Naruto Reveals the Hidden Seal Kushina Lived Under

Thanks to a certain popularity poll, Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto, decided to take fans back to the past to explore the life of the franchise's most popular character, Minato. The Fourth Hokage wasn't just dubbed the "Yellow Flash of Konoha", but was one of the village's strongest ninjas and just so happened to be Naruto Uzumaki's father. While a good portion of the new manga special focuses on the Fourth Hokage, Naruto's mother Kushina has more aspects of her life revealed as well.

When Kushina is first introduced in this new special, we come to learn just how sad her life is as the vessel of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Unlike Naruto, who struggled with the Nine-Tailed Fox but had a seal on his skin that allowed him to travel outside of the village, Kushina found herself in a terrible predicament in which she could not leave Konoha. As is revealed in this new one-shot, a giant seal has been placed on the earth beneath the Hidden Leaf Village, in which Naruto's mother is told never to leave the borders. On top of this, Kushina is routinely accompanied by handlers who are ever vigilant when it comes to making sure that Kurama never escapes.

The Nine-Tailed Seal

In a flashback to Kushina's childhood, her elder relative explains that the Uzumaki Clan was "scattered" and had lost everything, explaining the burden that they must now bare, "A clan wose members won acclaim as Shinobi with proficient life force and sealing jutsu from attuning themselves to swirling air currents, our power became fodder for war, sinking us, and now our very existence is in danger of being sealed by those Eddies. But, our power brought about stability. This house, and the family crest Jutsu formula on its floor strengthens the sealing strength of Jinchuriki when combined with the one outside."

Later on in the chapter, Kushina escapes her imprisonment to meet Minato, unfortunately allowing the Nine-Tailed Fox to nearly escape. Luckily, the future Fourth Hokage was able to strengthen the seal on Kushina, creating the mark that would one day also apply to Naruto and allow the Seventh Hokage to travel at will. 

Fans of the shonen franchise know that Kurama died as a result of the fight against Jigen and the Kara Organization. At present, the Nine-Tailed Fox has shown no signs of making a comeback. Since the beast is so powerful and has been a part of the world for so long, it might only be a matter of time before it is resurrected.