Minato Namikaze (波風ミナト, Namikaze Minato) was the Fourth Hokage (四代目火影, Yondaime Hokage, Literally meaning: Fourth Fire Shadow) of Konohagakure. He was famous in life for his speed, leading to the moniker of Konoha's Yellow Flash (木ノ葉の黄色い閃光, Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō, English TV: Yellow Flash of the Leaf). He died during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, sacrificing his life to seal a part of the Nine-Tails into his newborn son, Naruto Uzumaki.
Background
Early life
Minato in Team Jiraiya.
Minato entered Konoha's Academy with the dream of earning the villagers' respect and recognition by becoming Hokage.[7] When Kushina Uzumaki
moved to Konoha, she was placed in the same class as Minato. Minato was
immediately drawn to her bright red hair, finding it beautiful. Minato
was a natural prodigy as a ninja, the likes of which appears only once
in a generation.[8] When he was added to a genin team under the leadership of Jiraiya, Jiraiya took a special interest in Minato and took him on as his apprentice, teaching him many of his own signature abilities.[9] In time, Minato's exceptional skills led Jiraiya to believe he might be the Child of the Prophecy, someone who would someday save the world.[10]
Minato rescues Kushina.
Years later, after they graduated and became ninja, Kushina was kidnapped by Kumogakure
forces. Konoha mobilised its ninja to retrieve her, but only Minato
noticed the strands of red hair Kushina left behind to mark their path.
Minato, acting alone, rescued her from her captors.[11]
On their way back to Konoha, Minato confessed his admiration for her
hair, causing Kushina – who had previously believed Minato "unreliable"
and even "girly"[12] – to fall in love with him.
Konoha's Yellow Flash
Team Minato.
Minato and Kushina were a couple from the time that he rescued her,
and with his love, Kushina was able to keep the Nine-Tails sealed within
her at bay. They eventually married. From observing a Tailed Beast Ball, Minato began a three year process of creating the Rasengan, the height of shape transformation. He would spend the rest of his life trying to combine it with his own nature.
After proving himself an accomplished and responsible ninja, Minato was placed in charge of his own team, consisting of Rin Nohara, Obito Uchiha, and Kakashi Hatake. In the anime, the Third Hokage gave Minato the special task of helping Kakashi overcome the bitterness caused by his father's death and remind him of the human element of being a ninja.[13] Minato gave his team a bell test upon its formation in order to teach them the value of teamwork.[14]
Although they passed the test, Kakashi would remain a staunch advocate
of prioritising the mission over the team, causing conflict with Obito.
Minato did his best to keep the two on good terms.
When Konoha became involved in the Third Shinobi World War, Minato's obligations became split between training his students and helping with the war effort. During a mission into Kusagakure to destroy the Kannabi Bridge, Minato transferred leadership of the mission to Kakashi – who had recently become a jōnin
– while he headed to the front lines. He met up with the surviving and
out-numbered Konoha ninja and single-handedly wiped out the opposing Iwagakure forces. In the anime, his victory in this battle against a thousand ninja convinced the Third Tsuchikage to accept a peace treaty.[15]
When he rendezvoused with his team afterwards he found Kakashi and Rin
and surrounded by Iwa-nin, Obito having already been lost. He rescued
them, helped them complete their original mission once they recovered,
and returned to Konoha with them to mourn Obito.[16]
Minato's competing obligations would later repeat the tragedy of
Obito's death: while he was away on another mission, Rin was kidnapped
by Kirigakure and died during Kakashi's attempt to retrieve her.
A attacks Minato.
Minato encountered A of Kumogakure a number of times during the war.[17]
During their first meeting, Minato and A compared their speed, with
Minato proving the faster. He received orders to retreat before their
competition could resolve, but he lingered to compliment A and his
brother, B, a jinchūriki
like Kushina; he encouraged A to take care of B and remember he was a
person. A pursued Minato, so Minato moved against B, threatening to kill
him if A didn't let him and his team go.[18] Minato was confident he and A would someday meet as Kage.[19]
Fourth Hokage
Minato becomes Hokage.
