Chapter 3: The Broken Seal
"Onmyōton: Chakra Seal," Minato said flatly, as he poured chakra into the seal. Ink expanded upon the parchment forming the character for chakra.
"Too much chakra," Kushina said chastising her husband with a shake of her head. "You've got the seals down correctly. Tone down on the chakra just a little. With as much chakra you're putting in, any chakra would leak out of the seal, and overtime that would mitigate the purpose of the seal, and if left this way for too long, it would nullify them all together."
"Ox, Boar, Dog, Ram, Dragon, Bird, Rat, Ram, Dragon, Hare, Tiger," Kushina intoned, as she formed the hand seals. "Onmyōton: Chakra Seal," she said as she placed her palm flat onto the paper seal, pouring chakra into it. Turning to Minato, she showed him the chakra character on the paper. "And don't forget, during the time the chakra is getting sealed, you have to remain still otherwise the seal will fail."
Nodding, Minato noted the difference between their two seals. Kushina's perfectly fit the inscribed area, neither merging with the other characters on the paper, nor leaving empty space in the indicated sealing area. His, on the other hand, went a full centimeter beyond the perimeter. "Understood," he said to his wife, thankful that she was a perfectionist when it came to jutsu.
Looking up at the clock, Minato saw that it was noon. "Kushina, it's time," he said, stopping their practices. "I'll work on perfecting this seal, I think I know just how much chakra I need to use now, but we need to go to the cave. Takes time to set up the barrier and everything."
Nodding, Kushina said, "Get the preparations finished with Sandaime, I'll get what we'll need for our stay, we'll likely be there for a week or so."
Nodding at the two in front of her, the former Hokage's wife greeted the couple. "Namikaze-san, Uzumaki-san, I am Sarutobi Biwako. I'm here to help with the birthing process. This here is a fellow Med-nin, Wakahisa Azumi-san. She'll be assisting me."
Thanking them, Kushina and Minato turned to the four Anbu escorts. "Sandaime-sama handpicked us to guard the entrance, Hokage-sama. The one with the fox-mask is called Ichirou, the dog masked Anbu is Eiji. The hawk-masked Anbu is Shiro. I am called Chie, and I will be leading the Anbu in your protection," said the cat-masked Anbu with a bow.
"Shiro will lead the way to the cave, Ichirou and Eiji will guard our flanks, and I'll take the rear. Any questions before we head out, Hokage-same, Uzumaki-san?"
Pursing his lips, Minato pressed his forefinger on his lips in a gesture of thought. "Just one, what barrier will be used for protection?" he asked after a brief pause.
"A simple chakra suppressant, it won't allow anyone beyond the eight of us to use chakra while in its borders. Beings of chakra like the Kyuubi will have trouble even taking form," she said, remembering what Eiji told her of it.
"Very well, lead us, Shiro."
"This is boring." Kushina cried out for the umpteenth time.
"Kushina. We got here ten minutes ago. Surely, you can entertain yourself for longer than that," Minato said, chastising his wife.
Flashing a mischievous smirk at her husband, Kushina said, "And maybe you can find a way to entertain me."
Raising his eyebrows, he asked, "And just what did you have in mind?"
"Well, I-" Kushina began, before pausing uncharacteristically.
The two medical ninja rushed forward, "She's going into labor! Out of the way." Biwako said, pushing Minato out of the way. "Keep the seal secure."
Holding her newborn son, Kushina looks over at her husband, teary-eyed. "He's beautiful." Handing him back to Biwako, Kushina began to rest, restoring her spent energy.
Taking his eyes of the seal, Minato took half a step towards his son. "Work on the seal," Biwako reprimanded him, despite his status of Hokage.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Minato went back to stabilizing the seal.
"Step away from the container," a man's voice rang out in the cave. Minato turned to the voice, noticing a masked man. "Step away from the container, unless you want your son to die." The man repeated.
Seeing Minato's hesitation, he threw Naruto in the air with a kunai following shortly after.
Eyes widening in shock, he showed just why he was called the Yellow Flash of Konoha, crossing the cave in a yellow blur to rescue Naruto using his natural speed alone. Hearing a familiar fizzing sound, Minato noticed the exploding tags on the cloth. Realizing how much chakra was poured into the tags, Minato was forced to use the Hiraishin.
"Damn it," he cursed to himself as he threw the cloths covering Naruto a safe distance away. "Damn it!"
"Kushina, stay safe. I'll be there soon." Minato swore, as he gently placed Naruto in the bed they had prepared for him ahead of time.
Gritting her teeth, Kushina glared at the man in front of her. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, furious.
He ignored her and began destroying the seal. A pain not unlike the one she experienced in childbirth enveloped her. "If you...release the Kyuubi...you'll die, too." She stammered out, trying to dissuade his course of action.
