More than half a day later, Sasuke hastily learned the Reaper Death Seal.
Although he could only use it and was in the stage of knowing how to do it but not why, he still understood one thing.
He didn't need to feel it; he had been tricked by Naruto!
Night arrived, and the silvery-white moonlight enveloped the earth.
In the quiet and deserted Uzumaki Mask Hall, the Death God Mask, the key item to unlock the Reaper Death Seal, was stored.
Sasuke looked at Naruto, who was searching for the Death God Mask, and said with a barbed tone, "Naruto, you didn't tell me that unlocking the Reaper Death Seal requires cutting open your own stomach?"
The Reaper Death Seal must be performed with the aid of the Death God Mask when first learning it, but after becoming proficient, it can be performed without the mask. This is also why Sarutobi Hiruzen put the Death God Mask back in the Mask Hall.
After all, no one would want to carry around a creepy mask that occasionally emitted a cold aura.
But if you want to control the Death God, reverse-engineer the seal, and rescue the souls trapped within, you must have the Death God Mask's assistance.
And one of the steps is to cut open your own stomach, which will also cut open the Death God's stomach to release the souls within.
This kind of pain is no less than gouging out your eyes and putting them back in, and it also comes with the pain of tearing your soul. It might even hurt more than simply transplanting eyes.
Considering this, it would have been better to agree to Naruto's request from the beginning and let him borrow his eyes.
What a huge loss!
Faced with Sasuke's questioning, Naruto remained unmoved and continued to rummage through the Mask Hall, searching for the real Death God Mask. At the same time, he replied in a flat tone, "But didn't you not ask? You were the one who volunteered to help me use the Reaper Death Seal."
Sasuke's mentality was a little broken, and he almost couldn't help but curse.
In the end, he took a long breath and calmed down.
He had to finish what he had promised, no matter how painful it was, or he would lose too much face.
Moreover, Naruto wasn't letting him help for nothing; he had promised to give him a Super S-Rank Lightning Release attack Ninjutsu training method after it was done.
Comforting himself like this, Sasuke barely managed to build himself up mentally.
At this moment, Naruto finally picked up a ghost-faced mask, and a hint of joy appeared in his tone, "Found it."
Turning his head, he looked at Sasuke, "Let's go, to the Valley of the End, we'll unlock this seal."
Sasuke's eyes twitched, and then he reluctantly reached out and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.
In the next moment, the scene changed.
The two arrived near the Valley of the End, in a secret cave that had just been opened up not long ago.
Naruto handed the Death God Mask to Sasuke, then activated Sage Mode and started Kagura Mind's Eye to guard against possible accidents.
Sasuke took the mask and sighed.
After a three-second pause, he finally put the Death God Mask on his face.
At the same time, Sasuke's hands began to clumsily form the seals for the Reaper Death Seal.
The cold aura in the cave became even stronger, and a tall Death God with a translucent form appeared behind Sasuke.
As soon as this Death God appeared, he cast a malicious gaze towards Naruto.
In this cave, there were only Naruto and Sasuke. Since Sasuke had summoned it, the enemy was obvious.
Naruto, being stared at by the Death God, felt a chill run through his body.
He frowned slightly, and the Chakra within his body circulated a bit faster, dispelling the sensation.
I can't beat this Death God for now; its soul's strength is far greater than mine, Naruto thought to himself, temporarily abandoning the idea of using a Sealing Technique to subdue the Death God and turn it into his own puppet.
At this moment, Sasuke didn't hesitate. The instant the Death God fully materialized, he controlled it to wield its short sword, slashing it across his own stomach.
Hiss!
As a wound appeared on the Death God's stomach, a similar wound also appeared on Sasuke's stomach. Moreover, a tearing pain surged through his soul, a pain that exceeded Sasuke's limit, almost causing him to faint.
Fortunately, Sasuke ultimately overcame it with immense willpower.
The Death God, who had been staring maliciously at Naruto, wore a look of astonishment as it lowered its head to glance at the gash on its stomach.
A ball of light representing a human soul floated out from the gash.
Before the Death God could do anything, Sasuke activated his right eye's Infinite Izanagi.
A streak of blood trickled from the corner of his eye, and space seemed to pause for a moment. Then, Sasuke's figure vanished from the spot, reappearing next to Naruto, the wound on his stomach gone without a trace.
Even his clothes had returned to normal. If it weren't for the blood tears at the corner of Sasuke's eye and his pale face, it would have seemed as if nothing had happened.
And the Death God was even more astonished now.
However, bound by the rules, it couldn't do anything. After giving Naruto and Sasuke a malicious look, it disappeared helplessly.
The ball of light representing Naruto's father's soul paused in the air for a moment, then, as if receiving some information, it floated over, circling Naruto affectionately a few times before merging into his body.
"Naruto."
A gentle voice echoed in Naruto's heart.
Closing his eyes, Naruto looked at the young, blond-haired man who had appeared in his mental world. A gentle smile from the bottom of his heart appeared on Naruto's face, and he couldn't help but rush forward and hug him.
"Father."
"You've had it rough these past years."
Stroking the hair of his son, who was only slightly shorter than him, Minato Namikaze wore a complex expression.
After emerging from the absolutely sealed environment of the Death God's stomach, he had received information transmitted by the Chakra he had left in the world, understanding what had happened over the years.
However, in the end, he didn't say much.
After a moment of silence, Minato Namikaze smiled and said, "I can feel a force pulling at my soul. I'm afraid I can't stay by your side any longer. I have to go find your mother; I can't let her be lonely for too long.
Just like I said when we last met, no matter what happens, you must live well."
Naruto's heart felt blocked. He had many things he wanted to say to his father, and many questions he wanted to ask him, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say them.
Before parting, Minato Namikaze raised his hand, touching fists with Naruto.
A Golden Light shone on Minato Namikaze's body.
Then, this Golden Light flowed along their connected arms, pouring into Naruto's body.
Inside the Sealing Space, another Kurama appeared, its color slightly dimmer. It exchanged a glance with the other Kurama, and then rushed towards it, gradually merging into one, indistinguishable from each other.
Naruto didn't pay attention to what was happening inside the Sealing Space, his gaze fixed on Minato Namikaze's gradually disappearing body, lost in a daze.
Sigh!
Finally, Naruto sighed deeply.
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