Chatting with Kushina

As the old saying went: fortune and misfortune depended on each other.

In the matter of Kakuzu, Feng had nearly exposed himself overnight. That was misfortune.

So in other matters, fortune followed.

"My lord, I have already learned the Four Symbols Seal from Lady Kushina.

"As for the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, Lady Kushina said my aptitude was insufficient, so she did not teach it to me."

Four months after arriving in the Tea Country, Uzumaki Ayaka had finally achieved something in her studies and came to see Feng.

Feng looked doubtfully at Kushina Uzumaki, whom he had summoned with the Impure World Reincarnation, standing beside Ayaka. He did not quite believe it.

After all, as far as he knew, Ayaka had learned quite a few useful things from Kushina over the past four months. She had even gained strength no weaker than that of a Chunin.

With talent like that, saying she could not learn the Dead Demon Consuming Seal was simply ridiculous.

Kushina, summoned through the Impure World Reincarnation and stared at by Feng, said nothing. However, as the caster of the technique, Feng could vaguely sense some of her thoughts. Combined with what he knew about Kushina—

The truth was easy to guess.

She simply felt sympathy and hope for Ayaka, who might have been the last surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan.

In life, Kushina had been alone in Konoha, without any clansmen. She had even been bullied.

Now, after spending four months together day and night with Ayaka, she had completely accepted this gentle and kindhearted clanswoman.

Therefore, since Feng needed someone to perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and the Four Symbols Seal, Kushina had reserved the inevitably fatal Dead Demon Consuming Seal for herself.

After all, she was already dead. How much deader could she become?

At most, she would end up in the Death God's stomach and reunite with her husband, Minato.

As for the relatively harmless work of using the Four Symbols Seal to seal tailed beasts, it was better left to Ayaka, who had a young daughter by her side.

Kushina herself had been separated from her son Naruto by life and death. More than most, she understood the pain of being unable to watch one's child grow up. Naturally, she did not want Ayaka to suffer the same pain.

"Heh, I only need someone to help perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and the Four Symbols Seal.

"As for exactly who does it, as long as it does not affect me, you two can decide for yourselves. I do not care."

Feng smiled and did not say much.

In fact, he was even more eager for Kushina, summoned through the Impure World Reincarnation, to perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, because he happened to have an experiment in mind.

"Mm, thank you again for rescuing Sister Ayaka from that hellhole, Kusagakure.

"I have seen how you have treated her these past days.

"As long as you at least maintain this treatment in the future and do not let her return to her previous life—

"When the time comes to perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, I will not make any unnecessary moves."

Kushina looked at Uzumaki Ayaka, who held her daughter and smiled gently, then turned to Feng and spoke solemnly.

"Then thank you, Lady Kushina. If everything goes smoothly, I might give you a surprise in the future."

Feng did not care about Kushina's gratitude, but her identity as Minato's wife and Naruto's mother still made him want to build a good relationship with her.

As for this so-called surprise, that would depend on whether the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu and Nagato were reliable enough.

"A surprise? Forget it. What surprise would a dead person need?

"If you really want to give me something, you can give it to Naruto for me.

"Ah, I really want to see Naruto with my own eyes. I wonder whether that old man, the Third Hokage, has been taking good care of him."

Kushina gave a bitter smile.

"Heh, taking good care of Naruto?

"Hahaha! If I get the chance, I will definitely let you see with your own eyes how that old Sarutobi took care of Naruto. He took such excellent care of him—one hundred times better than when you were a Jinchūriki! Hahaha!"

Upon hearing Kushina's words, Feng seemed on the verge of becoming one of the Four Great Maniacal Laughers of the Uchiha.

"??? What do you mean?"

Kushina was utterly confused, and an ominous feeling rose in her heart.

"Heh, even if I told you, you might not believe me. You can see for yourself when you have the chance in the future."

Feng spoke with an inscrutable, meaningful expression.

He had no intention of contacting Naruto right now. Many things in the future still depended on following behind him and picking up the leftovers.

At the same time, bringing Naruto into his own camp in the future would require Naruto's suffering in Konoha as a breakthrough point.

"The Third Hokage... would not let my Naruto suffer terribly in Konoha, would he?

"He should not, right? He was Minato's teacher's teacher.

"And Kakashi is still there..."

Kushina's ominous feeling grew even stronger.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi is the Hokage, while Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. As a former Jinchūriki, you should know what kind of treatment he would receive.

"As for Kakashi, given his past experiences, and with both you and Minato having died at the same time, it was already impressive that he did not go looking to die. What else were you expecting him to do!?"

Feng struck directly at the heart of the matter.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had treated even Kushina, the wife of his disciple's disciple, that way. How well could anyone expect him to treat Naruto? Minato and Kushina truly had been thinking too much.

As for Kakashi, there was not much to say. He had been without a mother since childhood, lost his father when young, lost his friends as a teenager, and soon afterward lost his teacher and teacher's wife as well. The fact that he had managed to pull through already showed remarkable resilience. Expecting anything more of him would have been excessive.

"Naruto..."

Upon hearing this, Kushina suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, as though an intense emotion were about to surge forth.

Yet restricted by her Impure World Reincarnation body, the powerful emotion came violently and swiftly. By the time she could truly feel it, it had only become a slight discomfort that made her want to cry.

"Do not worry too much. However hard it is, it will only be hard for a while. In the future, I will bring Naruto here.

"Here with me, he will not live any worse than Karin."

Feng comforted her. He still needed Kushina to perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, after all. If he did not reassure her properly, what if she put in no effort when the time came?

"Mm, then I will trouble you, Lord Feng."

Having guessed that her son was not living well in Konoha, the little affection Kushina still had for Konoha vanished completely.

Combined with her observations over the past few days, Feng's unique way of treating people made it clear that Naruto would at least live far better here than in Konoha.

Therefore, Kushina not only did not stop Uchiha Feng, the schemer who had summoned her with the Impure World Reincarnation, from taking Naruto away in the future, she even looked forward to it.

"Heh, do not thank me so quickly. Let me make this clear beforehand: whether it is Naruto or Karin, I am only willing to take them in because they will be useful to me in the future.

"But I hope that when I truly need them, they will not turn against me—especially Naruto.

"If he dares to do that, heh, I will summon you and Minato and make the three of you kill each other."

Feng waved his hand and revealed a deeply meaningful smile.

With Naruto constantly shouting about "understanding," "friendship," and "bonds" like some foolish saint, whether that was simply his nature or the influence of Asura's reincarnated chakra, if Feng had not needed Naruto's protagonist's luck and future Six Paths-level strength to deal with the Otsutsuki, he would have summoned someone through the Impure World Reincarnation to deal with him on the very night he left Konoha.

After all, a saint was not frightening, but having one on your own side was terrifying.

"No. I have faith in my son. He would never be an ungrateful person!"

The moment Kushina heard Feng seemingly speak ill of Naruto, she immediately became unhappy.

"Heh, I know he is not ungrateful. After all, he is someone capable of repaying hatred with kindness."

Feng chuckled, then turned and left. He did not want to keep talking about Naruto.

Whenever he thought of all Naruto's infuriating double standards later on, Feng felt sick.