For his performance during the War, Minato was chosen over Orochimaru to become Fourth Hokage.[20] He taught the Flying Thunder God Technique to the Hokage Guard Platoon to better aid them in their duties of serving the Hokage at any given time.[21] In the anime, he also tried to help Kakashi, now an Anbu,
emerge from the darkness he'd fallen into after Obito and Rin's deaths.
During the gradual transfer of responsibilities from the Third Hokage
to him, the Third advised Minato to restore Kakashi's value of life by
tasking him with protecting Kushina during her pregnancy.[22]
Minato and Kushina, expectant parents.
As a jinchūriki, the strain of childbirth would weaken the seal
keeping the Nine-Tails sealed into Kushina. For that reason special
precautions had to be taken: the child would secretly be delivered in a
remote location outside of the village, with barriers around the area
and several Anbu guards as extra protection. Minato was not greatly
worried about the birth, and in fact gave Kakashi the day off in
gratitude for his good work. He and Kushina had already decided on a
name for their son, "Naruto", after the main character of Jiraiya's first book,
hoping that their Naruto would be just as determined as the character
(and thus its author). Jiraiya tried to convince them to make a
different choice since that would make him Naruto's godfather, but they
insisted that this was a good thing.[23]
Naruto was born on the night of October 10. Only moments after
the birth Minato began making preparations to restore the Nine-Tails'
weakened seal, but he was interrupted by the arrival of a masked man,
otherwise known as Tobi.
Tobi killed the Anbu guards and midwives and took the newborn Naruto
hostage, threatening to kill him if Minato didn't back away from
Kushina. Minato immediately took Naruto back from him, yet discovered explosive tags
had been planted on Naruto. Minato was forced to teleport away to keep
Naruto from harm, allowing Tobi to escape with Kushina. He found a safe
place for Naruto and teleported to Kushina in time to save her from
being killed by the Nine-Tails, extracted from her body by Tobi. He
reunited mother and son before heading out to protect the village.[24]
Minato clashing with the masked man.
Minato returned to the village in the early stages of the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, arriving in time to teleport away a Tailed Beast Ball before it destroyed the Hokage Rock.
He attempted to reach the Third Hokage so that he could inform him of
what happened, but was interrupted by Tobi, who tried to warp him away.
Minato reacted in time to escape, but Tobi pursued him. Because Tobi
was controlling the Nine-Tails' actions, defeating him was of prime
importance in order to save Konoha. Minato initially struggled to
successfully strike him but, after several failed attacks, he finally
hit him with a Rasengan and branded him with a Flying Thunder God seal,
allowing him to teleport to Tobi whenever he wanted. He then used a Contract Seal on Tobi to release the Nine-Tails from his control, forcing him to flee.[25]
Minato using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
No longer being controlled, the Nine-Tails began retreating from the
village, though it continued to attack the Konoha ninja that pursued it.
As it prepared another Tailed Beast Ball, Minato once again arrived in
time to stop it, this time by droppingGamabunta
on top of it. He had Gamabunta keep it restrained while he gathered the
chakra needed to transport the Nine-Tails to Naruto and Kushina's
location, the farthest from the village he could get. Kushina restrained
it and erected a barrier so that it couldn't escape while they decided
what to do. Already dying from the Nine-Tails' removal, Kushina offered
to have it sealed back into her so it would die with her. Minato
rejected this, believing the Nine-Tails' power would be needed in the
future if and when Tobi struck again. Remembering Jiraiya's words about
the "Child of the Prophecy", Minato decided that Naruto was that child
and that he would someday save the world. To prepare Naruto for this,
Minato would make Naruto the Nine-Tails' new jinchūriki so he could make
use of its strength.
Minato and Kushina protecting Naruto.
Because the Nine-Tails' chakra was too immense to seal into an infant, Minato used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal
to cut its chakra in half, sealing the Yin half in himself. Realising
what they were planning, the Nine-Tails tried to kill Naruto, but Minato
and Kushina used themselves as shields. With his last ounce of
strength, Minato summoned Gerotora,
gave him the key to the seal he would use on Naruto, and sent him to
Jiraiya. Meanwhile, Kushina told Naruto how much his parents loved him,
which Minato seconded. He sealed
the Nine-Tails' Yang half into Naruto, weaving Kushina's chakra into
the seal so that she could someday assist Naruto with learning to
control the Nine-Tails.[26]
He mingled in some of his own chakra, too, programming it to activate
if ever the seal was about to break so that he could restore it.[27]
Seeing the Third Hokage nearby, Minato communicated to him a final
request for the villagers of Konoha: to think of Naruto as a hero and
not the container of the monster that caused so much death and
destruction.[28] With that, his soul was consumed by the Shinigami, ending Minato's life.
