Even a Perfect Jinchūriki like Killer B occasionally lost control of the Eight-Tails’ chakra.
Kushina, on the other hand, had never truly used the Nine-Tails’ chakra before.
The difference between the two was enormous.
As for Naruto…
After reconciling with Kurama in the original timeline, he was able to withstand the Nine-Tails’ full power almost immediately.
But Naruto was a special case.
He was the reincarnation of Asura Ōtsutsuki.
Comparing anyone else to him was simply unfair.
Even Kushina’s extraordinary Uzumaki vitality couldn’t close that gap.
Because of this, Sima Ming devised a gradual training plan.
Rather than removing the Nine-Tails’ seal all at once, Kushina would slowly loosen it in stages.
This would give her body and mind time to adapt to the overwhelming influence of the Nine-Tails’ chakra.
As her tolerance increased, more of the seal could be released.
Eventually…
Once complete trust existed between Kushina and the Nine-Tails, the seal could be removed entirely, allowing her to become a true Perfect Jinchūriki.
Of course…
Everything depended on resolving the Nine-Tails’ hatred toward humanity first.
Otherwise, the moment the seal was completely broken, Kushina would become its first victim.
While Kushina focused on strengthening her relationship with the Nine-Tails, Sima Ming wasn’t wasting his own time.
Thanks to the constant purification of the Nine-Tails’ chakra, his injuries had almost completely healed.
Although his Zanpakutō was still beyond repair…
His physical condition had recovered tremendously.
During this process, he made an unexpected discovery.
Refining the negative emotions contained within Tailed Beast chakra felt remarkably similar to purifying Hollows back in Soul Society.
Each purification produced a tiny amount of mysterious energy as feedback.
So while Kushina chatted happily with the Nine-Tails…
Sima Ming quietly sat behind her and “borrowed” small portions of the fox’s chakra to refine.
The Nine-Tails couldn’t have cared less.
The amount Sima Ming absorbed was insignificant—far less than the chakra it naturally regenerated with a single breath.
If anything…
Removing the negative emotions made the Nine-Tails feel slightly lighter.
As a result, despite Kushina being the Jinchūriki…
Sima Ming became the first of the two to actively make use of Tailed Beast chakra.
After fully recovering, Sima Ming began experimenting with Kidō.
The Naruto world resembled the Human World in the Bleach universe.
Spiritual particles, or Reishi, existed here as well.
The problem…
Their concentration was incredibly low.
In fact, it was even lower than the Human World where Shinigami normally operated.
The reason lay in the differences between the two worlds.
When people died in the Naruto world, their souls traveled directly to the Pure Land.
In addition, souls here possessed a unique spiritual stability that prevented much of their spiritual energy from leaking into the environment.
By contrast, in the Bleach universe, many souls lingered after death.
Eventually, they either entered the Rukongai within Soul Society or transformed into Hollows before being purified by Shinigami.
Naturally…
That world contained far more freely available Reishi.
Unable to gather enough ambient Reishi to cast Kidō effectively, Sima Ming turned his attention to another energy source.
Tailed Beast chakra.
After several experiments, he discovered something surprising.
Kidō fueled by Tailed Beast chakra became noticeably stronger.
However…
There was a catch.
When using Tailed Beast chakra, the full incantation had to be recited.
Casting without an incantation relied solely on his own Reiatsu.
And with Reishi so scarce in this world…
Recovering Reiatsu was an incredibly slow process.
Both Kushina and the Nine-Tails found this unfamiliar technique fascinating.
“Want to learn?”
“I’ll teach you.”
Sima Ming had no intention of hiding his knowledge.
Truthfully…
He was also curious whether someone from the Naruto world could master Kidō.
Since Kushina couldn’t see the hand movements behind her while he demonstrated, Sima Ming gently stood behind her and guided her arms into position.
Patiently…
Step by step…
He corrected every movement before teaching her the incantation one line at a time.
Feeling him standing so close behind her…
Kushina’s heartbeat quickened.
Instead of focusing on the lesson…
Her mind wandered somewhere else entirely.
As a result…
She barely remembered a single word he said.
Realizing what had happened, Sima Ming sighed helplessly.
He stepped back several paces before beginning the lesson again.
“O Ruler!”
“Mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings—”
“Ye who bears the name of Man!”
“Scorching heat and strife, surging across the southern sea, march forward!”
“Hadō #31…”
“Shakkahō!”
