath grew shallow, weaker with every word.
She pressed her forehead against his, holding him close, her tears falling onto his soft skin. "Forgive me, my child…" Her breath shuddered, her body weakening until her arms could barely keep him safe.
Light began to break from her skin, glowing fragments drifting into the night air. Kushina's body slowly dissolved into shimmering motes, scattering like fireflies carried away on the wind. She felt herself fading, yet still she clung to the image of Naruto's face. Soon, only the wails of the infant and the lifeless body of Minato remained.
Then everything fell silent.
Kushina opened her eyes. She was standing upright, her body whole again, though the battlefield and her son were gone. All around her stretched a black void, endless and suffocating. The sound of Naruto's cries lingered only as an echo fading into nothingness. She lifted her fists, her body trembling, eyes searching the darkness.
A figure appeared before her, wrapped entirely in white light, its shape vague and shifting, an angelic silhouette without a face. The brilliance of it hurt to look at, but she narrowed her eyes and stood firm. Her voice rang out, sharp and demanding. "Who are you?"
The figure's reply was deep, resonant, inhuman, reverberating through the void itself. "I am the Outsider. Kushina Uzumaki, last daughter of the clan of Uzushiogakure — the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools I have been waiting a long time for you."
Her breath caught, her heart thudding. Her eyes widened, but her voice steadied. "…Yes. I am Kushina Uzumaki."
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