As for what had happened with Sora Hyuga...
Araki had no regrets.
Anyone who wanted to draw more attention to him was indirectly threatening his life!
"I'm done."
Kushina spoke those few simple words as though they had drained every last ounce of her strength.
Even now, she still seemed distracted. Everything that had happened over the past few days felt like a dream.
She could not even remember some of the details clearly.
She had muddled her way through it all.
She was too young. After sensing the monster sealed inside her, she always felt intensely uneasy, along with a sense of detachment. Sometimes, she felt as though she were a monster herself.
Grandma Mito had told her to fill her heart with love and face life with optimism.
But...
Was it really that easy?
Kushina knew she had become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. This was still a secret in Konoha, known to very few people, which would allow her to get through another stretch of life smoothly.
That way, before everyone knew she was a monster, they would still interact with her normally.
But if they found out one day...
Just imagining her friends' disgusted looks and distant attitudes brought a needle-sharp pain to Kushina's heart, making her question whether she should keep making friends.
Without friends, she would never be betrayed by them. She might be a little lonelier, but at least she would not get hurt.
"You're all right, aren't you?"
Just as Kushina wrapped herself in her inner world, lost in all sorts of negative emotions, Araki's voice slowly rang out, pulling her out of her spiraling thoughts.
After saying that, Araki tossed his schoolbag on the floor, already preparing to leave to train.
He had to train every day, without slacking off for even a single day, pouring his limited time into endless training. Only then could he achieve the greatest improvement in the shortest time.
"Araki..."
Seeing that Araki was about to leave, Kushina's heart lurched, and she suddenly grew anxious about losing what she had. She looked at him, her feelings incredibly complicated toward the first person her age she had met in Konoha, and the first person she had considered a friend.
"Are we friends?"
Kushina stared fixedly at Araki. After asking the question, she clenched her hands tightly, her palms involuntarily beginning to sweat. She was different from when she had first arrived. Her identity as a Jinchūriki had given her an intense sense of inferiority.
"Of course we are."
Araki answered almost without hesitation. In truth, when he had seen the note Kushina had left, he had already accepted this gentle, adorable girl and acknowledged their bond.
Now that he was seeing Kushina again, he also felt a sense of resonance with her.
In a sense, they shared the same plight. It was just that one had her talent exposed, while the other had kept his hidden.
If Araki's own talent were discovered, his situation might not be much better than Kushina's. He would feel that same intense helplessness.
"What if I turned into a monster one day?"
Kushina asked cautiously, growing even more nervous. The moment the words left her mouth, she began to regret them, but the answer mattered far too much to her.
Chapter 27: I'm standing with my friend
The instant Araki heard those words, he understood what Kushina really wanted to ask. Unless something unexpected had happened, Kushina had already become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki by now.
This was an era when Jinchūriki had yet to gain acceptance!
Unlike the later era of Naruto, Jinchūriki were still vessels at this point. Not only did the village's higher-ups view them as tools, but they also sparked fear among ordinary people.
It was precisely this situation that made Jinchūriki reluctant to acknowledge their identities, using avoidance to hide their fragile self-esteem.
In truth...
Every Jinchūriki hoped to gain people's acceptance!
They needed love to fill the emptiness in their hearts and hoped to be treated kindly, yet lacked the courage to take that step.
To some extent, for Kushina to ask Araki of her own accord now had already taken tremendous courage. She had even mentally prepared herself to get hurt.
"What are you thinking...?"
Araki abruptly stopped walking toward the door and slowly turned his head to look at Kushina. He noticed how she had unconsciously lowered her head slightly. Much of her former confidence and enthusiasm had faded, replaced by an indescribable sense of inferiority.
"How could you be a monster?"
Araki spoke casually, deliberately keeping his tone light because he did not want to put any more pressure on Kushina.
However.
Araki did not give her a direct answer.
He also wanted to use this approach to see how much more Kushina would say.
At least, he did not think the conversation would end like this.
He simply stayed instead of leaving, still watching Kushina. Although he had already accepted this girl, he wanted to understand her a little more deeply. After all, they had only known each other for a few days.
"I said what if!"
