Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI - Chapter 230 - Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails.

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 42.
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“So you’re back! I felt it the moment you entered the village!” Tsuna appeared at Minato’s house with a smile on her face.

“Hello, Tsuna.” Hanabi greeted her, while Minato and Mikoto simply nodded. She expected that from Mikoto, but found it strange coming from Minato, since he seemed to be thinking about something serious.

But he decided to speak at that moment as his gaze fell on Tsuna once more.

“How is Kushina?” he asked.

“She obviously wanted to be here and asked you to go over there,” Tsuna said, closing the window she had entered through, before approaching.

Obviously, with the seal starting to weaken, Tsuna was placed inside a barrier protected by ANBU teams. Minato had to protect her sometimes when he was in Alpha squad, before the barrier was created, but ever since Kushina's first contact with the Kyuubi, the village leadership saw the need to place her within that barrier.

Minato wanted to help her, but it wasn’t possible while he was busy with missions outside the village walls. But he always visited her—he would obviously go see her as soon as he arrived.

“I’ll take a shower and then go see her,” Minato said, standing up from the table and heading to the bathroom.

“Hey, is he in a bad mood or something...?” Tsuna knew Minato was good at hiding things, but knowing him, she could tell he was worried about something.

“Yes... we had a mission, but we can’t talk much about it,” Hanabi commented.

“Whatever... maybe it’ll just be the three of us today...” Tsuna said in the end with a sigh.

“We’ll meet tonight.” Minato left and said goodbye to the girls as he disappeared. He had his alone moments with each of his fiancĂ©es, which was a rule they had all agreed to—after all, he had to share some intimacy with each of them.

“Minato!!!”

It didn’t take long after Minato arrived at the location, footsteps running before the door opened and the redhead appeared with a smile upon seeing him.

Minato couldn’t help but smile when he saw her—she was always the most cheerful of his girls, and he couldn’t deny the genuine smile that always came with seeing her hyperactive nature.

“Kushina.” He said as she jumped to hug him.

Ignoring the ANBU outside watching the small greeting interaction, he entered the house with Kushina.

Kushina went to the kitchen, grabbed a teapot, and brought it to him along with some cake she had prepared.

“How are the missions?” she asked, sitting by his side and looking at him expectantly.

“The same as always...” he shrugged.

“You’re hiding something,” she said immediately.

“Maybe, but this isn’t the place to talk about it,” he said as she seemed to understand, not pressing further.

Minato then looked at her, and then at her belly.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I... I’ve been having more dreams this past week,” she murmured, a little worried.

“I see... Do you want to talk about it?” Minato asked.

“It’s strange... my dreams are always foggy... then there’s a growl... but I always think of us, on that beach...” she said with a tone of embarrassment.

“I see...” Minato said thoughtfully as his gaze returned to her once again.

“How about we go for a walk, you know...” she said, her smile widening upon hearing that.

“Sure!” she said, and they went back to eating the rest of Kushina’s cake.

Obviously, the ANBU would never let Kushina leave the barrier, but Minato could bypass that. After they finished, Kushina nodded, and Minato touched her hand. With a small flash over their bodies, they seemed to remain there without change—but those two were clones with a considerable amount of chakra to avoid raising suspicion.

Elsewhere in the village, Minato appeared with Kushina in a forest considered a training area.

“I want to see how the place is doing,” Kushina said immediately, breathing in the fresh air—her only moments outside the barrier were when Minato took her out.

They leapt onto the trees and advanced toward a construction area, where they could see Minato’s house being built.

“In a few months the house will be ready...” Kushina said cheerfully as she watched civilian carpenters working on the site, building a large space for them to live.

“Yes...” Minato nodded, looking at the place with satisfaction—soon they would be moving there. At least, that was the initial plan, but due to the recent events, they might never have the chance to do it.

“You’re thinking again...” Kushina accused quickly.

Minato smiled. “True... but anyway... we should just wait for the place to be ready,” he said in the end.

She nodded happily, but soon her expression grew a bit thoughtful, a bit sad.

“But you know... will they let me live with you? You know,” she said.

“Come with me.” Minato said, and Kushina followed, jumping through the trees just behind him, leaving the construction behind as they moved toward the river on the property.

“I love this place!” she said, taking off her sandals and running to the river, placing her feet on the water—something she liked to do when they were there—and her gaze turned back as Minato approached and sat beside her.

“I have a plan...” Minato returned to Kushina’s question.

“Plan?” she looked at him suspiciously.

“It’s something difficult, and you’ll have to be brave for it,” he said.

“Wait... you’re not thinking about doing exactly what I’m thinking...?” she murmured, eyes widening. She realized what Minato was suggesting—something very dangerous.

“Yes.” he replied, confirming. “I intend to face the Nine-Tailed Fox,” Minato said, staring at Kushina.

She looked at him in terror.

“You can’t do that, Minato! That’s way too dangerous!” Kushina said, frightened.

“You underestimate me, Kushina. That way... don’t you trust me?” he said, smiling, seemingly unbothered by her fearful look.

