Voluntary?
Kushina's heart stirred, and she immediately recalled something Kyoichi had once mentioned.
The Eight-Tails' jinchūriki from Kumogakure seemed to have reached a peculiar state with its tailed beast, unleashing even greater power in battle.
Back then, Kyoichi had suggested—
The secret likely lay within the tailed beast itself, rather than being a mere issue of chakra.
And now…
It seemed Kyoichi's guess was right. The essence of that state was the beast willingly offering its chakra to the jinchūriki.
Konoha had never achieved this because, until now, the Nine-Tails had never even considered cooperating.
Even Uzumaki Mito, who tried to move it with "love," had failed.
After all…
The Nine-Tails' resentment wasn't just about being imprisoned—it also carried the grudge of Madara and Senju Hashirama.
Layer upon layer of grievances…
If it weren't for Kyoichi's recent digging into Madara's traces, they might never have discovered that Madara's contract still lingered within the Nine-Tails.
Thinking of this, Kushina turned her eyes to Kyoichi.
His expression didn't change. Instead, he said,
"It's still too early to talk about dealing with Madara. More importantly, let me make this clear again—the premise of releasing you is that it will not harm Kushina."
"Heh, as if I don't know that?"
The Nine-Tails' tone was curt, but then it paused.
The man before it was formidable, mysterious, and utterly unreadable. Best not to make an enemy of him. Its voice softened quickly.
"I understand. I agree to your earlier proposal—to split off a portion of me and set it free. As for my main body, we can wait until the technique is perfected."
"Deal…"
Kyoichi's lips curved into that same faint smile.
The Nine-Tails exhaled in relief.
This guy… really impossible to see through.
Even more foxlike than itself!
It scoffed inwardly.
The next moment, it saw Kyoichi rise to his feet, and asked nervously,
"What are you going to do?"
"Help you cut it out."
Kyoichi replied matter-of-factly, "Or what, you're still not ready to come out?"
"R-Right now?"
The Nine-Tails froze.
It had assumed Kyoichi didn't know this type of ninjutsu. Splitting a tailed beast wasn't just separating chakra—it required surgical precision.
And yet… Kanda Kyoichi knew it.
What doesn't this man know?
"Uh… right now? Shouldn't we at least call in Tsunade-hime?"
If this weren't inside the mindscape, Kushina's face would already be pale.
This was a tailed beast they were talking about. Cutting one apart and letting it out… the consequences could be catastrophic.
"No need. Don't worry."
Kyoichi shook his head lightly, then withdrew his consciousness back into his body.
Outside, he clasped his hands together. A seedling sprouted from the earth, rapidly growing into the form of a fox.
But not just any fox.
Kushina could feel it—this was no ordinary construct. It brimmed with senjutsu chakra, its wooden frame tough as iron, and at its core a strange sealing formula pulsed faintly.
"What's that formula?" Kushina asked, puzzled.
"A marking point," Kyoichi explained. "It'll gather the tailed beast's chakra here. Now, loosen the seal. I'll draw the Nine-Tails' chakra out and have it cooperate."
"…Alright."
Kushina closed her eyes. A special surge of chakra flared from her body.
Her eyes snapped open in astonishment.
This was different.
Her previous tailed beast cloak, while protective, always carried a corrosive backlash that eroded her body.
At first, her Uzumaki constitution could resist. But as the chakra built up, it would eventually overwhelm her.
She hadn't used it much—only studied it secretly—so she'd never dared to go full release.
But now—
Her body felt… better.
The Nine-Tails' chakra was protecting her, strengthening her physique, sharpening her stamina—
This was…
A true tailed beast mode!
"Hmph. My power isn't like those lesser beasts. Of course it wouldn't stop at something so crude."
The Nine-Tails sounded almost smug.
Finally, it had a moment to shine. Otherwise, around Kyoichi, it often felt like nothing but dead weight.
As expected…
It wasn't weak. The world hadn't left it behind. This boy was simply unnatural. Maybe only the Sage of Six Paths himself could match him in talent.
Nothing more to say.
The Nine-Tails felt strangely at peace.
Kushina, meanwhile, was exhilarated. She knew the strength of this form.
She had always feared losing control, feared being consumed by the beast's chakra. But now, with the Nine-Tails willingly cooperating—
That fear was gone.
Which meant… she could wield its full power.
Such overwhelming strength—hard to even imagine the limits.
"Next, I'll extract a portion of your chakra with a jutsu. When the time comes, just follow it out."
"Understood…"
The Nine-Tails recognized quality when it saw it.
This wooden fox was sturdy, resilient—more than enough to serve as a temporary vessel.
And so—
Kyoichi performed a technique akin to the Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals, drawing out the Nine-Tails' chakra from Kushina's body. Tailed beasts, being pure chakra entities, were naturally easier to divide—
Provided they cooperated.
Of course, perfectly splitting yin and yang halves would still be difficult—likely requiring the Shinigami's blade.
That price was far too steep.
But for now, this was fine.
It was like creating a shadow clone. For tailed beasts, the concept wasn't hard, but few would ever agree to it—
Because unlike humans, whose chakra would eventually return, the tailed beasts' split-off selves diverged in thought and permanently weakened the original.
Only a fool would willingly do it.
But…
The Nine-Tails had no choice. It needed a way out of Kushina.
Otherwise, with Konoha's current state, the dream of personally crushing Madara and settling old scores would remain impossible.
Especially since Konoha had no shortage of jinchūriki power already.
Not to mention Namikaze Minato. Clever as he was, he still couldn't truly restrain the beast—and likely couldn't threaten Madara either.
But Kanda Kyoichi… that was different.
And then, there was someone in Konoha who already held the Rinnegan. Who knew what that future would bring?
So if not now, then never.
Besides—
Kyoichi's offer wasn't bad at all.
With Kyoichi's control and the Nine-Tails' cooperation, the extraction succeeded.
In moments, the wooden fox swelled with the Nine-Tails' chakra.
The chakra whirled around the sealing formula, condensing into a beastly form. The wood shifted, reshaping until the effigy resembled the Nine-Tails itself.
Seconds later—
The statue had transformed into a living, breathing miniature Nine-Tails.
A bit pocket-sized, perhaps—but the chakra it contained was no small amount. Nearly one-fifth of the original's strength.
A considerable share indeed.
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