One month later.
"BOOM!"
A violent explosion rang out, followed by a series of deafening roars.
"Yamato, you little brat!"
"Where's the Wood Release? Put it up!"
"Damn it! Don't chase me!"
Behind a crimson figure, five tails lashed wildly—it was Kushina, already in a state of partial Tailed Beast transformation. She had lost her composure completely, consumed by frenzy.
Now she was chasing Kazuyama Gekkō, each swipe of her claws triggering powerful explosions. The oppressive aura of the Nine-Tails' chakra made the air itself tremble.
"Kushina! Over here!"
"Rasengan!"
Minato Namikaze chased after his wife, slamming Rasengan after Rasengan into her. He wasn't afraid of injuring her; after all, this exact situation had happened more than once over the past month.
"Yamato!"
"Not done yet?!"
"Hurry up and finish the sealing array!"
Kazuyama Gekkō ran while striking back with Crystal Release, trying to slow Kushina's advance. But against someone in partial Tailed Beast form, his attacks barely made an impact. After all, she was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
A month earlier, when the training began, Kushina had followed Kazuyama Gekkō's plan to attempt communicating with the Nine-Tails inside her. But the process had been far from smooth.
"Hmph! Now you want to talk to me?"
"Not a chance! Unless you let me beat up that little brat once!"
"How dare he insult me behind my back!"
"That brat Kazuyama Gekkō! I'll devour him!"
Kushina had been at a loss for words. When she relayed the fox's demand, Kazuyama Gekkō had only laughed dismissively.
"Kushina, tell that damn fox—if he's got the guts, he can come fight me himself!"
"He's just a sealed beast. What's he got to brag about?"
"Besides, Madara Uchiha is still out there. Who knows when he'll come to control the Nine-Tails again."
And so, Nine-Tails and Kazuyama Gekkō had hurled insults at each other—one from inside, one from outside.
In the end, the Nine-Tails agreed to lend Kushina its chakra, on the condition that she rough up Kazuyama Gekkō.
At first, everything went relatively smoothly. With Yamato's Wood Release suppressing the chakra, they made progress. But once five tails emerged and Kushina entered partial transformation, she could no longer resist the Nine-Tails' malevolent chakra, plunging into rampage mode.
Since then, the four of them had trained nonstop to handle the situation.
...
After one such rampage, Kushina collapsed to the ground, exhausted, munching on food.
"Hey, Minato, Kazuyama, how long is this training supposed to last?"
"And can you two ease up a little? It hurts like hell."
Hearing Kushina's complaints, Kazuyama Gekkō and Minato Namikaze exchanged a glance before sighing together.
"As it stands, Kushina can still draw on the Nine-Tails' chakra without entering partial transformation."
"But the Nine-Tails' chakra is full of malice. Resisting it takes immense effort."
A month of training had allowed Kushina to at least begin using the Nine-Tails' chakra. That alone was a major step forward.
"This can't go on forever. Minato, maybe you should think about optimizing the sealing formula to improve things."
"Optimizing the seal? Tell me more."
Kazuyama Gekkō's words piqued Minato's interest. After all, sealing techniques were his specialty.
"The standard Four Symbols Seal can't handle the strain anymore when the Jinchūriki draws on this much chakra."
"One Four Symbols Seal isn't enough? Then stack another on top. As for the details—that's your job."
Kazuyama Gekkō tossed the burden straight at Minato. Considering Minato had created the Eight Trigrams Seal, this sort of thing was nothing for him.
"Alright. I'll work on improvements."
Minato Namikaze nodded, taking the task as his own.
But aside from Kushina, there was someone else utterly drained—Yamato.
"Hey, Yamato, how you holding up?"
"Damn, your face is all sunken in! Your stamina's pathetic, Yamato!"
"Looks like you need extra training!"
Yamato: ...
"Sensei, it's not my fault! Who makes someone maintain a seal for an entire day straight…? I'm seriously worn out…"
To suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra, Yamato had indeed put in an immense effort. The sealing formation, built upon the First Hokage's necklace, had been running nonstop. In the early days, when Kushina attempted the Tailed Beast Cloak, Yamato's power had been key in keeping things stable.
It was only later, when her partial transformation unleashed chakra too violent to control, that Yamato's still-developing Wood Release struggled to keep up. Otherwise, Yamato and the necklace together would have been enough to suppress Kushina completely.
"Tch, excuses. That just means you need more training!"
"Alright, let's head home for dinner. I really owe you for this past month."
...
Gekkō residence.
"So, you're going to Kirigakure next?"
"Yeah. I'll probably leave in a few days. I should've gone long ago, but other missions kept me tied up."
At the dinner table, Kazuyama Gekkō spoke with Pakura about his upcoming mission while eating.
This trip to Kirigakure was unavoidable.
He had to uncover Akatsukigakure's foundation. After that, it would be time to bring them down.
He wasn't lacking in combat strength—what he needed was an opening. A chance to move all his forces into the Land of Water.
Now that Kumogakure and Kirigakure were at odds, most of Kirigakure's visible strength was occupied. This was his best chance to slip in.
"Be careful. Kirigakure has always been too mysterious."
"Just the name 'Blood Mist Village' is enough to send shivers down your spine."
From Pakura's memories, she had heard little about Kirigakure. But whatever was said always hinted at the village's sinister nature.
For the next few days, Kazuyama Gekkō stayed home to rest. With his mission so close, he wanted to spend time with family.
Until Tsunade showed up.
"Oh, Tsunade—coming to take a disciple?"
"Got the initiation gift ready?"
Seeing her carrying a box, Kazuyama Gekkō laughed out loud.
After all, the tradition of disciple gifts had started with him. Now, seeing his daughter about to receive one, he couldn't help but feel proud.
"Hmph! You little brat, you're a master at scheming."
"Where's my apprentice?"
Tsunade had indeed come to take on a student. In times like these, talented prospects were rare, and she intended to cherish this one.
"Isn't it too early, though?"
"How old is my daughter?"
Kazuyama Gekkō actually thought Tsunade was jumping the gun. After all, how old was Senko Gekkō?