Now fully recovered, Kushina looked at Kain in awe. The healing ability of the Extremis virus was truly terrifying.
"It seems you're still getting used to your new power," Kain said, analyzing her performance. "That wasn't even your full speed just now. If you moved any faster, your feet might have snapped clean off."
He smiled at her teasingly. "So... who won the match just now?"
Kushina's face turned crimson. She hesitated, unable to find the words. She briefly considered cheating her way out of this, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Admitting defeat also made her nervous. If the boss made an excessive demand—something even more embarrassing than a massage—she didn't know how she'd handle it.
Just the thought made her feel shy.
After returning home, Kushina happily bid farewell to Kain. Despite the late hour, the long-standing frustration she had felt was completely swept away.
Now, Kushina possessed powers comparable to those of Uzumaki Mito. In Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, her speed rivaled space-time ninjutsu, and she had also mastered the power technique from Tsunade.
This combination of immense speed and strength made her a terrifying opponent. If someone survived her attacks, it would only prove their exceptional resilience.
As Kain watched Kushina leave, he kept Sage Mode active and sensed a significant number of Anbu stationed outside his house.
Still, the day's harvest had been fruitful. If progress could be visualized as a bar, Kain estimated that Kushina's "attack speed" had reached 90%.
A complete Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, an Extremis injector, the potential for Wood Style kekkei genkai, and the possibility of mastering Sage Mode and sealing techniques in the future—this investment promised substantial returns.
When Kushina arrived home, she was greeted by an unexpected visitor.
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was puffing on his pipe, his mood sour. He had been about to fall asleep but was forced to don his Hokage hat once again due to an urgent summons from Jiraiya.
There was no way Sarutobi would allow Jiraiya, carefree as always, to barge into his home for a discussion.
"Jiraiya," Sarutobi began, his tone sharp, "you've been traveling for so long. What useful information have you gathered?"
The office wasn't empty. Alongside Sarutobi were Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu. All of them looked worn, with little rest due to the ongoing war. Some had essentially moved into the Hokage building.
"Useful information? Of course, I've collected plenty," Jiraiya replied, though he felt a twinge of guilt. He couldn't very well admit he had spent much of his time on the most famous red-light street in the Land of Hot Water.
"I've managed to piece together some details about why the Hidden Cloud Village and Kirigakure are at war," he added.
Danzo's frown deepened. He immediately interjected, "The reason? Isn't it the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning's orders because Kirigakure has been frequently harassing their borders? What else could it be?"
"That's certainly the primary cause," Jiraiya acknowledged. "But why has Kirigakure been so aggressive toward the Land of Lightning? The two villages didn't have any friction during the last Great Ninja War."
Jiraiya had picked up information not only from ninja contacts but also by talking to ordinary citizens.
"The ninjas of Kirigakure are clearly acting with purpose. Their targets are shipping ports, fleets, and merchant ships belonging to the Land of Lightning. Under their constant harassment, merchants from the Land of Lightning can no longer operate normally at sea."
Mitokado Homura, experienced in dealing with merchants, immediately recognized the significance of Jiraiya's findings. "Jiraiya," he said, "are you suggesting that Mist Shinobi's aggression is part of a maritime strategy against the Land of Lightning?"
Jiraiya spoke with a serious expression, "It doesn't seem like this is being driven by the nobles or the Daimyo of the Land of Water. At least in the Land of sound, the shipping ports are dominated by the Kain Chamber of Commerce from the Land of Waves. Very few ships actually belong to the Land of Water."
The mention of the Kain Chamber of Commerce made Danzo and the others' expressions darken. Danzo tapped his cane on the floor, his voice sharp with disapproval:
"It's him again. First, he violated the agreement by selling medicine to other ninja villages, and now he's stirring up conflict between the Cloud and Mist villages.
"Hiruzen, if you can't deal with him, then leave it to us."
"Danzo, I already have arrangements in place, so don't meddle," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied, rejecting the suggestion without hesitation.
The two had been teammates for many years, and Sarutobi knew exactly what Danzo would say next without needing to hear it. Danzo would likely propose handing over the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki to Root for "training."
Truthfully, when Kushina began acting rebelliously, Hiruzen had momentarily considered it. But after careful thought, he dismissed the idea.
A disobedient Jinchūriki might weaken the village's strength, but handing her over to Danzo would risk upsetting the balance of power—and potentially undermine his own position as Hokage.
Hiruzen resolved that this was one issue he would never relinquish control over.
The group continued discussing the implications of Jiraiya's information, arranging a series of countermeasures. Once everything was settled, Danzo and the others left the Hokage's office.
"Jiraiya, stay behind," Sarutobi said, halting him as he was about to leave with the others.
After the room cleared, Hiruzen continued, "The war has already begun, and the Land of Earth is also becoming restless. I'm planning to organize a small team comprising Namikaze Minato and the Ino–Shika–Chō trio. When the time comes, I'll need you, as his master, to guide Minato."
The Ino–Shika–Chō clan had a longstanding sworn alliance with the Sarutobi clan. Hiruzen's decision to group them with Namikaze Minato demonstrated just how highly he regarded Minato.
It was a level of favor that Hiruzen had never shown to his own three apprentices. Tsunade didn't require it, but Jiraiya and Orochimaru had never received such a privilege—despite Orochimaru's rising prestige within the village.
….
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