"Hup!"
Kushina let out a sharp grunt as she flipped over Kenjo's wild, sweeping swing. The large tank saw this and retaliated with a tackle, but Kushina stood her ground. Meeting him head on, they entered a brutal contest of strength.
Kushina grit her teeth knowing she was going to lose, but even as her arms trembled, the gears in her head were already turning.
"Hey, Kenjo," She said through a smirk. "In a fight… it's not about who's strongest."
She suddenly released the clash. Kenjo lurched forward, off balance. Kushina pivoted on her right foot, hands wrapped around his massive biceps, and used his own momentum to whip him clean over her hip. He went flying into the wall with a thundering crash.
"Better luck next, bucko." She dusted her hands. "You can't beat me just yet."
"Argh—man!" Kenjo groaned as he rolled back to his feet. "I thought I had you there."
"You're too single-minded." Kushina wagged a finger. "That's not gonna work against someone equal or stronger than you."
She extended a hand. Kenjo took it, still catching his breath.
"It's not about overpowering your opponent," Kushina said. "The stronger fighter is the one who throws the move their enemy never sees coming."
"Lure them into a false sense of security and then…" She clapped her hands together with a sharp crack. "Strike!"
"Right…" Kenjo nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Where'd you learn that from?"
Kushina's smile faltered a bit. "It was… from my husband. He was a genius…" Her smile settled into something more melancholic. "...and the biggest idiot."
Kenjo chuckled. "Ha! Sounds like the kind of guy I'd get along with."
That broke her out of her reverie. "What?" She asked, raising a brow. "The genius part or the idiot?"
Kenjo just bellowed out a hearty laugh that was contagious enough to make Kushina form a genuine smile.
Above the sparring mats, on the upper walkway overlooking the training bay, Atsushi Kumamoto leaned over the railing, elbows propped lazily.
"Whoa…" he breathed out. "She's so pretty."
His dark eyes stayed locked on Kushina, drinking in every fluid movement she made. The way she pivoted. The way she struck. The way she smiled. He was utterly entranced.
He closed his eyes, heat rushing to his cheeks beneath the surgical mask. His mind drifted far away from the training hall—into a world where Kushina towered confidently over him, strong arms pinning him in place.
Her long red hair spilled around them like a crimson curtain, shutting out everything but them.
In his imagination, Kushina moved closer—close enough to tug his mask down with a teasing smile, close enough that he could feel her breath brush his lips. He swore that he could practically feel her closing in—
He breathed out shakily, lost in the fantasy.
Meanwhile, in the real world, the glass doors to the training room slide open.
Kanae stepped inside, immediately spotting the familiar shock of greasy, black hair leaning over the railing. Atsushi's elbows rested on the handrail as quiet, delirious giggles bubbled out of him.
Kanae blinked.
'What… is wrong with him now?' she wondered, cautiously approaching her very unstable teammate.
"Hey, Atsushi," Kanae called out, guarded. Red mana flickered around her fists, just enough to be ready. "You're not gonna go crazy right now, are you?"
Atsushi's eyes popped open, broken from his delirium. "Huh? What—?" He whipped around so fast his coat nearly flew off, hands flailing in frantic denial.
"I'm not doing anything!" he blurted. "Just… totally normal thoughts going on up here. Yep. Perfectly normal. Completely sane."
Strained, high-pitched laughter escaped him—the kind of laugh that made Kanae instinctively take half a step back.
She eyed him for a long second, mana still faintly swirling around her knuckles. But when nothing violent happened, the red glow faded from her hands.
"Right…" Kanae muttered, still unsure but relieved he wasn't about to launch into one of his episodes. "If you say so."
Atsushi nodded vigorously, still sweating. "Totally fine! Nothing weird at all!"
"So what were you giggling about, huh?" Kanae asked, looking down at the training bay.
"Uh… nothing," He answered, shaking his head. "Just a… joke I thought of. Yeah, that's it."
Kanae gave him a long, flat stare. "Yeah. Totally believe that." She turned back to the mats below, where Kushina was wiping the floor with Kenjo for the umpteenth time. "I see Kushina's down there."
"Woah, really?" Atsushi placed a hand over his eyes, like he was looking for something far away. "You know what? You're right! I had no idea."
Suddenly her eyes lit up like she'd just realized something. Atsushi felt an unmistakable chill run down his spine.
