Chapter 178 - The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki
Sensing the tense atmosphere in the room, Minato quickly stepped in, grabbed Kushina's hand, and said gently,
"Kushina, Kazane's here to help you."
"He's here to help me? Well then, let him take back his job and give me back my husband!"
Minato gave an awkward smile at her response and tried to comfort her further.
"Kushina, Kazane is here for your safety. Someone is targeting the Nine-Tails—and you're carrying our baby now. It's far too dangerous."
Minato gently held Kushina, speaking softly into her ear while rubbing her slightly swollen belly with tender affection.
"You're impossible sometimes… and we've got company, too."
Under Minato's gentle touch, Kushina's anger faded. Her face turned red as she nestled into his arms like a docile kitten.
Kazane and Shizune exchanged a look, both clearly wounded by the sheer amount of affection being displayed. That was a heavy dose of PDA, and both felt personally attacked.
Kazane quietly vowed to seek comfort from Kurenai later—he needed healing after this.
Once Minato noticed that Kushina had calmed down, he continued stroking her belly and whispered,
"Kushina, this enemy is powerful. I'm genuinely afraid for your safety. Let Kazane help us this time, please."
Held in Minato's arms, the fiery red pepper became noticeably more docile. She gave Kazane a reluctant eye roll and muttered,
"Fine. For Minato's sake, I'll let you off this time."
Kazane could only give a wry smile and scratch his nose. This was probably the first time someone dared talk to him like that and walk away unscathed.
Others who had once uttered similar words were already enjoying tea with Hashirama in the afterlife.
But Kazane had already made up his mind. If Shizune was the one who stirred the pot, he'd start with her. After all, Jiriku was still single. Maybe he could match those two up—see whether her hostility could overcome Jiriku's charm.
Yes, he'd give that Make-Out Paradise Kakashi returned to Jiriku. Perfect.
Shizune shivered at the sight of Kazane's scheming grin. For some reason, she felt a sudden chill.
"So? What do you want to do?"
Kushina, being the straightforward type, didn't actually have anything against Kazane. Her earlier outburst was just a wife venting about her husband's neglect. Now that she was over it, she was ready to move on.
"I want to see the Nine-Tails—to help reinforce the seal."
Now that it was time for business, Kazane dropped the light tone and got straight to the point.
"Reinforce the Nine-Tails' seal?"
Kushina frowned at that. She prided herself on her sealing skills—there was no one better in Konoha.
To her, Kazane's words sounded like a challenge to her abilities.
Did he think her seal couldn't hold the Nine-Tails?
"Kid, do you even know sealing techniques?My sealing method was specifically created for tailed beasts. What exactly are you planning to do?"
Kushina had no filter. Her lack of trust in Kazane came through loud and clear.
Her attitude annoyed Kazane. If it weren't for Minato, he wouldn't have even stayed in the room—let alone help.
A Nine-Tails jinchūriki? Please. Even if the beast broke loose and she died, it wouldn't shake Konoha. They'd just seal it into someone else. With Kazane around, the Nine-Tails wasn't going anywhere.
So his tone turned cold.
"I don't know sealing techniques. But this enemy is different. He's an Uchiha traitor with a Mangekyō Sharingan strong enough to control tailed beasts. And based on my calculations, he'll make his move during childbirth—can you guarantee your seal will hold then?"
Kazane's relentless questioning left Kushina flustered. While she didn't want to admit it, she didn't feel confident either.
Still, she doubted Kazane could do any better.
"So what can you do about it? If my seal won't hold, and you can't use sealing jutsu, how exactly are you going to help?"
Suddenly, a dominating pressure filled the room. Kazane's sleeves and headband fluttered as a visible aura surrounded him. His presence alone was suffocating.
"I—am—strong—enough."
Minato could tell something was off with Kushina today. Seeing Kazane grow angry, he quietly stepped in front of her to block the pressure and gave Kazane a slightly apologetic look.
As for the true culprit—Shizune—she had no such shield.
Overwhelmed by Kazane's intense aura, she felt like she was sinking into a deep, dark ocean, struggling for breath. Yet her pride wouldn't let her yield. She clenched her teeth and held on.
It was only a few seconds, but it felt like hours. Just before she collapsed, Kazane finally retracted his presence.
As soon as he did, Shizune dropped to the ground, the tension in her body completely gone.
The cold floor made her feel even more wronged.
That jerk! So petty! Totally unmanly!
Kazane, however, ignored her. He looked straight at Kushina.
"With strength like mine—do I qualify?"
Though slightly frightened, Kushina still didn't want to back down. With Minato and Shizune here, she had her pride to maintain.
