Whether it was the First Jinchūriki or Kushina now, the Nine-Tails never found any opening with them.
Even the tiniest fragment of hatred had nowhere to cling.
So, the Nine-Tails could never influence Kushina. The seal engraved on the bars was a boundary he could never cross.
Compared to all the humans he had encountered through his long life, the Nine-Tails found no reason to hate Kushina. From the very first day he was sealed inside her, he realized, she had fully accepted him.
Now, he handed the key over to her.
Afterward, Kushina released the seal, the cage door opened, and the immense body of the Nine-Tails stepped out.
Kushina could use the Nine-Tails' chakra at will, but not all of it. To completely convert all of the Nine-Tails' chakra into her own, she had to overcome the will bound to it.
That will was hatred itself, tightly entwined with the chakra. Using it meant risking her mind being seized if even a trace of hatred stirred within her heart.
If, when Nagato destroyed most of Konoha, Kushina had recklessly tried to transform all of the Nine-Tails' chakra into her own, then even without a dark self hidden in her, the will of hatred would have overtaken her in that moment.
But now, when the Nine-Tails stepped out of the cage, she no longer needed to worry about that.
"Can you tell me your name now?" Kushina raised her head, gazing earnestly at him.
Looking down at her, the Nine-Tails answered flatly: "Kurama."
Kushina smiled at the reply.
"…"
The fox was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "Listen. The other Tailed Beasts are inside that monster right now."
Kushina's face changed. The others? From One-Tail to Eight-Tails? No wonder such overwhelming chakra could erupt.
"No time to explain. Just know this, if I'm dragged in there too, it's over." A cold gleam flashed in Kurama's eyes.
Kushina nodded heavily.
—Back in the real world—
Her disadvantage was becoming more and more obvious. From being pulled step by step, now she was sliding across the ground. At this pace, she would lose the tug-of-war completely within thirty seconds.
The Gedo Statue's chains weren't directly wrapped around Kushina's body to tear the Nine-Tails from her, but entangled with her chakra-forged Adamantine Chains instead, creating this struggle.
Yet even if the Nine-Tails weren't extracted, if Kushina herself were swallowed into the Gedo Statue, the result would be the same.
Normally, Kushina could dismiss her chains, which would sever the connection. But because these chains were linked directly to her chakra, once the Gedo Statue's chakra intertwined with them, they could no longer be undone.
The only way out was to sever the statue's chains or seal them.
As Kushina drew closer to the Gedo Statue, Nagato's eyes gleamed brighter. Two members of the Uzumaki clan, standing on opposite sides, locked in a fight to the death.
White Zetsu could observe this battle from the shadows, but Ye Zi had to keep his distance, lest Kushina who was familiar with his chakra, sense him nearby.
"After all, those 'eyes' aren't his own." White Zetsu's tone carried mocking edges as he watched Nagato struggle, paying such a high price yet unable to drag the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki cleanly into the Gedo Statue.
Black Zetsu remained silent, though his contempt was deeper still.
In his mind, only two people in history could truly wield the Rinnegan: the Sage of Six Paths and Madara Uchiha.
Nagato, with merely Uzumaki blood, barely qualified to use them. But to unleash their full power?
He fell far short.
After all, the Uzumaki were only distant relatives of the Senju, and Nagato lacked Uchiha blood.
That was why he had to pay with lifespan and life force.
And yet, despite such a cost, he still couldn't manifest the Rinnegan's true might. In some ways, it was pitiful.
"As a pawn, this is the limit. Still, at this rate, pulling the Nine-Tails into the statue is only a matter of time. That brings us closer to reviving 'Mother'." Black Zetsu thought coldly.
Nagato believed the matter already decided. So did Black Zetsu.
But then, an upheaval.
Kushina's body was suddenly enveloped in a mysterious golden chakra. Unlike the faint-red Tailed Beast Cloak, this was something fundamentally different.
The golden chakra was denser, not cold and ominous like before, but warm like sunlight. One felt it might even be comforting to touch.
"What is this?" Nagato's eyes widened. The moment the golden chakra flared, Kushina's pulling force became as still as if sunk in a mire.
Her body overflowed with chakra, wrapping her in a golden aura that swiftly shaped itself into a glowing cloak.
Her Sage Mode slug-eyes changed, the outer pupils became vertical slits, lending a demonic cast. Three parallel black markings appeared on each cheek. As the changes spread, black patterns unfurled across the golden cloak, forming a dark underlayer.
Around her collar, fine magatama appeared, symbols reminiscent of the Sage of Six Paths himself.
"I feel… full of power."
With this new Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Kushina could clearly sense an endless current of strength welling from within. And the Nine-Tails' chakra, once chilling, now felt like the warmth of the sun.
"To succeed on your very first link, you should be grateful. But this mode won't last long. You'll need training to control it properly. Still, right now, control isn't what matters." Kurama's voice echoed in her heart.
Sage Mode could increase her strength dozens of times, making her monstrous power terrifying, but even then she was losing against Nagato.
Now, with Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, her strength was multiplied dozens of times again.
Such sudden power couldn't be controlled perfectly on the spot.
But now, in this tug-of-war, control didn't matter at all.
Kushina had to break free of the crisis, while Nagato realized his strength was still not enough.
"I must pay an even greater price…" Nagato thought coldly.
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Currently on Chapter 599 - Crushed Between Heaven and Earth