"Wow." Kanae snorted, mirthful crimson eyes cutting into him. "You really are whipped, you psycho."
"Huh?" Atsushi looked at her like she was the crazy one. "What're you talking about?"
"I never thought I'd see you act like this, psycho. I don't know if it's adorable or pathetic."
"What act? And can you stop calling me a psycho!"
"Woah, my bad…" Kanae held her hands up. A teasing smirk playing on her lips the entire time. "But I'm willing to bet this is the longest you've stuck around headquarters in weeks."
"A bet you're gonna lose…" Atsushi grumbled, looking off to the side.
"I bet you can't get enough of this can you?" She leaned in, studying him like an exhibit. "Seeing Kushina all hot and sweaty… It's got you feeling some type of way."
"I don't know what you're talking about." He vehemently denied, refusing to meet her gaze. Behind the mask, his face felt like it was boiling.
"Oh, you know," Kanae said, shrugging with a wicked grin. "I mean, I don't judge. She's a sight to behold… especially when she's all hot and sweaty."
"Shut up!"
Atsushi blurted so loudly that it echoed across the chamber—loud enough to interrupt the sparring match below.
"What's going up there?" Kushina broke her stance, looking up toward the balcony with a curious frown.
Kenjo squinted in the same direction. "It looks as if the meek fellow and Kanae are in an argument."
"Yeah," She tilted her head, hands on her hips. "It looks that way. About what though?"
"Should we really ask?" Kenjo gave her a knowing stare.
"You're probably right." Kushina grimaced. "Best leave it to them to figure out."
"Look. As much as I love… whatever this is." Kanae gestured to his entire being. "I didn't come to watch you squirm."
Atsushi glared, frowning behind his mask. "Then what did you come here for?"
"Here." She handed him a ticket. "It's the plane ticket for tomorrow morning. The Vice President wanted me to hand them out to those on-premises."
"Ah." Atsushi accepted it with a nod, pocketing inside his jacket. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." She said, before her eyes regained that teasing glint. "Don't you wanna be the one to hand these off to Kushina?"
"Fuck you, Kanae." He cursed, making his leave through the glass doors.
"Huh?" She blinked. "Didn't think he had it in him."
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.
"So, this is the final floor?" Minato asked.
The sky was blocked out by dark clouds that looked ready to pour down buckets. What looked like snow drifted lazily through the air. Although Minato soon realized the flakes were cold ash, not ice. Buildings abandoned and in ruin. It was a stark contrast to the regal demon noble castles and fiery hellscapes they'd passed through earlier.
Desolate, cold, almost lonely.
"Yeah." Jinwoo answered, eyes fixed ahead.
"It doesn't look like there's a castle in sight," Minato squinted, placing a hand over his eyes. "Esil?"
"Demon King Baran is almost entirely a creature of instinct." Esil replied. "Originally, he was an unintelligent demon. He doesn't care for the lavish lives of the nobles he commands. Architecture, comfort, rulership—it means nothing to him." She explained.
"So no castle, then," Minato concluded.
Esil nodded with a small grunt of confirmation.
Deep in the depths of Minato's subconscious, The Nine Tails cracked a single eye open. A low rumble escaped him, irritation flaring as a colossal power washed through the mental realm—power enough to disturb even him.
"Forth Hokage," The beast growled, forcibly dragging Minato into the mental realm. "Whatever's coming… its aura feels like that of a tailed beast."
Minato frowned. "Is that right?" He squared his shoulders, a familiar calm settling over him. The kind he had just before a major battle. "You think it's stronger than you?"
The Nine Tails scoffed. "Don't ask stupid questions. Just prepare yourself."
"If I didn't know any better," Minato said, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I'd think you were worried about me."
The fox's slit crimson eyes narrowed with murderous intent. "It's a good thing you don't, then."
Without hesitation, the Nine Tails kicked him clean out of the mental realm. Minato gasped as reality snapped back into place.
"Something's coming." Jinwoo said, gaze fixed on the swirling black clouds above. He summoned his daggers into his hands, appearing in a spark of light.
A deep rumble rolled through the sky—like distant thunder. The black clouds tore open as a massive winged beast burst free, covered in silver scales like steel, its wings beating hard enough to scatter the clouds. Its shriek ripped across the heavens, enough to rattle Minato's bones as it descended in a sweeping arc. The creature landed atop the tallest peak of the ruined city, stone cracking under its weight. Slowly, the beast lowered its head on the perch, and only then did the true threat reveal itself.
