The Wood Release puppet extended its right hand. Dense Wood Release chakra gathered in its palm, gradually forming the kanji for "sit." This was a technique specifically designed to suppress tailed beast chakra. The moment it manifested, it radiated an oppressive force like invisible chains, binding down the Nine-Tails' chakra stirring restlessly inside Kushina's body.
Kenji's own chakra flared around him as his mental focus sharpened. His sensory technique was pushed to maximum sensitivity, monitoring every fluctuation in Kushina's chakra network. If the Nine-Tails' influence overwhelmed her consciousness, he'd use Yamanaka clan techniques to forcibly yank her mind back from the seal space before permanent damage could occur.
Honoka pressed her palms together in a seal. Behind her, chakra had already begun taking shape, golden light coalescing into the proto-form of chains. She was ready to deploy Adamantine Sealing Chains at a moment's notice to bind the tailed beast's chakra if it broke free.
Minato stood off to the side, his gaze locked on Kushina. His hands held a seal, maintaining a constant connection to the Flying Thunder God mark on her body. If things went wrong, he'd teleport her to safety. But more immediately, he was prepared to layer additional sealing techniques over the existing seal to reinforce it if it showed signs of weakening.
The three of them and one puppet held their breath and watched.
Kushina sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, completely immersed in her inner world. Her chakra was fluctuating violently, waves of energy radiating outward. Inside the seal space, she was clearly locked in confrontation with the Nine-Tails.
This wasn't speculation. They'd planned this approach beforehand.
To communicate with the Nine-Tails, She first needed the power to stand against it. Even Naruto, with all his protagonist plot armor and Talk-no-Jutsu mastery, wouldn't have been able to convince the Nine-Tails without sufficient strength to back up his words. Respect came from power in the tailed beasts' worldview.
So Kushina's first step was surviving as long as possible in the mental realm. With the seal weakening the beast and Wood Release chakra suppressing it, she already had a fighting chance. Her main disadvantage was the lack of a technique powerful enough to effectively damage a tailed beast. Something like the Rasengan. Today's attempt was primarily about verifying the method's feasibility and getting her first real experience confronting the Nine-Tails on semi-equal footing.
Kenji was pushing for Kushina to become a perfect jinchūriki now because he understood the timeline. The Third Great Ninja War had erupted across the continent and would end in a few years. After that, Minato would become the Fourth Hokage. And shortly after that, the Nine-Tails attack would devastate Konoha. If she could gain control of the Nine-Tails before then, she might be able to change the fate where both she and Minato died.
Ten minutes passed.
Then fifteen.
A faint red chakra cloak began manifesting around Kushina's body. It started as wisps, barely visible, then solidified into a translucent layer that clung to her skin. This was the initial stage of tailed beast transformation, still well within controllable limits. They'd agreed beforehand to only intervene once she reached the four-tail half-transformation state.
The chakra cloak thickened gradually, becoming more substantial. One tail formed from the energy, then a second, then a third. Each tail that manifested made the presence of the Nine-Tails' chakra more intense. The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
Then a fourth tail began emerging from the churning chakra.
"Get ready," Minato said quietly. "It's coming."
"Understood," Kenji and Honoka responded in unison. Both of their chakra reserves flared.
The instant the fourth tail fully formed, everything accelerated.
Dark red chakra exploded outward from Kushina's body, engulfing her completely. Her human features vanished beneath the corrosive energy. Her form twisted and distorted, taking on characteristics that resembled the Nine-Tails itself. Four tails lashed the air behind her. The half-transformation had erupted in full.
The ground beneath her feet cracked from the raw pressure of the tailed beast's chakra.
"Now!" Minato commanded.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Honoka had been holding her technique ready. Dozens of golden chains burst from her back. They flew through the air with unerring accuracy, wrapping around Kushina from multiple angles. The moment the chains made contact, their sealing power activated. The dark red chakra froze mid-surge.
At the same moment, the Wood Release puppet triggered its technique.
"Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands!"
The ground around Kushina split open with a sound like tearing earth. Four thick wooden pillars erupted from below. They shaped themselves into massive wooden arms. In the center of each palm floated the kanji for "sit."
Wood Release's natural dominance over tailed beasts flooded the area, and the dark red chakra cloak began dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye. The Nine-Tails' power, which had seemed overwhelming seconds ago, withered under the combined assault of Adamantine Sealing Chains and Wood Release suppression.
The transformation reversed completely.
