Chapter 184: Flashback Part 3
Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 184: Flashback Part 3
"It's you!" the Kyūbi snarled, glaring at the new arrival.
"You still remember your former container, huh?" Kushina gave the Kyūbi a passing glance before turning her attention to Naruto.
She spread her arms wide, smiling warmly. "Come on…"
"Mmm? What?" Naruto muttered, confused.
"Come give your mother a hug!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.
When Naruto hesitated, she marched over and wrapped him in a tight embrace. "You've already got your father's face, hair, and eyes. Did you really have to inherit his cold personality too?" she teased, pouting playfully.
"Hey! I was never that cold," Minato protested.
"You were a complete antisocial until you met me," Kushina huffed, shooting him a sidelong glance.
Naruto felt obligated to say something as he awkwardly stood there, stiff in her embrace. "We're kind of in a hurry…" Being hugged like this felt strange to him...uncomfortable, even.
He barely remembered his original parents. He hadn't had the chance to form strong memories of them before leaving home as a child.
When he was still very young, he had joined the Blue Jade Sect, and the journey to their compound had taken months. Along the way, they had stopped at countless villages and towns to recruit other students.
By the time he was free to do as he pleased, he couldn't even remember where his childhood home had been.
There were countless villages like his across the continent, and truthfully, he'd never been that close to his parents to begin with.
When he discovered the parents of his current self were dead, a part of him had felt relieved that he wouldn't have to deal with interactions like this.
"Just a bit longer…" Kushina whispered, holding him tighter.
"He's not wrong, Kishina," Minato said, stepping in gently. "Our time here is limited. There's no way to replenish our chakra once these memories activate… and Naruto needs our help."
Kushina sighed, letting go reluctantly. "Alright, alright."
Naruto straightened up. "Then, if you can—"
Kushina cut him off, cupping his face with her hands. "You've grown into such a handsome young man. I bet lots of girls are chasing after you," she said with a warm smile.
"Of course he's handsome! He looks like me!" Minato added with pride.
Kushina rolled her eyes but quickly focused. "Okay, let's get to work." She approached the Kyūbi's cage, and as she moved, several glowing chains emerged from her back, glimmering with chakra.
"Chains?" Naruto tilted his head, intrigued. It was the first time he'd seen someone use chakra in this manner.
"This is a special technique unique to the women of the Uzumaki Clan," Minato explained. "Now, go on, Naruto. Your mother and I will keep the Kyūbi restrained. Do whatever you need to do."
Naruto nodded. "Thanks." Without further to do, he extended his right hand toward the Kyūbi.
"Cosmic Assimilation… Absorb!"
The moment the words left his lips, the Kyūbi roared in fury as it was pulled against the cage bars. It thrashed and struggled, but Kushina's chakra chains wrapped tightly around the beast, pinning it down.
Meanwhile, Minato worked to maintain the integrity of the seal, doing everything he could to prevent Naruto's technique from breaking it prematurely.
Both parents glanced back at their son.
"What kind of forbidden jutsu is this?" Minato muttered. He'd heard of techniques that allowed users to drain chakra from their opponents, but nothing on this scale. Naruto's technique wasn't just leeching chakra...it was pulling the Kyūbi's essence into a separate space entirely.
A crimson whirlwind formed above the Kyūbi, funneling into another chamber within Naruto's mindscape. The beast's chakra flowed directly into Naruto's chakra pool.
But Minato's earlier warning still held true, if too much of the Kyūbi's chakra mixed with Naruto's own, it would destroy him from the inside.
As the process continued, Naruto sat down in a lotus position, his hand still extended. He focused on his chakra core, his expression calm yet intense.
"What is he doing now?" Kushina asked.
Minato shook his head. "I don't know. But I hope he does."
'Cosmic Assimilation… Purify,' Naruto thought.
His focus split in two. On one side, he was absorbing the Kyūbi's chakra while simultaneously purifying it and integrating it into his own. If he allowed it to build up unrefined, it would kill him.
Steal the chakra, purify it, cultivate it, and form a solid core...he had to do that all at once.
It would be an impossible feat for most, but with centuries of cultivation experience, Naruto handled the process with practiced precision.
The Kyūbi's chakra streamed into his soul's central pond, a vast reservoir of accumulated energy that had grown so large it resembled a small lake.
Now, a crimson river flowed into it, causing the entire lake to churn violently.
The energy began to spiral upward, condensing into a single point. A solid core started to form, marking the next stage of his cultivation.
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Two hours later, Minato and Kushina were at their limits. Their chakra was nearly exhausted, and they could no longer hold the Kyūbi.
"I… I can't anymore!" Kushina yelled as her chains shattered.
"Kushina!" Minato's eyes widened in horror as the seal finally broke. "Noo!"
Naruto's eyes glowed with vibrant orange light. "It's okay. I'm almost done."
The Kyūbi may be free, but it could no longer escape. Its massive form had turned translucent, it's chakra almost entirely drained. He was too weak now.
The once-terrifying demon now resembled a pitiful, wounded creature. Its eyes, barely open, fixed on Naruto.
"I… I hate humans…" it whispered hoarsely.
Naruto stared at the dying beast. "Fair enough." He could understand the demon at least, and even feel some pity for it. But this was the only path he had to achieve immortality and was not going to let it pass.
Not this time...he will not fail again.
With a simple motion, the last remnants of the Kyūbi's chakra were absorbed, and its form faded into nothingness.
"Is it over?" Kushina asked, her voice trembling.
"I can't believe that worked," Minato murmured in awe.
Naruto nodded. "It's complete."
Minato glanced at his hands, already fading. "Looks like our time is up too. If you have any final words, now's the time."
Naruto looked at his parents, his expression serious. "If there's anything you'd like me to do, I'll do my best to fulfill your request."
"We just want you to be happy," Minato said with a faint smile. "Live a life you can be proud of."
"I do have one request!" Kushina interjected. "I want grandchildren!"
"…What?" Naruto blinked, utterly thrown off by her words.
"You heard your mother," Minato said with a shrug before his figure vanished.
Kushina turned to Naruto, grinning. "I mean it. I don't want you to be alone. Find a good woman, okay?"
Naruto nodded solemnly. "I'll try to honor your request."
Kushina smiled warmly as she faded away, leaving Naruto alone in the now-empty chamber that used to host the demon.
Naruto returned to his central chamber, gazing at the newly formed solid core floating above his lake of chakra. It gleamed with streaks of gold running across its dull gray surface.
A small smile crept onto his face.
"A Golden Core is forming… This is promising. But I'll need the other half to complete it," he muttered to himself.
There was still so much work to do.
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