A vast section of the forest vanished, leaving the ground flat and bare, wiped clean by the power of the Tailed Beast Bomb. The explosion's sheer might obliterated everything, even preventing the enemy from leaving behind so much as a corpse. Just like the trees and soil, everything had been erased.
A few lucky survivors stood in a daze, like puppets whose strings had been cut, staring blankly at the scene before them.
"Why are we even here on this battlefield?"
"Can we even make a difference in this kind of fight?"
The Konoha shinobi were just as stunned as the enemies, staring in disbelief at what had unfolded. Their initial reaction wasn't joy or cheering—it was terror and awe.
"Did I really cause this?" Kushina murmured, lost in thought as she looked at the forest, now flattened.
The Nine-Tails yawned back in the sealed space, clearly unbothered. "This is nothing special. If you'd seen the Battle of the Valley of the End..."
The great beast abruptly cut itself off, its face falling as it quieted down. Though it had been controlled back then, it still retained those terrible memories. The sheer scale of the destruction brought about by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha dwarfed anything the Nine-Tails could do by itself.
Even now, it seemed this kid, Takuya, was approaching that same level of power. The thought unsettled the Nine-Tails.
For just a moment, a bizarre idea flashed through its mind: maybe being sealed wasn't so bad after all. At least no one would come after it—not someone like Takuya.
With Takuya's strength, controlling the Nine-Tails wouldn't be hard. If Madara had managed it, Takuya certainly could too. The difference was that being sealed inside Kushina kept Takuya from trying. Besides, the boy already had his own tailed beast—why would he need the Nine-Tails? It wasn't as beautiful or as powerful as Snowy.
Snowy's slumber was probably nearing its end. As Snowy's master, Takuya could feel subtle changes—its chakra was becoming more active. It was a clear sign that the sleep was coming to an end.
Ignoring the dazed Konoha shinobi, Takuya walked over and wrapped Kushina in a hug.
"Don't let it bother you," he said softly. "This is war. You did nothing wrong, and neither did the Nine-Tails. If we hadn't eliminated the enemy, it would have been our comrades, our village, lying dead."
Though Kushina was kind-hearted, she wasn't someone who would go easy on an enemy. This was just her first experience with this kind of devastation, and it had shaken her. She just needed a little time.
"I'm fine," Kushina smiled, resting her head on Takuya's shoulder. "I was just scared—I never realized the fox could be that powerful."
Takuya chuckled, releasing her and giving her nose a playful tweak. "Once you become a perfect Jinchuriki, you'll be even scarier. This is just child's play. Only as a perfect Jinchuriki can you fully harness the true power of both the beast and its host."
"Let's go home. This war should be ending soon. I believe Sunagakure will make the wise choice."
The best outcome from this battle was to force Sunagakure to surrender. If not, they'd drive them back into the Wind Country.
They'd lost nearly a thousand shinobi in this battle, and their village's future pillar, Rasa, had been captured. Takuya was confident that Chiyo and Ebizo would make the sensible choice—after all, Chiyo wasn't a fool. As for Ebizo, he had been lucky enough to escape. Had he been any slower, he would've been caught in the Tailed Beast Bomb's blast like everyone else.
"Yeah," Kushina said, feeling a sense of pride. Finally, she could be of help to Takuya. Her earlier unease began to fade, replaced by a bubbly excitement. She skipped alongside him, her earlier fears washed away.
Even as they made their way back, the Konoha shinobi continued to cast fearful glances at Kushina. It didn't go unnoticed. Takuya tossed Rasa, tied up, over to Sarutobi Shiji, before sweeping his gaze across the group.
"I know you are afraid. I understand your fear. But please, get your emotions under control. Nine-Tails may be terrifying, but it is also Konoha's strength. And Kushina, as its Jinchuriki, is our strength. The stronger she is, the safer you are. The stronger she becomes, the stronger Konoha becomes."
He let his voice rise, commanding their attention. "If you can't even understand something as simple as that, then I suggest you write up a resignation when you get home, have your memories sealed, and live as an ordinary villager. Because if you fear your comrades more than your enemies, you have no business being a shinobi."
Takuya didn't want Kushina's incredible power to end up alienating her. Fear was natural when faced with the unknown, or something overwhelmingly strong. But that fear should be reserved for enemies—not comrades.
"We won!!!" Shiji shouted, trying to turn the mood around. He knew he needed to lift everyone's spirits—to steer their feelings away from fearing Kushina or the Nine-Tails.
He's right, thought the shinobi. The Nine-Tails is terrifying, yes—but its power is on our side. Why should we fear it? We should be celebrating.
Without the Nine-Tails and its Jinchuriki, many more of us would have died today. Surviving is a blessing, not a curse. A powerful comrade isn't a monster—they're a gift.
The realization washed over them, and one by one, the fear vanished, replaced by determination and excitement. They began to cheer loudly.
"We won!!!"
"Hahaha, those Sunagakure bastards must've wet themselves. Kushina is unstoppable!"
Hundreds of voices joined together, chanting Kushina's name in admiration. Hearing her comrades cheer for her, Kushina felt overwhelmed. Just moments ago, she had felt like a monster in their eyes. But now they were chanting her name.
She felt tears welling up, her heart full of emotion.
"..."
The Nine-Tails, who had been preparing a long-winded lecture for Kushina, now found itself speechless. It seemed its planned talk about the flaws of fearing power was now unnecessary.
Still, hearing people cheer for it and speak its name with reverence gave the Nine-Tails a strange feeling. Was it... excited?
Hmph! The Nine-Tails scoffed internally. "As if I would be swayed by something like this. You can praise me all you want, but it won't change my opinion of you humans."
Yet the slight smile on its face suggested otherwise.
"Looks like our Kushina is about to cry from all this attention," Takuya teased with a laugh.
"You stop that!" Kushina huffed, her face flushed.
Everyone laughed, the warmth spreading through the group, dispelling the lingering tension. No one was afraid of Kushina anymore. Instead, they were wondering if their next opponents might just faint at the sight of her power—of Nine-Tails' terrifying might.
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Next Bonus: 700 power stone
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 450+ at Patreon com/ Emik01.
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