The incantation echoed throughout the Inner World.
Silence followed.
Nothing happened.
No crimson flames.
No explosion.
No Kidō.
Still…
Sima Ming sensed faint fluctuations of spiritual energy.
The energy had moved.
The circulation simply wasn’t correct.
Kidō and ninjutsu functioned through completely different systems.
For someone attempting it for the first time, failure was only natural.
“…Shakkahō!”
“…Shakkahō!”
“…Shakkahō!”
Kushina refused to give up.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The crimson blast never appeared.
Instead…
Her own face gradually turned bright red from frustration.
Seeing her exhaustion, Sima Ming hurried over.
“Kushina.”
“That’s enough.”
She leaned weakly against him, completely discouraged.
“Ming-kun…”
“Am I just too stupid?”
The renowned genius of sealing techniques had begun doubting herself.
Sima Ming smiled gently.
“It has nothing to do with talent.”
“You simply aren’t accustomed to using Tailed Beast chakra yet.”
Seeing that she still looked unconvinced, he continued patiently.
“First memorize the incantation.”
“Then familiarize yourself with the chakra circulation.”
“As your body gradually adapts to the Nine-Tails’ chakra…”
“You’ll definitely succeed.”
“…Really?”
Kushina looked up at him uncertainly.
She couldn’t help feeling he was simply trying to comfort her.
“Of course.”
“Even Perfect Jinchūriki occasionally lose control.”
“You’ve only just begun learning to use the Nine-Tails’ chakra.”
“There’s no need to rush.”
“Take your time.”
Lying nearby, the Nine-Tails finally reached the limit of its patience.
With a sweep of its massive paw…
It forcibly kicked both of them out of the Inner World.
“Tch.”
“It’s obviously the human who’s incompetent…”
“And yet you’re blaming my chakra.”
Although it would never admit it aloud…
The Nine-Tails understood the truth better than anyone.
The negative emotions mixed within its chakra were overwhelming.
Even Uzumaki Mito—the previous Jinchūriki—couldn’t safely use that chakra for extended periods.
Kushina had only recently begun drawing upon it.
The fact that she hadn’t already lost her sanity spoke volumes about her incredible willpower.
The Nine-Tails itself couldn’t solve the problem.
Unlike humans, Tailed Beasts didn’t refine chakra through training.
Whenever their chakra reserves diminished, they passively absorbed natural energy from the surrounding world.
Unfortunately…
Along with that energy came humanity’s hatred…
Greed…
Jealousy…
Fear…
Countless negative emotions seeped into their chakra over centuries.
Even the Nine-Tails occasionally found itself influenced by those emotions.
If even a Tailed Beast struggled to resist…
How much harder would it be for an ordinary human?
After Kushina and Sima Ming disappeared…
The Inner World became quiet once again.
The Nine-Tails lay there silently for a moment.
Then…
Almost absentmindedly…
It muttered,
“…Hadō #31…”
“…Shakkahō.”
BOOM!
A violent explosion shook the entire Inner World.
The Nine-Tails blinked.
“Tch.”
“So that’s all?”
“It still can’t compare to a Tailed Beast Bomb.”
It spoke dismissively.
Yet judging by the way all nine of its tails swayed happily behind it…
Its true feelings were completely different.
Among the nine Tailed Beasts…
Only Shukaku could freely perform ninjutsu because it possessed hands capable of forming hand seals.
The others relied primarily on Tailed Beast Bombs and their unique innate abilities.
Without a Jinchūriki…
They couldn’t use most human techniques.
Kidō, however…
Required no hand seals at all.
Only an incantation.
And claws were more than enough.
At that moment, the Nine-Tails genuinely wanted to gather all the Tailed Beasts together…
Walk up to Shukaku…
And blast a Shakkahō directly into the One-Tail’s smug little face.
Maybe then…
That overgrown raccoon would finally stop bragging about being the only Tailed Beast capable of using ninjutsu.
Back in the real world, Sima Ming began considering the next stage of Kushina’s training.
“If you want to adapt to the Nine-Tails’ chakra more quickly,” he said, “you should try high-intensity physical training.”
“The greater the strain on your body…”
“The more your Uzumaki vitality will awaken.”
“That natural healing ability will help counteract the corrosive effects of the Nine-Tails’ chakra.”
For Kushina…
The path toward becoming a true Perfect Jinchūriki had only just begun.