29
Although he often lied to Anko, this time he was sincere. Ye Liang truly wanted to become the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails.
Kushina looked at Minato, waiting for him to make the decision.
Minato glanced at Ye Liang and saw the firm resolve in his eyes.
"It seems he genuinely wants to help us!" Minato exclaimed.
"Ye Liang-kun, although I, Minato Namikaze, am not very familiar with you, I will always remember your actions today. Thank you!" Minato said, bowing deeply to Ye Liang.
This bow was a traditional gesture of deep gratitude in their culture, used when one was truly thankful.
"Damn it, stop talking and hurry! If the Nine Tails completely enters Naruto's body, it will be too late to remove it!" Ye Liang urged.
At this point, the Nine Tails was halfway sealed into Naruto. If it fully entered, removing it would mean killing Naruto.
"Alright, let's do it!" Kushina quickly moved to Ye Liang. She used her blood to draw a curse seal on Ye Liang's belly, then formed a hand seal.
Ye Liang remained calm.
He knew Kushina was using the curse seal to draw the Nine Tails out. The Uzumaki clan, being masters of sealing techniques, were well-versed in handling the Nine Tails, so Ye Liang trusted Kushina.
Soon, the soul of the Nine Tails that had partially entered Naruto's body began to reverse, flowing back into Ye Liang's belly.
The curse seal glowed softly.
Ye Liang felt a refreshing, tingling sensation.
Soon, the transfer was complete.
"Is it done?"
Ye Liang felt the immense power within him, though he couldn't fully control it yet.
"It seems I need to confront the Nine Tails to truly harness its power," Ye Liang thought.
Kushina sighed in relief, exhausted and pale, but she managed to walk to Minato.
"Am I going to die?" Minato murmured, looking at Kushina.
The Shinigami's phantom had begun to fade, and once it disappeared, Minato's soul would be taken completely.
"Yes."
Kushina's eyes were filled with tears.
The two shared a deep bond, but fate had dealt them a cruel hand.
"Ye Liang-kun, could you come here?"
Minato called out to Ye Liang.
"What?"
Ye Liang was puzzled. He thought Minato and Kushina would want some final moments together, but he approached anyway.
"Ye Liang-kun, I'm about to leave, but my wife and son will be alone. Please take care of them."
"What? Take care of your wife?" Ye Liang was shocked!
He quickly realized what Minato meant.
This was an entrustment of his wife and son!
Ye Liang was stunned. He hadn't expected to be given such a significant responsibility.
He looked at Kushina, who was silent but didn't object.
What a situation!
Ye Liang felt helpless but couldn't refuse a dying man's request.
"Minato-sama, don't worry! As long as I'm alive, your child will be my child, and your wife will be my wife! I'll protect them with my life!" Ye Liang promised solemnly.
"Thank you."
Minato replied faintly, then looked at Kushina.
"Ye Liang-kun is a good man and an honorable one. I trust he will take care of you. Please, rely on him."
"Yes."
They exchanged their final words.
Ye Liang stepped back, feeling the weight of the situation.
He jumped to the top of a nearby tree.
"Is that the masked man?"
The battle in the distance continued, with the Third Hokage and many shinobi overwhelming the masked man. Without the Nine Tails, the masked man was losing strength.
But suddenly, a massive blue samurai with two swords appeared around the masked man!
It was colossal, like a mountain, with a sharp tengu mask!
"Susanoo! You're an Uchiha!" the Third Hokage shouted, recognizing the figure. But the next sword strike sent all the shinobi flying.
"Hmph, you know a lot, but now you'll die with me!"
The masked man controlled Susanoo and slashed at Sarutobi with immense power.
The Third Hokage, weakened, couldn't defend against such force. But just then, a shuriken flew past him.
A golden figure appeared instantly, blocking Susanoo's sword with both hands!
"The Flying Thunder God Technique? Is that Minato?" Sarutobi was startled, but then realized who it was.
"It's Ye Liang! Why are you here?"
"If I wasn't, you'd be dead!" Ye Liang replied with a smile.
The masked man showed a trace of concern. He knew Ye Liang wasn't an ordinary ninja.
With a bit more effort, Susanoo's sword came down again, but Ye Liang used his teleportation technique to grab Sarutobi and escape.
"Bang!"
The sword hit the ground.
"You! The last time we met, you managed to escape. But you dare come back!" the masked man yelled.
"Heh, you sent people to kill me. I couldn't just ignore that!" Ye Liang shot back.
Their conversation puzzled the Third Hokage. It seemed they knew each other well.
"Ye Liang, who is this?"
"Uchiha Madara!"
"What!"
Sarutobi was shocked.
The masked man removed his mask.
His face was old and withered, but his eyes were sharp, with the Rinnegan visible.
"That's the Rinnegan!"
Ye Liang was surprised.
Madara's plan had involved implanting the Rinnegan into Nagato and manipulating events from the shadows. But now, Madara himself had come to attack Konoha, a risky move indeed.