Although I, the Nine Tails, find an annoying guy like you tolerable, seeing how much you despise Shukaku, I'll forgive you for now.
Kushina looked at Kurama, who was sitting on the ground with its two front paws together, raising its head to gaze at the sky with an exaggerated angle. She couldn't help but twitch the corners of her eyes.
Just as Shinki had said, this big fox was incredibly arrogant.
"Big fox, don't worry. Once I master the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and can leave the village, I'll help you teach that One-Tail, Shukaku, a lesson! I'll beat it for sure!"
"Really?"
Kurama's arrogant face lit up with a surprised smile, but it quickly disappeared.
"Forget it. You're the jinchūriki of the village, and the situation in Konoha being what it is, I doubt they'll let you leave."
Despite its arrogance, the Nine-Tails understood the situation.
As the jinchūriki, Kushina was far too important to the village, making it nearly impossible for her to leave.
"You underestimate me!"
Kushina put her hands on her hips and shouted with confidence. "That was before! Now no one dares to mess with me. As long as I say Shinki's name, all those annoying people stay far away. Shinki's name is more useful than Lady Tsunade's. Besides, he promised me that once I master the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he'll take me out of the village—whether to have fun or to go on missions!"
Her mind wandered as she daydreamed about life outside the village. Kurama looked down at her with a mixture of amusement and resignation.
It wasn't a bad thing for Kushina to leave the village. As for beating Shukaku?
Why stop at a beating?
That filthy tailed beast deserved to be obliterated!
The mere thought of humiliating Shukaku ignited Kurama's motivation.
"Training will double starting tomorrow!" the Nine-Tails declared internally. If Kushina could master the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode sooner, she'd be free to travel the ninja world—and more importantly, destroy Shukaku!
As Kushina enthusiastically rushed off to prepare for her training, Shinki stood nearby, watching her with a resigned smile.
"Is she competing with Kurama?"
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Still, it was a good thing. If Kushina mastered the mode quickly, it'd be groundbreaking.
In the original timeline, Naruto had struggled to achieve the same feat. It was a long, arduous process for him, but with Kushina's fiery determination, things might be different.
Two days later, in another part of the village, Tsunade walked into the house to find Shinki on the sofa, engrossed in a book.
"You're still up?" she asked, surprised.
"Well, you're in my house. Shouldn't I be the one asking if you're sleeping?"
The comment was casual, but her teasing smirk turned it suggestive.
"..."
Shinki shot her a deadpan look, resisting the urge to throw his book at her. Since they had grown closer, Tsunade had become bolder, saying whatever came to her mind.
"Hungry," she declared, plopping onto the sofa and resting her head on his lap, staring at him expectantly.
Shinki sighed, pushing her off gently before heading to the kitchen. Moments later, he returned with a steaming bowl of noodles.
As she slurped the noodles, Tsunade asked vaguely, "There was another high-level meeting today, right?"
"Yes."
Shinki, still focused on his book, replied without looking up. "The Daimyo's Mansion is pressuring us to accept peace talks with the Sand Village. They probably sent some 'beautiful gift' to sway the Daimyo."
Tsunade paused, nodding in agreement. "Makes sense. But we can't set that kind of precedent. If Konoha accepts a mediated peace now, it'll embolden other villages to provoke us and expect the Daimyo to intervene every time."
Shinki shrugged. "Not my problem. I'm not the Hokage. Let them handle it."
Two days later, Konoha's reply to the Daimyo's Mansion arrived: a firm rejection.
The Third Hokage's stance was clear—Konoha must continue the war. Setting a precedent for mediation by the Daimyo was unacceptable. Allowing interference in such matters would weaken the authority of the Hokage and embolden enemies.
Though it risked offending the Daimyo, the Third Hokage had already prepared for the consequences.
Meanwhile, Kushina's training continued with renewed vigor, fueled by Kurama's eagerness to humiliate Shukaku. The rivalry between the Nine-Tails and the One-Tail ran deep, and neither side was willing to back down.
For Kushina, mastering the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode wasn't just about becoming stronger—it was a chance to explore the ninja world and prove her worth.
And if she could make the Nine-Tails happy by beating Shukaku along the way? That was just an added bonus.
>>>>>
200 Chapters ahead available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
50% discount code (DDBFC)
Gimme power stonesssss
Also, leave a review please and check out my new story
[Naruto: The Tale of an Otsutsuki]
A/N: Hey Guys,
I was going over the discount code and saw that it wasn't toggled on for all the tiers. I fixed it now, sorry about that. ;)