"You're saying someone is deliberately guiding Naruto, altering his thoughts?"
Uzumaki Kushina's expression turned terrifying, though she forced her tone to remain calm. Despite her limited remaining lifespan, she could still summon her full strength for Naruto's sake.
After carefully recalling Naruto's behavior, Kushina did find it odd—and the more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Even Namikaze Minato had his limits. When something crossed them, his expression would turn frightening. As for Kushina, she had been fighting since her school days, from classmates to genin, earning her the nickname "Red Hot Habanero."
Naruto's temperament didn't resemble either of theirs. If not for Hyuga Mirai's probing reminder, Kushina might never have noticed. Now that she thought about it, Naruto's personality seemed excessively sunny. Had he ever even gotten angry?
"Is it the Third Hokage?"
Kushina's gaze darkened as she thought of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the one who constantly preached about sacrifice and the Will of Fire. She had been too absorbed in her training to pay much attention to Naruto.
Hyuga Mirai shook his head. "He doesn't have that capability. This kind of subtle, undetectable influence can only come from Asura's chakra—the greatest treasure within Naruto, far more valuable than the Nine-Tails."
"Asura?"
This was the first time Kushina had heard the name, but since it concerned Naruto, she had to know more. "Who is Asura? When did he place his chakra inside Naruto?"
"That's none of your concern, Mrs. Kushina." Hyuga Mirai glanced at her dismissively. "You don't have much time left. Dwelling on this won't solve anything. Just pretend you never heard it and enjoy what little time remains."
"How can I just pretend I never heard it?!"
Kushina angrily reached for Mirai's collar, but her hand was intercepted halfway by Uzumaki Ayaka.
"Kushina, if you dare disrespect Lord Mirai again, don't blame me for teaching you a lesson!"
Ayaka's eyes were filled with warning, like a lion guarding its prey, her entire body radiating hostility.
"Ayaka, do you like this guy?!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?! Lord Mirai is my benefactor, Kushina!"
Ayaka shouted to mask her embarrassment. Fortunately, the barrier jutsu was still active, or her voice alone would have woken up half the neighborhood.
Mirai rubbed his ears lightly. If the conversation wasn't steered back on track soon, these two would derail it completely.
"Let's return to the main topic."
Kushina, reminded of Naruto's situation, composed herself and spoke solemnly. "Please, Mirai, tell me how to deal with the issue with Naruto."
"I refuse. I don't do things for free, Mrs. Kushina. Instead of empty pleas, think about what you can offer me. There's no such thing as a free lunch."
Mirai's pragmatic refusal left no room for argument. He had no personal ties to Kushina, and her blunt request wasn't enough to sway him.
"And don't think about asking Tsunade for help. I'm the only one who knows about Asura's chakra. Her medical ninjutsu won't assist you—she's currently in my lab, researching a groundbreaking field of ninjutsu."
Mirai didn't hide Tsunade's affiliation with his organization from Kushina. She had few lifelines left, and now Mirai had severed another.
"Even Lady Tsunade... Slug, did you know about this?"
"I'm unaware, Lady Kushina. Lady Tsunade hasn't summoned me in a long time. Unless the summoner initiates the contract, I'm uninformed about her affairs."
The slug's voice was gentle. Though it hadn't dispelled its summoning to return to Shikkotsu Forest, it had remained quietly by Kushina's side. The one who had earlier suggested Kushina learn Shikkotsu Forest's sage mode was its main body, the Great Slug Sage. Having nearly killed its summoner with bad advice, this slug clone didn't dare make a sound, fearing the topic would resurface.
Kushina's expression darkened further.
The few people she could turn to had all joined the other side. When she thought about it, she truly had nothing of value to offer.
"The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques..."
"I've already retrieved all the sealing techniques from the Uzushiogakure vault, Kushina," Ayaka interrupted before she could finish.
Even the one thing of value she possessed was something they already had.
Watching Kushina rack her brains, Mirai shook his head. "Mrs. Kushina, think carefully—haven't you overlooked your greatest bargaining chip? You yourself hold the most value."
What?!