The dark red chakra scattered into motes of fading energy. The four tails dissolved. Kushina's human form reemerged as the tailed beast influence was forcibly expelled from her body.
Her eyes fluttered open. Her body went limp.
Minato was already moving. He caught her before she could hit the ground, cradling her carefully. His hands moved through seals even as he held her, layering reinforcement techniques over the Nine-Tails' seal to lock it back into place after the loosening caused by partial transformation.
"Are you hurt? Kushina, can you hear me?"
Honoka withdrew her chains, the golden links retracting back into her body. The Wood Release puppet released its technique as well. The four wooden arms slowly sank back into the ground.
Kenji walked over and extended his sensory technique, checking Kushina's condition thoroughly.
"She's fine," he reported after a moment. "Just severe chakra depletion. Give her some time to rest and she'll recover."
The coordination had gone more smoothly than expected. The method was viable. They could do this again, and each time Kushina would get stronger, and more experienced at fighting the Nine-Tails on its own ground.
Kushina took several deep breaths. "I'm okay," she said weakly. "Just... really tired. Chakra's almost gone."
"How did it go?" Kenji asked. The Uzumaki clan's recovery abilities were exceptional. Despite her exhaustion, Kushina's consciousness was already stabilizing. "Were you able to communicate with the Nine-Tails?"
"Pretty well, actually!" Energy returned to Kushina's voice immediately at the mention of her achievement. "At first, that fox started yelling about eating me the second it saw me. We fought for a while, and once I proved I wasn't completely helpless, it finally calmed down enough to talk. Well, argue. We mostly argued."
She grimaced slightly.
"The problem is I don't really have any techniques that can hurt it. Toward the end, I ran out of chakra and it overwhelmed me. That's when the transformation happened."
She turned to Minato, raising her fist.
"You need to teach me that technique! Your ball thing! Next time I fight that fox, I'm going to win properly!"
"It's called the Rasengan Inspired Spiral Sphere Jiraiya-Sensei Wind Style Ball!" Minato corrected immediately.
"No! That name is terrible!" Kushina refused without hesitation.
"Is it really that bad?" Minato looked hurt. He turned to Kenji and Honoka with pleading eyes, silently asking for support.
The two exchanged a glance, then both nodded seriously.
He deflated like a punctured balloon, his shoulders sagging.
Seeing his dejected expression, Kushina softened. "You created this technique for me, right? So once I learn it, let me give it a proper name. Deal?"
"Deal!" Minato perked up immediately. "I'll teach you the Rasengan first. We'll start tomorrow if you're recovered."
"Someone's coming," Kenji said suddenly, his head turning toward the treeline. His sensory technique had picked up approaching chakra signatures. "Patrol squad, probably. They must have detected the chakra spike from the half-transformation."
Everyone turned to look in the direction he'd indicated. Soon, several figures in Konoha uniforms emerged from the forest, moving cautiously toward their position.
Kenji started to step forward to explain, but Minato stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll handle it. It'll be easier if I'm the one talking to them." He was not only Kushina's boyfriend, but also the famous Yellow Flash. His reputation would smooth over any potential complications. "You all stay here with Kushina."
True to his word, he approached the patrol squad and had a brief conversation. The ninjas glanced toward the group. After a minute of discussion, they nodded and departed back into the forest.
Minato returned carrying Kushina, who'd let him pick her up properly now that the immediate crisis had passed.
"I'll go see the Third Hokage later and explain what happened here. For the next few days, I'll need you two to help with Kushina's training while I'm working on the Wind Release integration."
"I'll come with you to see the Hokage," Kenji said. "I need to hand over Samehada anyway."
"Right, you mentioned that earlier." Minato's expression shifted to curiosity. "If you captured Samehada, that means you fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
"Three of them," Kenji confirmed. "Two are dead. One's in custody with the interrogation division."
"That's incredible." Minato gave him an approving look. "The Seven Swordsmen are elite even by jonin standards. Taking down three at once... Kiri's going to feel that loss for years. This should ease pressure on our eastern border significantly."
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen symbolized Kiri's military might. Losing three members and their legendary blades was a blow the village couldn't recover from quickly. For Konoha, it was unquestionably good news.
"Can we get ramen first?" Kushina interrupted. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning!"
"Ramen sounds perfect," Kenji agreed with a grin. "I haven't had a decent meal since getting back to the village."
"I wouldn't mind eating either," Honoka added with a gentle smile.
The sun was setting as the group left the training ground, heading toward Ramen Ichiraku.