Exchange

"Oh, Minato, don't rush off, I still have something to tell you."

Katsuki reached out and blocked the Minato, which was preparing to return to the village.

"What is it? Must you tell me now?"

Although Minato really wanted to go back and handle his official duties for the day, he looked at Katsuki's serious expression and let go of his right hand that was on Katsuki's shoulder.

"Go ahead and speak, I'm listening!"

"Ahem." Katsuki cleared his throat, placing his right fist to his lips, before saying, "Minato, you should already know that I became the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, right?"

I've heard about it.

Minato nodded.

"Then you must know that the previous Five-Tails Jinchuriki was imprisoned in the Anbu prison."

Minato didn't respond; his intuition told him that what he was about to say was going to be troublesome.

"I want to separate the Nine-Tails from Kushina; I want to free Kushina from her status as Jinchuriki," Katsuki said in a deep voice.

······

Minato reached up to rub his forehead, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"Wait a minute, let me process this. What do you want to do? Strip away the Nine-Tails... Are you crazy?"

"He's not crazy!"

Katsuki shook her head.

"I know this sounds crazy, but I'm confident I can extract the Nine-Tails without harming the Jinchuriki."

The beach was a scene of devastation.

The once towering coconut trees have turned into charred wood chips, the fine white sand has been buried by mud and gravel, and the waves gently lap against the broken reefs, creating a sense of desolation.

The once beautiful scenery has become fragments of memory.

"No wonder! No wonder you kept that Five-Tails Jinchuriki? Was it for observation? At first, I thought you were here to uncover the secrets of the Stone Ninja."

After peeling away the layer of carbonized material from the charred coconut tree trunk, Minato sat on it and, after listening to Katsuki's explanation, gave a wry smile.

With his intelligence, he instantly understood the cause and effect, and even made connections to more.

"By the way, you've been busy researching Fuinjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu these past few years, wasn't it all preparation for this?"

"Well, half and half. It would be a lie to say that I studied Fuinjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu for this purpose. It's just that I could use them incidentally, so I learned them anyway. It's always good to have more skills, that's what I think." Katsuki sat on the ground, gazing at the azure sea.

"Enough with the small talk, Minato, what's your opinion...? Can you tell me?"

The sound was somewhat faint in the sea breeze.

Minato sat on the tree trunk, his fingers tightly intertwined, the smile on his face slowly fading. He lowered his head and thought for more than ten seconds before saying, "I don't know. I can't say whether I support you or oppose you... Kushina's opinion is the most important. I support Kushina's choice... whatever her choice may be!"

Yes!

Most importantly, it depends on Kushina's opinion.

Unlike Han, Kushina could not and would not force Katsuki to extract the Nine-Tails. As long as Kushina was unwilling, he was helpless.

Even if he dares to use force, Minato will certainly not stand idly by.

"That's true! No matter how enthusiastic I am, I still have to consider my older sister's opinion..." Katsuki rested her chin on her knees, sighed, and looked somewhat worried.

Kushina's opinion was exactly what he was worried about, and also what he couldn't control.

He didn't know how Kushina viewed her Jinchuriki, and he had never dared to touch on that topic.

Was she overjoyed to be rid of the Nine-Tails? Or would she simply refuse? Or perhaps she needed time to consider...? He had already considered all the possible reactions Kushina might make, but he still couldn't come up with a very certain guess.

Kushina is strong and carefree, and her temper can be terrifying, but she also possesses a gentle nature. It's hard to predict how she will react.

"I can't figure it out!!!"

He scratched his head, feeling a headache coming on, and then simply turned to look at Minato.

"Minato, what do you think my sister's reaction will be?"

"Ask me? Shouldn't you figure that out yourself...?" Seeing Katsuki's visibly downcast expression, Minato chuckled softly. "You're still the same! Once Kushina's name is involved, it seems like your brain can't think straight..."

"What can I do? My sister went through so much to take care of me. I just hope she can live a peaceful and happy life."

Katsuki closed her eyes, and childhood memories flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern. Her mood was as erratic as if she were drunk. It turns out that so much time has passed in the blink of an eye!

I have been in this world for over twenty years.

"You! Really..." Minato sighed helplessly, "Kushina! If you can't give her a suitable reason, you won't succeed, and that reason can only come from yourself. She cares more about her younger brother than herself."

Katsuki's eyes lit up immediately.

The fog before us melted away like snow under the blazing sun.

A vague idea began to form in my mind.

"What? You've figured it out? If you have, let's get going! The sun is getting stronger and stronger."

In the blink of an eye, they were back in the village. Minato, surrounded by his subordinates from the Root, went back to his office. Katsuki, shirtless and barefoot, jumped onto the rooftop and slowly walked back. He had been having too much fun during the fight and hadn't brought any change of clothes or shoes.

This is the only way to go back.

Fortunately, he didn't care too much. By slightly increasing his speed, he would be difficult for ordinary villagers to spot, and ninjas, surely, wouldn't be so oblivious...

"Hey, Katsuki, what are you up to? Where are you going shirtless?"

A clueless fellow has appeared.

Otoha stood in front of them, looking on with an expression of anticipation.

"Hey, I heard you went to spar with Minato. How did it go? Judging from your expression, did Minato win, or did you lose?"

"You think I'll lose? Otoha, why don't we have a match? I didn't get enough of Minato." Katsuki cracked his knuckles.

"Tch! How boring."

Otoha pursed her lips, her face expressionless, but she took two steps back.

Only a fool would want to spar with this monster. Although fighting against a strong opponent can be a way to hone one's skills, the gap between them must be appropriate.

If the disparity in strength is too great, then you're just asking for trouble.

"By the way... lend me your coat! It's so sunny and you're dressed so warmly, aren't you afraid of getting heat rash? Let me help you out!" Katsuki smiled brightly and reached for Otoha's coat.

"It smells a bit sweaty, but oh well, I'll just bear with it for now."

"Damn it! Don't give it back to me, you're a beast..."

Otoha tugged at her thin short-sleeved shirt, on the verge of tears. (To be continued)