"I told you not to trust anyone! This guy is just using you. Hurry and undo this seal."
"If you do that, you can be free from this suffering. If you don't want to, I'll possess you and kill you!" The Nine-Tails tried to tempt Kushina in the depths of her mind.
It was able to communicate directly with Kushina.
These despicable humans had confined it for so long, and the Nine-Tails held no pleasant feelings toward them.
Kiyoshi activated his Sharingan, barely catching the vague trajectory of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
If he had taken that blow just now, he would have suffered the same fate.
Kiyoshi had no intention of taking the Nine-Tails head-on. He just wanted to muddy the waters and see if he could gain some goodwill and a Trait.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan!" A burst of Dōjutsu power, like an invisible wave, shot from Kiyoshi's eyes toward Kushina's eyes.
In the dark and damp mental space, the Nine-Tails, which had just broken free of the chains on its body, felt an ominous chakra.
This chakra reminded the Nine-Tails of that man.
A man who had left a psychological scar on it!
At this moment, the Nine-Tails also noticed an extra figure here.
"It's truly cold and damp here." Kiyoshi stepped onto the shallow layer of water.
Chakra was the power that connected people.
In the ninja world, there was also the concept of a mental space.
This was the place where Jinchūriki and Tailed Beasts communicated. The Sage of Six Paths also imparted the Yang Release and Yin Release chakra to Naruto and Sasuke in the mental space.
"Uchiha…" The Nine-Tails' eye, larger than a person, stared intently at Kiyoshi's Sharingan.
Watching the gently rotating Tomoe, the Nine-Tails' expression became increasingly ferocious.
There was no mistake; Madara Uchiha, who had once used it as a summoned beast, was also from the Uchiha clan!
While Kiyoshi's chakra was not as immense as Madara Uchiha's, it made the Nine-Tails feel even more sinister and malicious.
"This brat…" The Nine-Tails showed its fangs, ready to attack at any moment.
It dared not show the slightest carelessness toward anyone from the Uchiha clan.
Especially since Kiyoshi was so out of the ordinary, almost like an amalgamation of malice. The Nine-Tails was particularly sensitive to such malevolence.
"You have acquired a new Trait: [Initial foray into the Mental Space (White)]"
A translucent panel appeared before Kiyoshi.
[Trait: Initial foray into the Mental Space (White)]
[Requirement Achieved: Enter the deepest mental space of the human consciousness for the first time.]
[Progress: (Completed).]
[Effect: Your development speed for the secret techniques of Yin Release is increased by 5% on top of the original base.]
[Note: Can be further advanced.]
"Kiyoshi, how are you here?" Kushina asked, confused by Kiyoshi's sudden appearance.
"I happened to be training here and saw you, Kushina, erupt with a terrifying amount of chakra. I then used my Dōjutsu power to enter here. Lord Minato should be performing a sealing Jutsu outside right now."
"Minato…" Thinking of Minato, whom she had sent flying, Kushina struggled to stand up and staggered toward Kiyoshi.
"This is the mental space, and the Nine-Tails' power is restricted." Kiyoshi looked directly at the enormous Nine-Tails.
"If we work together, we might be able to suppress it completely."
Of course, his greatest confidence lay in the fact that even if he failed here, his physical body would not die.
At worst, he would simply be forced out of Kushina's body.
Kushina took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent emotions.
Indeed, the Nine-Tails' sudden rampage had caught her completely off guard, leaving her unprepared.
But now it was different; she had calmed down. The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques were the Nine-Tails' natural enemy!
"Hmph!" The Nine-Tails snorted coldly, its massive vertical pupils showing disdain and anger. "Even so, my power is not something two brats can shake!"
It suddenly opened its cavernous mouth. Dark blue and purplish-black chakra particles frantically converged, condensing into a jet-black, high-density chakra sphere.
Tailed Beast Ball!
"Kushina, use a sealing Jutsu quickly!" Kiyoshi shouted, then used his Sharingan Dōjutsu power to interfere with the Nine-Tails' speed in condensing the Tailed Beast Ball as much as possible.
The Uchiha clan's Sharingan could be said to restrict the Nine-Tails even more than the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques.
Although he only had one and two Tomoe, it could still have some effect.
Kushina nodded, and countless golden chakra chains burst from her body, suppressing the Nine-Tails' power.
At the same time, a black sealing array suddenly appeared in the mental world.
Minato descended from above, holding a condensed Rasengan in his palm.
The Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball instantly collided with the Rasengan, causing an explosive surge of air.
The struggle between Minato Namikaze and the Nine-Tails continued!
After another dozen seconds, with the help of the sealing Jutsu and the Adamantine Sealing Chains Kushina left on the Nine-Tails, Minato finally gained the upper hand.
The entire mental world turned a blinding white.
Outside.
Kiyoshi opened his eyes and saw Kushina collapse. He rushed forward and embraced her.
In her confused state of consciousness, Kushina could only feel a strong body holding her.
She instinctively hugged back.
Kiyoshi could feel Kushina's softness, but he had no extra time to dwell on it.
Minato was right there watching.
Kiyoshi also refrained from any unnecessary small actions.
"Kiyoshi… please take Kushina to the hospital." Minato Namikaze spat out a mouthful of blood. The Nine-Tails' leaked chakra had broken several of his ribs and damaged internal organs, making any movement incredibly painful now.
"This place has caused such a huge commotion; people will arrive soon."
Kiyoshi shook his head.
Taking Kushina away?
People would likely suspect the Uchiha of trying to flee with the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
In barely a minute, a large number of Anbu rushed over.
Including Hiruzen.
He solemnly inquired about the incident.
Minato recounted the events while watching Kiyoshi holding Kushina.
Kiyoshi was much younger than Kushina, and Minato didn't find anything inappropriate about the scene.
It was just that Kiyoshi had developed too quickly, making him seem older than a child.
"You did well, Kiyoshi." Hiruzen nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
It seemed he hadn't misjudged the person.
He silently mused that Kiyoshi carried some semblance of Kagami Uchiha.
Kiyoshi merely smiled slightly at the praise.
However, no one noticed that beneath the faint smile on Kiyoshi's lips, there was a meaningful subtlety.
He watched as the medical team placed the laid-down Kushina onto a stretcher, his gaze full of profound implication.
With his appearance, Kushina and Minato did not bare their hearts to each other as they did in the original story.
On the contrary, a rift remained.
The loneliness in Kushina's heart would eventually blossom.
When that happened, the resulting emotional surge would surely be far more turbulent than this time.
***
Several days later, the third round of the Chunin Exams was held once again.
Many spectators attended this time, all focusing their attention on the examinees in the center of the arena.
The venue for the Chunin Exam selection was enclosed by high walls.
***
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