Kushina's head was yanked backward, pain flaring across her scalp.
She grit her teeth, stubbornly refusing to cry out, and glared up at the one tugging her hair.
The Root agent behind her had looked fierce just moments before—but meeting Kushina's unwavering gaze, his heart inexplicably tightened. His expression faltered, but he pulled even harder, clinging to his orders. No matter that she was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—they had to proceed.
Kushina winced, but still didn't scream.
Seeing this, the second agent suddenly thrust his palm toward her abdomen.
If it had been a punch, Yako wouldn't have flinched. But a palm strike—this was likely a sealing technique.
Sure enough, the moment contact was made, Kushina's eyes changed.
Her pupils elongated into vertical fox slits—eerily similar to Naruto's fox-faced transformation from the original timeline.
A malevolent chakra surged outward.
The narrow alley behind the school trembled as wind howled.
The teachers inside the academy glanced uneasily toward the masked ANBU stationed by the windows.
"Aren't you going to intervene?" one asked.
"I'm ANBU," Yako replied flatly. "They're Root. I can't override their orders."
Suddenly, a golden-haired blur launched from the second-floor window.
First standing on the windowsill in a handstand, he then kicked off with explosive force, propelling himself down like a missile.
Yako's eyes widened.
For just a second, he saw the chakra at Minato's feet: compressed Wind Release.
'Compressed chakra propulsion… That's Sakumo's technique. Is he teaching Minato compression already?'
Yako had missed several days of their training while watching over Kushina. Could it be that Sakumo had already started guiding Minato in chakra control?
Chakra crystallization was an incredibly difficult technique. With system help, Yako had managed it for Earth Release, but none of the other elements were progressing.
'Minato… you monster.'
It wasn't fully crystallized yet, but Minato could already compress chakra with impressive stability. A rare talent.
Flying Thunder God could be acquired from Tsunade. But if you paired that with Sakumo's chakra refinement…
Minato might rival or even surpass his canon self—though he'd lack Mount Myōboku's sage arts.
'Good thing I've invested early,' Yako thought. 'Kushina's clan trusts me. And Minato? Technically my brother-in-law. Win-win.'
Minato landed with blinding speed and seized Kushina's attacker by the wrist.
Crack!
A scream erupted as the wrist snapped.
Minato then spun, delivering a vicious kick to the second Root agent, slamming him against the wall with enough force to crack brick.
"You'll need repairs," Yako muttered to the nearby teacher. "Bill it to Root."
The teacher frowned. "Minato's gotten faster again. His movement… it's different. I've never seen anything like it."
Of course it was. He had Hatake Sakumo as a mentor now.
The Nine-Tails' chakra flared. A sinister aura settled over the scene.
Kushina hugged her head and trembled, her growls low and guttural.
Bubbles of blood-red chakra hissed into existence around her body.
Minato gently grabbed her shoulders, trying to calm her—but he didn't know how.
More and more students began appearing at the alley's far end, drawn by the commotion.
"Ox is here," a voice said behind Yako. One of his squadmates had appeared.
"Captain, the Root agents aren't acting. Should we?"
"Let's wait. If they're not in a hurry, neither are we."
Kushina clenched her fists, desperately trying to suppress the Nine-Tails—but something was interfering. There was a second seal now, fighting against the original one.
Behind her, a translucent chakra tail began to form.
'Root's getting reckless,' Yako thought grimly. 'Treating a jinchūriki like a tool… This is beyond crude.'
Minato grew more desperate. He didn't want Kushina's classmates to see her like this.
Suddenly, Kushina raised her claw-like hand and swiped at Minato's abdomen.
He hadn't expected it—he didn't dodge.
Her sharpened nails slashed across his stomach.
Again and again, she struck.
Yako turned toward the tree concealing the Root agents. Still, they made no move.
'She's too strong now. Minato's losing in raw power—and he won't hurt her.'
As her claws reached for Minato's throat, a new figure flickered into view.
A masked ANBU with a fox mask—Yako himself.
He caught Kushina's wrist with his left hand and raised his right.
"Five Elements Seal!"
A powerful sealing jutsu designed specifically to suppress chakra—stored in the ANBU's restricted archive. As a squad captain, Yako now had full access.
He struck Kushina's abdomen with precision.
The bubbling chakra destabilized.
The semi-formed tail behind her shimmered, then lashed out in a final spasm—whipping toward Yako.
He instinctively activated his Copperlight Absolute Defense.
But the tail wasn't physical—it was chakra, and it burned.
Pain lanced through him.
Still, the chakra faded. The threat was neutralized.
Behind the trees, the Root agents flinched.
They had been ready to act—but Fox had sealed the Nine-Tails first.
They hadn't expected an ANBU to possess such refined sealing arts.
The incident ended quickly after that.
Teachers ushered students away. Some comforted the shaken.
At the Hokage's office, Yako stood before Hiruzen, Tsunade, Danzō, and Senju Hanaki.
Root operative "C" gave his report:
"The jinchūriki's strength is insufficient. Lady Mito's seal is weakening.
Her chakra leaks frequently. This time, she formed a tail.
She lost control at a single tail and attacked indiscriminately—even Minato, her closest friend.
It was ANBU Squad Captain Fox who sealed the chakra using Five Elements Seal."
Tsunade turned her eyes toward Yako.
'He can seal the Nine-Tails' chakra? That's not something to take lightly…'