"Looks like little Naruto really likes you, Takeshi."
Kushina had just returned to the living room. Seeing her son and Takeshi engaging in some "friendly and affectionate" interaction, she smiled with relief.
"Where did you even get that idea?"
Takeshi, whose hair had been tugged into knots by Naruto, grimaced and asked Kushina in return.
"Ahaha, from lots of places. By the way, is your mission finally over?"
Kushina laughed it off, reaching out to take Naruto from him.
"Alright, Naruto, be good. Let go of your Takeshi-san now."
She gently pried Naruto's hands away and coaxed him in a soft voice. Only then did she take the reluctant child from Takeshi's arms.
"Yeah, ran into a bunch of blind enemies on the road. Left one alive and sent him to the Interrogation unit."
Takeshi spoke casually. To him, those enemies weren't even remotely as threatening as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
"Seems like the other nations have caught wind of Konoha being attacked. The only question is, have they realized that you're the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki?"
The ever-sharp Minato, the strongest external brain, immediately analyzed the situation from Takeshi's words and voiced his concern.
"Yeah, the Three-Tails is, after all, a Tailed Beast from Kirigakure. Speaking of which, little Takeshi, you became a Jinchūriki and never even told me? That's really not cool of you."
Kushina also looked worried for Takeshi, and at the same time felt a bit hurt that he kept it even from her.
"Sorry, Kushina-san. Things were just too hectic back then, and only a handful of people even knew. So I didn't mention it."
Takeshi laughed it off, trying to wave the matter away.
"I'm a Jinchūriki too, you know. I could've passed on some of my experience to you."
After putting Naruto into his stroller, Kushina motioned for Minato to go soothe the baby while she sat down beside Takeshi.
"Uh, experience..."
Recalling the image of Kurama being tightly bound inside Kushina's mental space, Takeshi couldn't help but doubt the so-called "experience" she spoke of.
He didn't have Uzumaki blood, so he couldn't use powerful sealing techniques like the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
"Hey, by the way, back in the mental space, you said the Nine-Tails' name is Kurama. Where did you hear that?"
Kushina let go of the topic and instead became curious about the Nine-Tails' name.
"Oh, uh, that's a bit complicated to explain. Anyway, Kushina-san, you can try chatting with Kurama now and then. Open up a bit to him. Oh, and maybe I should try talking to him again."
Takeshi changed the subject. He couldn't very well tell Kushina that he'd heard the name of the Tailed Beasts from the Sage of Six Paths himself. The Tailed Beasts were easy to fool, but Kushina definitely wasn't.
"Talk to him, huh... Might not be a bad idea. But that guy hasn't said a word since last time."
Even though she said that, Kushina still reached out her hand.
As their chakra connected, Takeshi once again entered Kushina's mental space.
To avoid showing weakness in front of Kurama, Takeshi, as expected, summoned Isobu, who was napping.
The moment he entered the mental space, Takeshi saw Kurama—its limbs and nine tails all nailed down with chains—bound in a suspended "X"-shaped posture against a giant floating boulder.
"Dammit, Three-Tails!"
Seeing Isobu, Kurama, who had been silent for a long time, finally roared again.
"Tch, after all this time, your mouth still hasn't gotten any smaller, Kurama."
Takeshi dug into his ear, trying to ease the discomfort caused by Kurama's deafening voice.
"You brat! This isn't a place for you to speak! Shut your—"
"You're the one who should shut up, Kurama!"
Takeshi's bold words left Kurama stunned. Aside from Hashirama, Madara, Mito, and Kushina, this was the gutsiest human it had ever seen. Kurama even wondered if the kid had Senju, Uzumaki, or Uchiha blood.
But after carefully sensing the brat's chakra, Kurama realized there wasn't anything particularly special about him aside from the sheer amount. Its expression immediately turned fierce again.
"You little brat, I'll eat you!"
"Kurama, I need to make something clear. Isobu never told me your name. The prophecy didn't come from him either. All of this was arranged by the Sage of Six Paths."
Ignoring Kurama's threats, Takeshi remained calm—after all, he had Kushina watching his back.
As she grew older, Kushina had long lost the impulsiveness of her youth. She was no longer easily manipulated by Kurama into losing control and leaking chakra.
Now, her suppressive power over Kurama was just a hair below that of Mito's.
If she wanted, she could easily wrest chakra from Kurama and use it as her own.
"Hmph. Three-Tails, you really found yourself a 'great' Jinchūriki."
Kurama didn't believe a word of what Takeshi said. In fact, the mention of the Sage of Six Paths made it even angrier.
But its rage was quickly dispersed by Kushina's chains. Sensing Kurama's rising fury, she summoned her chains without hesitation and gave Kurama a firm beating.
"Kurama, Takeshi's right. He already knew all of this— including the Ten-Tails."
Seeing Kurama getting whipped into submission, Isobu couldn't help but feel a bit fearful. He quietly rejoiced that his own Jinchūriki wasn't this red-haired woman, and at the same time, he spoke up in Takeshi's defense.
"Hmph..."
Kurama snorted but didn't say another word. However, its struggles noticeably weakened.
Seeing that Kurama had finally quieted down, Takeshi stepped out from behind Kushina. With her help, he used the chains to approach Kurama.
"Kurama, although for certain reasons that child didn't become your Jinchūriki, the prophesied time has indeed come. The one who once controlled you is plotting to revive the Ten-Tails."
When Takeshi approached, Kurama turned its head away, clearly intent on ignoring his nonsense.
But upon hearing the last sentence, its ears twitched involuntarily.
There had only ever been one person who had truly controlled Kurama—Uchiha Madara.
He was the one who shattered Kurama's peaceful life.
If not for Madara, Kurama would've still been enjoying his days of eating and sleeping, maybe sparring with Shukaku now and then.
Everything changed the day he encountered Uchiha Madara.
Kurama was starting to believe Takeshi, but his nature made it impossible for him to just acknowledge him outright.
"Anyway, I'm not expecting a few words to dissolve your resentment. But I do hope you can ease up a bit on your relationship with Kushina-san. Use your eyes. Watch and see if what I say is true."
After saying that, Takeshi hopped back onto Isobu's head and signaled to Kushina that they could leave the mental space.