Chapter 290: Saving Kushina
The Nine-Tails was going berserk, sensing the growing threat from Minato.
But Kushina's chakra chains held it firm. No matter how much it struggled, it couldn't break free. It knew, with a sinking feeling, that it was about to be sealed again.
"Snake... Boar... Ram... Hare... Dog... Rat..."
Just as Minato was about to complete the hand signs for the Reaper Death Seal, a hand landed on his shoulder, disrupting his chakra flow and forcing him to stop.
Sensing the familiar presence, Minato gave a bitter smile. "Kyosuke... let me join Kushina..."
"I can save her. Don't be in such a hurry to die for love," Kyosuke snapped. He then gritted his teeth against the pain and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan once more.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan."
With a single glance, the roaring Nine-Tails fell silent, collapsing like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"Sigh." Seeing this, Minato let out a helpless sigh. He was about to ask how Kyosuke planned to save Kushina, but Kyosuke ignored him and walked straight to her.
"Trust me."
Leaving those words behind, Kyosuke grabbed Kushina and teleported away to his secret base.
"...Alright. I'm counting on you," Minato said to the empty space. He then turned to the Nine-Tails and began forming hand signs again, this time with incredible speed. "Now, it's your turn, Nine-Tails."
"Sealing Jutsu: Eight Trigrams Sealing Style!"
In the secret laboratory, dozens of kilometers away, a team was frantically working to save the dying Kushina.
"Heart rate dropping. Chakra levels critical. Estimated time until death: 35 minutes."
"Blood analysis complete. Compatible for transplant."
After confirming Kushina's basic vitals, Kyosuke let out a sigh of relief.
His biggest fear had been that Kushina's body would reject the Hashirama cells. If that happened, there would be nothing he could do. But the Uzumaki constitution was strong, and combined with the modified injection, the risk was minimal. He was confident he could save her.
Time was of the essence. With a wave of his hand, Kyosuke ordered the administration of the carefully prepared Hashirama cell solution.
One minute...
Two minutes...
Three minutes...
He stared at the monitors, watching as Kushina's vital signs slowly stabilized. He then gave another order.
"Collect a sample of her cells."
Like the Senju, the Uzumaki were descendants of Asura. This unexpected opportunity to obtain a sample of their cells would be invaluable for his future experiments. It was the least he could ask for in return for saving her life.
Seeing that the situation was under control, an exhausted Kyosuke gave a few final instructions and went to his room to rest.
"Seal!!!"
"Argh! Damn you, Minato Namikaze! I will never forgive you!!!"
Outside the gates of Konoha, the massive form of the Nine-Tails vanished, sucked into the seal on the infant Naruto's stomach.
Minato had made the same choice as in the original story. He had split the Nine-Tails' chakra in two, sealing the Yin half within himself and the Yang half within Naruto.
With the deed done, Minato let out a long breath. Though his heart was heavy with worry for his wife, he forced himself to remain strong. He dispelled the barrier surrounding them.
"Minato, are you alright?" Hiruzen rushed forward, his eyes darting to the baby in Minato's arms.
"Lord Third, I'm fine. But Kushina..." Seeing the grief on Minato's face, Hiruzen swallowed the words he had been about to say.
The Nine-Tails, the Wood Release user, the damage to the village, Kyosuke... there were so many problems piling up that Hiruzen felt overwhelmed. But at least Minato was alive. That was a small comfort.
"Alright. Let's return to the village. We'll wait for news from Kyosuke."
"...Yes."
"Ugh... am I... not dead?!" Kushina groaned, sitting up on the operating table. She looked around in confusion.
Countless cultivation tanks, sophisticated equipment... it all caught her eye immediately.
"I remember... Kyosuke brought me here. So..." Despite her brash exterior, Kushina was a perceptive woman. She didn't know exactly where she was, but she had a pretty good guess.
"Kyosuke... you're full of secrets, aren't you...?" She chuckled weakly, thinking of how he had saved both her and Naruto. Then, an idea struck her. She let out a loud "Ah!" and flopped back down on the table.
"I'm fainting again~"
Kyosuke: "..."
Silently cursing her terrible acting, Kyosuke walked over and poked a pressure point on her neck, knocking her out for real.
"Now comes the troublesome part. What a headache."
"Mmm... I fell asleep again. What time is it...?"
When Kushina opened her eyes again, she saw Minato smiling at her through tears, and beside him, the peaceful form of sleeping Naruto.
She reached out and gently stroked her son's cheek. Her eyes met Minato's, and for a long time, neither of them spoke.
"I'm back, Minato..."
"Yeah..."
While the Namikaze family was reunited, the atmosphere in the Hokage's meeting room was heavy.
"...That's roughly what happened," Kyosuke said, concluding his selectively edited report. He did not mention that Dark Owl was Uchiha Nagisa.
Before Hiruzen had summoned him, he had secretly infiltrated the Mizukage's residence, but he had found no trace of her.
He had no choice but to abandon his search for now. He would go to the Land of Water himself once things had calmed down.
After hearing his report, the high council fell silent. Finally, Hiruzen spoke. "When did your eyes recover?"
"It's been a while," Kyosuke replied calmly.
"Then..." Hiruzen hesitated. He couldn't exactly ask why Kyosuke had hidden it. Whether or not his Sharingan recovered was a personal matter. Hiruzen had no right to interfere.
Besides... he glanced at Hyuga Saori, who stood silently behind Kyosuke. He decided not to say anything more.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them. "Good work today."
Kyosuke and Saori exchanged a smile and left the building.
In the past, the council would have grilled him endlessly. But after witnessing his god-like power outside the village, many questions had become irrelevant. Especially now that Saori had seized control of the Hyuga clan.
The brief conversation had made one thing clear: from this day forward, Kyosuke and his allies held significant sway in Konoha.
In the Sarutobi compound, Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura sat in the courtyard, talking.
"Hiruzen," Koharu said, "why did you end the questioning so quickly? Uchiha Kyosuke's Mangekyo..."
"Koharu," Hiruzen interrupted, a sad smile on his face. "We've gotten old."
The other two were stunned.
"Kyosuke... I can understand why he hid the truth about his eyes. He's always been a thoughtful boy, even from a young age. He knows the Uchiha's position in the village."
"But still..." Koharu couldn't understand. If he knew the village was wary of the Uchiha, why not be honest?
Hiruzen shook his head. "Do you know why he chose to reveal his Mangekyo today, to save Minato?"
"Uh..." Koharu thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "I see what you mean, Hiruzen."
"Hahaha! Exactly," Hiruzen laughed. "Actions speak louder than words. If Kyosuke is willing to expose his trump card to save the Hokage, then perhaps we should extend him a little trust."
"Sigh. You always see things so clearly," Homura said. "But what about the Hyuga clan...?"
Hiruzen snorted. "This was unexpected, but we all know how the Hyuga main family operates. Having Saori in charge might not be a bad thing."
"But... her relationship with Uchiha Kyosuke..."
Hiruzen knew what they were worried about. They feared the two of them would become too powerful to control.
But he had a different perspective.
"Without the Caged Bird seal, the members of the Hyuga clan can be swayed to our side. That is good for the village."
"Besides... can those two really walk hand-in-hand forever? And even if they can... can the Uchiha and the Hyuga?"
(End of Volume)
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