So she turned away, pretending not to hear.
That only made Kazane even angrier.
They were gossiping behind my back, and now this?
I came here to help, and this is how you act? As if I'm begging you?
"Kazane, I'm sorry to trouble you."
Minato quickly stepped in, grabbing Kazane's hand before things could spiral further.
How did something so simple turn into this mess?
Then Minato gently tugged Kushina's sleeve, frowning as he gave her a serious look.
Seeing even Minato upset, Kushina finally muttered a reluctant apology. Whether she meant it or not, only she knew.
"Sorry... Thank you for your help. Alright, Kazane. How do you want to proceed? We'll fully cooperate."
With Kushina finally yielding, Minato breathed a sigh of relief. He returned to his usual cheerful tone.
"I want to meet the Nine-Tails—speak with it—and reinforce the seal using my own method."
Though still somewhat annoyed, Kazane respected Minato, so he answered without hesitation.
Minato nodded and turned to Kushina. After a reluctant nod from her, he had Kazane step in front of her.
Kushina then used her clan's secret technique to guide Kazane's consciousness into the seal space containing the Nine-Tails.
Ding!
"Virus detected—cleared."
A long-missed voice echoed in Kazane's mind.
Oh, right. He had a cheat that granted immunity to genjutsu. It had been so long, he'd almost forgotten.
"Sigh… almost forgot—my kekkei genkai gives me immunity to all genjutsu cast by those with weaker spiritual power."
Seeing Minato and Kushina's puzzled looks, Kazane quickly made up an explanation.
Minato & Kushina: ???
Minato thought of Kazane's Armament Haki and sighed inwardly: This bloodline ability… it strengthens his body, his weapons, and now even makes him immune to genjutsu? How are other ninja supposed to compete?
"I'll try something myself."
Kazane had an idea—if it was all about spiritual energy, maybe he could bypass the usual method and force his consciousness into the seal.
With their approval, he placed his hand on the seal and focused his spiritual energy. Aided by his Observation Haki, he slipped into the seal space.
Drip. Drip.
Kazane found himself in front of a massive cage with water dripping all around.
Inside the cage, a huge beast was sleeping. The entire space trembled with each breath it took.
It was massive, fox-like, with nine enormous tails—exactly who he'd come to see.
"Hey! Fuzzball! Wake up!"
Kazane wasn't here to watch it nap. He walked straight to the bars and shouted inside.
The sleeping Nine-Tails heard the familiar insult and snapped its fierce eyes open.
Spotting the silver-haired brat, it lunged to the front of the cage, snarling.
"You brat! How did you get here?! Who told you that name?!"
Kazane ignored the question and took the chance to observe the Nine-Tails up close.
Orange fur. A not-too-bright look. A mountain-sized body filled with immense chakra.
Yup. Definitely the strongest tailed beast. Even just the aura puts Pakkun to shame.
Seeing Kazane staring at him rudely, the Nine-Tails grew angrier.
"Brat! Are you looking to die? Come in here if you've got the guts!"
To its surprise, Kazane did exactly that—he walked straight through the bars into the cage.
The Nine-Tails froze in shock, then grinned viciously.
You asked for it.
It swiped at Kazane with a giant paw—
Boom!
And then froze again.
Kazane had caught the attack with his bare hand.
While the Nine-Tails was still processing this, Kazane grinned.
A powerful pressure surged from him, and in his spiritual space, three swords appeared in his hands.
Three-Sword Style: Ultimate — Tiger Hunt!!!
What followed was a very educational exchange between the two.
---
Ten minutes later
Kazane was lounging in front of the Nine-Tails.
The great fox was sprawled on the floor like a puddle of goo, looking completely wrecked.
"Oi, fuzzball. You dead? If not, sit up and listen."
At Kazane's voice, the Nine-Tails sat upright instantly.
It felt miserable. Once, it had roamed freely. Then someone used genjutsu to enslave it and sign a summoning contract. After that, another jerk decided its power was "too strong," so he sealed it in a woman's body.
Now it was trapped here, day after day. Bored out of its mind.
And just when someone finally showed up—who even knew its real name—the Nine-Tails thought it could get a little revenge.
But noooo. Another monster. Is everyone outside this strong now?
If that's the case, then honestly, being sealed wasn't so bad…
"Your power's too dangerous," Kazane said. "So I'm reinforcing your seal."
The Nine-Tails: ???
(??.??)~(▼皿▼#)
What the hell is this?! That's what the last guy said too! Whose fault is this, huh?! DAMN IT!!!