"Demon King Baran," Esil whispered. Her entire body trembled—just being in his presence was enough to rip strength from her limbs.
Baran's form was monstrous. Massive, iron-hard muscles beneath gray skin; four horns protruding from his skull, two long and wildly curved. His eyes glowed a burning red, and white, flame-like hair drifted behind him in the wind. A long tail flicked lazily behind him. Pieces of yellow armor and an ornate gray helm completed the image of a demon king ready for battle.
'Wyvern?' Jinwoo blinked as the system window flickered before him. 'Other than Esil's horse, that's the first non-demonic creature I've seen here... Does that mean I can extract its shadow?'
His lips twitched at the thought. Claiming the wyvern for himself. He wondered what it would feel like to soar so high—looking down on everyone. The thought itself was enticing enough to cast away any doubt about facing the monster.
'The Nine Tails was right,' Minato tightened his grip around a kunai, gaze locked on Baran. 'He really is like a tailed beast…such power.'
Minato's sensory perception wasn't as sharp as Jinwoo's—not normally— but even he could feel it. Baran exuded a pressure far greater than anything else the demon castle had thrown at them.
"It would seem that Baran is truly worthy of his title as Demon King." Minato's cerulean eyes shifted to Jinwoo. Despite the overwhelming aura, Minato radiated composure—confidence rolling off him in waves. "Wouldn't you say, Jinwoo?"
"Yeah." Jinwoo said quietly, eyes never leaving their new enemy.
Baran gripped the reigns of his mount, pulling the glowing blue sword, crackling with lightning, from his hip. The wyvern beat its wings just hard enough to lift them into a steady hover overhead. Wordlessly, he levelled the electrified blade at the trio below.
Arcs of lightning burst from the blade, striking the ground in a flash.
'He wasn't aiming for us?' Minato realized, eyes narrowing.
Countless purple doors spawned into existence following the lightning strikes. Doors to another space that housed the army of Baran surrounded the trio in seconds.
Minato only had a beat to process the manipulation of space-time on such a large scale before demons emerged from the doors. Dozens, then hundreds—beings as strong as high demon knights, nobles, generals, commanders… and even the mindless demon beasts followed in their wake.
"There's no shortage of them," Jinwoo calmly noted, stepping back to reassess his plan of attack.
"No kidding." Minato replied, equally as calm.
"W-What should we do?" Esil stammered, holding up her double-sided spear with trembling hands.
The demonkin charged at the motion of Baran's swing. Bloodlust rolled toward them like a physical wave, thick and overbearing.
"Sir Jinwoo! Sir. Minato!" Esil's voice cracked as her courage faltered. "W-We have to run!"
Minato felt his own instincts twitch—his body screaming in agreement with Esil —but Jinwoo's hand shot out, gripping his shoulder.
"Not yet." He said, quietly.
The look he gave Minato wasn't bravado. It wasn't recklessness. It was conviction.
Minato swallowed. 'Just what are you planning?'
Around them, shadows stretched—rippling outward in a massive, ever-expanding arc that swallowed the ground like a living tide.
"Jinwoo…" Minato warned. "Whatever you have cooking up in your head—better do it fast!"
The demon army was close enough now that Minato could smell their breath—the terrible stench of decay and rot rushing toward them with every thunderous step.
Jinwoo narrowed his eyes, shimmering a soft blue in anticipation.
"Jinwoo!"
"Sir Jinwoo!"
Minato and Esil shouted at the same time.
Right as the first few dozen demons stepped into the giant shadow, Jinwoo activated his trump card.
[Skill: 'Domain of the Monarch' activated]
"Come out!" Jinwoo roared.
Spears, swords, axes, and lances burst out of the group like the ground itself was a trap. Demons were impaled in the dozens—screams drowned out by the violent eruption of black steel. Instantly, the battlefield erupted into something that resembled hell more than anything the demon realm had to offer.
Tusk spawned in and with a single wave of his hand—Orb of Avarice glowing with power—summoned a blazing inferno. Demons screamed as they were cremated in the sea of flames.
Once the flames ceased, the rest of Jinwoo's generals in Igris, Tank and Iron led the vicious assault on the scrambled forces of Baran's army from hell.
"I had no idea Sir Jinwoo could fight like this," Esil breathed out in astonishment. "But…That's the Demon Monarch Baran."
