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"The key now is the Nine-Tails and the village, not what Orochimaru did."

As the words fell, the intricate and lush ancient forest in front of them suddenly disappeared, and a chain seal resembling a curtain appeared in front of them.

In the middle is the Nine-Tails, which is tightly bound, and at its feet are indistinct human figures.

Jiraiya briefly regained his senses after that slap.

He looked at the familiar barrier in front of him and immediately understood everything.

This barrier...

Is that Kushina's barrier?!

Jiraiya's heart tightened. Although he was far away and couldn't see the specifics, he could tell the key to the matter just by looking at the large barrier.

The Nine-Tails has been subdued, and preparations are underway to seal it.

But now there's a problem.

Whose body should the Nine-Tails be sealed inside?!

Chapter 242 Living Again

As a vessel to contain a tailed beast, the Jinchuriki's role is actually much more than that.

More important than the power boost brought by the unity of mind and body is the life connection between the tailed beast and the jinchūriki.

If the Tailed Beast is inside the body, and the Jinchūriki dies, the Tailed Beast will also die.

If the Tailed Beast is extracted, the Jinchuriki will die immediately.

Even though Jiraiya couldn't see the specific situation on Kurama's side, he could still guess a thing or two.

Kushina's current condition, yet she can still suppress the Nine-Tails and activate a barrier, already demonstrates her formidable strength.

Those present should be the Second Hokage and Minato.

Only living people can bear the weight of a tailed beast.

Could it be... that Minato is planning to become a Jinchūriki himself?!

"Pfft!"

Jiraiya touched the transparent barrier, and immediately a strong repulsion came from it, preventing him from entering from behind.

"This is a sealing technique!"

"What should we do?! Lord Jiraiya."

"The Nine-Tails has been controlled... Was it Lord Minato's doing...?"

Exclamations of surprise, doubt, and solemnity rose and fell from the crowd.

As everyone looked at the Nine-Tails, which was wrapped up like a dumpling and firmly suppressed, their initial fear gradually disappeared.

An overwhelming fighting spirit rose from the ground, and everyone's bloodshot eyes were fixed on Jiraiya in front of them, ready to request to fight.

Jiraiya sensed the strength of the seal and looked at the enormous tailed beast in front of him. After a rapid thought, he immediately gave the order: "You guys stay outside and guard the outside. Leave the rest to me!"

"what?"

Upon hearing the order, the warriors, filled with fighting spirit, were all taken aback, seemingly not expecting Jiraiya to issue such a command.

Just as he was about to speak, he said, "The power of the Nine-Tails is too strong. Even with the sealing barrier in place, we cannot be careless."

"Furthermore, your task is to search for the eroded and remaining enemies; we'll handle the tailed beasts!"

Jiraiya looked at the people behind him with a serious expression and said solemnly.

The disheveled Konoha ninjas, sensing the seriousness in Jiraiya's tone, gradually understood the crux of the matter.

Despite their deep confusion, they kept it to themselves.

Swish! Swish!

Almost the instant Jiraiya finished giving the orders, everyone transformed into a black shadow, like a sharp wing, and enveloped the seal.

Jiraiya then headed alone toward the place where the seal had been cast.

The reason for sending away the subordinate ninjas was firstly because their strength made them vulnerable to sudden death when facing tailed beasts.

Secondly, it concerns the identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Kushina's identity was almost a top secret in the village; apart from the Konoha high command and a few guards and ANBU, no one knew it.

Not to mention, if everyone witnessed the sealing process of the Nine-Tails and understood who the Jinchuriki was, prejudice would naturally arise.

While the above two points are certainly very serious, they are what Jiraiya is most worried about at this moment.

The question is, who will become the Jinchūriki...?

"Jiraiya, if Kushina can't hold on... then Minato..." Shima said worriedly from the side.

She understood Minato's personality best; if Kushina ran out of time, then Minato...

"No, it shouldn't be like that," Jiraiya said decisively as soon as Shima-sensei spoke.

But some things are more likely to happen the more you worry about them, and this can be proven even in the ninja world.

The scene in front of me opened up completely, allowing my eyes to take it all in.

The barrier opened wide, and the Nine-Tails was firmly bound. The impure army beneath its feet, while controlling the Nine-Tails, all had complex gazes directed at the feet of the Nine-Tails.

Kushina Uzumaki's weak face was full of heartache; Tobirama Senju tried his best to remain calm, but his face was full of complex emotions; Minato Namikaze was unusually calm, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

The hand seals he slowly performed were even more bizarre and unusual.

Si-hai-wei-mao-xu.....

This print...

Is it the Corpse Demon Sealing Technique?!

"Has Jiraiya-sensei arrived?" A sudden gust of cold wind swept up from behind Minato.

An extremely terrifying aura rose from behind him.

Is this the Grim Reaper...?

Minato Namikaze broke out in a cold sweat, calmly glancing at the Grim Reaper behind him with a ferocious expression and greedy eyes. He then looked towards Jiraiya outside the sealing barrier, who was anxiously striking the seal.

He frantically pounded on the invisible wall, the bumps on his nose twitching. Although he couldn't hear anything, Minato could understand Jiraiya's feelings at that moment.

He thought for a moment, trying to say something to this tall man who was both a teacher and a father figure to him.

In the end, all the words I wanted to say were reduced to a smile.

It felt like a gentle spring breeze.

Not a single regret.

"Damn it!!"

Jiraiya was so anxious he was jumping up and down, and the two toad sages on his shoulders also looked grim.

It was truly unexpected that Minato Namikaze, the next successor of Mount Myōboku and seemingly destined to become a perfect sage, would choose to use this method.

"Perhaps this can be considered a solution. Konoha Village cannot be without the Nine-Tails, and the situation in the outside world and the ninja world is very serious... Perhaps Minato took these things into consideration..." Fukasaku said in a complicated tone, trying to make amends.

But as soon as the words left its mouth, it realized the inappropriateness of its words.

Even if you're sealing the Nine-Tails, you wouldn't need to use the Reaper Death Seal, would you?

Almost all of the village's enemies had been wiped out, leaving only the enormous Nine-Tailed Beast.

Although the whereabouts of the Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura are unknown, Jiraiya, the Second Hokage, Minato, and the resurrected ninjas should have been able to handle the situation.

"Hiss..."

At that moment, a rustling sound came from not far behind Jiraiya, followed by a gloomy voice.

"The chakra has disappeared...? Was it covered by a barrier? Or...?"

Danzo Shimura, his face ashen, parted the bushes that obscured his view and was immediately confronted by Jiraiya, who was jumping up and down, and a massive barrier.

Among them was a nine-tailed fox that appeared to have shrunk considerably.

An old man and Danzo?!

Jiraiya instinctively wanted to call out their names, but when he saw the various wounds on their bodies and the old man's tattered armor, he suddenly choked on his own words.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi resembled a withered old man in his twilight years.

Even the black armor that accompanied him through three Shinobi World Wars couldn't hide the weariness emanating from him.

With drooping eyelids, the slightly labored breath was instantly carried away by the wind, producing a soft, rustling sound.

Danzo Shimura was in slightly better condition, but not by much.

"What happened?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, forcing back his discomfort.

Before Jiraiya could explain, he immediately understood everything when he saw the Nine-Tails suddenly shrink inside, as if a large amount of chakra had been extracted from it.

"Damn Minato Namikaze!!!"

The Nine-Tailed Fox, feeling as if half of its soul had been extracted, was furious.