Arata had already anticipated the Nine-Tails' intentions.
That old fox was cunning to the extreme—after being sealed inside Naruto in the future, it would constantly peer into the boy's experiences, sneering from the shadows and trying to lure him toward darkness, hoping to turn him into nothing more than the Nine-Tails' puppet.
Since Arata intended to guide Kushina and shape her into a shinobi who could reach the absolute peak of the shinobi world, there was no room for holding back.
Whether it was Hawkeye's swordsmanship, Garp's brutal physical training methods, or even the full spectrum of advanced perception techniques, he planned to teach her everything.
Even powerful ninjutsu from the shinobi world itself—techniques most people would guard with their lives—he had no intention of withholding.
This would mean that Kushina's childhood, perhaps even her entire life, would be consumed by relentless training.
But only by doing so could someone like her—whose bloodline had little direct connection to the Sage of Six Paths—have a real chance to rise to the very summit of the shinobi world and reach the level of transcendent Kage-tier power.
As for the Nine-Tails secretly observing everything, Arata didn't particularly care.
Although the beast had been created by the Sage of Six Paths, it was still an independent being with its own will. In fact, it likely harbored resentment toward the Sage himself. Letting it know these things made little difference.
Besides, even if the Nine-Tails learned Arata's methods, as long as it remained sealed inside Kushina, it wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble—much less leak those secrets to the outside world.
Arata was even less worried about Kushina herself.
She already held him in fairly high regard, and with the system's ninety-point affinity bonus, her trust in him had almost certainly reached its peak.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have followed his words so unquestioningly earlier, without the slightest hint of resistance.
Teaching his abilities to someone like that posed no risk at all.
Strictly speaking, Kushina was even more reliable than Shizune, who had already been living with Arata for some time.
After all, Shizune had once been taken into Danzō's intelligence division. Even if it hadn't been for long, there was always the possibility that some hidden seal or conditioning had been placed on her—or that her loyalty wasn't entirely unwavering.
That was why Arata had observed Shizune for quite some time and thoroughly examined her with his mental network, confirming that there were no seals or hidden triggers within her body.
Only after she demonstrated genuine diligence and resolve did he truly accept her as family.
It wasn't that Arata was cold-blooded—he had simply seen far too many of Danzō's underhanded tactics to lower his guard too early.
Now, both Shizune and Kushina belonged within that same circle.
They were people Arata genuinely intended to nurture.
Although he had many subordinates, there were very few who were both overwhelmingly powerful and worthy of complete trust. Tsunade was one of them—but she was his wife, and more importantly, her strengths lay in medical and support roles rather than charging into battle.
Shizune and Kushina, however, had the grit and determination needed to stand on the front lines.
To be considered a true right-hand ally in Arata's eyes, Kage-level strength wasn't enough.
There were plenty of shinobi at that level—he could easily create such fighters by branding someone with a control seal if he wanted.
What Arata wanted were people who followed him of their own will, whose strength could reach at least the transcendent Kage tier—or even the absolute pinnacle.
Sooner or later, Arata himself would surpass the Six Paths level. Naturally, his standards for those around him were just as high.
Anything less, and he simply wasn't interested.
After all, in the later stages of the shinobi era, elite jōnin were practically disposable, and Kage-level fighters were everywhere. Even the Five Kage had been utterly crushed when facing Uchiha Madara.
Arata had no intention of letting his companions end up like that.
At that moment, he gently patted Kushina's head and pointed toward the Nine-Tails.
"Since you've already made up your mind," he said calmly,
"go meet your future partner first. Once the Nine-Tails is sealed inside you, it'll be with you until the day you die."
Hearing this, Kushina nodded firmly without hesitation—her respect for Arata's words was obvious.
The Nine-Tails, which had been watching coldly from the side, was caught completely off guard.
It had heard clearly—Arata had called it a partner.
Not a tool.
Not a weapon.
Not a pet.
A partner.
For a being that had lived in isolation for countless years, this was almost impossible to believe.
Mito had once come the closest to earning that status—but she had died before it could truly happen.
And now, this man—whose strength rivaled Uchiha Madara—was treating it not as something disposable, but as an equal.
The Nine-Tails was shaken.
Given its bloodstained past, it knew how deeply humans despised it. Being tolerated was already rare—being acknowledged as a partner was unheard of.
In the entire history of the shinobi world, no one had ever done such a thing.
For a moment, the Nine-Tails couldn't help recalling the Sage of Six Paths' final words.
Could Arata be the savior the Sage had spoken of?
But the thought quickly felt absurd. Arata had almost no blood connection to the Sage of Six Paths at all—aside from his chakra, there was nothing linking the two.
Still, despite its doubts, the Nine-Tails found its hostility toward Arata quietly diminishing.
After all, despite all the lightning strikes, Arata had never truly tried to kill it—only restrain it and prevent further destruction.
If their roles were reversed, the Nine-Tails knew it would have already crushed Arata without hesitation.
Just then, Kushina stepped forward.
This time, she abandoned her earlier confrontational tone. Smiling warmly, she said:
"Nine-Tails, my name is Uzumaki Kushina.
From now on, we'll be fighting side by side.
And one day—I'll make you tell me your real name yourself."
For a brief moment, warmth flickered within the Nine-Tails' frozen heart.
But the next instant, it turned its head away, snorting coldly.
"Hmph. Foolish girl.
You're still far too weak to earn my recognition."