In the brightly lit guest room, a figure lay quietly on the bed. As time passed, her tightly closed eyes began to tremble slightly.
"Ugh…"
After a soft groan, Rin slowly opened her eyes, met with dazzling light. She instinctively closed her eyes, and just then, a voice beside her spoke.
"You're finally awake."
Rin slowly opened her eyes, then turned her head towards the direction of the voice, meeting a familiar face.
" Ren?"
Upon recognizing the face, Rin's eyes widened in surprise, staring at him.
"I'm not the main body."
Number One scratched his head, then pointed outside, nodding.
"The main body went out to buy something, he should be back soon."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the door behind him creaked open, and Ren and Number Two walked in, carrying a pile of things.
"Brother, how is Rin's condition…"
As Ren spoke to Number One, the latter stepped aside, revealing Rin on the bed. Ren's voice abruptly stopped, and a smile appeared on his face.
"You're finally awake, Rin."
"Mm."
Rin nodded slightly to Ren, then tried to sit up. But as soon as she exerted herself, a sharp pain shot through her chest, leaving her utterly weak.
"Alright, just lie there and rest."
Ren put down his things, walked slowly to the bedside, and sat on a chair, instructing her.
"You can't move around in your current condition. Just lie down for two more days."
"Mm."
Rin nodded, no longer moving her body. Instead, she turned her gaze to Ren and asked somewhat eagerly.
"What about Kakashi?"
She had lost consciousness after Kakashi's Chidori pierced her. How did he face so many enemies alone?
Ren stood up and helped her sit up, then Number One propped a pillow against the wall to make her more comfortable.
"Kakashi has already been sent back to Konoha. He's recuperating at home, and Senior White Fang is looking after him."
"Is that so…"
Hearing that Kakashi was fine, Rin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she seemed to remember something else, her gaze scanning the room, a hint of confusion on her face.
"Why am I here?"
"What do you think?"
Ren rolled his eyes, then pointed to her abdomen, speaking.
"Don't you remember anything?"
Rin quickly reacted. She sensed it for a moment and discovered the massive amount of Chakra within her, blurting out.
"Six-Tails!"
Speaking of the Six-Tails, she suddenly remembered the cursed seal on her heart. Since she had been saved, the cursed seal on her heart must still be there!
"Ren, quickly kill me!"
Rin abruptly turned her head, looking at Ren with an anxious expression.
"Someone planted a cursed seal on my heart and sealed the Six-Tails inside me, intending for the Six-Tails to rampage once I return to the Village. And I can't commit suicide!"
"So you ran into Kakashi's Chidori?"
Ren peeled fruit with a fruit knife, complaining.
"Rin, I'm not trying to be rude, but if I had been even a little slower back then, you'd be gone. Now that I've gone through all this trouble to save you, you're asking me to kill you. What's the point?"
"But what about the Six-Tails?!"
Although Rin didn't want to die, she didn't want to cause devastation in the Village because of herself. If that were the case, she would rather sacrifice herself.
"Why do you think I brought you here?"
Ren handed over the peeled apple. Although Rin was still very weak, she could still lift her hand to take the fruit.
"You don't need to worry about the cursed seal."
Ren took a banana from a nearby bag and said while peeling it.
"While you were unconscious, I already contacted Minato-nii through a toad and asked him to have Kushina-nee help research it. There should be results very soon."
Although this binding curse seal Jutsu was not simple, Ren had more confidence in Kushina. After all, the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu was recognized as the strongest in the Ninja World. Although the structural systems of the two were not entirely the same, overall, they led to the same destination.
"As for the Six-Tails…"
Ren glanced at Rin's abdomen, then extended his hand, making a fist, and offered it to her.
"Eh?"
Seeing Ren's action, Rin was momentarily confused, but she still used her free right hand to make a fist and bump it against Ren's.
The next moment, Rin felt her vision suddenly turn completely dark. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in another place.
"Where is this…?"
Rin instinctively took a step forward, looking up and around.
The surroundings were vast and empty, with water beneath her feet, and ripples continuously spread outwards from her soles.
"Hey, Rin."
Just then, Ren's voice suddenly came from behind her. She instinctively turned around and saw a shocking sight.
Not far in front of her, three gigantic creatures were lined up. Ren was sitting on the head of the one in the middle, a beetle-like creature, waving to her.
"This…"
Rin covered her mouth, looking at these enormous beings, her mind instantly blank.
Seeing this, Ren jumped down from above, walked to Rin's side, then turned around, extended his palm, and chuckled at the three Tailed Beasts.
"Let me introduce you, this is Isobu."
"Hello, human."
Isobu nodded to Rin and greeted her.
"H-hello."
Looking at the tail behind Isobu, Rin quickly realized that this was the Three-Tails sealed within Ren.
Ren moved his hand towards Chomei, smiling.
"This is Chomei."
"Hello, human."
"Hello."
By this time, Rin had calmed down. She also quickly noticed Chomei's six spread wings and the single tail below. Was this… the Seven-Tails?
A hint of confusion appeared in Rin's eyes. According to the books, wasn't the Seven-Tails the Tailed Beast of Takigakure Village? Why was it with Ren?
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something else, instinctively turning her head to look at Saiken, who was sitting there, wiggling its six slimy tails. She seemed to realize something, and a look of understanding appeared in her eyes.
"As for this one…"
Ren pointed to Saiken last, just about to introduce it, when Rin directly spoke.
"No need for introductions."
Rin took two steps forward, looked at the other party, and smiled.
"You're the one inside me, aren't you?"
Saiken was startled for a moment, then wiggled its body, and a lively voice rang out.
"Ah, I'm Saiken, please take care of me."
Rin bowed slightly forward, saying playfully.
"I'm Rin Nohara, please take care of me too."
"Alright."
Ren clapped his hands, drawing the attention of all the people and Tailed Beasts.
"Now we should talk about…"
Ren narrowed his eyes, saying in a deep voice.
"…what happens next."