Kain stood there silently, watching her with a calm expression.
"Bo—boss!? Y-you're back?!" Kushina stammered, sitting up abruptly, her face practically glowing with embarrassment.
"Yeah, I just returned," Kain replied casually, leaning against the doorframe. "Kushina, are you tired?"
Blushing furiously, Kushina scrambled to explain herself. "N-no, not really! I just... I've had a lot of tasks to do today, so I thought I'd borrow your bed for a bit of rest! That's all! It's definitely not because of—!"
She stopped mid-sentence, realizing she was only making things worse.
"It's okay, I understand, Kushina."
Kain tried hard to suppress a laugh, then held up the Extremis virus serum in his hand and said, "The tests are complete. Let's inject it now, but when the time comes, you'll need to endure the process."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Boss," Kushina replied quickly, getting up from the bed. She straightened out the folds in the bedding and followed Kain into the living room, her head slightly bowed and her steps small and careful.
In the living room, Kain cast a protective spell and arranged sealing techniques around the area. Watching him, Kushina joined in, quickly setting up a barrier.
Her movements were relaxed and fluid, much more skilled than Kain's, and the barrier she created was notably stronger.
Once everything was ready, Kain prepared the syringe and injected the Extremis virus serum into Kushina.
The initial reaction was intense. The process was excruciatingly painful, but the enhanced serum, fused with Hashirama cells, drastically reduced the risk of failure compared to earlier experiments with human test subjects.
Almost immediately, Kushina's face contorted with pain, and she let out soft cries, her body trembling as beads of sweat formed and trickled down.
Fortunately, the multiple layers of protection in the house ensured no sound escaped. Kain also cast a restraint spell to keep her from thrashing around uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, deep within Kushina's sealed space, the Nine-Tails stirred in alarm.
"What the hell is this Uzumaki brat doing!?" the beast roared, feeling the adamantine chains that bound it growing stronger. Even the sealed space around it seemed to solidify and become more impenetrable.
The Nine-Tails thrashed in vain. "Damn Uzumaki clan! Damn brat!" it bellowed, feeling the chains start to siphon off its chakra. Unable to resist, the beast could only snarl in frustration, its immobility rendering it powerless.
Back in the living room, the serum's effects began to stabilize, and Kushina's pain gradually subsided. Her clothes, drenched in sweat, clung to her slender, youthful figure, revealing her form in an unintentional but striking way.
"Boss..." she murmured weakly.
Kain smiled at her reassuringly. "It worked, Kushina. You've successfully adapted to the serum. Have some food first, and then go change into something comfortable."
He gestured to the table, which was already set with a variety of dishes—cooked meats, energy drinks, and, of course, Kushina's favorite instant ramen.
Kushina hesitated for a moment, glancing down at her sweat-soaked clothes. But the delicious aroma wafting from the table, coupled with the hunger gnawing at her stomach, proved too much to resist.
She climbed onto the chair and began eating voraciously, her cheeks puffing up like a little squirrel hoarding food.
After she finished eating, Kain used a simple spell to clean her up, eliciting a surprised gasp from Kushina.
"Boss, I feel so much stronger now!" Kushina exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "And I can control the Tailed Beast's chakra so much better than before. It feels like I can unlock a whole new state at any moment!"
Kushina explained the situation with the Nine-Tails to Kain, leaving nothing hidden between them. However, she urged him not to share this information with anyone, warning that Konoha's people would inevitably come looking for him if they found out.
Now, Kushina realized her condition was better than ever. What surprised her most was the massive increase in the Nine-Tails' chakra within her—it had doubled. Furthermore, the seal continued to absorb chakra from the Nine-Tails, almost as if she had an infinite reserve at her disposal.
After hearing her explanation, Kain nodded thoughtfully and immediately Apparated them both to the Land of Tea.
"Boss, where is this place? Was that just now some kind of space ninjutsu?"
It was Kushina's first time experiencing Apparition over such a long distance, but thanks to her strong constitution, she quickly overcame the initial discomfort.
"It's space magic," Kain replied. "This is the Land of Tea. You can test your strength here. If you need an opponent, I can spar with you."
He explained to Kushina that the fastest way to master her newfound power was through actual combat.
Kushina nodded. She trusted Kain implicitly and was curious to test how much her strength had improved.
She closed her eyes, focusing her consciousness on the sealed space. Within, she saw the Nine-Tails growling in frustration as its chakra was continuously siphoned off.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains binding the beast seemed to have gained an additional ability, similar to Wood Style, allowing them to absorb chakra directly.
"So much chakra… Sorry, Nine-Tails, I'll make it up to you later," Kushina muttered, a small pang of guilt surfacing.
Heeding Kain's advice, she retracted the Adamantine Sealing Chains from the Nine-Tails, confident that even with just one seal in place, she could suppress the beast effectively.
With the beast's chakra fully stored within her, Kushina decided to put it to use. She immediately entered a new state, her body enveloped in a radiant golden chakra cloak.
The patterns of the Uzumaki clan and the tomoe of the Sharingan adorned her form, while a powerful aura surged outward. Alongside the chakra's overwhelming energy came an intense vitality radiating from within her.
Kain, observing the transformation, couldn't help but look surprised.
"To enter the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode so suddenly? That's an enormous leap in power," he remarked, impressed by the magnitude of her strength.
….
patreon.com/Vks_sh