She watched Jinwoo's back, his cloak flapping from the gale force winds Tusk had produced.
"Yeah… he sure is something, isn't he?" Minato brought the demonic princess out of her own thoughts.
"Mm-hm," Esil nodded, her eyes drifting upward to Baran's towering figure.
'These two…' she thought, unease twisting in her chest. 'They're both intruders—I should be fighting with the Monarch.' She looked up at Baran's towering figure.
Baran's response was to shoot up a condensed beam of lightning magic from his mouth into the clouds above. The sky exploded into a violent storm, arcs of deadly lightning crashing down on the battlefield. Jinwoo's shadow soldiers were being destroyed by Baran's natural disaster.
"Well, that's bad!" Minato shouted over the deafening thunder.
A lightning bolt honed in on Esil like a heat seeking missile.
Jinwoo's eyes widened. He spun around, already moving. "Watch out, you two!" he yelled, sprinting back toward them.
'Damnit! I don't have any markers placed!' Minato cursed internally as he reached into his pouch. He yanked out a kunai and held it up between him and Esil.
[Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder]
Using a single hand he blurred through a rapid sequence of signs. A crack in space time just as the lightning struck—kanji scribbled onto reality itself as the bolt was consumed by the rip disappearing in a blinding flash.
"Nice!" Jinwoo said, exhaling as tension left his shoulders, a relieved smile breaking through. "That's a new one."
"Not done yet." Minato said, raising his kunai.
Space time ripped once again but this time right on Baran's head. The bolt flashed from the space-time rip and smashed into him—but he shrugged it off like a minor inconvenience.
"He's quite sturdy." Minato frowned at the poor results.
Jinwoo glared up at the unshaken Monarch—the storm still tearing his shadow army up. 'That lightning isn't ordinary… It's only targeting my shadow soldiers.'
He observed some of his high level soldiers like the Orcs and his generals were able to withstand the blasts but left vulnerable to attack regardless. 'It also induces a sort of stun as well.'
"Minato! Keep Esil out of danger!" Jinwoo ordered, already sprinting into the carnage to help out his army.
"Got it."
[Shadow Clone Jutsu]
A perfect copy of Minato appeared at his side. No words needed— they shared the same thoughts. The clone scooped Esil into his arms and leapt back to safety.
The real Minato blurred forward, a single kunai in hand splitting into four—then eight.
Each one glowed with the Flying Thunder God sealing spell.
"Alright…" Minato smirked, flicking them with swift, accurate motions. "It's time for… Spiraling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three!"
He flung eight kunai into the demon horde.
And then—
A golden streak tore through the battlefield.
To the demons, there was a flash of light and a trail of bodies following soon after. A hundred demons cut down nigh instantaneously like a farmer harvesting wheat.
Minato reappeared at the end of the trail, spinning another kunai around his finger.
"Woah," Jinwoo widened his eyes. "I know he's just teleporting, but… that was fast."
A cluster of demons lunged for Jinwoo, but two of his shadow generals intercepted them.
Igris swung his blade in a sweep arc that cleaved through flesh and bone. Iron smashed a couple of demons with a shield charge and hammer strike down combination that shook the ground.
"Thanks you two—"
He was cut off by a bleep and a message from the system. His MP was going down—and fast.
Jinwoo looked up at the wyvern—trying to calculate his best course of action. 'That bastard's flying high and depleting my reserves because I have to constantly regenerate my shadow soldiers.'
His eyes spotted the dilapidated building that the wyvern used as a perch.
'If I time it right, I can reach him using that.' Jinwoo thought. 'I can't have him see my approach though, so I'll use stealth. Hide myself in the chaos—then strike!'
Set on his plan, Jinwoo rushed forward mowing down a few demons along the way.
[Skill: 'Sprint' activated]
[Skill: 'Stealth' activated]
His speed increased by 30% as Jinwoo became undetectable to any form of sensory perception. Speeding up the building in an instant, he jumped off it at its highest peak. Jinwoo covered a great boundary aiming to strike Baran off his mount with a stab from behind.
However, the Demon Monarch saw through this and blocked Jinwoo's stab with his lightning coated longsword.
'What?' Jinwoo widened his eyes. 'He saw through my stealth?'
Baran's red eyes gleamed, grinning ear to ear, breaking Jinwoo's guard through the shock and spiking back to the ground.
The Shadow Monarch impacted the ground with enough force to cause fragmentation.
