[Read up to 60+ Chapters in advance on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
.
.
.
.
During the lunch break, Kushina left the Barrier Division, using the excuse that she wasn't feeling well and needed to rest.
Upon returning home, she quickly compiled the list of Fūinjutsu she planned to hand over to Kanzou as he had demanded. Then, with a bag in hand, she headed straight to the Uchiha compound to deliver the scrolls.
Normally, outsiders weren't allowed to enter freely, but Kushina was an exception. Kanzou had already given instructions to let her in whenever she came.
When Kushina arrived at Kanzou's residence, she found the place empty; neither Kanzou nor Mikoto was home.
"What now?" she muttered with a frown. She couldn't just leave the scrolls at the doorstep and walk away.
Just then, a voice called out from behind her. "Are you looking for Kanzou-sama?"
Kushina jumped, spinning around in shock. "You…!"
She hadn't even noticed the kunoichi's approach, and for a brief moment, she became tense. If the woman had harbored ill intent, Kushina realized, she could have been dead before she even knew it.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case, so she was still alive… and took a closer look at the Kunoichi.
It was the same ANBU-like kunoichi from that morning, or so Kushina thought at first. But a moment later, she shook her head. 'No… she's a different one.'
The outfit was nearly identical, yet the mask bore a different pattern from the one Kaede had worn. While Kaede's mask had the pattern of the snake, this Kunoichi's mask has the pattern of the Dragon, 'And she looks a bit older, too…' Kushina realized, studying her more closely.
"Uzumaki Kushina," the woman said evenly, her tone calm but firm. "Are you here to meet Kanzou-sama?"
Kushina snorted. "Who said I am here to meet him? I just came to deliver something," she replied curtly. She had no desire to see Kanzou at all.
"He's at the training ground," the kunoichi responded in a neutral tone.
"If that's the case…" Kushina began, wondering if she should just hand the scroll over to the woman to pass along.
But before she could decide, the kunoichi flicked her fingers. A crow swooped down from a nearby tree and landed neatly on Kushina's shoulder. "It'll lead you to the training ground where Kanzou-sama usually trains."
Kushina blinked at the bird perched on her shoulder, then glanced back, only to find the kunoichi had vanished without a trace. "Tch…" she clicked her tongue. "Fine, fine… lead the way," she muttered irritably.
The crow let out a sharp caw, then flapped its wings and took off, with Kushina following close behind.
…
When she arrived at the training ground, Kanzou had already noticed her.
"Well, if it isn't Kushina-chan," he said with a faint smile. "Here to keep your promise?"
Without a moment's hesitation, she pulled out a bag filled with scrolls and tossed it toward him. "Here. Take it," she said coldly.
Kanzou caught the bag, and Kushina immediately turned to leave, but his voice stopped her. "Wait."
She froze mid-step. "What?" she asked, trying to mask the flicker of nervousness in her tone.
"I should at least check if these scrolls are genuine," Kanzou said calmly.
"What? You think I'd try to deceive you with fake scrolls?" Kushina shot back quickly.
"Then why are you so eager to run off?" Kanzou asked, his tone calm but cutting.
"W-who's trying to run away?" Kushina retorted defensively.
"I'm glad to hear that," Kanzou said with a faint nod. Keeping one hand on her shoulder, he reached into the bag, pulled out a scroll, unrolled it, and began to read.
Kushina's heartbeat quickened instantly. 'Don't notice anything… don't notice anything… don't notice anything…' she repeated in her mind, forcing herself to stay calm.
After briefly glancing at the content on the scroll, Kanzou looked up at her with a faint, knowing smirk.
"Tell me, Kushina-chan," he said smoothly, "are you certain there's nothing wrong with this scroll?"
Kushina's heart skipped a beat. 'H-He noticed?'
Her earlier nervousness and that attempt to leave immediately after delivering the scrolls had already raised his suspicions, which was why he decided to check the scroll.
If this had happened earlier, he might not have been able to tell whether the Fūinjutsu scrolls given by her were genuine or fake. After all, his knowledge of sealing techniques back then had been very limited, certainly not enough to detect subtle flaws.
But now, having mastered the Four Symbols Seal through System reward, his understanding of Fūinjutsu had deepened immensely. That new knowledge allowed him to notice irregularities at a glance.
