When those furious beast eyes saw that crimson Mangekyō Sharingan, the Nine-Tails felt as if its consciousness was about to be swallowed by that bizarre vortex.
At this moment, it didn't even have time to feel anger; a familiar sensation of being forcibly dominated surged through it once more.
Decades ago, it had been living freely until a certain human used the Sharingan to forcibly control it. Not only was it beaten severely for no reason, but its freedom as a fox was also stripped away for a long time.
No one cared about its will or feelings. Humans either treated it as a weapon or as a fluffy toy to be manipulated at will...
Now, that familiar and humiliating scene was happening again. A young boy, using just one Mangekyō Sharingan, had suppressed it once more, directly ignoring the resentment it had accumulated over a long time.
As a chakra aggregate, the Nine-Tails could clearly sense the immense power within this young human. Not only did this young human possess the Sharingan, but he also seemed to have mastered sage power.
This person gave it the feeling of a combination of Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju, though his Sharingan visual prowess wasn't as powerful as Madara's, and his chakra reserves weren't as monstrous as Hashirama's.
But with both powers gathered in one person, it was more than enough to temporarily restrain it.
The Nine-Tails' originally struggling and trembling massive body gradually calmed down. A pair of crimson three tomoe appeared within its beastly eyes.
Ryun's intervention briefly hard-controlled the Nine-Tails, making the sealing process proceed exceptionally smoothly.
Countless sealing chains wrapped the giant fox into a spherical state, and its enormous body was finally dragged into the seal located on Kushina's abdomen.
"Seal!"
Ryun gathered a large amount of senjutsu chakra in his hand, causing his entire palm to faintly glow. With a soft shout, his hand finally landed gently on Kushina's abdomen. As the Nine-Tails completely disappeared, the final step of the sealing was completed.
When the entire ritual was finished, Mito Uzumaki, her face pale, looked at the two not far away with a relieved smile, then slowly fell backward.
Ryun sensed something. He did not attend to the temporarily unconscious Kushina, but instead used a Body Flicker to immediately appear by Mito Uzumaki's side.
But by the time he reached out to support the elderly woman, he found she had already breathed her last.
"Lady Mito!!!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others all rushed to gather around Mito Uzumaki. Looking at the lifeless body, everyone's faces were filled with sorrow.
Although Ryun was mentally prepared, seeing this kind grandmother pass away still made his heart ache.
He personally carried Mito Uzumaki's body into a prepared coffin nearby, then bowed deeply before going to check on Kushina's condition.
Kushina's current unconsciousness was only temporary and a normal reaction. She would wake up soon, but upon waking, she would still have to face the painful reality of her grandmother's death.
Ryun felt that this distorted world was truly despair-inducing. He really didn't like the ninja world, even detested it. Sometimes, he even had thoughts of wanting to destroy it completely.
Not long after.
Hiruzen Sarutobi brought Mito Uzumaki's remains to a hall for people to pay their respects. Konoha also reported the news of her passing to the Daimyo, and the Land of Fire entered a period of national mourning.
Tsunade rushed back from the battlefield from afar. Her grandmother's passing filled her with endless loneliness and pain. She seemed to lose her spirit all of a sudden, even feeling as if the entire world had abandoned her.
With Ryun's companionship, Kushina gradually emerged from her grief. Being strong, she quickly accepted reality, and her dependence on Ryun noticeably deepened.
During this period, Ryun didn't go anywhere or bother with anything else. He focused most of his energy on Kushina, intending to accompany her through this difficult time.
"Let's go see Big Sister Tsunade..."
Ryun said to Kushina in his arms.
"Okay. She drank a lot yesterday. She should be waking up around now."
The two arrived together at Tsunade's bedroom, only to find her still in a drunken stupor. The messy bedroom and her exposed fair skin made it difficult for Ryun to look directly.
A good while later, the heavily drunk Tsunade on the bed woke up thirsty. Her somewhat clear-headed, haggard face still showed immense pain.
"Water..."
Seeing this, Kushina quickly handed over the prepared warm water. Tsunade drank three large cups of warm water in a row before her thirst was quenched.
As she gradually became more clear-headed, lingering memories surfaced again, causing her great pain and even making her feel despair and confusion about the future.
"Big Sister Tsunade, come eat with me. You didn't eat anything yesterday and drank so much... If you don't eat something, your body won't be able to handle it..." Kushina urged softly.
Tsunade remained unmoved by her words, her sorrowful expression largely unchanged. It wasn't until Kushina spoke her next sentence that she slightly raised her lowered head.
"Ryun has been busy in the kitchen. He made a lot of food for you, just waiting for you to get up and eat..."
Hearing this, a trace of surprise couldn't help but appear on Tsunade's face.
Just as the two girls fell into silence, Ryun knocked on the bedroom door.
"The food is ready. Come out and eat..."
Ryun's voice was soft and carried a strange indifference. But shortly after he called out, Tsunade eventually followed Kushina to the dining table.
Seeing Tsunade awake, Ryun didn't plan to greet her. He sat down at the table by himself and started eating with his chopsticks.
At this moment, both Tsunade and Kushina were silent. They each took their seats and slowly began eating the food in front of them.
The silence of the three made the atmosphere somewhat heavy, but surprisingly, they managed to finish most of the food.
After eating, Kushina started clearing the dishes. Ryun still had no intention of talking to Tsunade. He felt that at a time like this, it might be better to let Tsunade have some quiet time alone.
This plain routine lasted for three days. Ryun and Kushina deliberately stayed by her side, not abandoning her. Finally, Tsunade managed to pull herself together.
She actively started talking to her younger brother and sister about past events, and soon mentioned her intention to return to the Wind-Fire battlefield to continue fighting.
Ryun did not interfere with her decision, but sternly refused her request for him to help end the war.
He had no reason to help Konoha again, and would certainly not work for Konoha anymore.
Tsunade did not insist after being refused. She headed to the battlefield alone. Ryun took Kushina back to their former small home.
Their previous home had been destroyed in the great battle, but not long after, Kushina spent money to restore it. The decor seemed largely unchanged, but to Ryun, it clearly lacked the feeling of "home."
Moreover, around this small home, there were always elite Anbu operatives monitoring them 24 hours a day without interruption, which inevitably made Ryun feel annoyed.
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