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Rumble!

With only two and a half tails left, Uzumaki Kushina's combat strength had greatly diminished, and Teacher Jiraiya and Orochimaru gradually began to gain control of the situation.

Just then, several kunai flashed through the air. Seeing this, Jiraiya cried out in shock, "Minato, you!"

Minato Namikaze, who had rushed into the battlefield, seemed to have found his resolve. With a determined expression, he shouted:

"Teacher Jiraiya, I'll support you."

Although Minato Namikaze was not particularly powerful, his reflexes and speed were exceptionally gifted.

His agile movements and lightning-fast figure darted around the battlefield, continuously throwing kunai while using shuriken to draw her attention.

Rumble!

The red Nine-Tails Chakra formed claw-like shapes, madly destroying everything in its path.

"Something's wrong!"

Captain Tsunade frowned as she looked down at Kushina, who was behaving like nothing more than a wild beast, and anger rose on her face.

"Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Kushina has been consumed by hatred. Her mind is immersed in her consciousness. Use genjutsu to wake this girl up, or once her chakra is exhausted, death will be her only path."

In an instant, Tsunade realized something and hurriedly shouted a warning to the two of them.

After hearing this, Orochimaru and Jiraiya immediately showed looks of realization.

So that was it. No wonder that even as the tailed beast's power weakened, Uzumaki Kushina had shown no sign of regaining consciousness.

It was like Sunagakure's Feigning Sleep Technique—her consciousness had sunk into her mental world, completely handing her body over to the control of the tailed beast's power.

"Orochimaru, use genjutsu, quickly!"

Jiraiya immediately shouted. He was only skilled at dispelling genjutsu, not casting it.

Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet

Under the terrifying Fire Style attack, Kushina in her two-and-a-half-tail state roared repeatedly in rage.

This was not the Orochimaru of the future who could not be killed. Even an Exploding Tag could seriously injure him, so he would not recklessly put himself in danger against a Jinchuriki.

Shadow Snake Hands

The moment several giant snakes suddenly wrapped around Kushina, Orochimaru formed hand seals with his fingers. In the distance, Uzumaki Kushina let out an earth-shaking howl.

Roar!

Uzumaki Kushina clutched her head in pain and vented her fury wildly. It was obvious that Orochimaru had taken the opportunity to use genjutsu.

"Kid, move aside!"

Just then, Tsunade suddenly shouted. A Talisman Seal bearing the character "Seat" glimmered with pale green chakra in her palm as she charged directly toward Kushina.

"Tsunade, be careful!"

Jiraiya cried out in alarm. Under the pain of the genjutsu, Kushina's chakra, which had already begun to recede, suddenly surged once more as a terrifying tailed beast claw struck out.

"Kushina!"

Seeing this, Tsunade roared furiously and smashed aside the demonic fox's sharp-clawed chakra hand with a brutal punch. Yet the next moment, the ground shattered, and several chakra hands emerged from below.

Under the tailed beast's instinctive senses, Uzumaki Kushina seemed to have sensed the danger as well. After all, that familiar chakra was etched into her bones. The terrifying chakra hands attacked frantically, preventing Tsunade from approaching her.

Just then, several cold flashes flickered. Countless spinning shuriken curved around from behind Tsunade.

The sharp-eyed Orochimaru instantly noticed something and shouted coldly:

"Jiraiya, hold the Jinchuriki back!"

Shadow Snake Hands

Wild Lion's Mane Technique

With Orochimaru and Jiraiya working together, the two ninjutsu were launched at once to restrain the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, only to be blocked by several demonic fox claws.

At that moment, it was as though Orochimaru and Jiraiya had seized several of the Jinchuriki's chakra arms, while Tsunade held down several more from the front.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Steel Wire!"

Jiraiya also noticed the threads in the air and immediately burst into laughter.

Sharingan Windmill Triple Blade

"Kushina!"

Uchiha Yoru shouted from the distance. Pulling with his fingertips and biting down on the Steel Wire, he gave it a fierce yank. In an instant, the thrown shuriken curved through the air and crossed over one another, instantly binding Kushina.

The taut Steel Wire gave off a teeth-grating screech. The Tailed Beast Cloak around Kushina's body blocked the wires, rapidly corroding them.

"Captain Tsunade!"

Uchiha Yoru shouted, and Tsunade immediately roared in response.

Heavenly Pain Kick!

Her long leg straightened and came crashing down. In an instant, the earth split apart, and the tailed beast claws emerging from the ground shattered.

Seizing the opportunity, Tsunade let out an angry shout and charged straight at Kushina's real body.

"Wake up already!"

Monster Strength Punch!

