Naruto didn't return to the seal space until the next day.
He had given Kushina a full day to adjust. With that much time, he believed she should have calmed down by now.
Inside the seal space, Kushina was still sitting on a chair, sulking. The little Kurama's clone, which had been planning to watch the drama unfold yesterday, was now being used as a stress-relief toy in her arms.
Watching the show came with risks.
Minato sat nearby, gazing at Kushina with tender affection.
If you ignored the large bump on Minato's head, the scene was actually quite heartwarming.
When Naruto appeared in the seal space, Kushina was still kneading and squishing Kurama's face.
The little Kurama, whose face being twisted and pulled, looked utterly defeated.
Naruto's arrival, of course, caught the attention of both Kushina and Minato.
Kushina's eyes lit up, and she casually tossed Kurama aside, lunging toward Naruto.
"Naruto!"
Seeing this, Naruto's eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness. He sidestepped, dodging Kushina's flying tackle.
After she landed and steadied herself, Naruto said, "Kushina, perhaps in your eyes, I'm your child. But to me, we're just strangers who've met for the first time. So, please maintain a safe and reasonable distance."
"W-what did you call me?"
Kushina asked blankly.
"Kushina?" Naruto was also confused. After all, he had always addressed Minato by his name.
Naruto glanced at Minato, who shrugged helplessly.
Although he had tried his best to explain things to Kushina, if she were the type to accept things so easily, she wouldn't be Kushina.
"You're supposed to call me Mom!"
Kushina's face was full of displeasure as she lunged at Naruto again, this time with several Adamantine Sealing Chains extending from her back.
"Sigh--"
Naruto let out a soft sigh. The three tomoe in his eyes spun, transforming into the Mangekyo Sharingan.
In response, several chains appeared, binding Kushina tightly and giving her a taste of what Kurama had experienced the day before.
"N-Naruto, why do you have the Sharingan?"
Kushina, who is now wrapped up like a cocoon with only her head sticking out, looked at Naruto in shock. Neither she nor Minato had any Uchiha relatives.
Moreover, this was different from Kakashi's situation.
Naruto glanced at Minato with even more exasperation, 'He hadn't mentioned this either?'
Naruto came up with a new excuse on the spot.
"The Uzumaki and Uchiha Clans share a common origin from long ago. So, my Sharingan is a result of ancestral awakening."
"Eh--"
Kushina's eyes widened, and Minato's did the same. Naruto hadn't explained it this way before.
"Is that really true? Then why haven't we awakened it?"
Kushina still didn't seem convinced.
"Practice more if you're weak. If you don't believe me, ask Kurama." Naruto didn't want to waste more words and turned to Kurama, who was still lying on the ground.
It had been kneaded and squeezed all day and hadn't fully recovered yet.
If it hadn't been for its recent efforts to cultivate a calmer temperament, it would have made sure Kushina understood what it meant to be the strongest Tailed Beast.
When Kurama saw the three of them looking its way, its eyes filled with disdain.
"The Uzumaki Clan are descendants of Asura, and the Uchiha Clan are descendants of Indra. Those two were indeed brothers."
"There's actually such a thing? Then Mikoto and I are practically family!"
Kushina's face lit up with a silly grin.
Naruto didn't want to engage further and instead asked, "Have you calmed down now?"
Kushina snapped out of her daze and looked at Naruto with a pout. "What kind of son doesn't call his mom 'Mom'?"
Naruto replied without hesitation, "Either you accept things as I've said, or you stay tied up like this. Your choice."
"How can you be like this?"
Kushina widened her eyes, glaring at Naruto in dissatisfaction.
In the end, Kushina chose to lower her head and accept Naruto's terms.
But her mood sank again. Her son's estrangement made her heart ache, and she could only curse inwardly.
'Damn it! It's all those old bastards' fault. If I get the chance, I'll string them up and whip them every day! '
Seeing this, Naruto released the chains binding Kushina.
"Kushina, you already know there are two other Uzumaki Clan's members in the Land of Waves, right?"
Kushina nodded weakly, "Yeah, Kaho-nee and her daughter, right?"
"Kaho-nee?"
"She and I were good friends back in Uzushiogakure."
Before coming to Konoha, Kushina had many friends.
Naruto did a quick mental calculation. He realized that Kushina and Kaho were indeed around the same age.
But Kushina's personality always made her seem much younger.
"Kaho's daughter, Karin, has good potential. I hope you can teach her the Uzumaki Clan's abilities and Sealing Techniques."
Although Karin still had her studies in the Land of Waves, it was normal for outstanding students to take extra classes.
"No problem. I'll teach her all the Uzumaki clan's Sealing Techniques."
Kushina agreed without hesitation. With so few Uzumaki left in the Ninja World, she had to pass on everything she knew.
But then, Kushina's eyes suddenly lit up as if she had thought of something. She looked at Naruto expectantly.
"Naruto, there are probably many Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Techniques you don't know either, right? Do you want to learn them too?"
Kushina felt that with more opportunities to interact in the future, Naruto would definitely be able to accept her.
Naruto said matter-of-factly, "If I have time, I'll definitely study together."
"That's great!" Kushina's mood brightened again.
"Speaking of which, there's something else I want to ask you."
Naruto continued.
"What is it? As long as Mom knows, feel free to ask."
Her son needing her help was something that made Kushina very happy.
"Where is the Shinigami Mask of the Uzumaki Clan?"
Naruto planned to extract the other half of the Nine-Tails from the Shinigami's stomach. Although the Yin Nine-Tails inside the Shinigami was already an independent entity, it didn't make much difference to Naruto. It would just mean raising another pet in the seal space.
"The Shinigami Mask..."
Kushina crossed her arms and thought carefully, then suddenly opened her eyes and said, "The Shinigami Mask should be in the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Shrine... But that place was destroyed a long time ago. I'm not sure if the mask is still there..."
Kushina's expression showed a hint of sadness, and her tone was uncertain.
But Naruto was certain that the mask was still there because Orochimaru had found the Shinigami Mask in that very place.
"In that case, take me there sometime soon."
For now, he planned to deal with the Akatsuki first.
According to Konan's flying speed, it would take about two days to reach the Land of Rain.
And if Konan didn't contact him within four days, Naruto would prepare to head to the Land of Rain himself.