Fighting Kushina in jinchūriki mode gave Ren one overwhelming thought:
Six Paths Sage… I swear to—
Compared to Naruto—who had only half of Kurama, no teacher, and barely any control—
Kushina, with the full Nine-Tails sealed inside her and complete inheritance from Uzumaki Mito…
Was monstrous.
A casual swing tore the earth apart and uprooted forests.
A roar carried impact stronger than a Rasengan strike.
Her speed, on all fours, nearly matched Ren in Sage Mode.
Her close-range hits could crack through even Dance of the Larch's physical defense.
In terms of raw "panel stats," Kushina at five tails surpassed Ren's crude Sage Mode.
But the gap wasn't wide enough to decide the fight by itself.
Because Kushina was using Kurama's power for the first time.
And her coordination with the beast inside her could be described as—
Hostile.
Her massive, violent chakra made precise sealing techniques almost impossible.
Even the Mind's Eye of the Kagura dulled under Kurama's resistance.
So despite having the power to injure Ren…
Her clean hits were too few.
Ren could even keep his vitality around ninety-five percent, riding Grasp of the Undying sustain, and still think through tactics.
After a final dodge and tail-sweep, Ren formed seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A roaring water dragon slammed Kushina backward, hurling her into a crater she'd made herself.
Ren dropped out of Sage Mode and watched her reaction.
If she forced more tails—
He'd recall the second sage clone and continue the war of attrition, hunting for a gap as her mind slipped.
If she stayed at five tails—
He'd test the fight without Sage Mode.
"WHY!?" Kushina's roar exploded as she rose. "WHY WHY WHY—!?"
She charged again, and this time Ren didn't dodge.
He condensed chakra into his right arm and forged a hardened bone spear, meeting her claw head-on.
Crack—
The spear shattered into bone snow.
Ren was driven halfway into the earth, momentarily pinned by raw force.
But Kushina also staggered—pushed back a few steps by his counter.
"So you really weren't joking about controlling your strength," Ren coughed, spitting blood. "But killing me with this… still isn't enough."
Kushina didn't answer.
Her chakra screamed her doubt.
She could draw more power.
But six tails was the limit she could force without Kurama's will starting to swallow hers.
And even if she went further—
Would stronger, less-controlled power help against a Sage Mode opponent?
Probably not.
It would only make her swings wilder.
More exploitable.
But she couldn't accept it.
She refused to accept it.
Kushina opened her mouth—
Chakra spiraled into a dense black sphere.
A Tailed Beast Ball.
Ren instantly sank underground with Earth Release to break her lock—
"NO USE… I CAN SEE YOU, KAGUYA REN!!!"
Her sixth tail erupted.
The Tailed Beast Ball formed faster—
And her aim stayed locked, unbroken.
Ren's teeth clenched.
"Damn Mind's Eye…"
He burst from the earth and threw up defenses with everything he had—
Bracken Dance: Thousandfold Mountain!
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
Dance of the Larch: Full Bloom!
Layer upon layer—bone walls, thick earthen ramparts, and the strongest bone shield—
Three defenses stacked.
Ren jammed two special Biscuits into his mouth as final insurance.
Then—
Kushina fired.
The black sphere screamed across the land—
And the world became hell.
Bone walls vaporized into ash.
Earth ramparts shattered into molten debris.
Ren braced behind Full Bloom, forced backward by the blast, carving a glowing trench through the ground like a meteor's scar—
Then vanished inside the expanding inferno.
…
Minutes later, Minato returned—patched and bleeding—but alive.
He stared at the scorched wasteland.
Charred trees.
Melted stone.
Rivers of fire.
Ren was gone.
Only Kushina remained, kneeling, exhausted.
"Kushina…"
Minato reached to help her up—
She stood instead, and supported him.
"I'm… just a bit drained," she said, breath ragged. "Not enough to need the village's 'wounded hero' holding me upright."
Minato tried to protest—
Then winced, and laughed painfully.
"…So you won."
Kushina's eyes didn't look victorious.
"Minato… when we get back… can you spar with me more?"
Minato blinked.
"With jinchūriki mode."
"What—Kushina, are you serious!?"
"I am," she said quietly. "I'm too inexperienced. If I'm going to be someone the village can rely on…"
Minato hesitated.
"Aren't you afraid people will find out?"
Kushina looked straight into his eyes.
"If they find out… will you leave me?"
"Never." Minato's answer was instant. "Not ever."
"Then that's enough," Kushina smiled—soft, full of warmth. "Your love is enough to fill my—"
Pshk.
A thick bone spear punched through her abdomen.
"Huh…?"
Kushina stared down in confusion at the gray-tinted spearhead—
Then her body collapsed like the bones had been pulled from her all at once.
Only then did the shriek of something tearing through the air arrive—late.
Cutting. Screaming.
And far too sharp.
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