Tailed Beasts were manifestations of chakra.
Whoever possessed one held the strongest foundation for growth in the Shinobi World. It granted infinite possibilities to grow stronger without limit.
This was exactly Kushina's conviction. After spending so much time with the Nine-Tails, she naturally understood its immense strength.
In the past, there had been no need. But now, at this critical moment, she had no choice but to use every means possible to grow stronger—to stop being a burden.
The Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Techniques served as her tool to harness the Nine-Tails' power.
By sealing the fox's movements through the [Eight Trigrams Seal] and seizing its power using [Adamantine Chains], she could utilize that overwhelming might.
This was how she grew stronger—the same technique that had kept the beast's power in check for years.
But would the proud Nine-Tails ever allow her to succeed so easily?
Thus, a struggle began within the intangible space of her spiritual body.
And as their tug-of-war dragged on, Kushina became increasingly corrupted by the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Though still in human form, her skin had already torn away, exposing raw flesh beneath.
Wild torrents of red chakra swirled around her like a vortex, shredding the ship into pieces.
Along with the chakra came Kushina's chains.
The chains flickered through the void, desperately attempting to constrain the Nine-Tails' power within controllable limits. Though it seemed somewhat strained, in the short term, it did successfully restrict the beast.
"Tailed Beasts will never submit to humans! Give up this foolish hope, little girl!"
The Nine-Tails' massive body remained tightly restrained upon a platform covered in glowing tadpole-like seal characters, bound by countless chains connected deeply into the surrounding ground.
Even though it appeared trapped in such an unfavorable position, the beast still radiated raw savagery.
Wasn't a Tailed Beast's viciousness precisely its refusal to be tamed?
Across from it stood Kushina Uzumaki, her crimson hair seeming to move on its own, untouched by the wind, chains extending from behind her back.
"Nine-Tails, do you truly wish to be taken by Akatsuki and used as a weapon? You should know the difference between me and others."
Kushina glared fiercely at the towering beast, her hands trembling slightly from strain as she manipulated the chains.
"Hmph! Selfish humans!"
The Nine-Tails exhaled sharply through its nose, releasing a surge of red chakra into the air that twisted violently in circles before dissipating.
This action made the atmosphere in the chamber even heavier.
Its demeanor radiated icy arrogance—a Tailed Beast's contempt for humanity.
"Well then, I'm sorry to say—I guess if words won't teach you a lesson, then I'll just have to show you that Kushina isn't someone you can push around either."
Giving up on further dialogue with the fox, Kushina exerted herself once more.
Her voice dropped low—clearly angered by the Nine-Tails' attitude.
With a sudden snap, the chains tightened completely, yanking hard. The Nine-Tails flinched violently, baring its terrifying fangs as droplets of saliva dripped down its teeth.
The beast, pinned to the ground, had no leverage to resist and could only grind its teeth under Kushina's unyielding force.
Within Kushina's body, it was not completely unaware of the outside world.
And during Pain's previous invasion of Konoha, it had naturally sensed the presence of the Rinnegan since it was quite similar to that of the old man back then.
Therefore, it understood better than anyone what the enemy aimed to achieve by gathering the Tailed Beasts—and just how powerful it truly was.
By uniting all nine Tailed Beasts, one could summon the divine... Goddess Kaguya!
The legendary Ten-Tails—the Goddess Kaguya!
When that time came, they—these Tailed Beasts—would no longer exist separately, once again merged into a single entity and losing their individuality.
Naturally, this was something it refused to accept.
Yet, it also wasn't willing to easily help the woman who had "imprisoned" it for so many years. After all, even a Tailed Beast needed its pride.
At the very least, it couldn't appear to be willingly assisting a human—it must seem as if it had no choice.
That way, even when facing other Tailed Beasts, it could still maintain its authoritative image as the leader.
Its eyes locked onto Kushina, the fox-like pupils appearing both clever and sharp.
However, the Nine-Tails' massive, meaty form exuded an overwhelming sense of brutality.
Red chakra started being drawn from the Nine-Tails' body, steadily flowing toward Kushina.
Though the Nine-Tails tensed its muscles, it remained at a disadvantage in this struggle against Kushina.
Its eyes narrowed continuously along with Kushina's pull, seemingly powerless but still attempting resistance.
