"Alright, alright~ I promise I won't treat you like that in the future!"
Kushina gently tightened her grip on Yamanaka Shinno's hand.
Her delicate face was filled with anticipation and longing for the future. The twilight breeze brushed against her, causing her vibrant red hair to flutter. Her radiant smile was so dazzling that Shinno found himself momentarily dazed.
This world might not be perfect, but there were always some people who, despite the darkness, managed to shine with warmth and brilliance.
Shinno smiled faintly and squeezed Kushina's hand in return. Together, they walked side by side toward home, bathed in the setting sun's golden light.
However, where Kushina couldn't see, Shinno furrowed his brows slightly.
He was certain of his feelings for Kushina, just as he was certain that she had chosen him as well.
So…
Why hadn't the system notified him that Kushina's fate had changed?
...
Name: Uzumaki Kushina
Occupation: Konoha Ninja
Entries: Nine-Tails Jinchuriki (Red), Overflowing Power (Purple), In the Name of Love (Purple), Seal Mastery (Blue), Beauty and Brains (Blue)
...
At first, Kushina had seven entries: one red, one purple, three blue, one green, and one gray.
Now, she had only five left.
If Shinno remembered correctly, the missing ones were the blue entry [Unyielding], the green entry [Explosion], and the gray entry [Lonely and Helpless].
The newly appeared second purple entry was far more powerful than the three that had disappeared. And without [Lonely and Helpless], she no longer carried that burden of negativity.
[In the Name of Love] (Purple): A love so passionate and overwhelming that it drowns out all loneliness and hesitation. Greatly enhances mental strength, mental growth, and willpower. When protecting a loved one or something precious, all abilities receive a massive boost.
The description spoke for itself.
Compared to Minato and Honoka, where Honoka had gained the green entry [Mutual Devotion] after they got together, [In the Name of Love] was simply overwhelming.
Just the phrase 'all abilities receive a massive boost when protecting a loved one' was already absurdly overpowered in Shinno's eyes.
And protecting a loved one wasn't limited to combat.
If Kushina aimed to grow stronger, learn new skills, or even gain knowledge for the sake of her loved ones, she would receive a tremendous enhancement.
This effect was nothing short of an epic-level upgrade for her.
And yet, despite all this, the system still hadn't acknowledged that Kushina's fate had changed.
That left only one possible explanation—Nine-Tails!
...
In the Warring States period, tailed beasts were considered walking natural disasters.
Among them, the Nine-Tails stood as the most powerful, possessing a terrifying amount of chakra and immense destructive capability.
Even after being forcibly split in half by Minato in the future, just the Yang half of the Nine-Tails allowed Naruto to dominate the Fourth Great Ninja War.
A fully intact Nine-Tails holding a red-tier entry wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest.
Moreover, as a crucial piece of the Ten-Tails, the Nine-Tails would never go unnoticed by figures like Uchiha Madara or the ever-scheming Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's hidden agent, Black Zetsu.
On top of that, as a pure-blooded Uzumaki, Kushina had the potential to become a perfect jinchuriki.
Thanks to Shinno's influence over the years, she had taken a keen interest in mastering sealing techniques. Even if she hadn't yet reconciled with the Nine-Tails, she had already managed to forcefully extract a significant amount of its chakra.
Becoming a perfect jinchuriki was only a matter of time.
If Madara or Black Zetsu had any sense, they would surely try to eliminate this threat before she fully matured.
After all, if Kushina reached Uzumaki Mito's level, even Madara would find her troublesome.
...
"Release Seal Mark… Summoning Contract…"
Shinno narrowed his eyes as he recalled Obito's methods in the original timeline.
Logically speaking, Madara should be too old to act personally now. For the sake of his Moon's Eye Plan, he likely wouldn't reveal himself.
Instead, his priority would be selecting and grooming a worthy successor within the Uchiha clan.
Even if this successor ended up being as talented as Obito, there would still be a vast difference in power between them and Madara himself.
And if this successor wanted to strike at Konoha, they wouldn't be able to do so through sheer force.
Their best option would be to take advantage of the moment when a jinchuriki was giving birth—when the seal was at its weakest—to use the Release Seal Mark and forcefully summon the Nine-Tails.
...
"Kushina, how's the Nine-Tails been lately?"
"Huh? Pretty good, actually! Other than spending its time cursing out everyone it knows, yelling at the toads, and insulting the other tailed beasts, it mostly just sleeps or senses the outside world."
Hearing Shinno's question, Kushina turned to him with a puzzled expression.
"??? Where did it even learn to curse?"
"Uh… Well… Whenever it senses the outside world, it overhears things, and over time… Alright, fine! It insults me, so I insult it back. After a while, it just became a habit."
"...Six."
Shinno pressed his lips together, momentarily at a loss for words.
When Kushina first became a jinchuriki, the Nine-Tails was filled with rage and constantly tried to stir up chaos.
At the time, Kushina wasn't strong enough to suppress a fully intact Nine-Tails, even with Uzumaki Mito's sealing techniques. Her situation was highly unstable.
For the safety of the village, Hiruzen and the Konoha higher-ups kept her confined within a barrier for a long time.
Back then, as Kushina's friend, Shinno had visited her and used the mental strength boost from his red-tier entry [Transmigrator] to enter her seal space and confront the Nine-Tails.
After a grueling effort, he had managed to temporarily calm it down, allowing Kushina to regain some freedom.
Originally, Shinno had hoped that over time, Kushina and the Nine-Tails would develop a better relationship than they had in the original story.
But instead…
They just cursed each other?
Kushina, you… You never fail to surprise me, do you?
Just picturing the usually menacing, sharp-fanged Nine-Tails spewing a stream of curses like someone with a split personality made Shinno question whether reality itself was breaking.
...
"Ahem… Shinno, you're also someone the fox recognizes, so…"
Kushina coughed awkwardly and muttered.
"??? Wait, it insults me too?!"
"Well… Maybe… Possibly… It just wants to be fair and insult everyone it knows equally?"
"...Damn it."
Shinno clenched his teeth, but all he could do was sigh.
Kushina always managed to catch him off guard.
This whole conversation had distracted him so much that he almost forgot why he had asked about the Nine-Tails in the first place.
"When we get home, I'm heading into the seal space to check on the Nine-Tails."
"Then let's hurry! I wanna go with you! It's been a while since I've seen it get put in its place!"
"??? I'm not planning to curse it back!"
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