Shinigami in the Ninja World

Naruto landed on the ground and shook his head. "With Nine-Tails by my side now, I don't think I need my dad's jutsu anymore."

"We're already connected."

He drew out his small golden blade.

"Is it the power called Ashura?" Minato Namikaze smiled gently. "It truly is a gentle power."

"But please listen to me, Naruto."

Naruto sheathed his blade.

"Before I conceived that jutsu," Minato continued, "I realized that Nine-Tails, just like your mother, hides his gentleness behind a tough exterior."

Nine-Tails bared his teeth in slight embarrassment.

'Enough already! Can't we talk about something more cheerful, especially now that I've just been freed?'

"But Nine-Tails has always been misunderstood as a disaster of rage and negative emotions," Minato said, looking up at Nine-Tails with a smile. "Just like you said, he's a mirror—his attitude towards humans reflects how humans treat him."

"Even so..."

"These negative emotions have become an inseparable part of him over his long life."

Minato paused, then reached out to pat Naruto's head. "So, my son, Naruto, you're truly remarkable."

"Where there's love, hatred can grow."

"And with contrast, love and hate become more intense."

"But despite all that, you have remained true to your heart."

The guilt in Minato's eyes grew.

Parents always hope their children mature quickly.

But when they do mature like adults, how could parents not feel guilty?

Especially someone like me.

A father who never took on his responsibilities, yet his child has such a resilient heart, stronger than many adults.

The sense of "failure" expanded.

He sighed and continued, "You're a good child, but inside you, there's also a 'darkness' that has accumulated."

"Have you heard of the 'Falls of Truth' legend in the Cloud Village?"

Naruto shook his head.

He hadn't had the chance to travel to the Land of Lightning yet.

"It's a place where one's inner darkness is reflected," Minato said softly, looking at Naruto and then at Nine-Tails. "In the jutsu I conceived, the idea was to go there or find a similar place, shatter the darkness in Kushina's heart, accept Nine-Tails, and the pure person reflected in the mirror would unite them."

"That way, they would be connected."

Nine-Tails flicked his tail.

Naruto watched the tail sway. "But my relationship with Nine-Tails is different from Mom's, so I'm supposed to shatter the negativity within us together with Nine-Tails?"

"Exactly," Minato nodded. "So go ahead."

"Naruto, you've already overcome it once."

"You just need to do it one more time."

At this point, he paused, his voice growing softer. "Kushina also left some chakra inside you."

"She was in a rush to come out, but I held her back."

Naruto was stunned, instinctively raising his hand to his stomach.

So, besides Dad's chakra, Mom's chakra is also inside me?

"Don't be afraid to face your darker side," Minato said, patting his head. "Kushina will appear, and she'll be with you when you face it."

Naruto took a deep breath and responded cheerfully.

"Goodbye, Naruto," Minato straightened his back and waved. "And goodbye, Nine-Tails."

"Wait, Dad!" Naruto called out, his eyes resolute. "Can you teach me the Reaper Death Seal?"

"I'll find that demon!"

"I'll release you from its belly, and I'll find you both in the Pure Land."

"I am the Shinigami."

Minato smiled brightly.

He raised his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together, and tapped Naruto on the forehead. "Really?"

"It's hard to imagine something so incredible happening to you."

"But it's a promise."

Minato's body began to turn transparent, fading bit by bit, from bottom to top, from left to right, until nothing was left.

"Let's meet again in the Pure Land."

"At that time, Kushina and I will properly apologize to you."

A warm flow transmitted from the point where his fingers had touched Naruto, passing into his body.

It was the complete Reaper Death Seal technique.

As this knowledge slowly filled him, Minato's figure gradually disappeared, until nothing remained.

"Naruto," Nine-Tails came closer, sensing his emotions sinking.

Naruto lifted his head and grinned widely. "I'm fine."

"I'm really happy."

"I finally got to see my dad."

"I am the Shinigami. Death is not the end of life; we will meet again."

Nine-Tails sat beside him and responded with a nod.

In the real world.

"The kid has already undone the Four Symbols Seal," Fukasaku said, staring at Naruto's stomach. The open seal was visible even through his clothes.

"Not even a reaction," the scroll toad had already returned to Jiraiya's side.

It could sense that the power within Naruto was gentle and full of life.

But... even though it was gentle, the sheer strength of it was overwhelming, making it uneasy.

Karin frowned as she watched.

She had great confidence in Naruto. After over a year of traveling together, they had yet to encounter a situation that Naruto couldn't handle.

But these toads were driving her crazy!