Personality
Despite his physical resemblance to Naruto, Minato was more
perceptive and collected than his son; Jiraiya said that Minato was a
shrewd person, not one to do something without a reason.[29]
He was well aware of the terror his reputation inspired in rival
villages and would take advantage of it at times, but even then he would
remain respectful to opponents and wouldn't pry in their personal
affairs if he could help it. He was not the type to hold grudges, only
feeling sorry for Tobi (Obito) despite his role in his own and Kushina's
deaths.[30] If anything, Minato blames himself for his death, both because he couldn't save Obito from the fate that corrupted him or Konoha from the difficulties that arose after he was gone.[31]
Naruto is not without any of his father's personality traits:
both have indomitable spirits and fierce ambitions that drive them
through all their choices in life. Both are of unwavering loyalty to
Konoha and their loved ones – friends and family – and that devotion
inspires all those around them. Like Naruto, Minato had the tendency to
create questionable techniques, although in Minato's case it was
complicated names he came up with rather than the actual technique. This
was seen when he named the "Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black Arrow Style Zero", though afterwards he admitted it didn't sound very good.[32]
After becoming Hokage, Minato started to take more pride in
himself, referring to himself as "ore", which is a prideful way of
saying "I" or "me", instead of using "watashi", a more formal way of
referring to one's self. Still, this did not make him haughty as he
still addressed others with the appropriate honourifics.
Appearance
Minato as the Fourth Hokage.
Minato has frequently been compared with Naruto in terms of physical
appearance; both have bright, blue eyes and spiky, blond hair. Minato
also had jaw-length bangs framing either side of his face. According to
Jiraiya, Minato was considered to be very handsome.[33] His normal attire consisted of a standard Konoha uniform with two bands on both of his sleeves, a green flak jacket, blue forehead protector,
and blue sandals. After becoming Hokage, he started wearing a
short-sleeved long white haori over his normal attire, closed in the
front by a thin, orange rope. The haori was decorated by red flame-like
motifs on the edges, with the kanji for "Fourth Hokage" (四代目火影, Yondaime Hokage) written vertically down the back.
During his time in the Academy, he wore a simple white suit of
clothing with green trimmings and a hood. After becoming a full-fledged
shinobi, he wore a tracksuit with three stripes on the sleeves, mesh
under-armour, a pair of black pants, and sandals.
Abilities
Minato defeating Tobi.
Minato was one of the most powerful shinobi who ever lived, noted by
Jiraiya to have a calibre that has yet to be met by anyone else.[8] During the Third Shinobi World War, flee-on-sight orders were given to enemy shinobi should they ever see him.[5]
During the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, it was only through Minato's
actions that Tobi was defeated, the attack ended and the village saved
from complete destruction. When the Konoha Crush
loomed years later, Minato was believed to be the only one who could
have stopped the threat of Orochimaru, and thus his death was deeply
regretted.[34]
Physical Prowess and Chakra Reserves
Minato saving Kakashi.
Minato was hailed as the fastest shinobi in history.[17] While this recognition was due in large part to his space–time ninjutsu, Minato's natural speed was immense: with only the Body Flicker Technique he could engage an enemy or retrieve an ally before anyone realised what he was doing, often being mistaken for his Flying Thunder God Technique in sheer speed.[35] In the anime, he could arrive at a destination before sensors could detect his approach.[36] His honed reflexes allowed him to react in time to avoid techniques such as Lightning Straight and Kamui.[19][37]
Minato also had large chakra reserves, enough to summonGamabunta, teleport a tailed beast, as well as enter Sage Mode. His chakra control was very refined, evidenced by his creation of the Rasengan and ability to weave hand seals with only one hand.[38]
However, Minato's fighting style revolved around speed and quickly
taking down an enemy, so he often excluded traditional time-consuming
methods such as hand seals.