He merely glared at her, his only visible eye showing his hatred for Konoha. A shroud of chakra wrapped around Kushina as the seal was broken. With the Kyuubi released, he turned his attention away from the fallen vessel in order to bind its actions to his will.
"I-I'll stop you." Kushina muttered, intending to use her chakra chains to stop the Kyuubi in its tracks.
"Oh? You're still alive. I guess the Uzumaki's reputed vitality was indeed correct," the man said, sneering at the former container. "Kyuubi, kill her," he said, ordering the tailed beast to destroy its second jinchūriki.
Kyuubi, bound to the man's will, raised a clawed hand intending to crush her. Striking swiftly, it hit with such force the ground cracked and crumbled beneath it.
"Tch," he swore, as he saw Minato save Kushina. "Know this, Konoha will be destroyed," he said to Minato, as he and the Kyuubi departed in an instant.
Alarmed at the flare of evil chakra, the former Hokage stood up alarmed knocking his seat to the floor. 'The seal...did it break?' he thought to himself, shocked. "Takeshi," he called out, signaling to the hidden Anbu member. "Gather the Jounin and Chunin, Kushina's seal may have broken. Have the Jounin in charge of Genin squads have their Genin evacuate the citizens. Go."
The badger-masked Anbu left immediately, following Hiruzen's orders. "Minato. What happened?" He asked himself, not liking where his thoughts took him. 'Be safe, Konoha needs you.'
Creasing his brows in frustration, Hiruzen left the room, hurrying towards where he detected the chakra.
"Naruto!" Kushina shouted out alarmed, "Where's Naruto?" she asked her husband, fearing for his safety.
Smiling gently, Minato comforted his wife. "He's safe, I'll take you to him." Bringing his wife to Naruto, he gently lay her next to Naruto who was yawning softly in his sleep. "Stay with him Kushina, I've got a job to do as Hokage now."
Biting her upper lip, said "Don't use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, Minato. No matter what. Promise me. Promise me that."
Smiling softly, Minato said, "I know. We have the Chakra Seal to use in replacement." Stroking her cheek, he stood up. "I've got to go now. Love you."
"Love you, too. Go, stay safe. Protect Konoha."
"Shinobi of Konoha! The Kyuubi is on the outskirts of Konoha. Let's push the Kyuubi back and stall until Yondaime-sama can arrive." Hiruzen ordered the shinobi in Minato's absence.
With a roar of approval, the shinobi followed his orders and focused their strongest jutsu on pushing the Kyuubi back.
In a roar of anger, the Kyuubi began to collect chakra in its mouth.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Minato's voice rang out over the Kyuubi, and a huge toad appeared disrupting the Kyuubi's concentration and pushing it back.
"Bring Naruto and Kushina to the ravine along the Naka River, Sandaime-sama." Minato called out to his mentor.
Concentrating hard, Minato teleported the Kyuubi and himself away from the village, consuming a large chunk of his chakra. Breathing heavily, he stared down the tailed beast.
Sensing the chakra of the masked man from before, Minato flipped back, narrowly dodging a Katon jutsu. "Looks like I have to deal with you first." Minato said, glaring at his opponent. Rushing him, he swung his kunai at the man, intending to impale him. To his shock, the kunai went through his head, only to be grabbed by the man's hand.
"This is my victory." He said, boasting as he intended to suck Minato into an alternate dimension. Recognizing the pull, Minato flashed away immediately appearing next to the Kyuubi where his Hiraishin kunai was placed. He instinctively dodged the Kyuubi's claw as it reached out to crush Minato.
Breathing heavily, Minato analyzed what he found out about the man so far. He recognized him as a Space-Time Ninjutsu type, more skilled than himself. "Who are you?" he asked. "The only shinobi capable of everything you've done would be Uchiha Madara, but he's dead. Who are you?" he reiterated.
"Nobody of interest," he answered in mock response.
'Whatever the case may be, I need to stop him,' Minato thought to himself as he readied another kunai. Charging at the man, he tossed his kunai as he formed a Rasengan. As they drew near, Minato patiently waited for the moment to act.
The masked man smiled under his mask as he felt the Hokage's arm contact his hand. 'Victory is mine,' he thought as he began to use his space-time ninjutsu.
"Rasengan!" Minato exclaimed as he flashed to his kunai, claiming victory and placing his Hiraishin seal upon his enemy in the process.
"No wonder you're the Yondaime at such a young age," the man praised him, as he realized what happened. Suddenly, he felt the blond kage's hand upon his chest. "Contract Seal!" the young kage exclaimed, destroying the control he had over the fox.
His one visible eye widening in shock, the man commended Minato. "This is your victory, Yondaime-sama. Whether I win the war is now up to you," he said, as he retreated using his space-time ninjutsu.
Collapsing, Minato breathed heavily as his chakra reserves were dropping to dangerous levels.
