While Kushina continued adapting to more of the Nine-Tails’ chakra and practising newly learned Kidō, Roy was not idle either.
Sitting behind her inside the tailed beast space, he attempted to find a way to combine reiatsu with fūinjutsu.
Since Kushina could use Kidō, Roy believed he should also be capable of using sealing techniques.
As it turned out, his assumption was correct.
The problem was that whenever he attempted to use fūinjutsu, he had to borrow chakra from the Nine-Tails.
Roy himself did not possess the fused energy known as chakra.
Even setting aside the Divine Tree and the Ten-Tails, chakra was normally created by combining spiritual energy with the physical energy produced by the body’s cells.
Unfortunately, Roy had no physical body.
All he possessed was reiatsu.
That made him wonder whether he could modify fūinjutsu into a form that could be activated using spiritual power alone.
Bakudō, the binding branch of Kidō, could also be considered a form of sealing technique in some respects.
Although it was nowhere near as miraculous or versatile as the fūinjutsu of the shinobi world, it could at least serve as a reference.
However, once Roy actually attempted to modify the techniques, he realised just how difficult it was to alter an already established system of power.
He was not a genius like Minato, nor was he an exceptional researcher like Orochimaru.
More importantly, every Kidō spell he knew had been purchased directly from the system store.
Aside from the handful he used most often, Roy had barely practised the others after acquiring them.
With almost no experience using them, he naturally lacked any deeper understanding of their principles.
Without talent or sufficient theoretical knowledge, Roy quickly abandoned the idea of modifying the techniques by himself.
He would have to rely on Kushina for something like this.
Unfortunately, she had no energy to spare lately.
With the Nine-Tails’ third tail now unsealed, the negative emotions contained within its chakra had increased exponentially.
As a result, Kushina’s limit had fallen back to two and a half minutes.
Of course, the power she could wield during those two and a half minutes far surpassed what she had previously been capable of.
After spending so much time with Roy, the Nine-Tails had gradually come to believe that he truly was different from other humans.
He held neither fear nor hostility toward the tailed beasts.
Under Roy’s influence, Kushina had also begun to regard the Nine-Tails as a genuine companion rather than merely pretending to befriend it for the sake of borrowing its power.
Once the Nine-Tails accepted Kushina of its own accord, a considerable portion of the malice within its chakra disappeared.
However, the remaining negative emotions had already become deeply intertwined with the chakra itself.
Even the Nine-Tails could not remove them.
“Roy, your sword can absorb emotions, can’t it?” Just as Roy and Kushina were preparing to leave the tailed beast space, the Nine-Tails spoke to him of its own accord for the first time.
Its words left Roy completely bewildered.
He had never known that Kyōen could absorb emotions.
After Kushina unexpectedly restored the Zanpakutō, its release command had remained unchanged, but its method of release and Shikai ability were now completely different.
Every time Roy activated Shikai, he had to draw the sword from Kushina’s chest.
Even though he had long since claimed what should have been Naruto’s personal source of nourishment, the sensation Kushina experienced whenever he drew the blade remained extremely intense.
That made practising his Shikai rather inconvenient.
“I’m not mistaken,” the Nine-Tails continued.
“I’m extremely sensitive to changes in human emotions.
The last time you released that sword, it absorbed a considerable amount of the love Kushina felt.” Its crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
“You may be able to use that ability to lessen the influence of the negative emotions within my chakra.” The Nine-Tails sounded completely certain.
Since it did not appear to be making a careless suggestion, Roy was tempted to try.
His only concern was whether Kushina would agree.
“Roy-kun, I can do it.” In truth, the sensation was not unpleasant for Kushina.
Quite the opposite.
Previously, she had only hesitated because her body’s involuntary reaction had made it difficult to overcome the embarrassment she felt.
Now that she had accepted Roy, however, that psychological barrier had almost completely disappeared.
Apart from not yet allowing him to take the final step, they had already done nearly everything else.