Kushina abruptly raised her hand, her dark eyes filled with determination, as though she would not be satisfied without an answer. Yet amid the faint wavering in her pupils, there was also a hint of relief. Not hearing the words she feared most had given her burdened heart a tiny bit of breathing room. Still, having taken her question this far, she absolutely could not leave it there!
"What if I really turned into a monster!"
"A terrifying, enormous monster!"
"And I lost consciousness!"
"Would you still be my friend?"
Words poured from Kushina's mouth like machine-gun fire. She spoke very quickly, not daring to linger on any sentence. By the time she had finished, her face had grown much paler, as though she had exhausted all her strength.
After speaking, Kushina lowered her head again, not daring to look at Araki's reaction for fear of seeing something that would disappoint her.
At that moment, Araki gave Kushina a long look.
He could tell that this might be the last time Kushina asked this question. In her current state, she absolutely could not ask a third time today, and after today, she probably would no longer feel so compelled to get an answer.
Araki knew very well that if he decided to sever his bond with Kushina, this was the best opportunity.
At this point in time, Kushina was undoubtedly at the most helpless moment of her life, and perhaps there was no one besides him she could lean on like this.
But...
After Araki thought of that note...
He did not want to do that.
Araki was a transmigrator. When he had first arrived in Konoha, he did not know the language here. Unable to understand or speak it, he had been engulfed in intense loneliness. On top of that, possessing the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, with its immense research value, had filled his heart with intense fear.
Back then, one line had kept repeating in Araki's mind.
Alone in a foreign land, a stranger far from home!
All along, Araki had only wanted to protect himself, keep a low profile, and quietly develop. Beneath that protective shell of his, no one had been willing to make friends with him.
Kushina was the exception!
So Araki did not want to sever this rare bond lightly, especially since he seemed to see his former self in Kushina: that stranger in Konoha whose only companions were loneliness and fear.
"Even if you're a monster, we're still friends."
Araki enunciated each word clearly. He rarely looked this serious and solemn, and he did so to make sure Kushina understood what he meant.
"Really?" Kushina suddenly opened her eyes wide and snapped her head up to meet Araki's gaze. Her eyes held intense longing and worry, afraid that everything before her might suddenly disappear.
"Really." Araki nodded without hesitation. He understood that this kind of acceptance was what Kushina needed most right now. The more firmly he behaved, the more reassured she would feel.
"Phew..."
Kushina immediately took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, trying hard to calm herself. Then her expression grew serious and earnest, and her gaze became utterly resolute as she stared at Araki.
"If one day..."
"I mean, if..."
"I turn into a monster!"
"You have to stay far away from me!"
"I don't want to hurt you!"
Kushina pressed her lips together and spoke heavily. She could not reveal too much to Araki, not only because this was Konoha's secret, but also because she did not want him to choose to break his word after learning the truth. Right now, Araki had already given her the answer she wanted to hear. Even if she was only numbing herself, she was very satisfied with it.
"There's no need for that."
Araki shook his head and turned around again, leaving Kushina staring at his inexplicable retreating figure and instantly throwing into confusion the emotions that had just moved her.
Then...
Araki stepped toward the door.
When his right hand reached the door lock, he did not open the door. Instead, he stopped where he was, still keeping his back to Kushina.
"Actually, I've never had any friends. You're my only friend."
Araki was not lying about that. Before seeing that note, part of him had indeed regarded Kushina as trouble. But that note seemed to possess a unique magic, striking the most vulnerable part of his heart like a heavy hammer.
"So I don't care whether you're a monster!"
"Even if you really become a monster, I'd have no reason to leave you!"
"I'll fight by your side!"
Araki spoke casually. After saying that, he immediately turned the lock, opened the door, and prepared to leave.
"Why?"
Kushina's voice suddenly rose several notches, seemingly startled by Araki's words. She immediately asked, "You're going to stand with a monster?"
"I'm standing with my friend."
After those final words, Araki left, closing the door behind him. Kushina was left alone, staring blankly at the door. The thoughts in her heart kept surging, refusing to settle for a long time, and tears once again spilled from her reddened eyes.
Chapter 28: The young detective squad
Araki knew what he was saying, and he knew what he was doing.