"Do you wish to?"
"Think carefully before you answer. This is no laughing matter."
Mito's gaze settled on Minato—a boy she had never even considered for this role.
"I do."
Minato nodded firmly.
On one hand, he recalled his sensei's words. On the other, he wanted to share in Kushina's burden.
If his sensei said he could do it, then he believed in himself.
That trust had been built over years of experience.
"Your willingness alone means nothing."
"I'll need to examine you first."
Tsunade doused Minato's determination with a bucket of cold reality.
This wasn't something that could be done on resolve alone.
"Okay."
Minato's confidence wavered slightly, disappointment flickering in his eyes.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine."
Kawakaze patted Minato's shoulder, unwavering in his belief.
"If he can't handle it, you can just take half."
Mito chuckled at her own joke, though no one doubted Kawakaze's ability to deal with the Nine-Tails.
"Alright, I'm in."
Kawakaze agreed without hesitation—after all, the Nine-Tails wouldn't make much of a difference to his strength anyway.
"Can a Tailed Beast really be split in half?"
Kushina remained skeptical—she had never heard of such a thing.
"Based on the lab's research, even if we cultivate Tailed Beast cells, they still seem to lack intelligence."
Misaki spoke truthfully. She wasn't convinced that a Tailed Beast could be divided into two fully sentient beings.
"Are you familiar with a forbidden technique called the Dead Demon Consuming Seal?"
Tsunade suddenly brought it up, her mind racing.
She had never studied it herself, but she had read nearly all the Fūinjutsu scrolls her grandmother had left behind.
This particular forbidden technique had stood out.
It was one of the rare jutsu that directly targeted the soul—but at a severe cost.
"I never taught them."
Mito shook her head.
A technique designed to claim both the user's and the target's life wasn't something she saw fit to pass down to Misaki and Kushina.
"No wonder I've never heard of it."
Kushina's eyes widened in realization, while Misaki remained quiet, waiting for more.
Kawakaze, on the other hand, was a little surprised.
Tsunade's mind was working faster than he had expected.
But that was good—it meant he wouldn't have to guide her step by step.
Feigning deep concentration, Kawakaze and Minato both fixed their eyes on Tsunade, waiting for her to continue.
"If the Shinigami doesn't completely sever a soul, can that person still survive?"
Tsunade turned to her grandmother. She had never actually seen anyone perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal before.
"Yes, there have been such cases."
Mito nodded. The Land of Whirlpools had no shortage of such examples.
"So if the Nine-Tails were cut in half by a Shinigami, it would be divided into two."
Tsunade continued exploring the idea, essentially doing Kawakaze's job for him.
"In theory, yes."
Mito frowned slightly as she considered the question before giving a definitive answer.
"Then can we develop a new technique based on the Dead Demon Consuming Seal?"
"It doesn't need to be as powerful, and the cost shouldn't be as severe."
Tsunade asked cautiously, knowing that if anyone could answer this, it would be Mito.
"It will take time."
Mito didn't even need to think about it. As long as she had a reference technique, she could develop a new one without fail.
The only uncertainty was how long it would take.
"Will three months be enough?"
Kawakaze interrupted, cutting straight to the point.
"I'm not sure."
Mito didn't want to make promises. She was getting older, and her mind wasn't as sharp as before.
"We can ask for help."
"Orochimaru and Jiraiya have done research on Fūinjutsu as well."
Tsunade left herself out of the equation—her grandmother had already taught her everything she knew about Fūinjutsu.
As for Kawakaze, his involvement wouldn't change much either way.
"Yes."
Mito nodded in agreement.
"Then that's settled for now."
"I hope the new technique can be developed within three months."
Kawakaze made the decision outright, and Mito didn't object.
Compared to sealing the entire Nine-Tails, dealing with half of it would undoubtedly be easier.
If the technique worked, it would be far more beneficial for Kushina.
"Don't celebrate just yet."
"If there's no progress on the new technique, Kushina will have to bear the burden alone in the end."
Tsunade wasn't trying to dampen their spirits—she was simply stating a fact.
Sometimes, the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
She didn't want Kushina to suffer double the sorrow.
"I know, Sister Tsunade."
Kushina couldn't stop the smile on her face.
Minato, you idiot, do you think being a Jinchūriki is a game?
Promising so rashly… it makes me so angry!
"Don't look so sad."
"I'll take care of everything, and I guarantee she'll be fine."
In contrast, Minato and Misaki looked visibly downcast when Tsunade poured cold water on their idea.
Kawakaze, however, pointed at Kushina with complete certainty.
Of course, he had no doubts that she would be fine as the Jinchūriki.
As for the idea of splitting the Nine-Tails between two people—well, that was more out of selfishness.
"Thank you, Sensei."
Minato's eyes sparkled again. As long as Kushina was safe, that was all that mattered.
Misaki simply nodded slightly, remaining silent.
"Alright, that's enough for today."
"We'll talk about Nawaki later."
Mito ended the family meeting. She hadn't yet decided how to break the news to her grandchildren.
"Misaki, you go find Orochimaru. Kushina, you go find Jiraiya."
Tsunade assigned the two their tasks.
"Okay."
Misaki and Kushina agreed and got up to leave.
"Then I'll be going too."
Now that only the elders remained in the meditation room, Minato couldn't sit still any longer. He got up, ready to take his leave.
"Wait a minute. I'll check you right here."
"Let's see if you're really as good as your Sensei says."
Tsunade called out to Minato and gestured for him to come over.
"You don't even trust me?"
"Fine, just check him—I won't say another word."
Kawakaze still had that strange confidence about him, looking as if he was asking for a beating.
Minato scratched his head awkwardly and walked over to Tsunade.
"Give me your hand."
Minato obediently extended his right hand as instructed.
As Tsunade's chakra flowed through his body, he felt warmth spread throughout him.
"Hmm… just so-so. Not as good as Kushina's."
Tsunade had expected Minato to have an outstanding constitution, but Kawakaze had exaggerated.
She should have known better—a commoner like Minato wouldn't have an unnatural physique.
"Haha, really!"
"Minato's strength isn't in his physique, but in his strong willpower."
Kawakaze laughed to lighten the mood, but Minato just wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
He really thought he was something…
"Alright, Minato is qualified."
Mito, amused by the entire exchange, let out a hearty laugh.
Under the Mind's Eye of Kagura, she could clearly see that Minato had a sufficient amount of chakra.
Combined with his strong willpower, Mito believed he was more than capable of being a half-Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
"That's good."
Kawakaze let out a sigh of relief, silently thanking the original story for not leading him astray.
"Let's go."
Tsunade released Minato's hand, and he practically fled the room.
Today, he had been thoroughly embarrassed by his Sensei's excessive praise.
"You two should leave as well."
Tsunade had been following her around every day for the past few days, and Mito was starting to find it irritating.
The way she clung to her was completely at odds with her usual personality.
"Grandma, I'll keep you company."
Tsunade stood up and moved to sit beside Mito, determined to stay with her.
"I really don't need your company."
Mito pulled her arm free, her face full of exaggerated disgust.
"I'm going to work."
Kawakaze pretended not to see the interaction, snapped his fingers, and headed for the Hokage's office.
He was obviously late, and Shōta's disappointed stare made him feel guilty.
"Sorry, I got held up..."