Breaking the Seal
A month had passed since then, and Kushina and Eiji were walking down the street.
As the sun set, the light shone on her red hair, making it appear slightly yellow.
"No one knows about Grandma Mito's passing yet. She should have had a funeral, but to keep it a secret..."
Kushina was heartbroken. Her grandmother was a great hero of Konoha, yet she had passed away without a trace, all because of the Big Fox inside her.
"It will be announced in a while; this is also what Grandma Mito wanted."
Hearing Eiji's words, Kushina, for reasons unknown, suddenly became very angry. She clenched her fists and shouted at Eiji, "Eiji, do you think this is okay? I've become Jinchūriki! I might never be able to leave the Village again!"
Kushina was somewhat agitated. In fact, ever since she became Jinchūriki, she had become exceptionally sensitive to the emotions of those around her.
She knew that Eiji for her had never changed, but she was still afraid that their relationship would change because of this.
"Kushina?"
"... I'm sorry, I was too willful." Kushina lowered her head.
I'll be hated, won't I? I'm starting to hate myself too. Did Grandma Mito always carry this heavy burden throughout her life?
Before her grandmother passed away, she told her, "Becoming Jinchūriki means bearing pain that ordinary people cannot endure. You must also store 'love' within a vessel, so that even Jinchūriki can live a happy life."
Kushina certainly wouldn't doubt that she deeply loves Eiji, but there are times like that, aren't there?
When they're in a bad mood, they start to become suspicious, and the two of them begin to go their separate ways—at least that's what the storybook I recently read says.
"It must have been very painful."
"Eiji..." Kushina wanted to say yes, but she was afraid that the things in the storybook would happen, so she remained silent.
They clearly promised to give it their Full Power.
"Hmm... it's been almost a month now." Eiji stroked his chin, calculating. "The seal is almost stable, so we can move on to the next step of the plan."
"Plan? What plan?"
"A plan to allow you to coexist peacefully with the Tailed Beast within you." Eiji grabbed Kushina's arm and started to walk towards the outside of the barrier.
"No, no!" Kushina grabbed Eiji, her voice urgent. "I can't control it! Have you forgotten what happened last time? Because I ignored warnings and forcibly left the barrier, I caused damage to the streets. If you hadn't brought me back in time, it might have caused even greater destruction!"
"It's okay, there won't be any problems this time."
Are you sure there won't be any problems?
Seeing Eiji's confident smile, Kushina instinctively wanted to believe him; this was a habit she had cultivated over many years.
But just as the two were about to step out of the barrier, three figures appeared behind them.
"I'm terribly sorry, Eiji, but we're just outside the barrier ahead." The Ninja with the Monkey-Faced Mask knelt down, bowing his head. "If we go beyond the barrier, Kushina risks losing control, so..."
See? I told you it wouldn't work!
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble. Please go to the Hokage Building and report that I'm taking Kushina to the Konoha Forest."
After saying that, Eiji grabbed Kushina's arm. The Anbu Ninja reached out to stop him, but the two of them vanished from the spot in an instant.
"Uh, what do we do now?"
His companions behind him seemed somewhat at a loss.
"There's no other way but to report it. Under these circumstances, we're just following orders, but we can't go against Eiji's will."
◇
Eiji and Kushina appeared in the Forest in a flash.
"So it was done anyway... Now let's see how you explain this to the higher-ups."
Kushina covered her forehead and complained, but her mood improved considerably since she was finally able to leave the Village.
"It's alright. Didn't I tell you? We're here to solve a problem, so... let's loosen the seal a little."
"Huh?" Kushina blinked. "Eiji, are you crazy? Do you know what will happen if you do that?"
"It's not completely untied, just slightly untied. If you don't do this, I won't be able to communicate with Nine-Tails."
Communication is --
Kushina's pupils contracted sharply. In fact, she didn't need to actively break the seal; once she left the barrier's range, the seal within her body began to become unstable.
"Ahh!"
Red bubbles appeared around Kushina's body, bubbling and floating upwards; these were all Chakra from the Nine-Tails.
"My head hurts so much, that big guy has started nagging again!"
My cheeks felt burning hot, and when I reached out to touch them, I could even feel the lines on them—it was that unsightly beard again.
"No, don't look at me, I look awful!"
Within the sealed space, the Nine-Tails- Tails bared its teeth and began threatening Kushina.
(See? He wants you to break the seal. Isn't that the person you value most? Hurry up and break the seal, release this power!)
(Get lost! Eiji isn't that kind of person, you're talking nonsense!)
(Do not fear my power, break the seal! Then you will no longer suffer!)
The Nine-Tails struggled frantically within the spiritual space, Kushina stood before Nine-Tails, desperately resisting. The Adamantine Sealing Chains began to tremble uncontrollably!
"Oh no, the Chakra left by Grandma Mito is about to be exhausted. If this continues, the seal will—"
The Nine-Tails was locked in Adamantine Sealing Chains battle with Kushina's Adamantine Lock within her body, and the immense wind pressure generated by the Nine-Tails' roar made Kushina unsteady on her feet.
"Good job, now it's my turn to deal with him."
The familiar voice rang out, Kushina perked up, only to find that Eiji was already standing in front of her.
The raging wind in front of him was completely blocked by his Limitless, posing no threat whatsoever to himself behind him.
"Eiji!" Kushina smiled, then her tone turned serious, "Be careful of Eiji, that Big Fox is tough to deal with!"
"It's okay, I'm just playing along."
"You wretched white-haired brat, who do you think you are!?"
The Nine-Tails roared and scratched at him frantically, but it was all in vain; its claws couldn't even touch a hair on Nine-Tails 'Eiji.
Eiji remained expressionless as he looked at him. "Only third-rate hunters drool over their prey. You're disappointing me."
The Nine-Tails instantly flew into a rage. "What did you say? Do you even know my power? If I weren't trapped in this place—"
"It's useless. Battles in the mental space are battles on the mental level. In this kind of world, one cannot afford to be confused or afraid. But after what just happened, you seem to have felt a little afraid."