"Ugh..."
"Ow... it hurts..."
Kushina slowly came to, her entire body aching. Her skin hurt, her muscles hurt, even her bones hurt—there wasn't a single spot that didn't.
The first thing she saw was a head of blond hair. His eyes were full of worry, but when he saw her waking up, his face lit up with excitement.
"Kushina, you're awake!"
"How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"
Minato felt awkward the moment the words left his mouth. Kushina's bright red hair had been scorched black, and her body was covered in wounds.
All of this was the result of what he and Kazuyama Gekkō had done—but they had no choice. They needed to free her from the Nine-Tails' chakra.
He hadn't meant to go so hard on her, but there was no other way.
"What happened to me? I can't move... everything feels numb..."
"And where are we?"
Kushina asked, confused. Besides the pain, her whole body felt numb and weak.
"Kushina, don't you remember?"
"The Tailed Beast chakra inside you went out of control."
Minato recounted what had happened, and Kushina finally realized that she had lost control.
She gritted her teeth and pushed herself upright, looking around at the devastation, her eyes filled with anguish.
"I lost control, didn't I..."
"Minato... I..."
Looking at Minato's battered and bruised state, she could imagine just how much he'd endured to stop her.
"It wasn't just me—Kazuyama helped too. That humidity around us? That was his doing."
"He played a big part in bringing you down."
Kushina nodded when she heard that Kazuyama had helped.
They were all friends, so helping out was only natural. But for some reason, when she thought about her pain and heard that Kazuyama had been involved, a bad feeling crept over her. She couldn't help but ask:
"How exactly did you stop me?"
"You know how terrifying the Nine-Tails' chakra is."
Minato nodded. It really was terrifying—so much so that he couldn't suppress it alone.
When she entered the four-tailed partial transformation, he had even felt powerless.
Fortunately, Kazuyama was there to assist.
"Kazuyama and I drained your chakra separately."
"Then we hit you with the lightning from Kiba's blades. With the destructive force and piercing power of lightning, we managed to knock you out."
"That's how we got things under control."
At that, Kushina's brow twitched. She knew it. She just knew it!
That bastard Kazuyama had definitely taken the chance to get revenge! Settling old scores while she was out of it!
"Kushina, calm down. You need rest."
"Come on, I'll take you back."
Because of her transformation, Minato hadn't dared to bring Kushina straight home. Instead, he had set up a nearby tent for the two of them.
Now that she had finally regained consciousness, it was time to return to the village for proper treatment.
Meanwhile, Kazuyama, still in the middle of teaching his students, happily accepted his latest reward.
[Ding! Host detected retaliatory strike during Kushina's rampage phase. Caused extreme confusion and frustration. Special reward: Enhanced resistance to damage.]
Kazuyama: ...System, your rewards are getting weirder by the day.
...
A few days later, by a mountain stream outside Konohagakure.
"So you really thought I brought you here for a picnic?"
"Uh... yeah, I figured this was training..."
Kazuyama looked at Minato and Kushina in their training gear, then at Pakura dressed casually—and finally at himself.
He was still holding food for a picnic. The whole situation left him completely speechless.
He had done Minato and Kushina a huge favor, and instead of a thank-you hangout, they dragged him out here to help train someone?
Seriously? Minato, how did you even manage to get married?
"Oh my god, is it too late for me to leave?"
"Of course not, Kazuyama. You know I invented that technique so Kushina could burn off the excess Tailed Beast chakra."
"I know, but I already learned it from you. Why don't you just teach Kushina yourself?"
Minato shrugged helplessly.
"It's not that simple. Sure, I saw you use the technique that day. I understand the concept, but pulling it off is another story."
"To help Kushina get through this rough patch faster, I'm hoping you can lend a hand."
The mention of a "new technique" made Pakura's eyes light up. She asked curiously,
"Kazuyama, you invented a new jutsu?"
"What kind is it? Can I learn it too?"
Hearing the interest in her voice, Kazuyama Gekkō realized today's picnic was a lost cause. He set the food down on the ground.
"Alright, alright. I'll teach you."
"And Minato, Kushina's from the Uzumaki clan. Their Fūinjutsu is strong—you don't need me to tell you that."
"Start working on a reinforced sealing formula to strengthen the seal."
Minato nodded, indicating he was already on it.
But enhancing a sealing technique was just as difficult as creating a new jutsu from scratch, so he decided to focus more on the Rasengan.
"Pakura, you should learn it too. This technique was created based on the Tailed Beasts."
"It's pretty powerful and doesn't require any elemental affinity."
"As long as you've got chakra, you can theoretically learn it—it all comes down to talent."
"And I think you've definitely got the talent."
Pakura couldn't help but smile at that.
And just like that, the Kazuyama Gekkō training class began.
The Rasengan training officially kicked off.
As it turned out, with a clear training plan, the three of them progressed quickly.
To Kazuyama's surprise, the first to grasp the Rasengan's basic form was Pakura.
By the end of the day, she could already condense a Rasengan in her palm. While it didn't pack the full power of the completed technique, the shape was there.
Minato was visibly shaken, while Kushina clung to her best friend, eager to learn her secret.
"Pakura, how did you pull that off?"
Kazuyama was just as curious to know how she figured it out.
Pakura gave a soft laugh, let the Rasengan in her hand fade away, and then gathered her chakra. In an instant, a massive fireball flared to life in her palm—her Kekkei Genkai.
Seeing the blazing sphere, Kazuyama immediately understood.
"Got it. Your original technique already involves concentrating chakra into a fireball with Scorch Release."
"That's why your chakra control is so precise. Forming a chakra sphere came way more naturally to you."