The final wisp of the Nine-Tails' wild crimson chakra sank completely into Kushina's body.
The Eight Trigrams Seal etched upon her abdomen flashed violently, then dimmed. The golden light folded inward, settling deep beneath her skin until only a faint, intricate sealing mark remained, small but brimming with immense power.
On the stone dais, that terrifying scarlet radiance flickered out like a dying wildfire, vanishing into silence.
Deathly stillness followed.
Only the ragged, shallow breaths of a small figure at the center of the altar broke the quiet, mingling with the faint, acrid scent of burned flesh.
Hiruzen was gasping for breath, utterly spent.
Koharu's face had gone pale as paper, and Homura's trembling hands could no longer be stilled.
The shinobi standing guard nearby instinctively took half a step back, horror widening their eyes.
Kushina stood at the heart of the altar, her small frame covered in scorched wounds, head bowed, her skin still faintly glowing with dark golden lines that slowly faded beneath her flesh.
Sweat soaked every strand of her vivid red hair, clinging to her tattered clothes.
She stood motionless upon the still-warm stone, bathed in the afterglow of the ritual.
Against the far wall, Ryo hadn't moved an inch.
No one noticed that his left hand had never released the cold hilt of the Kusanagi Sword.
---
Within the vast expanse of her inner world, Kushina's soul floated above a boundless sea of thought.
Below her, the colossal Nine-Tailed Fox thrashed and roared, its fury shaking the void.
"Damn it! You dare—"
Its roar was cut short.
From the emptiness above, countless chains of dark gold burst forth, radiating cold will and absolute dominance. They snapped around the beast's throat with brutal precision.
Thicker, heavier chains followed, binding its limbs and nine ferocious tails until its mountain-sized body was forced into a humiliating, suspended stillness.
"Shut up, you stupid fox."
Kushina's voice was cold and level, echoing through the sealed space like a decree.
Her will suffused the realm, silencing every trace of the fox's rage.
Only the grinding of the chains and the creature's muffled growls remained, low, venomous, but utterly powerless.
---
Back in the Courtyard of the Senju Estate
The suffocating air of violence gradually dispersed.
Ryo stepped forward toward the altar and extended his arms in silence.
Kushina lifted her head. Her small face, blurred by sweat, tears, and pain, tilted upward.
Her willpower, stretched to the breaking point, gave way. Exhaustion and fear flooded through her body all at once.
Her knees buckled. She fell backward, only to be caught firmly in Ryo's embrace.
"Ryo…" Her voice was faint, like the last flicker of a dying candle. "Now I'm just… a monster, aren't I?"
Tears welled again, spilling over the streaks that had only just dried.
"Will you… not want me anymore?"
She remembered the villagers' whispers, the fearful eyes behind her nickname Red-Hot Habanero.
Now that the source of calamity itself was sealed inside her, the title monster had become undeniable.
That truth pierced deeper than any physical pain.
Ryo's arms tightened around her, as though he could fuse her trembling body into his own.
He bent close, his breath hot against her ear.
"Have you forgotten?"
"What did they call me? I'm a monster too."
His tone hardened. "We were born for each other."
The declaration struck like thunder, shattering the ice of fear in Kushina's heart.
All the agony, panic, and exhaustion of the night surged out of her in a wave, and she finally collapsed, sinking into darkness.
"Sleep," Ryo murmured, his voice softening to a whisper.
He brushed the sweat and tears from her face with his sleeve, awkward but gentle, smoothing her tangled red hair with tender care.
"Kamiyama Ryo!"
Homura stepped forward, his face like stone, eyes sharp as blades. "Release the Jinchūriki immediately! She's in an extremely unstable state and requires maximum isolation and protection. She is the village's core secret, its greatest asset. You—"
Koharu cut in sharply, "He's right! If you provoke the Nine-Tails again, the consequences will be catastrophic! Step back at once!"
Ryo didn't move. Still cradling Kushina, he slowly turned his gaze toward the two advisors.
Their eyes met.
Boom!
An invisible explosion of killing intent tore through the courtyard, cold, suffocating, and absolute.
It wasn't chakra. It was pure will.
A warning.
The two advisors froze mid-sentence, their throats constricted by invisible hands.
Their faces drained of color, pupils contracting to pinpoints. Tremors wracked their bodies as icy dread crawled up their spines.
Cold sweat beaded across their foreheads.
They understood perfectly.
That gaze carried an unmistakable message. Say one more word, and face the consequences.
Tsunade's heart seized.
Damn it. She knew Ryo too well, a man who followed only his own heart, heedless of authority or consequence.
She darted between him and the advisors, arms spread wide, her tone sharp with urgency. "Ryo! Calm down!"
Hiruzen, still pale from the strain of the ceremony, finally found his voice. He stepped forward, his tone firm with the authority of a Hokage.
"Enough!"
His gaze swept over the trembling advisors. "Homura. Koharu. You've both been awake all night. Emotions are running high. The sealing is complete, Kushina's stability is our top priority. Return and rest, both of you."
His words carried the weight of command.
Then his eyes turned to Ryo, still stern, but softer now. "Ryo. Take care of Kushina."
The crushing pressure that filled the courtyard dissipated as if it had never been.
Ryo's attention returned to the girl sleeping in his arms. The murderous aura vanished without a trace, leaving only calm, unwavering devotion.
Only the soft rustle of leaves and the sound of steady breathing remained.
---
Three days later.
The funeral of Uzumaki Mito was held in quiet solemnity at the Memorial Stone deep within Konoha's forest.
The sky hung low and gray.
Though no rain fell, the air was heavy with the damp chill of an unspoken sorrow.
The scent of wet earth lingered thick in the air.
No grand ceremony. No crowds.
Only a handful of mourners stood among the trees: Tsunade, Nawaki, Hiruzen, Homura, Koharu, and Ryo, silent and steadfast at the side of a cloaked Kushina.
Before a simple wooden monument carved with the deceased's name, Kushina's red-rimmed eyes brimmed with grief. Yet beneath the sorrow, something deeper had taken root—a quiet, unyielding strength.
Teardrops slid down Tsunade's cheeks unnoticed as she looked at the grave.
Her voice was low, hoarse. "Grandmother…"
She paused, then turned to Kushina with a weary smile touched by bitter understanding. "Grandmother Mito used to say that meeting my grandfather, was the greatest blessing of her life. Now…"
Tsunade's lips curved into a sad, knowing arc. "Maybe I finally understand what she meant."
Kushina's head snapped up, eyes burning red once more. Her lips trembled, but no words came.
Instead, she bowed deeply, a silent gesture carrying all the emotion words could never hold.
Her hand drifted to her abdomen, where faint heat still lingered—the place that now sealed a power capable of both destroying and protecting Konoha.
Grandma Mito, she thought, you can finally rest. The burden you carried your whole life is now mine to bear.
The cold morning breeze whispered through the trees, carrying with it a gentle drizzle, as if the heavens themselves wept for the passing of a great kunoichi.
The era of Konoha's first Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki had ended.
And the era of the second, Uzumaki Kushina, had begun.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)