Resentment Erupts, and the Cowardly Nine-Tails Upholds Traditional Virtues...

Watching Kushina sob uncontrollably, Minato's face was full of anguish.

He wanted to comfort her, but his lips trembled and no sound came out.

His trembling hand hung in midair, unable to come down.

He knew that Kushina's outburst today was the inevitable result of years of pent-up gloom.

Though a thousand words filled his heart, in the end all he could manage was a quiet, "I'm sorry..."

"No!" Hearing Minato's voice, Kushina shook her head fiercely. Then she wiped away her tears and forced a smile. "Minato, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. I... I... I just couldn't hold it in... I'm sorry..."

Watching Kushina apologize, seeing her tears spill over again as she choked on her words, Minato felt his heart clench as if he were suffocating.

A fierce resentment rose within him!

He resented the Konoha High Command. He resented Hiruzen Sarutobi!

He resented them for disregarding old ties and for failing to treat their descendants well!

He even resented himself for not listening to Kushina back then and sealing the Nine-Tails back inside her!

If he had... then he and Kushina wouldn't have had to die, right?

Naruto could have lived happily as the Hokage's son, couldn't he?

But why?

Why had they been treated like this?!

Suddenly!

Minato's handsome face twisted into a snarl. He bared his teeth and glared, six coarse markings appearing on his cheeks. Scarlet chakra burst from his body, covering him in an instant, while several tails formed behind him!

The Nine-Tails? Sasuke blinked in surprise.

He'd almost forgotten it was there.

But... what was it trying to do?

Kushina's pupils contracted. Then she snapped, "Damn it! Kurama! What are you doing? Pull back your chakra! Don't try to tempt Minato!"

???

"It wasn't me! I didn't influence him!"

"This is the Fourth Hokage's own problem! Kushina, don't go around accusing me!"

Kurama felt more wronged than Dou E herself!

Though it had no idea who Dou E was...

But the technique Minato had used to seal it back then was the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. It had sealed Kurama's Yin chakra inside Minato's soul, and after being brought here, into this space containing supreme power, it had become completely bound to him. Their fortunes were now tied together.

If something happened to Minato, Kurama wouldn't fare any better.

It didn't know whether it and Minato could die, but it was certain of one thing: even if they did die, they would only be resurrected in this space!

If it couldn't escape this place even through death, wouldn't it be better to obediently wait for Minato to come back to life and then slowly figure something out?

Why go to all the trouble of influencing Minato for no benefit?

It was a genuine thousand-year-old fox. It knew how to weigh the pros and cons!

"Not you?" Since the Nine-Tails' chakra had already surged out, Kushina could hear Kurama's voice too.

"It really wasn't Kurama... Kushina..." Minato's face kept shifting between normal and twisted, clearly struggling to suppress the Nine-Tails' rampaging chakra.

At the same time, he couldn't help feeling shocked:

So this is the Nine-Tails' power?

Back then, Kushina—and Naruto now—were constantly at risk of being controlled and influenced by this hateful power...

The Nine-Tails isn't even doing this on purpose, yet I can barely withstand it...

Naruto...

Kushina's pent-up gloom had finally erupted, but Minato was no different.

His long-suppressed emotions, and the resentment he had always refused to face, finally burst out along with Kushina's outburst, causing the Nine-Tails' chakra to run wild!

Seeing that Minato was still conscious, Kushina was at a loss. "Minato, what should I do to help you?"

Since she was in a soul state, she worried that she might accidentally harm Minato's soul. But clearly, her concern had clouded her judgment—and she was underestimating the Soul Space.

To keep souls from wearing down over time, to ensure they never perished and could be imprisoned for all eternity, each cell had functions similar to automatic recovery and locking its occupants' health.

A soul bound to a cell could recover with ease, even if it was completely annihilated—let alone merely affected by the Nine-Tails' chakra!

That was also why, even though souls from different cells could be placed together, only ten souls could be imprisoned.

"Foolish Kushina!" Kurama's voice rang out, full of scorn. "Isn't the master of this place right over there?"

Right! Sasuke! Kushina's eyes lit up, and she immediately turned to him. "Sasuke, help Minato!"

When she had first been imprisoned, the chakra inside her had been sealed from afar. She was sure Sasuke could control the Nine-Tails' chakra just as easily.

So it wasn't Kurama acting on its own. Minato's resentment had erupted... Sasuke's thoughts stirred, and he snapped his fingers lightly.

At once!

The Nine-Tails' chakra receded from Minato like a tide, vanishing completely in an instant. But the aftereffects of the Tailed Beast Chakra still left him panting, his chest heaving.

Kurama, which had clearly felt its own chakra being controlled by some overwhelming force, was left reeling.

Terrifying!

In the face of that power just now, I felt utterly helpless. I couldn't even resist!

And just who is this Sasuke Uchiha, the one who owns this prison space?!

Could he really be that one, who disappeared before I was even born...?

But how does he know my name?

Could he, like the Sage of Six Paths, still be watching over the Ninja World?

What a pity even the Sage of Six Paths didn't know his name. Otherwise...

Meanwhile,

Seeing Minato recover, Kushina let out a sigh of relief and turned to Sasuke with gratitude. "Thank you, Sasuke!"

As a former Jinchuriki, she knew all too well what it felt like to be affected by a Tailed Beast's chakra...

"It's fine. Even if I hadn't helped, nothing would have happened to Minato." Sasuke offered only that brief explanation; he had no intention of giving them a lesson about the Soul Space.

Then he smiled. "Actually, if you buy discounted instant noodles and discounted milk, three thousand ryō is enough for three meals a day, a bottle of milk each day, and daily necessities."

"Mm, you might even have a little money left over."

"I didn't expect the lofty Third Hokage to know the prices ordinary people pay and calculate everything so precisely..."

Damn it, don't say something so mood-killing when people are feeling grateful! I already want to kill him, and now he's taking another shot at the Third Hokage. He's really hooked on this, isn't he?! Kushina screamed inwardly, then snapped, "Sasuke!"

Just trying to lighten the mood... Sasuke smiled, then turned to Minato, who was slowly recovering from the aftereffects. "Minato, maybe you can try learning to control Kurama's power. It could come in handy someday."

"Of course, it'd be best if Kurama cooperated willingly."

At that, Kushina instinctively looked at Minato. He fell silent.

He understood that this was another olive branch from Sasuke. Otherwise, he was already dead—why bother trying to control the Nine-Tails' power?

Kurama fell silent too, understanding that Sasuke's last sentence was actually directed at it.

If anyone else had openly said they wanted to control its power, it would have roared in fury long ago.

But it had just felt the might of this space. It didn't dare say a word.

Fine. It would just act humble...

Besides, if Sasuke really was that person, then regardless of his age or anything else, he was old enough to be its grandfather...

We Tailed Beasts are intelligent beings, too. Sometimes, it's quite important to uphold the virtues of respecting the elderly and caring for the young...