The Eight Diagrams Seal placed on Kushina to restrain the Nine-Tails was, in structure, a composite ford from two layered Four Symbols Seals. It was a near-perfect fuinjutsu—one capable of allowing her to draw upon the Nine-Tails' chakra while simultaneously preventing corrosive backlash.
Among all known jinchūriki sealing formulas, this Uzumaki clan secret technique was the most robust.
That said, robust did not an flawless.
According to the firsthand experiences of Uzumaki Mito—wife of the First Hokage and herself an Uzumaki—during pregnancy, the power of a tailed beast's seal would gradually weaken as childbirth approached. At the mont of delivery, the seal would reach its weakest point. Even the Uzumaki clan's extraordinary vitality and suppressive power could not prevent this outco.
When Mito gave birth, the Nine-Tails had nearly broken free.
It was therefore unthinkable that Kushina's situation would be any different. The Nine-Tails would not remain docile.
In hindsight, there were simple solutions:
either never use female jinchūriki, or prohibit them from marriage and childbirth entirely.
But those were after-the-fact argunts—completely irrelevant to Kushina's present reality.
Because of the Nine-Tails, Kushina's delivery was no longer rely a family matter for Minato. It had beco an issue of extre importance to Konoha's highest leadership. If the Nine-Tails were released, the damage to the village would be catastrophic.
Not only could a rampage during childbirth threaten Kushina's life, but the period of seal weakness also presented the ideal opportunity for an external party to extract the tailed beast.
That was the greatest danger of all.
As a result, Kushina's due date was classified at the highest level. Only by preventing the slightest leak could unknown threats be kept at bay.
To prepare for the worst-case scenario—total seal failure—the delivery site was established outside the village, protected by multiple layers of powerful barrier techniques.
Two months before her expected delivery, Kushina had already been moved from Konoha to this secluded location.
Hagoromo, naturally, went with her.
This was not a sudden asure. Preparations had begun almost imdiately after Kushina's wedding. The site had long since been selected, and though the operation was top secret, Hagoromo—as her guard—was fully inford.
In fact, from the mont Kushina beca pregnant, he had begun preparing his own arrangents there.
Because he did not trust Konoha's barriers.
He would do things his own way. And to ensure there were no variables, he relied on no one else.
The delivery site was a two-story wooden structure, concealed deep within the forest. Konoha's official barriers surrounded it, making it inaccessible under normal circumstances.
It was close to midnight.
A pale moon hung in the sky, blurred by drifting mist.
Hagoromo still had not gone to sleep. He sat quietly on the steps outside the building, lost in thought.
In truth, he was deeply dissatisfied with Konoha's arrangents.
Extrely dissatisfied.
There were simply too many people.
Minato himself. Hagoromo. And Sarutobi Biwako, the Third Hokage's wife, who would assist with the delivery—these were acceptable.
But then there were Minato's three constant escorts:
Nohara Genma, Shiranui Genma, and Tatami Iwashi—all chūnin.
They were supposedly there to protect the Hokage.
But in Hagoromo's eyes, what use would they be?
Beyond them, nurous ANBU directly under the Hokage were stationed nearby.
Yet no matter how elite ANBU were, if events unfolded as Hagoromo feared, they would be aningless. Against space–ti ninjutsu, they would be eliminated silently and instantly.
In truth, only Minato and Hagoromo could influence the outco.
In Hagoromo's ideal scenario, Minato would remain with Kushina, maintaining the Eight Diagrams Seal—
while he handled combat.
That was optimal.
With so many people present, secrecy was already compromised. ANBU discipline ant nothing against Sharingan genjutsu.
But Hagoromo had no standing to object.
These were Minato's and the Third Hokage's decisions. What right did he have to tell a man how to protect his own wife? If anyone should leave, it would be Hagoromo himself.
"…X2347. Y14080."
Lost in thought, Hagoromo suddenly murmured the numbers into the night.
"What did you say?"
A voice ca from behind him.
Hagoromo had already sensed the presence. He glanced up at Kakashi.
"Coordinates," he replied.
Kakashi was one of the ANBU Hagoromo believed would be ineffective. Against unconventional enemies, Kakashi's true strength wouldn't erge until his eye fully matured.
"You an the special locations of the sealing formulas you've been placing?" Kakashi asked.
"No. It has nothing to do with those."
Hagoromo raised his right hand, extending two fingers.
"X2347."
His fingers traced across his left abdon and stopped.
"Y14080."
They moved straight upward.
"…The heart?" Kakashi asked.
From his perspective, that was the obvious conclusion.
"Not exactly," Hagoromo said calmly, tapping his chest.
"But if this point were pierced, death would be nearly instantaneous."
"…So?"
"So nothing. Just saying."
No explanation followed.
"You seem overly tense," Kakashi said.
He didn't know what had been going on with Hagoromo lately—only that his ntal state was stretched tight. Perhaps it was concern over the Nine-Tails. Kushina was soone he cherished.
Kakashi worried as well, but not to this extent.
"Maybe," Hagoromo admitted.
"I can't accurately judge the Nine-Tails' power or the exact limits of the Eight Diagrams Seal. Guaranteeing Kushina's safety… with absolute certainty… is extrely difficult."
"With Minato-sensei here, the seal won't fail," Kakashi said.
An attempt at reassurance.
Hagoromo shook his head slightly and said no more.
He knew that with Minato present, the seal itself was unlikely to fail—but would Minato truly remain calm when the ti ca?
"…How is your barrier coming along?" Kakashi asked.
"Almost finished. Eight months of preparation. Tomorrow, once the final 'key' is placed on Kushina, it'll be complete."
Hagoromo's fuinjutsu array was so extre that Kushina had resisted it for a long ti. She only agreed after he explained it would be the last line of defense if the Nine-Tails escaped.
Officially, it was designed to restrain a tailed beast.
In reality, it was ant to counter space–ti ninjutsu.
That was why the scale was so massive—and why it had taken Hagoromo eight months to construct alone.
"Calling it a barrier or seal isn't quite accurate," he muttered.
"It's closer to a territory-wide formation…"
Once activated, no one within its range would be able to escape—
except, possibly, Minato's Flying Thunder God.
"…A territory-wide formation?" Kakashi echoed, clearly not understanding.
"In any case," Hagoromo said,
"these are contingency asures. Statistically, the odds of using them are low."
His preparations were based on mory and conjecture. Only when the mont arrived would the truth be known.
Hopefully, he was worrying over nothing.
"Get so rest," Hagoromo said quietly.
"Tomorrow is going to be important."
With that, he stood and returned inside.
His footsteps made no sound on the wooden floor.
Like a ghost.
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