After observing the nature of the Tailed Beast Ball,[44] Minato spent three years developing one of his signature techniques: the Rasengan, the highest level of shape transformation.[45]
It requires no hand seals to create and, once formed, is
self-sustaining, giving him an edge in combat. Although it requires very
precise chakra control to use, Minato, as the Rasengan's creator, has
mastered it; he can form it with either of his hands in almost no time.
His regular Rasengan was the same size as Naruto's Big Ball Rasengan.
Minato had intended to combine the Rasengan with his own chakra
nature, but the task was too difficult to complete before his untimely
death.[46]
Space–Time Ninjutsu
Minato's Space-Time Barrier.
Minato's signature ability was the Flying Thunder God Technique, which he'd gained a mastery of superior to its creator, the Second Hokage.[47] His exploits with this technique gained him the moniker "Konoha's Yellow Flash".[48]
Using the technique, he could instantly move to the location of
anything marked with his special seal, whether a tool, place, or person
that was branded. Minato could bring others with him, though he needed
to provide the chakra for their transport.[49] He did not need to accompany who or whatever he was teleporting,[50] giving him a defensive option to teleport incoming projectiles away.[51]
Shurikenjutsu
Minato's special kunai.
Minato had his own special brand of kunai
for combat; triple-prong kunai enhanced for better offensive potential.
As standard weapons, Minato would throw them at opponents or wield them
as melee tools and could even wield a kunai in his mouth.[52] Their main use came from the Flying Thunder God seals they were marked with, allowing him to teleport to wherever one of the kunai was thrown.[53]
He carried a large number of kunai in the field that he would scatter
across a wide area so that he could move around quickly and with more
options.[54]
Although his normal tactics with kunai did not require precision,
Minato nevertheless had excellent aim and could coordinate his throws'
timing and placement to allow him to perform complex maneuvers.[55] He often avoided using large weapons, instead relying on his signature kunai because their light weight complemented his speed.
Fūinjutsu
The key to the Nine-Tails' seal.
Minato learned several of the Uzumaki clan's fūinjutsu from Kushina.[56] The most notable of these was the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style
he used to seal the Nine-Tails' Yang-half into Naruto, which would
allow small amounts of the Nine-Tails' chakra to leak out and naturally
mix with Naruto's own.[57]
Knowing the seal would slowly weaken over time to give Naruto
increasing access to its chakra, Minato created a key that could either
accelerate or reverse this process. As an extra precaution, he mixed
Kushina's and his own chakra into the seal so that, when certain
conditions were met, they could help Naruto with his control of the
Nine-Tails' power, as well let them to see their son after they were
dead.[27]
Other fūinjutsu he could perform included the Dead Demon
Consuming Seal, which he had enough familiarity with to know it couldn't
be used to seal all of the Nine-Tails' chakra. With the Contract Seal he could remove an opponent's control over any creatures they summoned.[58] He also knew how to transfer a tailed beast from one jinchūriki to another.[59]
Minato became the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails' Yin-half shortly
before his death, though he had no chance to make use of it until after
he was reincarnated. Unlike most tailed beasts, the Nine-Tails offered no resistance to cooperating with Minato, granting him immediate access to Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, which Naruto and his Yang-half were impressed by.[60]
Minato's form was slightly darker with different markings than Naruto's
but otherwise identical in appearance and abilities; he can use chakra arms,[61] enter Tailed Beast Mode, create Tailed Beast Balls,[62]
and perform stronger versions of his usual techniques. Minato later
transferred his half of the Nine-Tails to Naruto, thus losing access to
its power.
Senjutsu
Minato in Sage Mode.
Like Jiraiya, Minato was taught to use senjutsu of Mount Myōboku, enabling him to enhance his physical parameters and techniques by entering Sage Mode.[63]
By his own admission, senjutsu is not his strong point, as it takes him
too long to gather natural energy (though he is shown entering it
without preparation) and he can't maintain it for very long; for this
reason he rarely uses it.[64]
Nevertheless, he was able to perfectly balance the natural energy with
his chakra, only displaying the pigmentation around his eyes — the true
marking of a Sage.
