Chapter 125: Kushina, the Child of Destiny

Sakumo Hatake’s strength was sufficient to impart a wealth of experience to Kushina. Almost every one of his movements was aimed at killing, and the White Fang’s swordsmanship possessed formidable speed. He used Lightning Style chakra to stimulate his cells and enhance his reaction time, while his Wind Style chakra caused the length of his blade to shift unpredictably, making his patterns impossible to discern during combat.

Kushina’s Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was incredibly fast, but Sakumo’s strikes were faster. Having dedicated over a decade to mastering the blade, he stood at the absolute pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Throughout their sparring, Kushina was constantly on the defensive. Initially, due to her carelessness, she suffered many cuts from the imperceptible Wind Style blades hidden within the White Fang’s technique. Eventually, however, she began to adapt, especially since Sakumo would point out her mistakes, which helped her grow significantly.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi learned of this, he intended to intervene, but Sakumo was about to depart, and Kushina was no longer someone he could easily control. Although he hated to admit it, Kushina, once in her Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, was beyond his ability to command. After some contemplation, he decided not to send anyone to stop them. Instead, he accelerated the deployment of the Guardian Shinobi, completing the personnel rotation in just four days.

Although she had only trained with Sakumo for four days, the combat experience Kushina gained was immense. Sakumo was a speed-based ninja similar to her, and they shared much common ground for mutual improvement. After Sakumo left, Kushina slowed down her training schedule and began visiting Kahn more frequently.

"Boss, I’ve made some progress with the Tailed Beast Bomb, but the Tailed Beast Mode is still very difficult... That guy, the Nine-Tails, is just like a stubborn mule. He curses at me every time and refuses to help, no matter what."

As she massaged Kahn, who was lying on her slender, fair legs, Uzumaki "Little Tomato" complained about the Nine-Tails' behavior. She had grown accustomed to these massages; whenever Kahn sat on the sofa and patted the spot beside him, Kushina would obediently sit down. She had even traded her pure cotton black knee-high socks for silk ones.

"He is a sentient being, after all. The Nine-Tails has lived for thousands of years and was captured by the Leaf Village for no reason. If it were you, you would be angry too."

As he spoke, Kahn shifted his head slightly, rubbing his face against her black-stockinged, fair legs. This caused Kushina to blush and curl her toes, knowing that her boss was teasing her again.

"You could try changing his sealing environment. It’s hard to communicate with anyone when they are tied up like a prisoner. Once you change the environment, call him by his name and tell him that the person he has been waiting for has finally arrived—and that you are that person."

Kushina asked with some confusion, "Who is 'that person'?"

"The one who will lead the Tailed Beasts onto the right path and bring about peace. That person is you, Uzumaki Little Tomato—no, Uzumaki Kushina!"

After Kahn misspoke, Kushina puffed out her pink cheeks and applied a bit of force to his shoulders, though she still diligently memorized his words—the names of the nine Tailed Beasts and the tone she should use when speaking to the Nine-Tails.

After hearing everything, Kushina asked skeptically, "Boss, will this really work? It feels like I’m lying to him..."

"It’s not a lie, Kushina. You are that person, even if very few people know it yet. But once you change the seal, will you be able to suppress him? If not, forget it. Your own safety comes first."

Hearing Kahn's concern, Kushina patted her chest proudly and said, "Don't worry. Even with just the Four-Symbols Seal, the Nine-Tails won't be able to break free. The Adamantine Sealing Chains were originally just a safety measure; now that I’ve grown stronger, I don't need them anymore."

Though she still harbored doubts about whether this would succeed, Kushina was willing to try because it was Kahn who suggested it.

Kahn emphasized again, "Kushina, trust me. I wouldn't lie to you. You are the Child of Prophecy."

The names of the Tailed Beasts were rarely known. Combined with the Nine-Tails' name and the history of the Sage of the Six Paths, along with the genuine goodwill Kushina radiated, Kurama would eventually stop causing trouble for her, even if he didn't fully believe her at first. This was a seed planted in the Nine-Tails' heart; as long as Kushina slowly revealed details from a thousand years ago—such as the existence of the Ten-Tails—Kurama would eventually believe her.

A perfect Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would essentially be the strongest person in the ninja world. Even if Madara Uchiha were still alive, his aged body would be of little consequence, unless the reanimated versions of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju were brought into play.

In the following period, good news arrived from Shennong. Using medical ninjutsu, he had slowly isolated and analyzed some of the components in the serum, though this was the limit of what his current abilities could achieve.

This was bittersweet news for Kahn. After careful consideration, he took some of the substances from the Super Soldier Serum to Tsunade, hoping she could help analyze them. In exchange, he offered her several bottles of other potions and a set of research equipment.

Tsunade was slated for the third wave of reinforcements, as Jiraiya had already led troops to the border of the Land of Grass. Tsunade was not only busy organizing medical supplies but also frequently tasked with neutralizing poisons from the Sand ninjas on the front lines in the Land of Rivers, leaving her with very little spare time.