'Shit.' Jinwoo grimaced, shaking off the pain and rolling to his feet.
It was a good thing too, because a bolt of lightning came racing after him. He sprinted past demons looking to cut him off—the whole time the beam of electricity closed in.
'Damn, it's a homing attack?!'
"Tusk! Igris!" He yelled out, running toward his two generals.
He didn't need to say any further commands as Tusk fired off his [Hymn of the Fire Dragon]—his most powerful fire spell to meet the lightning head on.
Jinwoo sighed a breath of relief, skidding to a stop watching the beam struggle between Baran and his most powerful mage.
"Why don't I help out?" Minato flashed right by Jinwoo's side. Igris stood on his commander's right—ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
"Go right ahead!"
[Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder]
Minato raised a kunai and generated that same crack in space. The fold in reality swallowed up the two beams and made the vanish from sight.
Baran growled, his eyes narrowing at the familiar sight. Minato's attack was going to reappear soon enough and he couldn't afford to get hit head on by that much power.
Sure enough—the swallowed up beams came rushing out not a moment too soon.
But this time it was a head on collision.
"Hurgggh!" Baran grunted, using his longsword to take the brunt of the force as the energies dissapated.
Igris took initiative, taking advantage of Baran's occupied state to launch his sword like a deadly discuss. The blade flew through the air and cleaved the wyvern's head off in a single stroke.
"Mm?" Baran widened his eyes as he felt gravity's pull on him. He looked down to see his mount decapitated and the ground quickly approaching.
He braced himself and hit the ground with force enough to kick up plumes of dust and smoke.
"It's about damn time you came down from there…" Jinwoo took this opportunity to gloat, leveling his dagger at the slowly swirling dust cloud. "...I was getting tired of looking up."
The dust scattered in that moment to reveal Baran standing tall and undamaged—twin daggers of black steel and electricity crackling in his hands.
.
.
.
The sun was coming down on Guild Headquarters, Kushina had just hopped out of the showers after all the bumps and bruises she'd received from Kenjo—and later Kanae.
"Shhh…" She hissed under breath, flinching when she stretched her torso too far while drying her hair. "Damn, Kanae was extra aggressive today. It's times like this where I really miss the Nine Tails' healing."
Her shoulders sagged, looking at her reflection in the mirror inside of her locker. Her pale violet eyes were droopy like she hadn't known sleep in days.
'I don't remember ever feeling this tired…' She yawned. 'Man, Tenken, didn't you have a spell for this or something?'
She knew she wasn't going to get an actual response. Her fusion with the angelic soldier had taken away any chance of direct communication. But she still had his memories to sift through for something.
She lowered herself on the bench, gingerly crossing her legs and being careful not to aggravate any bruises. Kushina took a deep breath and closed her eyes, scouring through Tenken's memories.
'Tenken's was a soldier born from the World Tree.' She recalled. 'Created by beings who embodied the universe's forces of light.'
'That means I have access to his ability to use Light Magic.' Her brows furrowed slightly. 'And I've only just scratched the surface of what I'm really capable of.'
Deep in meditation, Kushina opened her eyes—their normal color replaced by a golden glow that seemed to brighten up the room that much more.
The very next moment, Kushina was in a blank white void. Confusion flickered across her face as she looked down at her hands.
Clad in white-and-gold gauntlets, embroidered with winding branches that resembled the World Tree itself.
Kushina looked down as the armor formed around her seamlessly—like each piece was tailored made for her.
Forged by divine white metal, veins of shining golden runes traced along the surface, branching in patterns similar to the World Tree itself. The breastplate bore a tree sigil across her chest, while curved pauldrons evoked the impression of folded wings rather than feathers. The greaves and sabatons were traced with golden lines that ran from her calves down to her feet. A faint golden mantle hovered at her back—neither a cape nor a pair of wings.
"Woah…" Kushina breathed at a loss for words. "Tenken…this was your armour… for eons, right?"
She didn't get an answer but in her heart Kushina knew she was right.
"It's amazing." She whispered. "I don't think I've ever felt this powerful."
She threw a couple of practice kicks and punches, to test how the armor moved with her in it.
It was fluid. There wasn't a single moment where the Uzumaki felt that the armor belonged to anyone else but her. Kushina revealed the power the armor was giving her, but regained it in, remembering why she was here in the first place.
"Alright, Tenken," She took in a slow breath. "What else have you got for me?"