“Of course I trust you, more than anyone else! But this... this is a completely different situation than usual, dattebane!” she exclaimed, using her catchphrase.

He simply smiled, knowing that kind of reaction from her was because she was worried, as he approached with his hand. Then, he reached for her hand and gently held it.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m stronger than I’ve shown you, Kushina. Besides, I want one thing...” he said seriously.

“What?” she asked cautiously, still looking at him with concern.

"I want to..." Minato didn’t even finish, stopping mid-sentence, because in the next moment an explosion of chakra surged from Kushina’s seal.

But Minato had anticipated it with his observation haki. In the very next instant, in a split-second movement, four clones burst from him and landed around them, clapping their hands together.

Immediately, a barrier was created just as Kushina’s chakra exploded. Minato held her as she grew dazed, while the Fox’s chakra began to leak out. The barrier closed and Minato managed to block the energy with it so as not to alert the village sensors.

"Minato..." Kushina could barely speak, as a layer of chakra began forming, emerging from her belly and spreading outward.

Minato didn’t act right away—he just watched.

"Is she reacting to my declaration?" he murmured.

Minato was checking her. His gaze shifted to the Fox’s eyes, and fox-like features began to appear—fangs and whiskers on her face. She seemed to be starting to lose control, forming a chakra cloak around her body like a tail.

But Minato didn’t try to stop her then—he wanted Kushina to go through that experience, as it would be important for her.

"Minato..." she tried to control herself.

When Minato sensed it had gone far enough, he opened his palm. From each of his fingers, small purple flames emerged. He lifted Kushina’s shirt, revealing her belly and then her seal, before applying a sealing jutsu to calm the Fox’s chakra that was escaping.

Minato had anticipated this moment for years, already knowing a bit about how it would work. So, even with the Fox furious inside Kushina, hearing a human declare he would fight and defeat her wasn’t enough to break Minato’s sealing jutsu.

He began sealing all the leaking chakra, calming her, until the final layer vanished from her body. Kushina then simply collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Minato..." she said, breathless and scared.

"How are you feeling?" he knelt down, checking if she was okay. And she was.

"I... I'm fine. But... what was that?" she was still trembling. She felt rage. And it seemed she was starting to lose herself.

"That’s the Fox’s chakra, Kushina. She reacted to our conversation," Minato commented, looking at her.

"What...? She was spying on us?" Kushina murmured, dazed.

"I believe so. Seems like you’ve got a nosy fox inside you," said Minato, sighing, not even imagining how the Fox was now screaming furiously upon hearing that from a human.

"Either way, I’ve sealed it for now... but it’s not forever. That’s why the barrier is kind of essential when I’m not around you, because this could get out of control," he said, as she just nodded.

"But then... if we’re together, it won’t be a problem, right? We can still live together, can’t we? The village will allow it?" she couldn’t help but ask with concern, trusting that Minato could handle the Kyuubi, though still feeling a little scared for his safety.

"Yes... but I want something more from you, Kushina," he said, while she looked at him confused, still not understanding the intention behind his words.

Minato's clones were still maintaining the barrier closed, waiting until the last trace of chakra dissipated — but that didn’t seem to be happening. So, he would have to seal it before leaving.

Either way, he turned back to Kushina.

"I want you to become the perfect jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox," he said seriously.

Kushina widened her eyes, stunned.

"What...? You want me to become a perfect jinchuuriki? For me to master the Fox’s power...?" she murmured, shocked. After all, not even Mito Uzumaki had done that—how could she?

"It’s complicated... but I’ll help you with it. Because I have a plan. But it will be necessary, Kushina," he said, even more serious.

"What do you mean, Minato...? Necessary for what?" she asked hesitantly.

"Maybe... we’ll have to leave the village," he said, and Kushina opened her eyes even wider, frightened by those words.

"What do you mean by that?" Kushina was growing more and more nervous as Minato revealed more and more things.

"Tell me, Kushina... if the Uzumaki clan were attacked, and the village didn’t help, would you stand still?" he asked firmly.

"Why are you saying this, Minato?" she asked carefully, feeling the conversation become stranger and more serious by the minute.

"The Uzumaki clan will be destroyed. And the village will do nothing," he said with a sigh, looking at the sky beyond the barrier between them. Then he continued.

"But I intend to help them. And it’s very possible that I’ll become a traitor... that I’ll be hunted like a nukenin. I fear that, because of our relationship, they’ll do something to you. That’s why... I’d like to take you with me," he looked at her with determination.

Obviously, he would never abandon her — especially being the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. He wanted her to become powerful, to have control, and not just be used as a vessel to be sacrificed the moment the village needed to release the bijuu in battle.

He couldn’t predict whether that would happen or not. Even if in the original work that never occurred, Minato wouldn’t take that risk. He would never let Kushina face that fate.

He remembered the jinchuuriki of the Shukaku. When he was fleeing from the Kazekage, they released him to try to stop him, using him as a sacrifice right then... while unleashing a tailed beast on the battlefield. The same could be said of the Eight-Tails in the fight against the Raikage.

Kushina wouldn’t be like that—he’d rather become the enemy of the ninja world than see that happen.