Of course, it was still possible that the differences were due to a variant or a personal modification on Kushina's part; the changes were too subtle, and without detailed reading or usage, it was hard to judge.
But the instant she flinched at his question, Kanzou no longer needed confirmation. He knew.
Kanzou's gaze sharpened. "Kushina-chan, I hope you realize, just as I was able to have Namikaze Minato released, I can just as easily have him arrested again."
His words drained the color from Kushina's face.
"So… Kushina-chan," Kanzou said, looking down at the red-haired kunoichi, "what will it be? Give me the genuine scrolls… or should I have Namikaze Minato thrown back into a cell? And this time, I'll make sure his mini-toe is the first thing taken, sent to you as a gift in a wrapped gift box."
Kushina bit her lip, torn between fear, guilt, and furious anger. In the end, she relented. "I… I'll give you the correct scrolls," she stammered.
"Wise choice," Kanzou said, spanking her in the buttocks, making her yelp and glare at him furiously, but Kanzou didn't care and formed a Shadow Clone. The clone immediately left to fetch a few empty scrolls, along with brushes and ink.
While waiting, Kanzou remained standing, his gaze fixed on Kushina. Under that sharp, unreadable stare, she couldn't help but shift uncomfortably, her hands fidgeting. At the same time, she also kept cursing in her mind, 'Wh-why did he have to realize this?'
She had hoped to score a small victory over Kanzou and watch him struggle with a smug, vicious smile, but instead, things had turned against her. Not only had she failed to win, she'd been caught in her own trap. It really wasn't fair.
While Kanzou waited for his shadow clone to return with the supplies, Mikoto, who had been training a short distance away, approached him with a puzzled look. "Kan-sama… I don't understand this par—Ara? Kushina-chan?"
"M-Mikoto-chan… g-good evening!" Kushina greeted her with a faint, uneasy smile. She didn't really have the heart to meet Mikoto's gaze.
"Are you feeling better now?" Mikoto asked softly.
Kushina tilted her head, confused by the question, then turned to Kanzou for an explanation.
Kanzou lightly pressed his palm to Kushina's forehead, as if checking her temperature, then said, "Yeah… her fever seems to have gone down. I suppose she's feeling better after resting for half a day… isn't that right, Kushina-chan?"
"Y-yeah… what he said…" Kushina nodded quickly. She had no idea what he was talking about, but still played along with guilt gnawing at her chest.
"Is that so?" murmured Mikoto. And added, "But you know, Kushina-chan… when someone has a fever, even if it starts to go down, they still need to rest. Otherwise, it'll just relapse. And yet here you are instead of resting… why is that?"
Her tone was gentle and caring, but her eyes weren't the same at all; they held a darkness that Kushina, too afraid to meet her gaze, completely missed.
With each flicker of her gaze, Mikoto seemed to be silently imagining a dozen ways to kill Kushina. After all, even if she couldn't kill Kushina, as that would make Kanzou unhappy… she could still fantasize about it, right?
And though Kushina avoided meeting her eyes, a cold shiver still crawled down her spine. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if she had actually caught a chill, but the next instant, her instincts screamed that it wasn't illness. It was dangerous.
'This bastard… he must be planning something,' she thought bitterly, blaming Kanzou without even realizing that Mikoto's glare was the true source of her unease.
It was Kanzou who finally broke the tension, answering in a calm tone, "It's about that barrier formation we discussed this morning. Since Kushina-chan was feeling a little better, and since it was very important… she came to assist. Isn't that right, Kushina-chan?"
"Yes…" Kushina nodded quickly, once again playing along.
"I see…" murmured Mikoto, not pressing further.
Just then, Kanzou's shadow clone returned carrying a stack of blank scrolls, brushes, and ink. "Here you go," it said before dispersing.
Kushina accepted the materials with a bitter expression and silently sat down at the side to begin rewriting the correct versions of all the Fuinjutsu.
Meanwhile, Mikoto asked Kanzou about the doubt she had. Once he clarified her doubt, she quietly returned to practicing.
…
A while later
[Ding! Forced Uzumaki Kushina to hand over the Uzumaki Clan's Secret Fūinjutsu — Reward: 500 Explosion Tags, + 15,000 Evil Points]
This time, it was genuine.
Kanzou finally had the real Fūinjutsu in his hands: Adamantine Sealing Chains, Four Symbol Seal, Five-Symbol Seal, Eight Trigrams Seal, Summoning Seal, Reverse Four Symbol Seal, and more.