Kushina's eyes widened, but before her imagination could run wild, Mirai continued:
"The only thing that interests me is the Asura chakra inside Naruto. And for Naruto, you are his greatest support. If Konoha becomes untenable, take him somewhere else."
Mirai's words left Kushina silent. Though she had many grievances with Konoha, leaving had never crossed her mind.
Most importantly, Naruto was the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. If they fled, Konoha would hunt them down. Other villages would covet the Nine-Tails inside him—they might even extract it immediately, since Naruto, as an outsider, wouldn't be trusted.
Right now, Kushina only cared about Naruto. And to him, other villages were even less safe than Konoha.
"Mrs. Kushina, it seems your attachment to Konoha isn't as deep as before. Are you worried about Naruto's safety? Other villages might be questionable, but the Sand Federation won't do what you fear."
Mirai smiled and slowly stood.
"You'll make your decision when the time comes. But forgive me for what I'm about to do today, Mrs. Kushina. Even if you survive, Konoha's trust in you may not remain..."
Before Kushina could process his words, Ayaka suddenly bound her tightly with adamantine chains.
"Ayaka, what are you doing?!"
"Save your breath for later, Kushina. Lord Mirai is saving your life!"
With that, Ayaka dispelled the barrier jutsu.
Mirai moved behind Kushina, activating his Tenseigan chakra mode—his control over Yin-Yang Release greatly enhanced in this state.
Then, he placed a hand on Kushina's neck. Yang chakra and sage chakra surged into her body, circulating once before solidifying into a curse seal.
"Ahhh!!"
The pain of the seal's implantation made Kushina scream. With the sound barrier gone, the ANBU outside heard her immediately.
"Something's wrong with the jinchūriki!"
After signaling each other, the ANBU stormed into the house. Their priority was Naruto—when they reached the second floor, they found him trying to rush downstairs.
Uncertain of the situation below, the ANBU secured the Nine-Tails jinchūriki first, carrying Naruto away.
"Let me go! Mom's still inside—!"
*Thud!*
Naruto was knocked out before he could struggle much. Their mission was to protect the jinchūriki; Kushina was secondary.
With one ANBU taking Naruto away, the others cautiously approached the first floor.
Through the window, they saw Kushina collapsed on the ground as if attacked, with two figures beside her—a red-haired woman and... Hyuga Mirai.
"Signal the alert—it's Hyuga—!"
Before the ANBU could finish, adamantine chains shattered the wall, lashing toward them.
"Dodge!"
The ANBU leaped aside, avoiding the first strike, but the chains pursued them midair, binding and slamming them unconscious.
"Ayaka, is this enough?"
"It's enough. Let Konoha investigate on their own. We're leaving."
Mirai walked out without another glance at the unconscious Kushina.
With the curse seal implanted, Kushina no longer needed to worry about her dwindling lifespan. Though alerting the ANBU had been a means of pressuring her, she couldn't reap benefits without cost. Having solved her mortality issue, she had to pay something in return.
As for the ANBU tracing this back to the Uchiha clan—well, if Uchiha Fugaku hadn't been so evasive and exploitative, Mirai wouldn't have resorted to this.
He had come to Konoha in good faith to negotiate with Fugaku, even making promises. But Fugaku had only wanted to use him as leverage to improve the Uchiha's standing.
If both sides were playing games, it came down to who was better. Now, with the jinchūriki's home invaded again, the ANBU would trace it straight to the Uchiha. Even with three mouths, Fugaku wouldn't be able to explain it away.
Just like the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, the Sharingan in its eyes had forever tainted the Uchiha's reputation.
After leaving Kushina's residence, Mirai and Ayaka departed through another route.
Returning to the Uchiha compound was unnecessary—No. 18 would handle the rest.
Now, all that remained was to leave Konoha. Though this trip hadn't been perfect, it had achieved its goals.
As a cherry blossom petal drifted down, Ayaka mused aloud, "The cherry blossoms are so beautiful, Lord Mirai. Let's plant some at the base when we return."
Mirai promptly smacked her head. "Plant cherry blossoms? You didn't even realize you were under genjutsu. Focus on training when we get back."
As he spoke, a torrent of cherry blossom petals cascaded around them like rain.
(End of Chapter)