However, Tsunade accepted Kahn's request; she was very interested in those potions. With her vast chakra reserves, creating a Shadow Clone to study the Super Soldier Serum components was no challenge. Kahn didn't need to worry, as these were only partial components of the serum.

...........

"Boss, I received some news, though I'm not sure if it's true."

Late one night, Nonō Yakushi contacted Kahn to tell him something she had accidentally overheard. A ninja who had graduated from the orphanage two terms after her had been selected for the Root. The day before, he had inadvertently overheard their captain mention that they were going to the Land of Waves to carry out a mission.

Furthermore, the matter involved the Cloud ninjas, as someone had asked, "Are we really going to meet the Cloud ninjas?"

Kahn frowned slightly and asked, "How did he overhear this?"

"The person has very keen hearing, which is why he was chosen for the Root. At the time, the Root was conducting training, and two Root squad leaders were conversing; he heard it while lurking nearby," Nonō replied. She knew something of the situation in the Land of Waves, so she had come to report to Kahn immediately upon receiving the news.

"It’s unlikely they were intentionally leaking information to us. If the Root discovered that we had a connection, they would deal with me immediately, even if I am Lady Tsunade’s student..."

The Root certainly had the capability. Usually, Tsunade and Danzo clashed because they didn't touch each other's core interests, but if Danzo suspected a spy in his Root, he wouldn't care about the reputation of the Sannin.

"I understand. I will handle this."

Kahn nodded after some reflection. Jiraiya had gone to the Land of Waves to scout information a while ago; given the Root's modus operandi, it was entirely possible for them to do something like this.

The most valuable asset in the Land of Waves was his pharmaceutical factory. If the Root leaked the information to the Cloud ninjas, given their greedy nature, they would likely take action. After all, Cloud ninja spies had previously attempted to target Kahn and failed.

The Land of Waves was relatively close to the Land of Fire. Once the Cloud ninjas acted, Danzo could play the role of the oriole stalking the mantis, or even cooperate directly with the Cloud ninjas.

"Let me see... I have three hundred kilograms of TNT and two hundred RPG rounds left. I might as well gift them all to you..."

With a plan in mind, Kahn used Apparition to teleport to the Land of Waves, preparing to give his "guests" a grand welcoming gift in advance.

............

On a plain near the coast of the Land of Fire, several ninjas suddenly appeared in a deserted area, standing guard. Shortly after, two groups of people emerged from different directions, converging toward the center where the guards were positioned.

"The Darkness of the Shinobi World, Danzo. I didn't expect you to take the initiative to contact us for cooperation."

The Third Raikage spoke. His appearance seemed crude and hot-tempered, but he was a man of deep thought. Before agreeing to cooperate with Danzo, he had ordered his Anbu to investigate thoroughly.

Danzo replied coldly, "The Second Hokage and the Second Raikage had a treaty. If it weren't for the Cloud's consistent warmongering, the Leaf and the Cloud would still be allies."

"Let's forget about alliances. With you, the Darkness of the Shinobi World, around, I’m afraid the people of the Land of Lightning would be subject to your schemes."

The Third Raikage was always wary of Danzo's reputation. He had heard rumors of what happened in the Land of Rain during the previous war. Only Danzo would unhesitatingly target civilians while bearing the burden of infamy.

If there were proof, the nations would have jointly sanctioned him.

Danzo produced a scroll and tossed it over. "Enough talk. This is the intelligence we have gathered. What about the things you promised?"

"The Six Paths Ninja Tools, plus the secret technique to disrupt space-time ninjutsu. Even the Second Hokage, who mastered space-time ninjutsu, died to these very methods."

After reading the intelligence on the scroll, the Third Raikage generated intense Lightning Style chakra in his palm, burning the scroll into ash.

"That’s for the best. Let’s go."

Danzo’s expression remained calm, though his mind was racing.

There were some in the Cloud who opposed cooperating with Danzo because his reputation was so poor; it was common knowledge that he would kill civilians and betray allies. They feared they might be the next victims.

However, the intelligence and benefits Danzo offered were too tempting for the Cloud. Setting aside the true culprit behind the Mist's attack on the Land of Lightning, the pharmaceutical factory alone was worth the Third Raikage’s intervention.

For Danzo, there was no way to lose. Although the Cloud would bear the brunt of the attack and take the lion's share of the spoils, the Root would avoid casualties. Regardless of the outcome, his Root would be the one to benefit most.

If he couldn't take out Kahn, he might still have a chance to deal with the Third Raikage in the Land of Waves.

Danzo spoke up, "The Root has ninjas monitoring the target in the Land of Waves. If there’s nothing else, we should set out as soon as possible."

The Third Raikage heard this and glanced at one of his subordinates. After the man nodded, the Raikage replied to Danzo, "Then let's depart." They also had scouts in the Land of Waves, and to ensure they got the best of the deal, they couldn't rely solely on Danzo's word.