After crying for who knew how long, Kushina suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She turned and buried herself in Tsunade's arms again.
"There, there, Kushina. Nobuhiko's still watching. You're a big sister now, so you need to be more mature."
Kushina felt Tsunade was right. She was a big sister now, so she couldn't keep crying.
And so she sat up in Tsunade's arms, her eyes a little red and swollen.
"Sister Kushina, what's the name of the Tailed Beast inside you?"
Nobuhiko seized the opportunity, slipping the question in while the iron was hot.
"It's called the Nine-Tails. It's a nasty, annoying fox."
The mere mention of the Nine-Tails made Kushina unhappy.
"Huh? Isn't that how many tails it has? Is that its name, too?"
Feigning confusion, Nobuhiko directed his question at Tsunade and Kushina.
"A name?" Tsunade and Kushina exchanged surprised looks.
"Isn't it just called the Nine-Tails? What other name does it need?"
Seeing the inexperienced Kushina dismiss it so casually left Nobuhiko feeling exhausted.
He was clearly trying to ease relations between her and Kurama, yet she was undermining him. Could he really say some things outright?
"But Sister Tsunade just told me that Tailed Beasts have existed in the Shinobi World for a long time. They even have minds of their own and fight their Jinchūriki for control of their bodies."
"If they're that smart and have lived that long, don't they have names of their own?"
Nobuhiko asked Kushina with an "innocent" look.
"Kushina, Nobuhiko's right. The Tailed Beasts have existed in the Shinobi World for so long that they should have names of their own."
"I've heard that every time Sunagakure's One-Tail comes out, it calls itself the great Lord Shukaku. Over time, the Sand ninja started calling the One-Tail Shukaku, too."
"Judging by that, the One-Tail's name should be Shukaku."
Kushina was stunned by Tsunade's words.
"Then the Nine-Tails...?"
"There are nine Tailed Beasts in the Shinobi World. If even the One-Tail has a name, the other eight should have names of their own, too."
"That does make sense!"
Kushina now believed that the Tailed Beasts had names, too.
"I'll go ask that stinking fox right now."
With that, Kushina closed her eyes as she sat in Tsunade's arms.
???
"Sister Tsunade, did Sister Kushina just go to see the Tailed Beast?"
"Don't worry. The seal inside Kushina is very secure. Let's wait and see."
Nobuhiko knew that perfectly well. His earlier confusion was just to keep up his persona.
As a transmigrator, life's a stage wherever you go!
Nobuhiko felt he could become an actor now.
Inside the sealed space.
Kushina looked at the fox bound tightly before her, her feelings complicated.
"Hey, stinking fox, do you have a name?"
"Tch."
"What does whether I have a name have to do with you?"
Though the Nine-Tails' body was imprisoned, his spirit remained unyielding.
"Aaah! Why are you like this? I came here to ask your name out of kindness, and you won't even tell me!"
Kushina was furious at the Nine-Tails' attitude.
"You sealed me up like this, and you call that kindness?"
The Nine-Tails looked at Kushina with disdain and contempt.
"I...!"
Kushina had wanted to argue with the Nine-Tails as usual, but suddenly remembered what Nobuhiko had said earlier.
"Hey, stinking fox, you heard what my Little Brother Nobuhiko said earlier, didn't you?"
"He thinks you were living just fine before, but now you're locked inside Jinchūriki like prisoners. It's very unfair to you."
"So what?"
The Nine-Tails' gaze was no longer as sharp as before, but he remained stubborn.
"Grandma Mito once told me that, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, I had to find true love first, then place that true love inside this vessel."
"That way, even if I had to spend my life as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, I could still live happily."
"But now it looks like we overlooked your feelings."
"Is that so?"
The Nine-Tails finally softened his words a little.
"You've been sealed inside me for years. You can sense that I never wanted to become a Jinchūriki either, but there's nothing I can do. This is my fate!"
Kushina lowered her head, looking a little forlorn.
The Nine-Tails said nothing. He knew in his heart that Kushina was telling the truth.
Who knew how long the silence lasted.
Kushina raised her head and looked at the Nine-Tails.
"But Little Brother Nobuhiko also just said that it would be super cool if a Jinchūriki could make peace with the Tailed Beast inside them!"
"Then do you dare undo the seal?"
The Nine-Tails was somewhat disdainful.
Another stretch of silence followed.
"I don't. I don't even know how to make peace with you."
"It might be a very long process, or I might not be able to do it at all."
"You want to know my name?"
"Yes, yes."
Kushina was a little surprised.
"Then what do I get out of it?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Kushina opened her mouth to answer, only for the Nine-Tails to cut her off roughly.
"I already know your name!"
Kushina smiled a little sheepishly.
"Stinking-uh, Nine-Tails, then what do you want?"
"I want to go out and meet your Little Brother Nobuhiko."
The Nine-Tails watched Kushina with a playful look in his eyes.
"No. Absolutely not."
The moment Kushina heard that the Nine-Tails wanted to meet her Little Brother Nobuhiko, she refused without a second thought.
"I can promise you that once I take over your body, I'll only talk to him. I won't damage Konoha at all."
"Do you dare trust me?"
For once, the Nine-Tails was serious.
Feeling the Nine-Tails' piercing gaze, Kushina understood the importance of this matter.
"Can I go out and ask Sister Tsunade?"
"Don't disappoint me!"
The Nine-Tails gave Kushina a meaningful look.
Outside, when Kushina woke up, she found herself lying on the sofa, with Sister Tsunade and Little Brother Nobuhiko sitting in front of it.
"Sister Kushina, you're finally awake."
Nobuhiko greeted her "anxiously."
"Everything all right?"
Tsunade was very concerned about Kushina, too.
Kushina then told them what had just happened.
Tsunade also understood the importance of the matter, but clearly, the Nine-Tails meant for only the three of them to know about it.
This is a problem.
Seeing Tsunade and Kushina torn over the matter, Nobuhiko, who understood Kurama's personality, decided to take the initiative.
"Sister Tsunade, Sister Kushina, I think we can give it a try."
"Why?"
The two asked in unison.
"Clearly, this could very well be the Nine-Tails giving Sister Kushina a chance. It's also possible that he's lying to her."
"I think we should try, whether it's true or not."
"What if it's a lie? A lot of people in the village would die, and the losses would be devastating."
"Sister Tsunade, Sister Kushina chose to sacrifice herself for the village and become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
"From the time she became the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki until now, no one has cared about the harm she's suffered, whether it came from the Nine-Tails or from people in the village."
"Now Sister Kushina clearly has a chance to try making peace with the Nine-Tails, but if she turns it down because she's worried about the villagers getting hurt, who will bear the harm she suffers in the future?"
"The villagers or the Hokage?"
"Besides, I don't really know the other villagers."