Of course, this is too soon. Kushina may accept kisses and hugs now, but she definitely wouldn't accept anything further.
Small tomatoes need time to ripen fully, and experienced farmers never pick an immature fruit.
Kain patted the cushion beside the table, motioning for Kushina to sit down and talk.
"Kushina, I think you need to focus on increasing your strength. In this world, only power can truly protect you. If you're too weak, you'll only be manipulated by others."
Kushina nodded, lowering her head in some distress. "I know, but right now, I'm only talented in sealing techniques. Although I've learned jutsu from Sister Tsunade, I want to grow stronger more quickly."
Kain interrupted gently. "There's a way. You know Nawaki, Tsunade's younger brother, right?"
"Yes," Kushina replied, her tone tinged with frustration. "Nawaki's strength used to be no match for mine, but ever since he awakened Wood Style, his power has grown by leaps and bounds."
When Kushina mentioned Nawaki, she looked dejected. He used to struggle against her in training, but everything changed after he gained control of the Wood Style bloodline limit. Under Orochimaru's training, his strength skyrocketed.
The last time they sparred, Kushina had used the Nine Tails' three-tailed Chakra, but she still wasn't able to defeat Nawaki. Wood Style was too effective at countering tailed beast Chakra.
Kushina's initial advantage faded as the fight went on, and Nawaki's extraordinary recovery allowed him to endure even critical injuries.
Kain nodded thoughtfully. "That's because of the Extremis Virus. I brought a serum that can strengthen the body. If you want, I still have one tube left. After injecting it, you'll be like Nawaki."
" Not only will your recovery abilities improve dramatically, but you'll also be able to control the Wood Style bloodline limit. Additionally, you'll gain resistance to genjutsu."
He took out a small vial filled with a light blue serum and explained, "I remember you saying that sometimes your emotions get out of control, and this serum can also make you immune to external negative influences."
The serum Kain held was a perfected version of the Extremis Virus, infused with Hashirama cells. The success rate of the injection was nearly 100%, with no known failures to date. Given Kushina's strong constitution, Kain was confident there would be no issues.
Still, he wanted to confirm everything. Although Orochimaru was currently on the front lines, Kain had studied the experiments in detail. As a bioengineer, he had reviewed every report meticulously, even if he hadn't been directly involved in every procedure.
"Extremis Virus serum… Wood Style bloodline…" Kushina murmured, her eyes wide with awe. She stared at the serum in Kain's hand, understanding its significance even without fully grasping the science behind it. She knew how precious it was.
Nawaki, who once couldn't even continue as a ninja due to his injuries, had become a formidable shinobi after injecting this serum.
"Boss, can I…?" she asked hesitantly, her voice trembling with a mixture of hope and disbelief.
After hearing that Nawaki had become a Jōnin and was now famous throughout the ninja world, Kushina couldn't help but feel conflicted.
"Something this precious... if you inject me with it... wouldn't it be a waste?"
Kushina spoke hesitantly. While she deeply desired to grow stronger, she also worried about whether her body was worthy of such a valuable serum. However, if Kain chose not to use it on her, she knew she'd be disappointed despite understanding his reasoning.
The thoughts of this simple-minded girl were all too easy to read—especially for someone like Kushina, whose emotions were written plainly on her face.
Kain smiled warmly. "Compared to the Extremis serum, you are far more precious, Kushina."
The words hit her like a direct strike. Kushina froze, her face flushed, and a silly giggle escaped her lips. Realizing she was outside and not in the privacy of her room, she quickly coughed to cover up her embarrassment.
"Then... please take care of me, Boss," she said, her cheeks still red as she agreed.
"I'll need to take a small sample of your flesh and blood for testing," Kain explained. "Once the results are ready, I'll let you know. It won't take long."
With that, Kain retrieved a petri dish and carefully took a small tissue sample from Kushina. Then, in an effort to both impress her and subtly build their connection, he used Apparition to vanish before her eyes, reappearing moments later at his experimental base in the Land of Tea.
Kushina watched him disappear with wide eyes, her expression a mix of awe and surprise. The brief glimpse of his mysterious powers made her heart race.
Meanwhile, at the experimental base, which had only recently been completed, Kain set to work. The facility was equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, ideal for testing cell compatibility with the Extremis serum.
While previous trials had shown no failures, Kain preferred to err on the side of caution.
Two hours later, his tests confirmed the serum would integrate perfectly with Kushina's cells. Satisfied, he Apparated back to Konoha—but to his surprise, Kushina was no longer in the living room.
"Huh? Did she leave? That doesn't seem right," Kain murmured. Though he'd left in a rush, he'd told Kushina he'd return shortly. It didn't seem like her to leave so soon.
Hearing a faint noise from the next room, Kain cast a Levitation Charm on himself and floated silently toward the source. When he reached the master bedroom, he used a spell to slowly crack the door open, revealing a curious sight:
Kushina was sprawled on his bed, rolling from side to side as if caught in a whirlwind of emotions.
"I'm more important…" she mumbled, her voice trailing off mid-sentence. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the door and froze.
…
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