The scrolls Kushina had handed over earlier had been tampered with, but not these ones. This time, the techniques were authentic.
These were not to be underestimated; these seals had the power to restrain even Tailed Beasts. Among them, the Adamantine Sealing Chains were especially formidable.
Beyond suppressing Tailed Beasts, the Adamantine Chains could also be used offensively or to construct barrier formations. It was a signature technique of the Uzumaki clan, though it seemed only members of their bloodline could wield it, making it a unique and exclusive ability like a Kekkei Genkai.
Fortunately, Kanzou now possessed the Uzumaki Sage Physique, meaning he could definitely learn to use the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
"You got what you wanted… I'm leaving…" said Kushina as she turned around and began to leave.
Just as Kushina was about to leave, Kanzou suddenly stopped her. "Wait."
She turned back with a frown, her expression cold. "…What is it now?" she asked flatly.
"You tried to trick me earlier with an incorrect version of Fūinjutsu," Kanzou said. "You don't think I'd just let that slide, do you?"
"What do you mean?" she snapped.
Yes, it was true she'd given him a falsified scroll. But it was directed at Kanzou, and in her eyes, that alone justified it.
Still… the problem was that this bastard was too sharp, he'd seen right through her.
"Shouldn't you at least apologize?" he said with a smirk.
Before she could reply, Kanzou pulled her into his arms.
"You…! Let me go!"
Panicked, Kushina instinctively glanced over to where Mikoto was training. Seeing that Mikoto wasn't looking in their direction, she let out a small breath of relief.
But they weren't far. If Mikoto so much as turned her head, she would definitely see what was happening.
'Damn Uchiha Kanzou… how is he so bold?'
'Isn't he afraid that if Mikoto-chan finds out, she'll kill him?'
'With how shameless this bastard is,' Kushina thought bitterly, 'if Mikoto-chan catches us, he'll definitely claim I was the one seducing him. And… maybe, she'll really believe him.'
She didn't want to be seen that way… but she felt hopeless because there is nothing she seemed to be able to do.
But just then, a spark of an idea lit up in her mind. 'Wait... maybe this is my chance. Maybe I can let Mikoto-chan see his bastard's true face for herself.'
A glimmer of resolve replaced the anger in Kushina's eyes.
Back when Minato was still in Kanzou's hands, Kushina hadn't dared to speak out. But now that he had been released, she felt that she could take a chance…
"Ahhh! Uchiha Kanzou-kun, what are you doing?! I'm Mikoto-chan's friend, and you dare lay hands on me? You bastard!" Kushina suddenly shouted, putting on the expression of a wronged victim.
And in truth, she was a victim whom Kanzou was wronging, so it wasn't necessarily an act.
In that moment, she looked at Kanzou with a glint of satisfaction in her eyes. She was finally getting the win she wanted over him… 'Just you wait, you bastard… I'll ruin your entire life to take my revenge on you…"
Kanzou raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by her sudden tactic. But then he smirked, 'Pointless attempts… Kushina-chan..'
After all, Kushina didn't know that Mikoto was already on Kanzou's side.
Kushina kept yelling for a while as his hands roamed over her body and she tried to draw Mikoto's attention, yet there was no reaction from Mikoto.
'Even if Mikoto hears you, she'll pretend she didn't. So go ahead, shout all you want. It's pointless now,' thought Kanzou, watching her make a fool of herself with an amused look, and his hands began to play with her breasts.
After shouting for quite a while and seeing no reaction from Mikoto, Kushina grew frustrated. 'Did she really not hear me yelling that loudly?'
"What's wrong? Why did you stop?" Kanzou asked mockingly. "Go on, keep shouting."
"This is your doing, isn't it?" Kushina narrowed her eyes. "You must've used some Genjutsu or something to stop Mikoto-chan from hearing me."
There was no other explanation; Mikoto couldn't have missed her voice.
"Oh? You've guessed it right," Kanzou smirked. It was indeed something like that… but not exactly what Kushina was imagining. Kanzou obviously wasn't going to reveal that and simply said, "Well then, let's go."
He grabbed her, and in the next instant, they vanished from the training ground.
.
.
.
.
Lemon Incoming... Drop Power Stonessssssssss!
[Read up to 60+ Chapters in advance on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]