Gaa gaa gaa gaa gaa~
As soon as she regained control of her body, Kushina burst out laughing, clutching her stomach and doubling over.
During the years she'd been the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki,
every time she encountered the Nine-Tails, it would either wear a terrifying expression and exude a murderous aura, as if it wanted to slaughter everything in sight,
or it would rant like a screeching banshee, cursing the First, then the Second, followed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, finally sending special greetings to Mito and Madara Uchiha.
Although earlier Kei Yamanaka had said that the Nine-Tails was simply a large fox lacking love.
If you approached it with kindness and treated it as an equal instead of seeing it as a monster, in time it would return the kindness too.
But she had offered her warm smile only to meet its cold shoulder. When it was in a good mood, it ignored her, but when it was in a bad mood, it mocked her.
She wasn't a soft dango ball—a traditional sweet dumpling—after all; how could she tolerate the Nine-Tails' arrogance without resistance?
But now everything was better.
With the Nine-Tails wearing this smiling face right now, sealing away hearing? Well, wouldn't that make every view even more delightful?
"Kei, how long can your technique last?"
Kushina half-lay slumped on the sofa, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Honestly, it's hard to say. If there's no outside interference, maybe forever?"
Kei scratched his cheek.
[Smiling Welcome (White): Permanent Facial Expression Alteration – All expressions turn into smiles. Slight increase in affability, higher chance of depression.]
For ordinary people affected by this status effect, they'll likely be stuck like this for life.
However, if it's a ninja, whether Orochimaru's Soft Physique Modification or Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu, they could alter facial muscle nerves.
The problem is, the Nine-Tails isn't flesh and blood—it's a chakra-based life form created by the Sage of Six Paths after dividing the Ten-Tails.
Does the Nine-Tails possess the ability to modify its own facial muscles and nerves?
That's hard to say.
After all, when Minato Namikaze divided the Nine-Tails into Yin and Yang halves, it still survived perfectly.
If the Nine-Tails was determined enough, it might truly be able to change its face.
Though the process might get... unpleasant.
Glug glug~ Glug glug~
Sounds like boiling water began emanating from Kushina's body.
Thin tendrils of crimson chakra seeped outward from her abdomen toward her entire body, forming a visible cloak of Nine-Tails chakra.
"Smelly fox, you're way too petty."
Kushina grumbled under her breath.
Seeing the slightly worried look in Kei's eyes, she waved him off with a carefree flick of her hand.
Reaching into the ninja tool pouch at her waist, she pulled out a palm-sized suppression talisman covered in sealing formulas and pressed it against her abdomen.
The orange-red Nine-Tails chakra spreading across Kushina's body quickly dissipated.
The seal markings that had appeared on her smooth waist from the Nine-Tails' chakra surge settled down again, vanishing beneath her skin.
Kushina clapped her hands together as though brushing off dust.
Her cute face practically shouted, 'Come on, praise me!'
She'd only heard Kei mention it twice before—but making this talisman made her comb through the Uzumaki clan's ancient archives for hours and practice in secret countless times before finally getting it right!
Even the Nine-Tails, no matter how rebellious it might be, would still be utterly tamed when both the seal left behind by Grandma Mito and the suppression talisman worked together.
"Boom!"
Just as Kei Yamanaka was about to enthusiastically compliment Kushina and lift her spirits with some friendly encouragement, the guest room door burst open with a violent crash.
Tsunade, having awakened from the genjutsu, exuded a fierce aura. Her expression turned grim as she looked at Kushina and Kei standing in the living room.
"Did something go wrong with the Nine-Tails' seal?"
"Uh... we were just trying to control the Nine-Tails' chakra."
Kei's mind raced, quickly coming up with an excuse that was flimsy yet barely plausible.
After all, whether he said he suspected Madara Uchiha wasn't truly dead, or that someone might use Impure World Reincarnation to summon Madara again in the future,
it would sound like delusional ramblings to most people.
Actually going out of his way to place a Contract Seal on the Nine-Tails over something like this was already ridiculous enough.
And then, before leaving, thinking the Nine-Tails looked nice when smiling, he gave it a perma-smile, which somehow triggered the Nine-Tails' rampage.
Well...
Kei was too embarrassed to admit that part aloud.
Nine-Tails: "You've got some nerve feeling embarrassed? (Shock Wave) (Shock Wave)"
"Exactly! That's exactly what happened!"
Kushina nodded furiously like a baby chick pecking at rice, secretly flashing him a thumbs-up behind her back.
Tsunade eyed the two suspiciously.
Seeing they both stuck to the same story, she decided not to dig further.
Anyway, this wasn't her house. Even if something got damaged, it wouldn't be her who felt the loss.
Rather than worrying pointlessly here, wasn't it better to continue their previous gambling game?
That Niu Niu card game was actually quite fun — she already had four small cards! One more and she'd have Five Small Bulls...
Wait, no!
Caught up in the excitement of playing, she forgot it was all an illusion!
She couldn't even get out of it herself. She'd need that stinky little brat, Kei, to release her from it once again.
No, wait again…
Didn't she come here specifically to confront this stinky little brat?
Thinking this, Tsunade glanced at the wall clock, her eyes widening slightly in shock.
She had been inside the illusion for a whole afternoon?!
If not for the gradual weakening of the illusion's energy after lasting so long, and the sudden surge of Nine-Tails' chakra triggering her body's natural exhaustion response,
she wouldn't have woken up until the illusion's power was completely drained.
This kid's genjutsu… it's insanely powerful!
Slightly furrowing her brows, Tsunade's gaze toward Kei was no longer as nonchalant as before.
Creating hand seals mid-combat and instantly casting a genjutsu using almost one-handed seals — how could it be this powerful?
Even members of the Uchiha clan who had awakened the Three-Comma Sharingan might not even be able to do that!
Even more absurd though was the fact...
that such a near-instant genjutsu also caused mental backlash!
Earlier, relying on a device based on the Yin Sealing Technique that she had developed, she had immediately realized she'd been caught in a genjutsu the moment it hit.
But the reason she didn't immediately break free wasn't because she enjoyed the casino illusion.
That sharp, needle-like sense of danger made it clear to her that if she forcibly broke free from the genjutsu, her mental resilience would suffer serious damage.
Injuries to the mind couldn't simply be healed using techniques like the Mystical Palm Technique or other forms of Medical Ninjutsu.
Even for her, recovering from such trauma would take a long time.
So, confident that he wouldn't truly harm her, she decided to fully immerse herself in the casino within the illusion.
Then again...
Didn't this kid previously suggest she try out the Hozuki Clan's secret techniques?
That genjutsu had absolutely nothing to do with the Hozuki Clan's secret techniques—none whatsoever!
Her piercing gaze locked onto Kei Yamanaka, who wore an awkward smile across his face.
That short golden hair...
Hmm, this Blondie wasn't bad-looking, had a solid build, and was pretty strong too.
But come on, was his moral compass really that loose—could he so easily forget his promises without a hint of guilt?
Did Kushina really choose boyfriends based purely on looks?
"Uh… Tsunade Onee-san, feel like playing some cards after dinner?"
Under her intense gaze, Kei Yamanaka felt increasingly uneasy and resorted to small talk to break the silence.
"...First, you'd better explain exactly what those Hozuki Clan secret techniques actually are."
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