Intelligence
Minato was very observant. Even at a young age, only he, out of all
the ninja sent to rescue Kushina, noticed the trail she left behind to
mark her kidnappers' path.[11]
In combat, he could correctly deduce the basic mechanics behind an
ability after seeing it only once, and from there plan around its
strengths and weaknesses to his or his allies' advantage.[65][66] With his observational skills he could determine an opponent's plans and motivations based on only limited evidence.[67]
After he had finished analysing, Minato would strike quickly and with
precision, attacking vulnerabilities at the most opportune moments.
As Hokage, Minato prepared for threats facing Konoha by placing a
network of marked locations around the village's outskirts for him to
teleport to, including at least two safe houses.
Part II
Pain's Assault
Main article: Pain's Assault
During his fight with Pain,
Naruto is nearly tempted by the Nine-Tails to remove its seal. This
activates the safeguard Minato placed on the seal, causing his imprint
to appear within Naruto's subconscious and stop him. Minato says that he
isn't happy to see the Nine-Tails again, but that at the same time
admits that its actions have allowed him to see his son. Naruto picks up
on this and, having never known his parents' identities, is overjoyed
to meet his father. The Nine-Tails keeps threatening to kill Minato
while they talk, so he and Naruto relocate.
Minato placing his trust in Naruto.
Naruto is angry that his own father would seal the Nine-Tails within
him and punches Minato out of frustration. He quickly gets over it,
noting that, as the son of the Fourth Hokage, he can handle it. Minato's
time with Naruto is limited so he does a quick run down of the things
he has already observed through Naruto: that Pain has destroyed Konoha
and killed Jiraiya.
Despite what he's done, Minato suggests that Pain is only a symptom of
the shinobi system and that he's being taken advantage of by Tobi.
Naruto is overwhelmed, unsure if he can forgive Pain or do anything to
stop the the cycle of hatred that produced him, but Minato responds that
he has faith in Naruto. He restores the Nine-Tails' seal before
disappearing.
Power
Main article: Power
In the anime, when Naruto nearly loses control after his clone
absorbs the Nine-Tails' chakra, Minato appears before him again to
restore the seal. Once again, Minato voices his confidence in his son
and his ability to overcome any adversity.[68]
At the request of Sasuke Uchiha, Orochimaru releases the souls of the first four Hokage from the stomach of the Shinigami so that he can reincarnate them. After taking in their surroundings, the First and Second Hokage
are excited to meet Minato, the Fourth, and take him as a sign of the
village's prosperity. Minato says he does not know since he died before
the Third Hokage
did. While Sasuke talks to the First Hokage, Minato detects Naruto's
chakra and is glad to sense he has gained full control of the
Nine-Tails.
The Hokage arrive on the battlefield.
From listening to the four Hokage, Sasuke decides to side against Tobi and Madara Uchiha in the ongoing Fourth Shinobi World War. The Hokage are allowed to help as well, and they set out for the site of the Allied Shinobi Forces' battle with the Ten-Tails. Minato, eager to see Naruto, arrives first, just in time to warp away the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball, saving Naruto and the Allies. He introduces himself to Sakura Haruno and asks if she is Naruto's girlfriend. Sakura becomes angry when Naruto doesn't deny it, reminding Minato of Kushina. When the other Hokage arrive they jointly erect a barrier to confine the Ten-Tails.
Minato strikes down Obito.
Sometime later, Tobi appears above the Ten-Tails and begins reviving
Madara, which the Alliance focuses its efforts on preventing. Minato
cannot leave his position or the barrier will fall, so he sends a shadow clone to help. Because Tobi is still branded with the Flying Thunder God
seal from their last encounter, the shadow clone is able to teleport to
him and strike him down. It is only after he attacks that he realises
Tobi is his old student, Obito Uchiha. The attack ends up coming too
late and Obito seals
the Ten-Tails into himself, becoming its jinchūriki. After Obito
destroys the barrier, the First and Second engage him to determine his
new abilities, leaving Minato to get everyone else to a safe distance.
Minato joins the offensive against Obito. He can no longer teleport
directly to Obito because the Flying Thunder God seal has disappeared
from his body, so he must engage him directly. Just before they clash
Obito, having until now struggled to control the Ten-Tails' power,
finally masters it and strikes at Minato. He severs Minato's right arm
and plants a Truth-Seeking Ball
on him, which the Second Hokage removes before it detonates. Minato,
the Second, Naruto, and Sasuke coordinate their efforts to attack Obito
with Flying Thunder God Mutually Instantaneous Revolving Technique,
but Obito emerges without damage. What's more, Minato's arm has not
regenerated, indicating that Obito's Truth-Seeking Balls can nullify the
advantages of the Impure World Reincarnation.
