On the other side, Uzumaki Mito's seal was still unstable.
Her half–tailed beast form hadn't fully receded.
The seventh tail was twitching, trying to form again.
Kazuki frowned and dismissed True Several Thousand Hands.
The chakra consumption was absurd.
It was easily a hundred times more draining than the Wood Golem Technique.
Only someone like Hashirama Senju—a walking chakra reservoir—could sustain it long-term.
Kazuki descended slowly, holding Kushina.
He looked at her gently.
"Wait here."
Kushina nodded quickly.
"Kazuki, I know sealing techniques!"
"Let me do it!"
Kazuki smiled faintly.
"I'll handle it."
He didn't doubt her talent.
But she was still inexperienced.
Unlike him—
He had inherited Uzumaki Ashina's complete sealing knowledge.
"Kazuki, you don't even understand Uzumaki sealing!" she insisted anxiously.
"No one understands Uzumaki sealing better than I do."
Before she could argue further—
He vanished.
He reappeared in front of Uzumaki Mito.
Inside her spiritual world, Kurama roared in frustration.
"Let me out!"
The Nine-Tails regretted everything.
If he hadn't gotten cocky earlier—
If he had just escaped—
Even if he couldn't win, he could've fled.
Now?
He had provoked the worst possible opponent.
He wanted to punch himself.
Mito strained against the seal.
"Kazuki! Call Kushina over! Strengthen the seal!"
Kurama's voice echoed through her body.
"Release me!"
Kazuki glanced at her calmly.
"Stay inside."
He raised his right hand.
Five chakra natures manifested on his fingertips.
Mito's eyes widened.
"That's… the Five Elements Seal?"
But then she realized—
No.
It was more refined.
More complete.
Before she could stop him—
Kazuki pressed his palm onto the seal.
"It's over!" Mito shouted instinctively. "You can't reinforce it like that—!"
Kazuki paused and looked at her.
"You understand sealing?"
This was Uzumaki Ashina's ultimate method.
Five Elements Seal combined with the Four Symbols Seal.
The optimal reinforcement structure.
He formed another seal with his left hand—
And pressed again.
Inside Mito's spiritual world—
Kurama laughed for half a second.
He thought Kazuki was helping him break free.
Then—
Chains.
Endless chains wrapped around him.
The half-open gate slammed shut.
One lock.
Two.
Three.
The original seal—
Plus the Five Elements Seal—
Plus the Four Symbols Seal.
Triple reinforcement.
Kurama froze.
Then roared in despair.
Mito's body trembled—
And instantly returned to full human form.
Silence.
She stared at Kazuki.
"…That worked?"
She didn't understand.
She truly didn't.
She had studied sealing her entire life.
But what Kazuki just did—
Was on another level.
Kushina rushed forward.
"Grandma Mito! Are you okay?!"
Mito checked herself carefully.
"I… think so?"
She genuinely wasn't sure.
Those two additional seals were beyond her comprehension.
Kazuki explained calmly,
"The seal is reinforced."
"But you won't be able to draw on as much Nine-Tails chakra in the future."
Mito nodded.
"That's fine."
Meanwhile—
The Two-Tails watched in horror as Kurama was shoved back inside.
Its fur stood on end.
It turned to flee instantly.
"This human is insane! Wood Release and sealing? That's not normal!"
It had already decided—
Never stepping into the Land of Fire again.
But before it could escape—
"Kongō Fūsa!"
Kushina shouted.
Chakra chains burst from her back.
They wrapped around the Two-Tails, binding it tightly.
"Release me, human!"
Kazuki sighed.
"The IQ of beasts really is limited. You only repeat the same lines."
Matatabi roared.
"Who are you calling a beast?!"
It struggled violently.
Kushina's face turned pale.
Kazuki's expression darkened.
In a flash—
He appeared in front of the Two-Tails.
And kicked.
BOOM.
The mountain-sized tailed beast lifted off the ground.
Hung midair—
Then crashed down.
BOOM.
"I was talking about you."
BOOM.
"Got a problem with that?"
BOOM.
"If you're going to act like an animal—"
BOOM.
"Then stay in your place."
He slammed its head into the ground repeatedly.
The Two-Tails stopped resisting.
It didn't even dare lift its head.
In a muffled voice, it muttered,
"I'm sorry… big brother… I'm a cat… not a dog…"
"Cat or dog. Be obedient."
Everyone watching was speechless.
The Two-Tails—
A being capable of leveling Konoha—
Was being beaten like a stray animal.
Minato glanced at Sakumo.
Sakumo exhaled slowly.
"Don't look at me. My specialty is assassination."
"This… is brute force."
"I'm not his equal."
Minato swallowed.
He remembered the Third Mizukage's corpse.
Kazuki's power had skyrocketed too suddenly.
Meanwhile—
Danzo and Homura quietly retreated.
Koharu, bleeding and terrified, crawled away silently.
Where had Kazuki come from?
Sage Mode.
Hashirama's forbidden technique.
Absolute dominance.
Koharu regretted everything.
If she had known—
She never would've provoked him.
Her life felt fragile now.
She crawled—
And bumped into someone.
She slowly looked up.
Kazuki was squatting in front of her.
His golden Sage eyes stared down calmly.
"What were you saying just now?"