Their incessant worrying wasn't just in their thoughts; they had to vocalize it too.

With everyone talking over each other, she was starting to feel anxious herself.

"It hasn't lost control yet." Jiraiya frowned as he voiced his speculation. "Is it communicating with the Nine-Tails?"

As he spoke, the aura around Naruto suddenly retracted. The golden light faded, and the radiance from the two blades dimmed.

The nine ribbons on the red sword converged into one.

Naruto opened his eyes.

Jiraiya glanced over, sensing that Naruto's mood seemed a bit down, which made him nervous. He quickly asked, "Naruto, how's the situation?"

Naruto nodded towards him. "It's been resolved."

"I plan to try out a new way to use this power."

Jiraiya was taken aback. "A new way?"

"Take Karin and move a bit further away," Naruto waved his hand.

Move away?

Was it because the power was immense?

Jiraiya took Karin and, along with the toads, retreated several dozen meters.

Naruto raised his sword.

He chanted the release command—the words hadn't changed.

The power released was also the same, still the golden form with six arms and two swords.

The nine red ribbons on the hilt of the red sword fluttered.

"Is he transforming into the Nine-Tails?" Jiraiya took out his binoculars and observed closely. "He seems very relaxed; it's a huge success."

"But this new method…"

He pondered, then saw Naruto lift the red sword and stab it into his own abdomen.

This shocked him.

But he quickly noticed that the sword didn't harm Naruto.

The blade tip merged into Naruto's body like water.

The golden light shimmered brightly.

When even the hilt was completely absorbed, the nine red ribbons radiated golden light, extending behind Naruto, growing larger until they formed nine massive tails.

In the same instant, the Tailed Beast cloak also emitted a brilliant light. The tails grew and expanded, and in the blink of an eye, they became grand and towering, nearly a hundred meters tall.

It was a gigantic fox with a single head, six arms, and a brown bead necklace around its neck.

Naruto floated in mid-air. By this time, he no longer had six arms and was holding the "Ashura" sword, standing at the fox's abdomen.

Jiraiya and the others had already retreated far enough, but when Naruto revealed this form, the distance between them shrank to just a few meters, with the fox's paw almost touching them.

"So this power is about releasing you?" Naruto murmured.

This immediately reminded him of his former subordinate, the current captain of the 9th Division.

That big dog, "Komamura Sajin."

It was surprisingly similar to his "Bankai" form.

The Nine-Tails' voice was somewhat emotional. "I finally see this world again."

While inside Naruto, it could only perceive the world through Naruto's senses.

But in this form, it regained its most basic sensory ability, observing the world with its own eyes.

Naruto tried raising his arm, but the Nine-Tails didn't sync with him.

"Do you want to control this body now?" the Nine-Tails asked.

Naruto nodded. "Can I?"

"I can relinquish control," the Nine-Tails replied. "Try it now."

Naruto raised his hand again, and the enormous body moved in sync with his actions.

He tested it several times, like a child with a new toy.

The form in which the Nine-Tails' power was fully displayed was different from the "Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō."

He could control this gigantic body himself.

Or, he could let the Nine-Tails control it.

The life force of the two was shared.

However, any injuries sustained by the Nine-Tails would not be transferred to Naruto, and Naruto's injuries wouldn't affect the Nine-Tails either.

At this moment, several chakra signatures approached rapidly.

This caused the Nine-Tails to click its tongue in annoyance. Its massive size was always a problem for it. This was how it had been discovered by humans in the past, and now it was happening again.

Sometimes, it secretly envied the Three-Tails, "Isobu," who could live underwater and avoid being so conspicuous.

"Let me return," the Nine-Tails said softly. "Some annoying people are coming."

Naruto withdrew the sword.

He slowly descended from the sky in front of Jiraiya and the others.

"Naruto! That was so cool!" Karin exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

"Was that the full power of the Nine-Tails just now?" Jiraiya was amazed.

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Yes, but let's leave now."

"Some ninja are coming."

"I don't want to deal with them."

Jiraiya followed Naruto's gaze but didn't sense anything.

However, Naruto had already taken Karin and flashed away, so Jiraiya had no choice but to follow.

They arrived at the nearest town.

Jiraiya talked with Naruto, and when he heard that Minato had left some chakra within Naruto, he couldn't help but marvel at Minato's thoroughness, even in such a critical moment.

When he learned about the reconciliation with the Nine-Tails and the philosophy of the "mirror," he was also deeply moved.

How could no one have thought of something that even a child could understand before?

~~~

Naruto is so broken right now hahaha. I like it!

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