How strong is a forty-year-old Namikaze Minato?
No one really knows.
In the original records, even by the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Minato would have been only twenty-four years old.
And the techniques he used were always the same—Flying Thunder God and the Rasengan.
Yet relying on just those two techniques, he had already been nearly invincible during the Third Shinobi World War.
Wrapped in bandages, Setsuna stood at a distance, quietly watching Minato as he taught Kaoru beneath a tree.
What kind of chemical reaction would occur when a ten-year-old Namikaze Kaoru met a forty-year-old Namikaze Minato?
Setsuna didn't know.
But one thing was certain—he already felt deeply sorry for Kaoru's future enemies.
Just as Setsuna was spacing out, a casual knife-hand knocked him on the head.
"What was that for?" he complained, glaring at the red-haired woman in front of him.
"Heh~ were you staring at Kaoru?"
Kushina slung an arm around Setsuna's neck, leaning in with a buddy-buddy grin.
"So what if I was?"
Setsuna answered honestly, without even blushing.
"Either way, that girl's going to be yours sooner or later."
Kushina wore a very strange smile.
Back in her world, she was always the one getting pinned down by Minato.
But in this world, her counterpart could pin Minato's counterpart down instead and—well—
Heh heh heh~
Those who know, know~
Just imagining it was exhilarating.
Setsuna twitched at the corners of his mouth.
When counterparts were close to each other, there was a faint mental resonance.
He could clearly sense what this woman was thinking.
Filthy. Absolutely filthy.
"Sis, you—"
Setsuna started to speak, then met Kushina's dangerous gaze and instantly changed course.
"—uh, I mean, 姐姐, what were you saying?"
"Ahem. What I mean is—since Kaoru has already started learning from Minato, you'd better not slack off either."
"I'd hate to see you get completely overshadowed by her!"
Crush her.
Pin her down hard.
Power solves everything.
Setsuna stared at Kushina's fired-up expression, clearly unconvinced that those were her real thoughts.
Come on.
We're the same kind of person—neither of us is innocent.
Seeing the doubt on Setsuna's face, Kushina finally grew serious. She raised a slender, pale finger in front of him.
"Now then. I'm going to teach you the technique my Uzumaki clan is most proud of."
"Adamantine Sealing Chains."
Before she even finished speaking, a segment of golden chain materialized in front of her.
"Huh?"
"You already know it?"
Kushina froze, then tried to recall when exactly she herself had learned Adamantine Sealing Chains.
…Too long ago. No idea.
Whatever.
"Brat, can you let me finish talking for once?"
She slapped Setsuna's manifested chain back into his body.
Then—
A golden kunai appeared in her hand, making Setsuna's eyes go wide.
"That's—?!"
Kushina smiled smugly, casually spinning the kunai between her fingers.
"When your chakra reserves are vast enough, and Adamantine Sealing Chains are mastered to the extreme, you're no longer limited to the shape of chains."
"At its core, ninjutsu is simply the materialization of chakra."
"All I've done is use the principles of Adamantine Sealing Chains to convert that materialized chakra into a different form."
"And then—"
She threw the golden kunai.
The chakra-formed kunai pierced a distant tree like a real weapon.
Then—
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted, golden shockwaves tearing through a radius of more than ten meters.
"Explosion," Kushina said calmly, staring at the tree that had been reduced to dust.
…Is this really what a forty-year-old Kushina looks like?!
Setsuna stared at the scattered remains of the tree, his blood boiling with excitement.
He had thought his future was limited to rolling Rasengan around.
Who knew he could unlock artillery bombardment?!
So this is art.
Deidara was right all along!
"Want to learn?"
Kushina stood with one hand on her hip, beaming proudly at the boy staring at her in awe.
"Yes!"
"姐姐你太强了!!"
Setsuna's eyes practically sparkled as he looked at her.
That power…
Even Hyūga Shiori, who had been quietly observing from the side, narrowed her eyes.
At least three or four explosive tags' worth of force…
"And that's not all," Kushina said, affectionately ruffling Setsuna's hair as another golden weapon formed in her hand.
"Watch closely."
No reminder was needed—Setsuna's entire focus was locked onto her hands.
The golden weapon shifted shape continuously.
Kunai.
Short blade.
Spear.
Battle axe.
Scythe.
Spiked club.
Guan dao.
Sis… you're a god.
Setsuna was completely stunned.
One name surfaced in his mind.
Alien.
Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki.
Kushina's control over Adamantine Sealing Chains looked exactly like that map-hopping alien's ability.
What was this?
The Uzumaki clan reverting to Ōtsutsuki ancestry?!
"Impressive, right?"
Kushina clearly enjoyed Setsuna's admiration, her smugness written all over her face.
"姐姐,你已经强到不讲道理了!"
Setsuna grabbed her arm without caring about his injuries, eyes full of longing.
"Teach me. Teach me, please!"
If he could become stronger, then when the time came at Kannabi Bridge, he could personally smash that lifelong pawn—Uchiha Madara—and stop dreaming about living as dead weight.
From then on, it'd be—
Uzumaki 'I Don't Eat Beef' Setsuna.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared in shock at the scene reflected in the crystal ball.
Uzumaki Kushina's strength far exceeded his expectations.
He had always assumed Minato was the stronger half of the pair.
Now it seemed he needed to reassess that judgment.
And if Kushina and Minato could display such power, then Uzumaki Setsuna and Namikaze Kaoru clearly possessed the same potential.
Perhaps Setsuna could grow even stronger.
After all—
He carried the Nine-Tails.
The strongest tailed beast.
At this point, it was no longer viable to raise Setsuna as a mere tool.
This child would become a pillar of Konoha.
Hiruzen's thoughts raced as he considered the ramifications of cultivating Setsuna as a true successor.
Yet the power Kushina had demonstrated made his heart itch.
Long-range combat.
Mid-range combat.
Close combat.
Sealing techniques.
From Adamantine Sealing Chains alone came an entire system of near-perfect versatility.
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