Yet, this resistance seemed increasingly weak?
Kushina noticed that although the Nine-Tails resisted fiercely at first, the more time passed, the easier things became for her.
But judging from Nine-Tails' expression, it didn't seem like it had stopped resisting—it was still clearly unwilling.
Although puzzled, she continued pulling the Nine-Tails' power toward herself.
This was part of an agreement she'd made earlier with the Nine-Tails.
If she could win this "tug-of-war" under these conditions, the Nine-Tails would assist her in battle afterward, allowing her to freely use its strength.
Outside, the people of Konoha were growing anxious over Kushina's sudden change in condition.
Nine-Tails' chakra was simply too strong.
They had already backed away dozens of meters, but those wild fluctuations still tore across the river's surface, turning it into a raging ocean.
Several ninja from the Sealing Team had already taken positions around Kushina, black talismans inscribed onto the water's surface to help suppress the wild spread of Tailed Beast chakra.
"It doesn't seem like a Tailed Beast rebellion; Kushina's control remains firmly intact."
Tsunade frowned as she observed the red figure on the water, noticing the subtle details.
The anxiety initially caused by the thought of Nine-Tails rebelling gradually calmed down, and the glowing ritual circle on her forehead dimmed as well, returning to normal.
"Now at a time like this, I hope nothing major goes wrong."
Obito tapped his forehead protector, his tone unusually serious.
Although Kushina's current condition didn't seem overly problematic, this unpredictability itself was the biggest issue.
It would bring countless unpredictable challenges to his duty—laying the groundwork for possible errors.
"Don't panic. It might actually be a good sign."
Tsunade could feel Kushina's rising power and believed this sudden shift wasn't a bad thing after all. She tried to calm Obito, who was just as anxious about Kushina as she was.
Born from the Uzumaki Clan, Kushina naturally possessed some suppression over tailed beasts.
If she could perfectly control the Nine-Tails' power like the first jinchūriki once did, it would completely change the current battle's outcome.
A perfect Nine-Tails jinchūriki was basically a Skyborne Annihilation weapon—no one could stand a chance against her.
Even if the opponent were a Rinnegan ninja, she would still have a fighting chance—the outcome uncertain.
"Hmm."
Obito remained calm, sharp light flickering in his eyes.
"It's started."
Shizune, who had been watching Kushina closely, signaled to both of them.
Right before their eyes, Kushina began to calm down as the red chakra surrounding her started to retract and condense.
Her body gradually returned to normal, her damaged skin healing at a visible rate.
The receding chakra solidified into a physical form around her, tightly wrapping and protecting her like a layer of armor.
The water surface slowly calmed, and the suffocating pressure in the air began to fade.
But then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.
Suddenly, several tentacle-like extensions made of chakra shot out from Kushina's body, impaling several nearby ninjas instantly and lifting them into the air.
"What?!"
Tsunade's face went grim at the sight of the impaled bodies, fearing that Kushina had lost control.
Beside her, Obito immediately reached for the kunai at his waist.
"Wait—there's something off."
Tsunade quickly regained her composure upon noticing Kushina's peaceful expression.
Other ninjas, however, became panicked. That sudden attack had left them on edge, like startled birds.
Their comrades had been attacked unexpectedly, but the one responsible was none other than Kushina—an important ally. They hastily retreated, unwilling to act rashly and instead waiting quietly for Tsunade's command.
"Kushina?!"
Tsunade called out loudly while clenching her right fist behind her back.
"It's me."
Her reply eased everyone's tension somewhat.
Still, they couldn't help but look confusedly at the comrades now impaled on those chakra tendrils.
"These are enemies."
Kushina explained, meeting the wary gazes of distant shinobi.
The red chakra spread along the tentacles and covered the victims, who hadn't even had time to scream.
They began to change.
White Zetsu!
Tsunade and Obito exchanged glances, realization dawning on them.
As others witnessed the transformation too, they let go of all suspicion.
Yet their expressions shifted dramatically—they couldn't believe enemy infiltrators had been among them all along without detection.
"There's nothing to worry about anymore. These were hidden enemies among us, so I just cleaned them up real quick."
Kushina swung her arm, sending the now-exposed White Zetsus flying into the stream.
