Not long after the Uzumaki clan got settled in Mount Myōboku, Kushina threw herself into training again. She didn't like the idea of exerting herself so much while pregnant, but there was no other choice. If she slacked off now, then she, Kurama, and the baby would all die anyway. Madara wasn't going to stop, and she couldn't afford to rely on luck or the toads to save her when the time came.
The air of Mount Myōboku was thick with natural energy, prickling Kushina Uzumaki's skin as she sat cross-legged meditating near a murky fountain carved into the side of a cliff.
From it flowed toad oil, its surface gleaming with faint iridescence as it trickled into a shallow pool. The liquid shimmered faintly with dense natural energy. Around her were the reminders of failure: toads of solid stone, once people who had attempted to learn the mystical arts of this sage region but had lost themselves to the overwhelming tide of nature. Their expressions were frozen in grimaces, a grim reminder of the stakes.
Kushina already had Sage Mode, yet the Sage Arts of Mount Myōboku were still worth studying. There was refinement to be gained and techniques she had only touched the surface of. The longer she sat near the fountain, breathing in rhythm with the natural flow of the world, the more her senses sharpened. Already, she had managed to improve the balance of her chakra and strengthen her stamina in this state.
But Sage Mode was not her true focus.
The abilities that would allow her to stand against Madara Uchiha- those went far beyond refinement. She needed something new, something more extensive.
Kushina's black shinobi uniform, bearing the crimson Uzumaki swirl, clung to her sweat-soaked skin. Her blue eyes were narrowed in focus, though frustration simmered beneath. She needed overwhelming power and abilities he couldn't counter.
She had already accepted, bitterly, that she would never surpass him in combat skill. Madara's experience stretched back to the blood-drenched years of the Warring States period, where survival meant sharpening every instinct on the edge of death. His techniques had been forged through countless battles. Kushina had talent, yes- more than most- but she had never lived through such endless battles. Her victories were the result of her hard work, but the battles themselves were easy. Her opponents were strong, yet they never matched her raw power.
There were only two beings alive who could push her to that point: Kurama and Madara himself. She had begged Kurama to spar with her at full strength, had even pleaded for him to stop holding back, but she knew the truth. No matter how brutal his attacks, he would never truly fight to kill her. And without that, the experience could never be the same.
So, if she could not match Madara's skill, then she would meet him with something else: overwhelming power. With abilities beyond anything he could predict.
The first was a new sensory technique. A realm of perception that no Shinobi had ever reached before. A fusion of Kurama's ability to sense malice and her own Mind's Eye of Kagura.
Her battle with Madara had proved just how terrifying his Limbo Clones were. Barely perceptible, they slipped in and out of her awareness like shadows. She could feel the distortion of their presence, but not enough to fight them properly. That weakness had nearly killed her.
But if she could combine the precision of Kagura's insight with Kurama's malice detection, then she believed she would finally be able to see them clearly. No more guessing or blind defense. And with that, not only would Madara lose one of his greatest advantages, but she would also gain an unmatched sensory ability. She would be able to perceive every slight detail, even down to the smallest molecule.
The second project was even more ambitious: a new form of her Tailed Beast power.
One might think that after unlocking all nine tails of Kurama's chakra, she had reached the end. But that was far from the truth. Beyond that lay forms that few had ever dreamed of- transformations that would exponentially increase her power.
The next form was something Kurama had called a "chakra mode." Unlike the cloak of his chakra she had formed before, this was different. If she could master it, her body would no longer simply be enveloped in his chakra- it would merge seamlessly with her own. She would embody it, synergizing his chakra with her own completely. Her speed, her strength, and even her defenses could reach the level of the Sage.
The Eight Trigrams seal, which leaked his chakra into her network, made it all possible.
But all of that depended on if she could achieve it. And lately, she was failing.
She tried again now, focusing as she drew Kurama's chakra into her body. Her skin tingled with heat, her hair lifted slightly as though stirred by an unseen wind, and her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She pushed harder, willing the flow to merge with her being, to erase the line between herself and the fox sealed inside her.
But again, it resisted.
The chakra surged violently, and her control faltered. The energy backlashed in a burst of force, blasting through the clearing. Several of the petrified toads nearby cracked and crumbled, stone fragments scattering across the ground.
Kushina cursed loudly, her voice echoing off the cliffs.
"Damn it!"
She pressed a hand to her chest, gasping. Sweat rolled down her face, her skin clammy. She had always had a temper, but lately her moods were worse than ever. Pregnancy, exhaustion, and stress all tangled together until she felt ready to snap at anything. Her hands trembled as she dug her nails into her knees, forcing herself to breathe slowly.
Still, frustration gnawed at her. Why couldn't she get this right?
---
Inside the seal, Kurama watched quietly.
The vast chamber was dim, its stone floor cold. Kurama lay stretched out in his natural form, his nine tails drifting lazily around him. Now that the seal no longer confined him completely, he found this place less suffocating than before. Still, it was strange, being both part of Kushina and apart from her at the same time.
His red eyes tracked her as she struggled. He could feel every pulse of his chakra through her body, every attempt to mold it into the shape she wanted. He could sense her frustration, her despair, and even her determination. She had been a lot more irritable lately, and he wasn't quite sure why.
But he knew why she was failing.
Unlike Sage Mode and unlike her ordinary chakra cloaks, this next step depended on more than raw control. It wasn't about suppressing him, nor about stealing his strength. It required complete unity.
A true partnership.
Kurama's lips curled back faintly, not in anger but in something closer to unease. He had a sinking suspicion he knew the root of the problem.
Their bond was strong, yes. Stronger than he had ever imagined it could be. He loved her- something he would have once scoffed at as impossible. She loved him too, with a stubborn fire that had melted away centuries of his bitterness.
But love alone wasn't enough.
Deep down, their relationship was not equal. It had never been.
He had guided her since she was a child, whispering in her mind, steering her when she wavered. Sometimes he manipulated her, sometimes he was sincere. And though he had grown more genuine over time, the truth remained: his influence had shaped her path.
She loved him, yes, but how much of that love had been nudged into place by his own hands? How much of her heart had been bent by his presence?
The realization gnawed at him. It wasn't that he regretted his actions, after all they led to this current point, and he hadn't tricked her into a relationship- no, he would never belittle her feelings like that- but he knew that his actions had shaped the very foundation of what they shared.
And so, perhaps unconsciously, he had never truly accepted her as his equal. She was his mate, someone he loved above all, but in the corner of his heart, he still held himself above her.
That imbalance was poison to the chakra mode. It required trust without barriers, and equality without question.
Kurama shut his eyes and exhaled slowly. Recognizing the truth was one thing. Changing it… that was far more difficult.
He didn't know how to let go of that last fragment of pride.
Not yet.
----
A/N: I'm going on vacation for a little over a week, so the updates will be more sporadic. I like writing in my free time, so I might still upload some- we'll see. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.