Minato and Naruto join forces.
Obito traps the Alliance in his own barrier
and prepares to destroy them all with a barrage of Tailed Beast Balls.
With little time to act, Naruto forms a plan: he and Minato link their
respective Kurama's chakra – which networks in all of the Allied forces
that Naruto has shared its chakra with – and lets Minato teleport all of
them out of the barrier. Minato is very impressed by Naruto's
quick-thinking and says he wishes he had more of a chance time to talk
to him. Naruto explains there's no need as he's already met Kushina and
heard everything. Minato is moved to tears with pride.
Minato and Naruto attack Obito.
Having learned that Obito, despite all his new powers, is weak to senjutsu, Minato and Naruto enter Sage Mode to prepare for an assault. They both enter Tailed Beast Mode and attack with a shared Rasengan,
breaking Obito's defence and forcing him to manifest the Ten-Tails'
tree form. They evade the tree's roots, but Minato's chakra levels are
too depleted from all the techniques he has been performing. He is
forced to keep his distance and watch as Naruto leads the Allied Shinobi
against Obito. When the Alliance starts to strip the tailed beasts from Obito's body, Minato helps Naruto pull out the fragments of Kurama's chakra Obito has taken, and ultimately they succeed.
Minato stops Kakashi from killing Obito.
Obito is unable to move after his defeat and Kakashi
moves in to kill him. Minato stops him, having sensed Obito's change of
heart while he was removing Kurama's chakra. While Naruto and the
Allies leave to confront Madara, Minato and Kakashi stay with Obito.
Obito reflects on his actions and decides he has done terrible things,
which he wants to make amends for by using the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive those he's killed. While he is forming the hand seals, Black Zetsu
emerges from the ground and takes control of his body. Minato and
Kakashi are confused, so Obito explains he has been forced to revive
Madara instead. Black Zetsu also tries to take Obito's Rinnegan
to deliver to Madara. Minato and Kakashi move to stop it, but can't do
anything without harming Obito. Before Black Zetsu assumes full control
of his body, Obito pleads with Minato and Kakashi to destroy the
Rinnegan at any cost.
Minato unwillingly seals Yin-Kurama into Black Zetsu.
Right before Minato can attack, Yin-Kurama alerts him to Naruto's
loss of Yang-Kurama. He is soon brought to Minato's side, with Sakura
performing emergency life support and Gaara
explaining that the only chance of saving Naruto's life is if he is
given Yin-Kurama. Just as Minato starts the transfer, Black Zetsu
intercepts him and takes Yin-Kurama for itself. Madara arrives
immediately afterwards, now the Ten-Tails' new jinchūriki and intent on
taking Obito's Rinnegan. Minato enters Sage Mode and attacks him
alongside Kakashi, but they are easily repelled and Minato loses his
other arm. Before Madara can take what he wants, Obito reasserts control
of his body and, with some help from Kakashi, escapes with Naruto and
Sakura using Kamui.
Minato intercepts Madara's attack on Guy.
Might Guy
arrives, ready to give his life to defeat Madara. With his energy and
arms gone, Minato can do very little to help directly, but he can at
least give Guy an opening. He instructs Rock Lee to throw one of his Flying Thunder God Kunai
at Madara's Truth-Seeking Balls, which Minato teleports to in order to
catch several and escape with them, allowing Guy to initiate his
assault. Minato, meanwhile, teleports to the Hokage Rock where he remains with the inert Truth Seeking Balls. He later witnesses the others' failure when the Infinite Tsukuyomi is cast and Konoha's villagers are entwined by the God: Nativity of a World of Trees. He attempts to cut some people from the tree, but has no success as another branch simply forms and imprisons them again.
Minato wishes happy birthday to his son before departing.
Minato returns to the battlefield and reunites with the other Hokage,
the only ones unaffected by the Infinite Tsukuyomi. As they try to
figure out what they can do to help, the four Hokage are met by the
spirit of the Sage of the Six Paths, who recruits their help. Combining efforts with the spirits of the other deceased Kage, they summon Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Sakura, Madara, and the tailed beasts back from Kaguya's dimension.