"Minato!" Kushina cried out, as she saw the collapsed form of her husband and the approaching figure of the Kyuubi. Releasing herself from the former Hokage's grasp, she leapt to her husband to protect him. "Sandaime-sama, help Minato. I hate this, but he still needs to do what has to be done despite his exhausted state." She said through clenched teeth as she began to use her chakra chains to bind the Kyuubi.
Nodding sadly, Hiruzen appeared at Minato's side, and shaking him he woke Minato up. "Minato, Naruto and Kushina are here. Tell me what needs to be done."
Smiling weakly, Minato stood up as he began to run through some hand signs. "Supply chakra for me, Sandaime-sama. We need to seal the Kyuubi in Naruto, and I don't have the chakra to do it myself, and neither does Kushina."
"Very well, Minato. Just tell me how much chakra you need," he said in resignation, realizing that they don't have either the resources or the time to argue about this.
"Give me enough chakra to perform three Four Symbols Seals. A little extra is fine, as well. I can control how much the seals receive." Minato said, as he ran through the last of the hand signs. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he exclaimed as he slammed his palm into the ground.
"Gamabunta, help my wife in holding back the Kyuubi."
With a leap, his toad summon heeded his words and leapt into battle.
Feeling his chakra reserves restore a little, Minato gave Hiruzen a weak smile. "Four Symbols Seal!" he exclaimed, as he readied two Four Symbols Seals in his hands, tearing out Kyuubi's Yang Chakra. Placing his palms on Naruto, he sealed half of the Kyuubi's chakra in his son.
Smiling at the Kyuubi's shrunken figure, Minato dismissed his summon. "Kushina, keep him bound," he asked his wife, panting.
Pulling out the prepared parchment, Minato began to inscribe the properties of the Kyuubi's chakra, in order to contain it without needing a sacrifice.
With an earth shaking roar, the Kyuubi pulled on Kushina's chakra chains, ripping them from her control. With a deep guttural growl, it leapt at its former container, hatred filling its eyes.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it." Minato said, as he started to move to protect Kushina.
"Don't!" she cried out, "You need to seal it, you can't move while molding the chakra, remember?"
Cursing, Minato went back to sealing the chakra, hoping he was in time. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see the former Hokage look at him gently. "I'll protect her, don't worry. Do it right."
Nodding in thanks, Minato calmed down and began to properly mold the chakra to seal the Kyuubi.
Wielding Enma in his Adamantine Staff transformation, the former Hokage leapt in front Kushina, shielding her from the Kyuubi's claw. Gritting his teeth, Hiruzen was slowing being pushed back. "Thanks, Sandaime-sama." Kushina said, as she began to catch her breath, her chakra reserves dangerously low. Nodding, he jumped back a little before striking the Kyuubi with his extended staff.
Glaring at the annoyance, the Kyuubi pressed its hind legs deep into the earth as it leapt into the air intending to crush its former vessel and the former Hokage at once.
"Enma!" Hiruzen shouted out to his staff.
"I know," the Monkey King responded as he formed the Adamantine Prison Wall to defend the pair.
Narrowing its eyes, the Kyuubi changed its attack, and attack with its extended claws and all nine tails at once, hoping to break the reputed impenetrable defence.
Jolting, Kushina and the former Hokage hit the top of the barrier from the Kyuubi's impact, as the earth beneath them shattered under the tremendous force.
As the dust began to settle, the Kyuubi narrowed its visage at the unharmed defence. Letting out a feral roar, it attacked fiercely and repeatedly with all of its tails.
"This is bad...very bad." Hiruzen said to Kushina, as the landscape surrounding them began to undergo drastic changes from the Kyuubi's rampage.
"Saru...tobi, if Kyuubi keeps up with this...even this defence will shatter." Enma croaked out, weakening under the force of the tailed beast.
"Enma, you know your limits best. When you're at the point where the Kyuubi's next attack will destroy this barrier, dispel yourself. You need to be around for Konoha's future generations. Trust in me to react quickly enough to escape while Minato works on sealing the Kyuubi's chakra." Hiruzen said to his summon.
"Sarutobi...you..." Enma began. "Very well." He said, after a brief pause, shuddering under the Kyuubi's attacks. "Just be ready."
Seconds passed by achingly slow as Enma endured another eight hits. In a cloud of smoke, Enma dismissed himself trusting Hiruzen's words. "Now!" Hiruzen said to Kushina, as to the paired pushed themselves to their limits dodging the Kyuubi's fast strikes.
Minato finally finished molding the chakra to contain the Kyuubi's chakra. Running through the hand seals quickly, Minato placed his palm against the paper. "Onmyōton : Chakra Seal," he shouted out, and watched in relief as the Kyuubi's form began to change shape and eased its way into the seal.
Collapsing in exhaustion, Minato looked at the changed landscape, trying to find his wife and the former Hokage. His vision began to dim as he saw two humanoid silhouettes move towards him. Unable to retain consciousness, his vision darkened and he knew no more.