The Whirlwind in the Vortex... (Part 1)

Mid-November, 46th year of Konoha, the weather turned cold.

After determining the strength of the Iwagakure jinchuriki, a rift once again emerged among the Konoha high command regarding the development and utilization of their own jinchuriki.

Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen hoped to perfect sealing techniques, using advanced formulas to alleviate the pressure on the jinchuriki and thereby unlock more of the Tailed Beast's power.

Danzo, however, held firm to his own views, hoping that Root could take over the development and usage rights of the jinchuriki to ensure the village's safety.

The two advisors, unaware that Root possessed Wood Release ninjas, began to balance the opinions of both sides once more. After a week of deliberation, they ultimately only tightened the surveillance on Kushina Uzumaki.

"Ah!"

Waking up from a nightmare, Kushina was drenched in sweat. The power of the Nine-Tails had been constantly influencing her, and nightmares had become a regular occurrence.

Kushina sat on her bed, clutching her forehead. She tidied her pajamas and turned to look at the photo of Mito Uzumaki on her nightstand, feeling quite conflicted as she thought about the increasingly strict surveillance.

As the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Kushina lived in the core "First Ring" of the village. She was the only resident in the entire apartment building, and by climbing to the rooftop platform, she could see the massive Hokage Rock.

After finishing breakfast and putting on her coat, a meticulously dressed Kushina wore a smile. She hadn't seen her sweetheart in two months, and today was the day of their date!

Looking out from the corridor at the scene outside, which appeared no different from usual, Kushina gradually suppressed her smile until her gaze locked onto two figures, at which point her face lit up once more:

"Do kids these days go on dates this early?"

"..."

Outside the spire apartment, Shu Furukawa, wearing a dark blue long-sleeved jacket, sensed the barrier formula on the ground and turned his head to observe, seemingly by chance.

The Spirit Transformation Technique was truly miraculous. Although Shu Furukawa had not yet mastered this forbidden jutsu, his perception had become significantly sharper.

With his current location as the center, a massive barrier had formed in the surrounding area. Combining this with the contents of the books he had read, Shu Furukawa understood that this was where the village kept the Nine-Tails.

"We need to buy more flowers at the Yamanaka Flower Shop! There are many wounded in the hospital lately, and Lady Tsunade is in a terrible mood."

"She spends every day slacking off and sleeping, yet I have no idea what the teacher is actually worried about."

Shizune, also wearing a blue jacket, tilted her head and complained. Shu Furukawa naturally knew what Tsunade was worried about, so he took the initiative to change the subject:

"Perhaps it's the anxiety brought on by age! Even for Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin, she is exceptionally concerned about her appearance."

"Don't ever say that in front of the teacher, or you'll be changing your desk again."

"Eh? Does the teacher have such worries?"

Shizune widened her eyes. The girl couldn't understand; in her eyes, Lady Tsunade was simply perfect—young, beautiful, and possessing a figure that made others envious.

"Not everyone can calmly accept aging. Immortality—the ultimate desire of humanity."

Shu Furukawa laughed and made a sarcastic remark. Shizune walked with her hands behind her back, wearing a smile as she continued to chat beside him:

"Do you also crave immortality, Shu? Living for too long doesn't seem like a happy thing. I still prefer having someone by my side."

"If it's Katsuyu, just listen to what she says and leave it at that. She is a 'sage' who has lived for a thousand years; don't be deceived by her voice."

Recalling the "cursed" Katsuyu, Shu Furukawa felt a bit helpless. The more she was summoned, the more this philosophy of the "curse of immortality" seemed to spread...

The two walked along the commercial street, chatting, and soon noticed a group of girls gathered ahead.

"Is that Minato-kun?"

"He's so handsome!"

"..."

The gathered girls were chattering away. Just as she was about to step forward to extend an invitation, Kushina was one step faster, jogging all the way to Minato Namikaze.

"I'm going to be very strict today, too!"

"The Uzumaki Clan still has many techniques, and next we must..."

"...I came over to tell you that today I want to go to another place to practice different ninjutsu..."