"Wah, wah, wah!"
The sound of an infant's cry cut through the space. It wasn't just any cry. She knew that wail—every rise and break of it. It had been etched into her heart from the very first moment she'd laid eyes on him.
"Naruto?"
Suddenly, the endless white void cracked like glass. Spider web cracks raced along its surface, spreading in every direction as the divine armor flickered in and out of existence.
"W-What? What's happening?" Kushina shouted out in panic.
Her concentration broke and so did the world around her.
The blank plain collapsed, bringing her back to reality.
She gasped as the ethereal glow drained from her eyes, fading back to their natural color. Beads of sweat poured down her forehead as a new wave of exhaustion slammed into her like a truck.
"Damn." She bowed her head, struggling to steady her breathing. "What was that…? That white void… it was like Tenken was right there with me."
Kushina dropped back on the bench, legs spreading as she relaxed them after sitting cross-legged for so long, looking up at the ceiling.
'...Naruto.' Her heart ached at the thought of her child.
All alone. No mother to hold him, sooth him, bathe him. No father to watch over him—to guide him, protect him from all forces natural and supernatural.
A single tear slipped from her eye, unnoticed.
"Now I'm even more tired, dattebane…" She grumbled aloud.
"Um?"
Kushina raised her head to the sound of the hesitant voice. "Yes?"
It was a female staff member. She looked at Kushina like she was an alien, standing by the door like she was ready to bolt the second she made any sudden movements
"What's up? Why're you standing there?"
"Um…" The staff member stammered. "Miss Kushina… Vice President Reiji would like to see you…if possible."
"Reiji?" Kushina echoed. "Did he say what for?"
She forced herself to her feet and that seemed to petrify the staff member even more.
"N-No, ma'am." She said curtly.
"Okay, I'll be right there." Kushina replied politely.
Once the woman left, Kushina quickly got dressed… well as quickly as someone who drained nearly all their stamina and mana could.
She wore sneakers, form-fitting black tights, and a red sports bra beneath a black jacket traced with red lines.
The petrified staff member waited outside the bathroom for her. She escorted her to the lustrous Vice President of Draw Sword.
Kushina tried to question her about her strange behavior earlier but the woman was very tight-lipped throughout the entire journey.
"Hey Kushina!" Reiji called out.
He was standing far off to the side, away from the reporters lined up in seats at the headquarters' lobby area.
"Hello." Kushina greeted warmly, walking over. "What's going on, Vice? About to attend a press conference?"
She gestured over to the lined up reporters anxiously scribbling down last-minute questions.
"Oh, them?" Reiji gave her sly smile. "They're not for me. They're for you."
"Me?" Kushina blurted out.
"That's right," He nodded, amused by her shocked expression. "Every new member has to attend a press conference for the guild. Publicity, marketing, all that stuff."
"What if I don't want to?" Kushina nearly squeaked at the idea. Facing those… vultures was not how she wanted to spend the rest of the evening.
"Unfortunately, that won't be possible." Reiji said seriously. "Your contract's right on that desk over there."
He pointed at the small desk on stage in front of the reporters.
"Contract?"
"Yes." Reiji answered. "You haven't signed it yet. We've already discussed the terms with you behind closed doors yesterday. Now, all that's left is for you to sign it."
"Why didn't we sign it yesterday?" Kushina grumbled, giving him a nasty glare.
"Like I said, publicity an' all that." He waved a dismissive hand.
"Oh man." Kushina groaned, burying her face in her hands.
"Relax." Reiji said. "It's nothing serious. You're just going to sign the contract, smile for the cameras and answer few questions. No big deal, right?"
Kushina looked to the reporters, turned back to Reiji and exhaled slowly. "Right. No big deal." She puffed out her chest.
"That's the spirit!" Reiji grinned, starting toward the stage.
Kushina followed behind closely.
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Next Chapter, I think will be entirely focused on Minato and Jinwoo defeating Baran.
Took longer to complete because I was suffering from acid reflux so I couldn't write at all, but I hope you enjoyed.
Jinwoo has been pretty explicit in not wanting Minato's help because he mostly wants to level up without sharing xp, but against Baran he can't let his pride get in the way. I tried to have the battle flow nicely and I hope you see that.
That was Tenken's holy armour that Kushina was using but it's fitted for her form since they fused, but Kushina can't use it yet. The mental realm was the first manifestation of the armor.