"This is the Nine-Tails' power?"
Tsunade secretly pondered while watching Kushina unintentionally unleash strength with just a simple gesture.
The commotion quickly died down, and the group resumed their journey.
Although they had lost one ship due to Kushina's outburst, it wasn't a major issue and didn't affect their schedule.
Meanwhile, the enemies hidden among them had been completely eliminated, making their trail even more difficult to track.
With a nod from both Kushina and Tsunade, they significantly increased their pace.
"Can you really control the Nine-Tails' power now?"
Inside a room, Tsunade and Kushina sat face to face as she asked this question.
"In a way. I've made a deal with the Nine-Tails, so I can borrow its power."
Kushina thought of a certain stubborn fox and smiled faintly.
Though that fox always sounded unwilling, it acted surprisingly proactively—quite different from her usual impression.
"If that's the case, then we have many more options now."
Tsunade chuckled lightly, her eyes sparkling as if she'd just realized something important.
"I want to reach the frontline quickly and fight together with Minato."
Kushina looked at Tsunade, seemingly having made up her mind.
Tsunade stayed silent, offering no immediate response.
After a long pause, she finally spoke slowly: "Even if you can control the Nine-Tails' power, there's still a lot of risk involved. So..."
Her meaning was clear—she still didn't want Kushina stepping onto the battlefield just yet. Doing so would put them on the defensive and leave little room for mistakes.
"Even you won't let me go directly, Tsunade-sama?"
Kushina lowered her head slightly, looking troubled but not particularly upset.
Her rationality told her staying off the battlefield was indeed the optimal choice for now, yet her sense of responsibility and concern for others made her feel she needed to do something.
"Minato probably feels the same way too. Our task is to make sure Akatsuki doesn't find us or temporarily falls behind our steps."
Tsunade looked at Kushina; beneath her pale skin—uncommon for someone her age—a faint flush of color subtly showed through.
Ding dong—the sound of someone knocking on the door.
They stopped talking at once and turned toward the door.
The person who entered was the ninja assigned to communicate with Minato's group throughout this mission. He wore sunglasses and had a dark scarf wrapped around his neck.
"Tsunade-sama, Kushina-sama, there's a situation."
He walked up to the table and bowed his head, his sunglasses concealing the emotions in his eyes.
"What happened?"
Tsunade straightened her posture and gazed over, unintentionally exuding the mighty authority of one of the legendary Sannin.
"A report came earlier from ahead. An hour ago, the vanguard unit encountered enemies, but now it's time for our second scheduled check-in, and we've received no response."
The ninja glanced upward; although his tone remained relatively calm, the underlying unease was evident.
Kushina carefully observed the situation, a slight feeling of anxiety rising in her heart.
"Exactly what kind of situation is it?"
Tsunade first glanced sideways at Kushina before pressing further.
"All communication has been lost, and there's still no contact after all this time. We have a backup plan in place besides our usual methods of communication, but... it's as if they've vanished without a trace."
There was no need to say more—it was bad news, plain and simple.
Kushina's breathing grew visibly heavier.
Tsunade couldn't help but furrow her brows as well.
"Alright, you're dismissed. Keep trying to reach the other units, gather intelligence, and determine the situation on the front as soon as possible."
Tsunade signaled for the ninja to withdraw.
The ninja bowed respectfully to both women before vanishing out the door.
This sudden loss of contact was hard for the messenger to accept, sending his mind into a spiral of worry.
"Tsunade-sama..."
Once the ninja was gone, Kushina could no longer hold back and called out to Tsunade-hime, who sat right in front of her.
"Don't overthink it. This might not be as bad as it seems. Let's wait a little longer."
Tsunade chose her words carefully to calm Kushina down.
"But—"
Kushina tried to protest, but Tsunade shushed her with a fingertip to the lips.
"Not yet. I'll send Obito to check things out first—he can come and go easily. As for you, stay hidden for now. Everything we're doing is to protect you better. The sooner you show yourself, the more dangerous it becomes."
With that, Tsunade got up and left immediately, leaving Kushina alone in deep thought.
The loss of contact with Minato's squad could simply mean that the messenger ninja was assassinated by the enemy. Until the full picture was clear, it'd be reckless to jump to conclusions.
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