While Minato's thoughts drifted, Kurama had already quietly memorized the sealing technique Minato intended to use through their chakra connection.
Now, even if Minato refused to perform the sealing himself, Kurama could take matters into his own hands and seal Shukaku.
As for everything else… well, that depended on whether Naruto resisted.
But Kurama, of all beings, knew Naruto best.
Honestly, the whole argument with Minato was just to watch him get humiliated.
"Whose side are you even on?"
"Who do you listen to?" Kurama added, deliberately stirring the pot with a smug tone.
"Naruto!"
"Don't listen to the Nine-Tails!"
"Sealing the One-Tail inside your body could lead to unpredictable consequences!"
Minato's tone shifted, turning from casual to solemn in an instant.
But as he said that, his eyes dimmed a little.
Because, truth be told, Kurama wasn't entirely wrong.
Minato had died before Naruto was even born, leaving behind a burden in the form of the Nine-Tails sealed inside his infant son.
He could only imagine the pain that child must have endured growing up.
Maybe…
Maybe he was a qualified Hokage—but not a qualified father.
That lingering guilt he held toward Naruto flared up again, and Kurama's passive-aggressive jabs weren't helping.
Naruto was silent for a moment, stunned by the Nine-Tails' manipulative green-tea act.
He couldn't help but feel that both the Big Fox and his dad were like two drama queens from a soap opera, each trying to get their boyfriend to say, "You're the one I love most."
Seriously.
Had the Big Fox been reading some trashy romance novels lately?
"Dad…"
"Sealing One-Tail into me is nothing."
"Even if you sealed all nine tailed beasts into me, I'd be fine."
"Really, I'll be fine."
Naruto spoke patiently, trying to reassure his overly concerned father.
After all, the world they lived in now wasn't the same as before.
Even the Akatsuki—the same organization that once wanted to destroy the world—had started saving it.
Once, every Konoha child dreamed of becoming Hokage.
Now? That position was about as desirable as being a substitute teacher on a Monday morning.
In fact...
Naruto was pretty sure that once they resurrected his dad, Tsunade would be more than happy to hand over the Hokage hat and retire.
"Exactly!"
"Who are you underestimating, Minato?!"
"You think there are many people out there like Naruto?"
Kurama huffed proudly.
After all, it was the one who raised Naruto.
This kid's body was far more monstrous than even Hashirama's.
Even that weakling Minato couldn't survive one of Kurama's casual swipes back in the day.
Kurama remembered clawing at Naruto once and thinking the kid would probably cry a bit and be fine the next day.
Honestly, if Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama weren't already dead, Naruto could've taken them both down without breaking a sweat.
Kurama would've finally gotten revenge for all the humiliations he suffered!
Hah!
So-called God of Shinobi, Shura of the Ninja World—pfft. Just glorified strays in Kurama's eyes.
They were nothing compared to the Immortal Emperor Kurama.
"Naruto!"
"You don't understand how dangerous it is to seal a tailed beast!"
Minato was convinced Kurama was still manipulating his son, only looking for a chance to escape the seal.
And if that happened, Naruto might end up dying.
He couldn't let that happen.
"Listen, Naruto…"
"I know I've failed you as a father."
"But I made a promise to your mother. All she ever wanted was for you to live a healthy and happy life…"
"So I can't allow something like this!"
Minato's voice remained firm.
Just as tensions reached their peak, Shukaku suddenly spoke up, clearly panicked.
"It's fine! With Naruto's body, even sealing ten more of us wouldn't be a problem!"
"Hurry up and get it over with already!"
It wasn't that Shukaku was desperate to get sealed—it was just terrified that if this argument dragged on, Kurama might lose his patience and kill it on the spot.
Especially with that strange and terrifying power Kurama had shown earlier...
If Shukaku died at its hands, it'd take ages to revive again.
Besides...
Being sealed inside Naruto was way better than sticking around with Gaara—who spent half his time brooding and the other half emotionally self-flagellating.
"But…"
Minato still hesitated after hearing Shukaku's words.
Something just didn't sit right with him, though he couldn't put his finger on it.
Ever since entering this sealed space, his entire understanding of the ninja world had been flipped upside down.
He hadn't even wrapped his head around the fact that Naruto had become Kazekage, and now the kid was already volunteering to seal the One-Tail into himself?
What on earth had happened to the world in the last few years?
"Forget it! Why waste time arguing with him?!"
"Watch how the Immortal Emperor does things!"
Kurama, clearly out of patience, barreled past Minato, pushed through Naruto's body, and manipulated his chakra into a massive hand that lunged toward Gaara's stomach.
"Don't worry."
"Nothing will happen," Naruto assured his father gently, afraid he might overthink it.
As Kurama clumsily began unlocking Gaara's seal, Naruto quietly reached for the Totem of Immortality—and knocked Gaara out cold.
Yeah, it had to be done.
He'd noticed Gaara holding his chakra core and pouring chakra into it.
No idea what Gaara was planning, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Better safe than sorry.
BOOM—
With a loud explosion, the seal on Gaara broke, and Shukaku's chakra began flooding out.
But just as the raccoon escaped, it bolted off—and had the nerve to yell back at Kurama as it ran:
"Hahahahahaha!"
"You stinky fox! You thought you could seal me?!"
"Eat my dust!"
"Just you wait! I'll tell the other tailed beasts what a clown you are!"
Clearly, surrender wasn't in Shukaku's vocabulary. Seeing Kurama fumble around with sealing techniques gave it the perfect excuse to run for its life.
In a matter of seconds, it vanished from sight.
Naruto sighed, watching the direction Shukaku had fled in.
He offered three seconds of respectful silence for that ignorant raccoon.
The same raccoon who'd just witnessed the Immortal Emperor's power—and still had the guts to go tap-dancing across Kurama's minefield.
"Run?"
"Where do you think you're going?"
Shukaku's laughter froze mid-air when a voice suddenly whispered right next to his ear.
Turning his head, he saw Naruto, surrounded by a terrifying aura, staring coldly at him with vertical pupils.
"Y-You…"
"No way!"
"This is the desert! How the hell are you so fast?!"
Shukaku could admit that Kurama was stronger—but no one could beat him when it came to running and hiding in the desert!
So how the hell did that damn fox catch up this fast?!
"Shukaku, you're finished."
Kurama reached out with one massive claw and dragged him straight back into the sealed space.
Shukaku's vision spun wildly. When he came to, a pair of scarlet animal eyes filled his sight.
"No…"
"I was wrong!!"
"Fox—no, wait, Kurama! Please! Don't mess around!!"
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
Support the Translation! 🌐✨
20 Advanced Chapters are currently available in Patreon, make sure to visit and support our team.
patreon.com/Immortal_author
https://ko-fi.com/immortalauthor
https://discord.gg/KscfBegBPT