The next day, when Kain woke up, he glanced at the time—it was almost noon. His neck was covered with fiery red hair, and his left arm was pinned beneath her, though it didn't feel sore.
With his level of physical fitness, it wouldn't have mattered even if Kushina had used him as a pillow all day.
Yesterday had been one of the most memorable nights he could recall. Kushina's stamina was just as impressive as his, and their shared intensity had exceeded his wildest fantasies.
The two of them had gone until the sky began to lighten, at which point Kushina had finally fallen asleep.
Kain, however, was quick to recover. Despite the energy he'd expended, his body had already bounced back after a few hours of sleep, though he was feeling a little hungry.
He pulled back the covers, only to find Kushina's legs draped over him. Gently, he shifted them aside, ready to get out of bed.
But no sooner had he moved her legs than she placed them back on him. At first, he thought it was unconscious, but after a few repeated attempts, it became clear she was pretending to be asleep.
Leaning close to her ear, Kain whispered, "Since you don't want me to leave, why don't we go another round, Kushina?"
"No, no more!" she blurted out. Kushina's eyes flew open, her cheeks flushed, and she shook her head vigorously, clearly startled.
"But you didn't seem like you were complaining last night," Kain teased, smirking. "And don't you want to see Uzumaki Naruto sooner?"
"Just wait a minute~" she groaned, weakly resisting before being swept up into a familiar rhythm again.
After emerging from the bathroom later, Kushina dramatically collapsed onto the bed, pretending to be completely spent. In truth, there wasn't much pretending involved—she was exhausted.
At noon, Kain prepared a hearty lunch for the two of them. While eating, Kushina regained some energy. A proper nap, she figured, would have her back at full strength.
"Kain," she began, glancing up from her meal, "I heard that the situation on the battlefield in the Land of Grass is getting really dangerous. The number of Rock Shinobi has reportedly exceeded 4,000—that's way more than the enemies we faced in the Land of Hot Water."
After being fed by Kain for a while, she eventually grabbed her chopsticks and began eating on her own, needing the extra food to recover her strength.
Even so, she made sure to relay the intelligence her Shadow Clone had gathered.
"Four thousand? That's an exaggeration," Kain replied calmly, his tone laced with skepticism. "If they really had that many, they could occupy the entire Land of Grass outright. Besides, Rock Shinobi, Cloud Shinobi, and Sand Shinobi all have their own problems to deal with—they won't commit so many forces to Konoha's borders."
Kain's sources of intelligence were broader than Kushina's, and he explained the situation in greater detail.
"The difference with the Cloud Shinobi is that Third Raikage has always managed to outmaneuver Rock Shinobi," Kain continued. "Rock launched two wars in the Land of Grass, but after Konoha negotiated peace, Third Raikage led the Cloud Shinobi to swoop in and snatch what should have been Rock's gains."
Kushina listened intently, her chopsticks hovering mid-air as she processed his analysis.
The Third Raikage cheats first and stabs second, but with so many Rock Shinobi, who are also engaged in battles with both Sand Shinobi and Konoha, there aren't enough forces left to deal with the Cloud Shinobi.
He know that Cloud Shinobi are exploiting Rock Shinobi's divided attention, but there's not much Rock can do about it.
Unless Rock Shinobi negotiates a truce with both Konoha and Sand Shinobi, they won't be able to focus on dealing with Cloud Shinobi.
"After honoring the fallen ninjas, it's time to talk about merit and rewards. What do you think I can get?" Kushina asked with a bright smile.
Then, as if something had occurred to her, she added, "By the way, is there any Forbidden Technique you want? I can exchange my merit for something from the Book of Seals."
Kushina's words were not only an attempt to share her achievements with Kain but also a gesture to repay him in her own way.
Kain thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Forbidden Techniques? Forget it. Sarutobi Hiruzen probably won't let you access the ones I'd want. Besides, the others don't help me much. Let's leave it for now."
He had plans for the future. Once Orochimaru became Hokage, Kain figured he'd likely gain unrestricted access to Konoha's Book of Seals.
That said, the only techniques that really piqued his interest were Spiritualization Technique and Impure World Reincarnation.
Most other Forbidden Techniques didn't hold much value to him, as his current strength was thanks to his mastery of magic and genetic evolution.
Both Spiritualization Technique and Impure World Reincarnation were tools Kain viewed as useful for studying enemies rather than as necessities for personal power.
But Kushina wasn't one to give up easily. "What kind of Forbidden Technique do you want? I'll get it for you, no matter what!" she insisted.
Seeing her determination, Kain relented. "Fine. Impure World Reincarnation and Spiritualization Technique. If possible, Eight Inner Gates would also be useful."
He paused briefly before adding, "These techniques revolve around the body, the soul, and the resurrection of the dead. Those are the ones that interest me the most. The Eight Inner Gates, in particular, might be worth studying."
"I see. Leave it to me," Kushina promised. She began to plan how she might obtain the Forbidden Techniques while finishing her meal.
After they ate, Kushina prepared to leave Kain's place and return home. While she could stay and rest here, she was worried about waking up only to get pulled into another exhausting loop, so she decided it was safer to return to her own bed.
Before she left, Kain mentioned that he was planning to build a larger house near Konoha Village for the two of them to live in.
While the idea sounded nice, Kushina couldn't help but think about how many people lived in the area, making it far less private than she would have liked.
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