If drawing the sword could help her adapt to the Nine-Tails’ chakra more quickly, Kushina had no reason to refuse.
Since she had agreed, Roy did not hesitate.
He immediately recited the Zanpakutō’s release command.
The two of them then left the tailed beast space.
Roy stood behind Kushina and reached over her shoulder, closing his hand around the hilt protruding from her chest.
At the same moment, the Nine-Tails’ voice echoed in their minds.
“Get ready.
I’m starting.” The moment it finished speaking, translucent orange chakra began seeping from Kushina’s body.
Her pupils instantly narrowed into vertical slits.
As an imperfect jinchūriki, she was still highly vulnerable to the influence of the tailed beast’s chakra.
The instant Roy sensed that Kushina had reached her limit, he stopped waiting and swiftly drew the Zanpakutō from her chest.
“Mmm…” A soft sound escaped Kushina’s lips.
At the same time, the violent desire to destroy and slaughter that had been rising within her suddenly plummeted.
The remaining malice still made her uncomfortable, but it was no longer strong enough to make her lose control.
Two and a half minutes passed.
Then another interval.
And another.
Even after maintaining the Nine-Tails’ chakra for several consecutive cycles, Kushina remained fully conscious.
She stood in place and calmly focused on the sensation of the tailed beast’s chakra eroding her body.
At the same time, the extraordinary constitution of the Uzumaki clan began taking effect, gradually adapting to that erosion.
Had a concealment barrier not covered the courtyard, the sudden appearance of the Nine-Tails’ chakra would likely have thrown all of Konoha into chaos.
The rest of the village noticed nothing.
Kaorui and Karin, however, were living beneath the same roof.
The moment the Nine-Tails’ chakra appeared, both mother and daughter began trembling in terror.
The energy was saturated with such intense malice that it inspired fear on an instinctive level.
Karin’s swaddling clothes were quickly soaked, yet the infant was so frightened that she could not even cry.
Although Kaorui was an adult, she fared little better.
Her entire body trembled violently as cold sweat poured down her skin.
Before long, even the floorboards beneath her feet had noticeably darkened.
Naruto, who was lying beside Karin, reacted completely differently.
Not only was he unafraid, but he began giggling happily, as though he had discovered something amusing.
Perhaps, in some instinctive way, he understood that his mother was growing stronger.
The Nine-Tails was the first to notice Kaorui and Karin’s fear.
After it alerted Roy and Kushina, the two reluctantly brought the training session to an end.
The moment the Nine-Tails’ chakra disappeared, Kaorui’s remaining strength abandoned her.
She collapsed to her knees, the panic in her eyes refusing to fade.
She tried to stand, but her limbs had gone completely numb, leaving her body weak and unresponsive.
At the same time, Karin finally burst into loud wails.
Hearing her crying, Naruto, who had been laughing only moments earlier, also began bawling.
The sound of the children helped dispel some of Kaorui’s terror, but it did nothing to restore the strength in her body.
“I’m sorry.
I wasn’t thinking.” Kushina hurried over.
Rather than picking up Naruto first, she helped Kaorui onto the sofa.
She then lifted Karin into one arm and Naruto into the other, gently rocking both infants to calm them.
“N-No, it’s all right.” Kaorui’s face was filled with shame.
“I’m simply too weak.” She had been unable to endure even a faint trace of that terrifying presence.
Kushina, meanwhile, was forced to contain that malevolent and overwhelming power inside her own body.
Despite both of them belonging to the Uzumaki clan, the difference between them was immense.
Perhaps that was why the clan had once distinguished between its noble families and common members.
What made Kaorui even more uncomfortable was that she had completely lost control of herself in fear.
Now that she had been placed directly on the sofa, it was no longer only the floorboards that would need to be thoroughly cleaned.
The sofa cushion beneath her would need washing as well.
Her expression filled with embarrassment, Kaorui looked toward Kushina as she comforted the children.
However, her attention soon shifted to the invisible presence standing behind her.
Will Roy-sama look down on me for being so useless?