Minato Namikaze looked at his expectant sweetheart and struggled to refuse. Upon hearing these words, Kushina immediately became unhappy, leaning in and looking up to ask loudly:

"What kind of jutsu?!"

"Where do you want to go? Is it something even I can't know?"

Kushina's voice grew louder. Thinking of how she had tried so hard to dress up after waking up, she felt aggrieved and, ignoring whatever her sweetheart was saying, shouted angrily:

"If you hate being with me, just say so!"

"I never thought that..."

Cold sweat appeared on Minato Namikaze's forehead. Looking at the bristling Kushina, he truly didn't know what to say.

"Minato, don't keep Team 6 waiting too long. We need to report our mission to the Hokage as soon as possible!"

The dark-skinned, chubby teammate shouted from ahead, while another teammate with a gentle temperament covered his face; anyone could see that Minato was having a relationship crisis.

"Ah, I remembered. See you later, Kushina..."

Minato Namikaze replied and hurriedly turned away. Time was limited; he had to perfect his new jutsu to increase his strength so that he could better protect his sweetheart.

"Ah..."

Not expecting Minato to leave so suddenly, Kushina was about to chase after him when the Anbu member following her suddenly pressed down on her shoulder and whispered a reminder:

"Beyond this point lies the edge of the barrier."

Kushina stood rooted to the spot, watching Minato Namikaze reunite with his teammates. Soon after, several girls approached them with laughter and invitations, and the area suddenly became exceptionally lively.

"Isn't that 'Tomato Scrambled Eggs'?"

"And she's even accompanied by Anbu? How impressive!"

Not far away, the thick-headed Obito Uchiha began loudly complaining as soon as he met up with Kakashi, while Might Guy waved at Shu Furukawa and his companion after offering a greeting:

"Shu, if you're buying gifts, you've really gone to a lot of trouble for Genma and the others while they're hospitalized..."

The two loud voices drew Kushina's attention. Upon hearing the word "tomato," the corner of her eye twitched, and she immediately stepped forward to confront Obito:

"It's you again, you hateful brat! You were the one who ruined my date with Minato last time!"

"So... so scary! Her red hair is actually floating!"

Suppressed by her aura, Obito made his remark before ducking behind Kakashi.

"Apologize, Obito. You were the one who was rude first."

Kakashi pushed Obito forward with his signature dead-fish eyes. Seeing the latter stammering, Kushina's heart softened, and she finally just gave him a light tap on the head and said:

"Forget it, I won't lower myself to a child's level!"

"That cute girl named Rin really is a better match for Kakashi, you idiot—you never had a chance!"

"What! Don't think I'm afraid of you..."

Obito jumped on the spot, his face flushing red as he began to bicker with Kushina.

Seeing this scene, Shu Furukawa's expression turned somewhat strange. He eventually leaned in and offered a brief reminder:

"Minato-kun's new technique involves chakra shape transformation; it was likely developed specifically for you."

"We exchanged some experiences after our last mission ended."

Upon hearing this, Kushina stopped arguing. A sweet feeling bloomed in her heart, and her face flushed slightly as she looked at Shu Furukawa and said softly:

"Shu, thank you for telling me this!"

The two Anbu also nodded to Shu Furukawa before accompanying Kushina back; following the tightening of security, the jinchuriki was required to remain at the center of the barrier.

Obito scratched his head as he watched Kushina's retreating figure, then turned to the others beside him with a curious expression:

"What new technique? Shape transformation? Does it have the same power as Chidori?"

Kakashi had demonstrated it once during their daily training, and he hadn't expected Obito to keep it in mind all this time:

"The Uchiha dead-last doesn't possess that kind of talent."

"Give it up, Obito. You aren't suited for high-level ninjutsu."

"Damn you, say that again! I'll beat you to a pulp right now!"

Obito shouted loudly and began bickering with Kakashi again. In the distance, Kurenai Yuhi watched this scene with an envious gaze, while Asuma whispered helplessly at her side:

"That is the world of geniuses; there's simply no catching up to them."

"..."