Faced with Tsunade's all-out punch, Kushina's beastly instincts sensed the danger. She roared and actually yanked on the Steel Wire, dragging Uchiha Yoru straight toward her.

ROAR!

Damn it!

BAM!

The immense force of the Steel Wire instantly tore off Uchiha Yoru's fingers. The next moment, he turned into white smoke.

Shadow Clone Jutsu.

With a thunderous boom, the ground beneath Uzumaki Kushina split apart before everyone's shocked eyes, and Uchiha Yoru burst out from below.

He had used Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu to get beneath Kushina, then emerged while she was distracted.

BAM!

Uchiha Yoru threw an uppercut, breaking through the Tailed Beast Cloak and smashing heavily into Kushina's jaw.

POOF!

Uchiha Yoru turned into white smoke—a shadow clone!

Uchiha Yoru's real body appeared behind Kushina. Facing her while she had lost all reason, he grabbed both her arms from behind and locked them back.

"Seal her, now!"

As Uchiha Yoru roared, the instant he restrained her, he could already feel the Nine-Tails' Chakra eroding his skin. If not for his Curse Mark Sage Body, he would have been injured long ago.

BOOM!

Tsunade's Monster Strength Punch blasted open the Tailed Beast Cloak, but she precisely stopped her strength before Kushina's chest. As her fist opened, it revealed the Talisman Seal within.

WHOOSH!

In an instant, the Talisman Seal bearing the character "Seat" stuck to Uzumaki Kushina's chest. A green Chakra brimming with life force emerged, wrapping around both Kushina and Uchiha Yoru.

"This is...!"

Upon sensing that Chakra filled with vitality, Orochimaru revealed a thoughtful expression.

"So this is the Chakra power of the First Hokage, used to seal the Nine-Tails!"

At Orochimaru's hoarse words, Tsunade nodded solemnly when she saw that the seal had succeeded without harming Kushina.

"This is a sealing talisman left behind by my Grandfather. It had always been kept by my grandmother."

Tsunade's personal confirmation stirred a deep thirst for knowledge in Orochimaru.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya wiped the sweat from his forehead and laughed in his usual exaggerated manner.

"That was seriously dangerous. I didn't expect Kushina to go berserk."

Though Jiraiya made it sound easy, a four-tailed Jinchuriki could kill any of them at any moment!

After all, they had not yet reached their prime.

"This is...?"

As the green Chakra brimming with life force enveloped them, Uzumaki Kushina's Tailed Beast Cloak gradually faded away, while Uchiha Yoru revealed a startled expression.

The unstable state of his Curse Mark Sage Body somehow felt gentle as it absorbed this energy.

"Kushina!"

Minato Namikaze's voice rang out. Uzumaki Kushina's eyes gradually cleared, and she collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath as she looked at everyone with vacant, unfamiliar eyes.

"A... a monster?"

While the battle had raged outside, she had clearly sensed every Konoha Shinobi's expression from within her mental space. Their fear had been incredibly intense.

Deep down, every one of them had called her a monster.

Although Uzumaki Kushina's Tailed Beast Cloak had faded, her skin had already been ravaged by the Tailed Beast's Chakra, covered in burns.

Hearing Kushina murmur to herself, Uchiha Yoru lay collapsed on the ground as well, panting heavily. Grimacing through the pain, he spoke weakly.

"Didn't this monster come save that monster?"

Uchiha Yoru's exhausted, teasing smile and voice sent faint ripples through Uzumaki Kushina's hollow heart.

"A... a monster?"

As though she had grasped onto something, Kushina stared blankly at Uchiha Yoru and watched his monstrous Curse Mark Mode gradually recede.

Pointing at himself, Uchiha Yoru laughed self-deprecatingly. "See? The Evil Uchiha can transform too. What else would that make me but a monster?"

Yet his self-mocking words made Uzumaki Kushina's heart tremble, her pupils widening. The looks their companions gave Uchiha Yoru were exactly the same.

After all, hadn't Uchiha Yoru's transformation just now been that of a monster?

"Fellow... monsters?"

She could clearly feel everyone's emotions. Amid the endless darkness and loneliness, she no longer seemed quite so alone.

"You two brats, neither of you gives me any peace of mind!"

At that moment, Tsunade hurried forward and used Medical Ninjutsu to treat them. Watching the two talk, she snorted irritably.

"It's finally over!"

The Konoha Shinobi who had flashed in from all around still looked at Uzumaki Kushina with lingering fear. One only had to see the state of the ruined forest to know how terrifying the battle had been.

Yet the gazes of her usual classmates and companions held far too many emotions as they looked at Uzumaki Kushina. Without exception, though, fear made up the greater part of them.

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