When gods intervene, even legends become insignificant.
The air grew heavy.
Not metaphorically—
but physically.
A crushing pressure descended from above, pressing against every living thing within the barrier. Leaves flattened against the ground. Loose stones vibrated violently. Even the Adamantine Sealing Chains began to hum under the invisible weight.
The Nine-Tails sensed it first.
Its massive pupils shrank as instinctive terror surged through its ancient mind.
Something was coming.
Something far beyond chakra.
High above the battlefield, Ayato floated calmly, golden eyes reflecting a distant point in the heavens. His presence alone bent the atmosphere around him, as if the world itself was acknowledging an authority older than shinobi history.
"This world teems with demons and gods alike," he said softly.
"Though I have no desire to contend for dominion… I understand the suffering of all living beings."
He slowly crossed his arms across his chest.
"Since that is so—"
A faint golden glow ignited behind his pupils.
"Planet Befall."
The sky cracked.
Not literally—but the sensation was so overwhelming that every witness felt as though the heavens themselves had fractured.
Far above the clouds, a massive celestial body began to descend.
At first, it appeared as nothing more than a shimmering golden speck.
Then it grew.
And grew.
And grew.
Until it became a colossal meteor, wrapped in blazing geo energy, dragging streams of molten light through the atmosphere like burning veins across the sky.
The night turned gold.
Shadows stretched impossibly long across the forest floor. The barrier glowed faintly as the air itself began to distort under the descending mass.
Civilians across Konoha looked up in horror.
Foreign spies froze mid-step, their bodies instinctively locked in place.
Even seasoned jōnin felt their legs weaken.
A falling star.
No—
a judgment.
The Nine-Tails lifted its massive head slowly, its mind screaming warnings it could not escape.
"What… is that…?"
Its voice trembled.
For the first time since its creation, Kurama understood what helplessness truly meant.
Outside the barrier, Hiruzen's eyes widened to their limits.
"This… isn't ninjutsu…"
Danzo's breath caught sharply.
Even his obsession with power faltered in the face of such overwhelming destruction.
Hidden among the shadows, Black Zetsu felt something dangerously close to panic.
"Chibaku Tensei? No… impossible… He doesn't even possess the Rinnegan!"
His centuries of manipulation had never accounted for a force like this.
The meteor continued to descend.
Faster.
Heavier.
The wind howled violently as shockwaves rippled outward, flattening everything in its path. The pressure alone made breathing difficult.
Minato and Kushina instinctively looked upward.
Even through exhaustion and mortal wounds, they could feel it—
Absolute annihilation.
The Nine-Tails roared in defiance, gathering chakra desperately, but its resistance was meaningless.
The meteor struck.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The impact shook the entire forest.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains barrier rippled violently, cracking with spiderweb fractures before stabilizing. A massive shockwave blasted outward, sending debris spiraling skyward like artillery fire.
The earth collapsed inward, forming a colossal crater hundreds of meters wide.
When the dust finally began to settle—
The Nine-Tails was gone.
In its place lay only a faint, petrified remnant of chakra, glowing weakly at the crater's center like the dying embers of a once-inferno.
A silence fell so deep it felt unreal.
Minato stared blankly.
"…One strike."
Kushina trembled silently, unable to process what she had just witnessed.
A being feared by all five great nations—
Subdued in a single attack.
Ayato had controlled the power with surgical precision. The Nine-Tails wasn't annihilated completely—its consciousness was suppressed, its chakra shattered and petrified into a weakened state, ensuring it could be sealed without risk of violent backlash.
But even restrained—
This was godlike power.
Kushina's body suddenly weakened, pain flooding back into her senses. Blood soaked the ground beneath her as her life force rapidly drained away.
Minato caught her instinctively.
Their time was nearly over.
Ayato lowered his gaze calmly.
"Now is the optimal moment to seal it into your son."
Minato nodded, swallowing heavily.
With trembling hands, he pulled Kushina closer as tears welled uncontrollably in her eyes.
She leaned toward Naruto, her voice breaking as she whispered her final wishes—simple hopes, gentle dreams, and endless love poured into every word.
Minato joined her, sealing the fractured Nine-Tails into their newborn son with the last of their strength.
Golden chains faded.
The ritual concluded.
Naruto cried softly in the aftermath, unaware of the destiny now bound to his tiny body.
Ayato turned slightly, preparing to depart.
His role timer ticked silently in the corner of his vision.
"My friend…"
Minato's weak voice stopped him.
"…Could I ask one final favor?"
Ayato turned back, golden eyes steady.
"Would you like to form a contract with me?"
Minato swallowed.
His vision blurred as darkness crept closer.
"If one day… Naruto faces danger beyond my protection… could you…"
Before he could finish—
The night wind swept across the battlefield.
The answer had yet to be spoken.
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