Minato congratulates Naruto on finally ending the war and wishes him a
happy seventeenth birthday. Happy with his son's prospects for the
future, Minato and the other Kage are returned to the afterlife by the Sage of the Six Paths.
Legacy
After Minato died, the Third Hokage
reported to the villagers Minato's last request that Naruto be regarded
as a hero. Very few were able to separate their hatred of the
Nine-Tails from Naruto, prompting the Third to forbid anyone from
speaking of the Nine-Tails, hoping that the younger generation would not
blindly hate Naruto as the rest of the villagers did.[28] He also concealed Naruto's relation to Minato in order to keep him safe from his father's enemies,[69]
and otherwise did his best to give Naruto a comfortable life. For years
Naruto did not know his parents' identities, and neither did most of
Konoha.
Even when he was not aware of his relation to Minato, Naruto
still greatly admired the Fourth Hokage, considering him a hero who gave
his life for the village[70] and becoming overjoyed whenever their similarities were remarked upon.[9][71] Before Naruto left Konoha to begin his training with Jiraiya, he looked at the Fourth Hokage's face on the Hokage Rock and asked him to look after him.[72]
After learning that Minato was his father, Naruto took pride in it and
felt it was his responsibility to makes his parents' sacrifices worth
it.[73]
With Minato's death, the Third was forced to resume his position
as Hokage, a role he filled until his death, never being able to find a
replacement of Minato's calibre. Minato himself became regarded as the
village's hero,[70] and, indeed, one of the greatest ninja Konoha had ever produced,[33] so much so that villagers would regret his death whenever tragedy struck the village.[34]
Because Minato was never able to tell anyone what happened during the
Nine-Tails' attack, villagers came to their own conclusions and the Uchiha were suspected of the act, creating ill-will that would culminate in the Uchiha Clan Downfall.
Jiraiya recognised that Minato would not have sealed the Nine-Tails
into his own son unless he had a good reason and that Minato intended
Naruto to gain control of the Nine-Tails, but he could never conclude
why.[29]
Twenty years in the past, Minato and Kakashi are part of a team sent to Rōran to stop Mukade, a missing-nin from the future, from using the Source of the Ryūmyaku to make a Puppet Army that will conquer the Five Great Shinobi Countries.
When they arrive in Rōran they meet Naruto, who Minato realises is also
from the future. Minato tries to get Naruto to leave so that he won't
tell them anything that will change the future. However, Naruto believes
Minato and his team mean to kill the Queen of Rōran, Sāra, and attacks them until he recognises Minato as the Fourth Hokage.
Naruto and Minato's Supreme Ultimate Rasengan.
In the interest of preventing Naruto from saying anything else about
events that haven't happened yet, Minato instructs him to protect Sāra,
also giving him a Flying Thunder God Kunai just in case. When Naruto and
Sāra later fight Mukade, Minato and his team arrive to help. Mukade
fuses with his puppets, becoming a giant puppet monster using the
Ryūmyaku's power. While Sāra tries to cut off the Ryūmyaku at its
source, Minato and Naruto attack him, the former being surprised when
the latter uses Rasengan. The attack fails and Naruto is left exhausted,
so Minato lends him some of his own and advises him on where Mukade's
weak points are. Realising that Naruto is his son and that they
therefore have similar chakra, they are able to create the Supreme Ultimate Rasengan and defeat Mukade.
After Minato seals off the Ryūmyaku completely, Naruto begins to
glow as he starts to return to his own time. Naruto tries to fight it,
wanting to talk to Minato and warn him about what will happen, but
Minato refuses. Naruto asks if there is at least a chance that Minato is
his father, to which Minato responds that if he ever had a son, he
wishes he would be just like Naruto. Naruto smiles and sheds tears of
joy before being sent back to the future. Minato wipes everyone's memory so that their meeting Naruto won't change the future.
Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie
Main article: Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie
In the alternate world, Minato never became Hokage and therefore he and Kushina did not die on the night of their son, Menma's,
birth. While essentially the same as his real-world counterpart (kind,
courageous, and dutiful), this Minato values his family's safety above
all else, choosing to put their well-being before all others.
[1][2][3][4]
January 25
Male
