"I think you might have misunderstood Kushina's strength. The second strongest in Konoha, and you think she needs assistance?" Takuya stood there, arms crossed, speaking calmly. "Save your worries. I'm not the Hokage—I won't keep Kushina hidden in the village."
"Uh... then who's first?" Sarutobi Shiji was a bit taken aback. Kushina, the second strongest in Konoha? What did that mean for the Sannin and Sakumo Hatake? And who held the top spot?
"Great Fox, please help me."
On the outside, Kushina appeared determined, but inside, she was panicking. She was already seeking help—or rather, begging the Nine-Tails for support.
"..."
In the sealed space, the Nine-Tails groaned, raising one paw to cover its face. After trying to hold it in, it finally couldn't, and it roared out, "That brat Takuya Yagami is right, you're so unreliable!!"
"Damn it!! After everything I've taught you, have you forgotten it all? Are you scared of just this many enemies?"
"Use my chakra! Cloak yourself in the Tailed Beast's power and crush them completely!"
As an Uzumaki, Kushina possessed all the advantages of her clan—massive chakra reserves, strong sensory skills, and mastery over powerful sealing techniques. With the Nine-Tails, if no Kage-level opponent showed up, no matter how many enemies there were, Kushina could handle them all if she cloaked herself in the Tailed Beast's chakra.
Once enveloped in the Tailed Beast cloak, Kushina's strength would rise dramatically. Not to mention, the Nine-Tails' chakra could restore her stamina and heal her wounds. Kushina didn't need to do anything fancy; she just needed to charge straight ahead.
As for entering the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, well, frankly, against this caliber of enemies, it wasn't necessary. This was complete overkill.
"Alright, here I go then!!"
After receiving a scolding from the Nine-Tails, Kushina actually calmed down. A dark red chakra shrouded her body, and one tail after another emerged behind her.
Covered entirely in the Tailed Beast's chakra, Kushina looked like a humanoid fox, walking upright in an ominous dark red form. Though she lacked much combat experience, her power was overwhelming against the forces led by Rasa. The sheer chakra capacity combined with the presence of the Nine-Tails made her unstoppable. Otherwise, Takuya would never have let her take such a risk.
"Lord Rasa, only one enemy is charging at us!!"
"Damn it!!!" Rasa was nearly apoplectic with rage. How much did Konoha look down on them? The entire force remained idle, sending just one person—no, sending a woman!
In the world of shinobi, strong female ninja were not uncommon. For example, Pakura, whom Rasa disliked greatly, was one such powerful kunoichi. Still, strong female ninjas were rare when compared to the overall shinobi population. Seeing Kushina charging alone made Rasa believe Konoha was underestimating him—underestimating Sunagakure.
"This is bad!!"
As Kushina got closer, her body began emanating dark red chakra that covered her completely, with multiple tails extending from her back. Seeing this scene, Rasa's eyes widened.
"It's a Jinchuriki! The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from Konoha!!"
Had Konoha lost its mind? They actually deployed their Jinchuriki to the battlefield. Wasn't it Konoha's policy to keep their Jinchuriki hidden away at all costs?
Once he identified Kushina, Rasa was stunned. All of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had Tailed Beasts, but they rarely sent their Jinchuriki to the frontlines to fight. Among the Five Great Nations, it was only Iwagakure and Kumogakure that would send their Jinchuriki on regular missions, and even then, not directly into war.
Kirigakure had set a precedent by deploying their Jinchuriki to the frontlines and even releasing the Tailed Beast, creating havoc and causing significant damage to Orochimaru. But that was a drastic step, something Sunagakure was wary of attempting. Who could have guessed that Konoha would do the same?
"Wait!!"
Suddenly, Rasa thought of Kirigakure and realized something. His face changed dramatically as he yelled, "Everyone spread out! Do not approach the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"
If Kirigakure could pull off such a stunt, who could guarantee Konoha wouldn't try the same thing if pushed to the limit? Normally, Konoha wouldn't resort to this tactic, but there was always a risk.
Konoha wouldn't usually send their Jinchuriki into battle, yet here Kushina was. What if Konoha wanted to end the war quickly by sacrificing her?
Hiss
Just picturing the Nine-Tails going berserk, chasing down Sunagakure shinobi, Rasa shuddered.
So cunning, so very cunning. No wonder they only sent in the Jinchuriki while the rest stayed back.
Rasa suspected that part of the seal had already been undone on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and as soon as she reached their lines, the seal would fully break, giving the Nine-Tails control.
"????"
What was happening?
Rasa's sudden shout had left the Sunagakure shinobi confused, but even if they didn't understand, they followed orders. They spread out, avoiding clustering in a single area.
"Go, Kushina! With the pride of an Uzumaki, break their defenses!!" The Nine-Tails roared in excitement. Finally, it was time for some real fighting—something it hadn't experienced in far too long.
The Nine-Tails had always been a being that thrived on chaos. It had been locked away inside Mito Uzumaki for decades, practically suffocating from boredom. Then along came Kushina, who, unlike Mito, was willing to live in harmony with it. Now, it had a chance to fight again, even if it was merely supporting her from the sidelines.
This was enough to get the Nine-Tails riled up, roaring in the sealed space.
"Let's move forward too," Takuya said, watching Kushina advance toward the enemy lines. Only then did he lead the rest of the forces at a leisurely pace.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
As the distance between both sides closed, the ground trembled. A golden wave of sand surged toward Kushina.
Although Rasa had never directly fought a Tailed Beast or a Jinchuriki, he had witnessed the Third Kazekage subdue the One-Tail using Magnet Release. Even without such experiences, most Magnet Release battles followed a similar pattern—starting with a wave of sand.
But Sunagakure's successive Magnet Release users were declining in skill. The Third Kazekage could at least pull off a few impressive feats, while by Rasa's time, the moves had become rather basic. And by the time of Gaara, things were even more pitiful—he couldn't even create a proper sand wave.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Golden sand formed a tidal wave that rushed toward Kushina. Pouting slightly, she shouted defiantly, "Stop underestimating me!!"
Wearing her Tailed Beast cloak, Kushina's combat style turned fierce. As the wave of gold sand surged toward her, she didn't dodge or retreat. Instead, her hands, shaped like claws, met the attack head-on.
"Yes, that's the way! Tear apart that annoying sand!!" The Nine-Tails laughed heartily. It was clear that Kushina's battle style was exactly to its liking.