Chatting with Kushina

As the old saying went, fortune leaned on misfortune, and misfortune leaned on fortune.

Feng had nearly exposed himself over Kakuzu. That had been 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 me."

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

Feng looked suspiciously at Kushina Uzumaki, whom he had summoned through Impure World Reincarnation and who stood beside Ayaka. He found it difficult to believe.

After all, as far as he knew, Uzumaki Ayaka had learned quite a few useful things from Kushina over these four months. She had even gained strength not inferior to a Chunin's.

With talent like that, she could not learn the Dead Demon Consuming Seal? What a joke.

Kushina, revived through Impure World Reincarnation and stared at by Feng, said nothing. However, as the caster of the jutsu, Feng could vaguely sense her thoughts. Combined with what he knew of Kushina, the truth was easy to guess.

She simply felt sympathy and hope for Ayaka, who might have been one of the last remaining members of the Uzumaki clan.

In life, Kushina had been alone in Konoha, without any clansmen, and had even been bullied. After spending four months together day and night, she had completely accepted Ayaka, this gentle and kind clanswoman.

Therefore, since Feng needed someone to perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and the Four Symbols Seal, Kushina left the inevitably fatal task of using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to herself.

She was already dead, anyway. How much deader could she get?

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

The relatively harmless task of sealing Tailed Beasts with the Four Symbols Seal should be 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 how painful it was to be 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 who specifically 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 more.

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

"Mm, thank you again for saving Sister Ayaka from that hellhole known as Kusagakure.

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

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

"When the time comes to perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, I will not do anything unnecessary."

Kushina looked at Uzumaki Ayaka, who was holding her daughter and smiling gently, then turned to Feng and spoke solemnly.

"Then thank you, Lady Kushina. If all goes well, I may 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 made him somewhat willing to befriend her.

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

"A surprise? Forget it. What use does a dead person have for a surprise?

"If you truly want to give me something, then if possible, give it to Naruto.

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

Kushina smiled bitterly.

"Heh, taking good care of Naruto?

"Hahahaha! Given the chance, I will definitely let you see with your own eyes how old Sarutobi took care of Naruto.

"He took such excellent care of him—far better than when you were a Jinchūriki, hahahaha!"

Upon hearing Kushina's words, Feng showed signs of becoming one of the Four Great Maniacal Laughers of the Uchiha.

"??? What do you mean?"

Kushina was deeply confused, while an ominous feeling rose within her.

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

Feng spoke with an inscrutable, meaningful expression.

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

Furthermore, when he brought Naruto into his camp in the future, Naruto's suffering in Konoha would be the opening he needed.

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

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

"And Kakashi is still there too..."

Kushina's sense of foreboding grew even stronger.

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

"As for Kakashi, considering what he had gone through, plus you and Minato dying at the same time, it would already be good enough if he did not seek death. What could you possibly expect him to do!?"

Feng pointed directly at the heart of the issue.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had treated even Kushina, his disciple's daughter-in-law, like that. What expectation was there that he would treat Naruto well? Minato and Kushina had truly been overthinking things.

As for Kakashi, there was not much to say. He had lost his mother from childhood, his father when young, his friend as a teenager, and soon afterward, his teacher and teacher's wife as well. It was already a testament to his strong character that he had not broken down. Asking anything more of him would be far too much.

"Naruto..."

Kushina suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, as though a powerful emotion was about to surge forth.

Yet constrained by her Impure World Reincarnation body, the fierce emotion came swiftly and violently. By the time she was about to truly feel it, it had become only a faint discomfort, a tiny urge to cry.

"Do not worry too much. No matter how hard things are, it will only be for a while. I will bring Naruto over in the future.

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

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

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

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

Combined with her observations over these past days, she could be certain that with Uchiha Feng's unusual way of treating people, Naruto would at least live far better here than he did in Konoha.

Therefore, Kushina not only did not stop this schemer, Uchiha Feng, from planning to take Naruto away in the future after reviving her through Impure World Reincarnation, but actually looked forward to it.

"Heh, do not thank me so quickly. Let me make this clear first: 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 when I truly need them, I hope they do not turn against me, especially Naruto.

"If he dares to do that, heh, I will drag you and Minato out and make your family of three kill each other."

Feng waved his hand and revealed a deeply meaningful smile.

With Naruto's saintly act of constantly shouting about "understanding," "friendship," and "bonds," whether that was simply his nature or the influence of Asura's reincarnated chakra, if Feng had not been counting on his protagonist's halo and future Six Paths-level strength to deal with the Otsutsuki, he would have revived someone through Impure World Reincarnation to deal with him on the night he left Konoha.

After all, saints were not scary. But having a saint on one's own side was extremely scary.

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

The moment Feng seemed to speak ill of Naruto, Kushina immediately became displeased.

"Heh, I know he is not an ungrateful person. After all, he is someone who can repay hatred with kindness."

Feng chuckled, then turned and left. He did not want to talk about Naruto anymore.

Whenever he thought about Naruto's various hypocritical and infuriating moments in the later stages, he felt somewhat sickened.