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Atop the Konoha Memorial Stone, Akio carefully carved Mito's name, stroke by stroke.

Many names were already engraved there, people of every rank and status. From Hashirama Senju himself to nameless Genin who had fallen in battle, the stone was packed with countless names. Anyone who had given their life for the Hidden Leaf Village was forever immortalized upon it. Mito, of course, was no exception.

A few days earlier, Akio had asked her whether she wished to be laid to rest in Uzushiogakure, returning to her homeland. Mito had only smiled and replied, "Konoha is my home now."

And so, she was buried in the Konoha cemetery, beside Hashirama's grave.

"One more name added to the list of those I plan to bring back…" Akio sighed. Mito, however, would be far more difficult to revive than Hashirama or Tobirama.

Hashirama and Tobirama had died from injuries, their lives cut short, not ended by age. When revived with the Reanimation Jutsu, they would return at their peak. But Mito… if she were revived in her current state, they'd be holding her funeral again the next day.

"In the original timeline, Madara stayed young after being reanimated… something about a special method Kabuto used…" Akio muttered to himself. He wasn't in a hurry. These things could wait.

"If Mito doesn't come back, that fool Hashirama will only have his brother to talk to again… or maybe Madara?" Akio's thoughts drifted off somewhere completely unrelated.

Though he acted casual, Mito's death truly saddened him, he'd almost shed tears. She was, after all, the only one who truly understood him after all these years.

But he had long known this day would come. By the time he finished carving her name into the stone, the heaviness in his chest had finally eased.

Looking around, he saw a sea of mourners. More than half the village had come to pay respects. Shops had closed for the day, and even the merchants stood among the crowd in silence. Among them, Akio noticed Teuchi and his family, faces solemn. Sara stood quietly beside them.

Representatives from Uzushiogakure were placed at the front of the line. After offering white flowers before Mito's grave, Akio quietly led them away, while most of the village was attending the funeral, it was the perfect time to seal the Nine-Tails.

When a Jinchūriki dies, the Tailed Beast sealed inside perishes as well. The unfortunate Nine-Tails, thanks to Akio, was now dying for the second time.

After a Tailed Beast dies, its chakra disperses and eventually reforms into its original form one to two years later. Akio had sealed Mito's entire room to contain the Nine-Tails' chakra, but he wasn't sure how long the seal would hold. It was best to reseal it as soon as possible.

"Kushina, are you truly ready?" This time, it wasn't Akio asking, it was Nanako.

As the current Two-Tails' Jinchūriki, she held no prejudice against Tailed Beasts. Still, she understood their danger well. She herself was powerful and skilled in sealing arts—Kushina was not yet at her level.

"There's no need to worry about safety," Akio declared confidently. "At this point, never mind the Nine-Tails; I could seal the Ten-Tails if I wanted to."

"…The Ten-Tails?"

Akio froze. "…Just say, 'You're amazing, Sensei,' and we'll leave it at that."

"You're amazing, Sensei," Nanako said with a wry smile. Jitou quickly followed suit.

Akio shot him a side-eye. After living so long, he'd learned there were three people whose praise meant nothing: Hashirama, Jitou, and Obito. Being complimented by any of them somehow felt like being insulted.

"Grandma, I'm ready!" Kushina finally spoke, her expression tense but resolute.

Akio nodded and looked at his three disciples. "Jitou, Izms; you two guard the Senju compound gates. Don't let anyone in. Nanako, stay outside to contain any chakra that might leak."

"Kushina, you're coming with me."

Once everything was arranged, Akio led Kushina into the sealed chamber.

He pointed to a massive swirl of fiery red chakra drifting aimlessly around the room and smiled. "This is the Nine-Tails. After death, it's nothing more than raw, unconscious chakra, it'll take a little over a year to reform."

"No one's ever tried sealing a dead Tailed Beast before, since this kind of chakra is uncontrollable. I've kept it trapped here with my sealing barrier."

"So don't be nervous. You've got over a year to familiarize yourself with and learn to manipulate this chakra. Since it has no will right now, it should be much easier for you."

"As for the 'little fox' you want to see, that'll have to wait until it reforms. Most people carry a baby for ten months, you'll be carrying a fox for a year."

Akio suddenly paused, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"Think of it as the child born from your and Minato's love; just… in the shape of a fox."

Kushina, who had been quite tense moments earlier, could only give a helpless laugh. "Great-Grandpa, no one gives birth to a fox! Just hurry up already."

She sounded almost impatient.

Akio nodded. "I'll start with the Four Symbols Seal. Try to sense and connect with the Nine-Tails' chakra, it'll help you control it later. Once that's stable, I'll reinforce the seal."

Kushina nodded firmly.

"Sealing Technique: Four Symbols Seal!"

For Akio, the Four Symbols Seal was now a simple technique, he could perform it with ease. Still, with the Nine-Tails' chakra flooding the entire room, it took him ten full minutes of continuous chakra output to completely contain it.

"Divine Kagura Mind's Eye!"

Once done, Akio activated his sensory technique at full precision to ensure no traces of chakra remained.

Two seconds later, he nodded in satisfaction, nothing was left behind.

With a wave of his hand, he dispelled the barrier around the room. Nanako immediately rushed in.

"Sensei, how did it go?"

Akio made an "OK" gesture. Unfortunately, Nanako didn't understand and hurried over to Kushina's side.

Kushina had been standing motionless ever since the sealing began.

The Four Symbols Seal alone clearly wasn't enough to contain the immense power of the Nine-Tails. She was struggling to suppress it.

Realizing this, Nanako steadied herself and waited, ready to act.

About ten minutes later, Kushina's face twisted in pain. Then came her voice, "Four Symbols Seal: Reverse!"

Nanako immediately moved, flipping the Four Symbols Seal to create the Eight Trigrams Seal, locking the Nine-Tails completely.

When she finished, both Akio and Kushina were staring at her. She flushed slightly.

"I might've rushed it a bit…"

Akio sighed but smiled faintly. "It's fine. This works too. Kushina has over a year to adapt anyway."

Kushina exhaled, smiling brightly again. "Good thing you did, I was almost at my limit."

Akio chuckled. "Let's talk about something cheerful, then. Nanako, aren't you happy to have a great-grandson now?"

Kushina gave an awkward smile, while Nanako looked utterly confused.

"The Nine-Tails' real name is Kurama. Guess now it should be called Uzumaki Kurama. Not bad, huh?"

Silently, Akio smirked to himself.

Naruto… looks like I've just given you an older brother.

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