These were undoubtedly a pair of beautiful and unique eyes, the transformed pupils brought forth by Sage Mode.
The outer ring of the eyes was a pale blue, while the inner ring, slightly smaller, was a deep, profound blue. Together, they gave her gaze a gem-like brilliance.
After the iron wall formed from Adamantine Sealing Chains easily withstood the Tailed Beast Bomb, Kushina didn't need to weave any hand seals. With just a thought, the sealed chains abruptly dispersed and, like a celestial net, surged once more toward the Nine Tails.
The scene bore great resemblance to Hashirama Senju's control over Wood Release.
Known as the "God of Shinobi," Hashirama's mastery of Wood Release allowed him to freely manipulate it with his thoughts after performing the necessary hand signs, commanding tree roots like giant serpents that attacked the enemy in tandem as though granting trees sentient will, giving them the presence of summoned beasts.
This was how Hashirama brought Wood Release to its peak in battle, something only he could do. Although Ye Zi's current level hadn't quite reached that, with the help of Sage Mode, she was already close to perfection.
Now, Kushina's fighting style was drawing very near to Hashirama's, except instead of Wood Release, she was manipulating golden chains.
As the golden chains surged toward the Nine Tails again, Kushina didn't remain stationary, she charged forward alongside them.
"I'll tear you apart!"
The Nine Tails roared, its massive form actively meeting the assault of golden chains. As it raised its arm, the wind howled. With razor-sharp claws, it swiped fiercely at the chains.
Clang!
A powerful force rippled from its claws as they struck the golden chains, denting a large section. Kushina, controlling the chains and closing in simultaneously, was slightly thrown off by the impact, her rushing figure tilting for a moment, but not enough to stop her.
"Seal." Her brows furrowed slightly, and a glint flashed through her eyes.
The golden chains bloomed like flower petals, suddenly wrapping themselves around the Nine Tails.
"ROAR!" The Nine Tails used both its claws and sharp teeth, swatting away the approaching chains one by one. Then, biting down hard on one chain, it flung its head backward, yanking the chain a great distance.
That pull sent Kushina's body flying.
Though the golden chains were numerous, the Nine Tails was massive. In comparison, the chains were like fingers, while the Nine Tails was the size of a towering 2-meter-tall man.
After flinging Kushina, the Nine Tails used its overwhelming size and ferocious claws to forcibly break through the chains' defenses. Its arm stretched forward—a claw aiming to strike the airborne Kushina.
"Finally… I've got her!"
An uncontrollable gleam of excitement flashed in the Nine Tails' eyes, as if its claw was already about to pierce her.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Just as Kushina was airborne with no footing, two golden chains coiled around her waist, lifting her upward.
"Hm?"
The Nine Tails' expression changed. As it rushed forward, Kushina was already above its head.
One woman, one beast, one above, one below they passed by each other just like that.
Clang clang...!
Countless golden chains unfurled from Kushina's back, forming an irregular web. Its threads were the interweaving, crisscrossing golden chains.
Many of them anchored into the ground, while Kushina herself floated mid-air, not by levitation, but by being supported from all sides by the chains.
The Nine Tails had just missed a perfect opportunity, and now its back was exposed to Kushina.
This was a chance she would not let slip.
Dodging the Nine Tails' claw, the golden chains seized the moment and wrapped tightly around the beast, binding and slamming it to the ground.
"You damn woman!"
Defeated once again by Kushina, the Nine Tails roared with rage and frustration.
Held aloft by the golden chains, Kushina floated toward the now-bound Nine Tails, until she was hovering directly before its face.
"You're supposed to call me Kushina," she corrected seriously.
The Nine Tails bared its teeth, looking as though it wanted to swallow her whole.
"And besides… I don't want to keep calling you Nine Tails."
"…," the Nine Tails said nothing, but its eyes remained vicious.
"Alright then, let's have a chat," Kushina said with a big, bright smile.
The Nine Tails snorted coldly and turned its head away, refusing to engage.
Every time she released him, giving him hope, she would cruelly extinguish that hope again, just to end up… chatting.
But the Nine Tails understood: the reason Kushina kept doing this was to get him to cooperate with her.
As a woman of the Uzumaki clan, she could already suppress him perfectly and access his chakra at any time. However, if he wasn't willing, the amount of chakra she could use wasn't unlimited.
Seeing the Nine Tails turn its head and ignore her, Kushina sighed slightly in her heart. No matter what she did, she could never truly make him let go of his hostility. The resentment the Nine Tails held toward humanity, accumulated over so many years, wasn't something that could be erased overnight.
"You must have a name, right? Tell me. I don't want to keep calling you Nine Tails," she said as she unraveled the golden chains.
Even after being released, the Nine Tails didn't lash out. It simply turned its head away again, ignoring her, while Kushina began to chatter on.
It was the same as before, once the chains were released, he would launch an immediate attack, only to be stopped cruelly again. The golden chains would respond faster than he could act, as if they could sense his intent the moment it arose.
In truth, this was because Kushina possessed the ability to sense malice. The moment his intent to attack began to form, before he acted on it, she would already be aware. And because the chains were never retracted, just resting nearby, they always reacted faster than him.
"Stupid woman…" the Nine Tails grumbled in irritation, but still refused to speak.
Even so, without realizing it himself, although he claimed to be annoyed by her endless talking, he was listening to every single word.
Among all the humans he had come into contact with after being released, Kushina was by far the most unique.
How should he describe it…?
She would borrow his chakra, and then, as promised, return it. That kind of thing… only Kushina would ever do.
Having spent so much time sealed within her, the Nine Tails, as an observer, actually knew Kushina better than anyone. Or maybe knowing wasn't the right word, it was that he had witnessed her joy, sorrow, and pain, especially after she met that man…
Deep down, the Nine Tails could vaguely sense it, the reason Kushina trained so hard, the reason she sought his approval… it was probably all because of that man.
But… what did that have to do with him?
From the moment he was sealed, he had lost his freedom. Though he didn't exactly hate Kushina, what he longed for more than anything was freedom.
A woman chattering nonstop as if she had finally found someone to talk to, and a tailed beast who said nothing, yet never shut his ears to her words, together they formed a strange, almost comical scene.
At the same time, the Six Paths of Pain descended once more upon Konoha.
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Currently on Chapter 588 - The Totsuka Blade