Chapter 173: Kushina, Do You Want to Be Free?

Kushina was curious about what role Takuya would play in the team dynamics. Would he step in and assert control over the two clan ninjas, or help the civilian ninja gain his teammates' respect and integrate into the squad?

Takuya chuckled softly.

"I don't know," he said, raising a hand in a resigned gesture. "Looking at things now, the best way to solve the internal issues would be for me to step in. But some things can't be forced together."

"Clan ninjas and civilian ninjas already have so many differences, especially those from prominent families like the Uchiha and Hyuga. Even if I want to help, how would I do it? If I help Aida but neglect Ryoji and Suzune, it'll only deepen the team's divide."

Human emotions are complicated, and Takuya didn't want to risk helping one only to alienate the other two. That would just lead to more misunderstandings. Besides, he didn't have much motivation to improve the situation. With such a complex dynamic between an Uchiha, a Hyuga, and a civilian, one wrong move could easily cause everything to blow up.

"Kushina, I need control of your body."

"Get lost!"

What was supposed to be a peaceful moment with Takuya was rudely interrupted by the Nine-Tails, and Kushina wasn't about to let it ruin things. Not only did it interrupt her time with Takuya, but now it wanted control of her body? Absolutely not.

Her consciousness entered the seal space, and she stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at the massive fox. "Big fox! What are you trying to pull now?"

"I'm warning you! We have an agreement, and if you break it, I won't hesitate to put you in your place!"

"Brat…" The Nine-Tails struggled, trying to rise, but the adamantine chains that bound it restricted its movements. It could only move its head.

Frustrated, the fox let out a roar. "I just want to confirm if Takuya really has the scent of a tailed beast on him!"

That scent—it was back. But how? The chakra had a familiar quality, similar to its own but also different. And strangely, it had an alluring fragrance.

"Liar! You're not fooling me," Kushina huffed, crossing her arms defiantly. "There's no way Takuya has any tailed beast chakra. You're just trying to trick me."

"I am not lying!" The Nine-Tails howled in frustration. Why wouldn't this girl believe it? Was the only thing on humans' minds their love lives? The fox was being serious, but she refused to listen.

Can't humans and tailed beasts have just a little bit of trust?

"What's going on?" Takuya asked, noticing that Kushina had gone still, as if she had been frozen. He reached out and gave her a gentle nudge.

"Huh?"

Snapped back to reality, Kushina left the seal space, fuming. "That big fox is trying to trick me again."

With that, she slammed the seal space shut, cutting off any connection between the Nine-Tails and the outside world.

"Argh! You little brat, I'll eat you! I'll tear you apart!" the fox roared inside the seal, thrashing against the chains. But in Kushina's body, it was tightly bound with no room to move, unlike when it was sealed in Naruto. There was no chance of escape here.

"Nine-Tails, huh?" Takuya mused, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Had the fox picked up on something? Was it sensing Snowy's presence, or maybe Snowy's chakra? After all, Takuya had been training to control the Nine-Tails chakra mode lately, so it wasn't surprising that some of Snowy's chakra had rubbed off on him. But he hadn't expected the fox to be able to detect it so easily.

The sensing abilities of tailed beasts, especially the Nine-Tails, were extraordinary.

"Yeah," Kushina muttered angrily, "that dumb fox said you have tailed beast chakra on you, and it noticed it."

"Oh?" Takuya rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Could this be an opportunity to get the Nine-Tails to accept Kushina? If Kushina could gain its approval, her power would skyrocket. With that kind of strength, even someone like the Third Hokage wouldn't stand a chance.

"That jerk even tried to take control of my body just to confirm it," she grumbled, growing more frustrated. "I'm a girl! I won't let anyone control my body, not even that dumb fox!"

If the Nine-Tails could hear her thoughts, it would have rolled its eyes. It wasn't interested in human appearances. From a tailed beast's perspective, humans didn't even look that attractive!

There's a chance here, Takuya thought, sensing an opportunity to manipulate the Nine-Tails.

After confirming there were no more observers in the area, he turned to Kushina. "Kushina, the Nine-Tails wanted control of your body to check if I really have tailed beast chakra, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded, her fists clenched in frustration. "I knew it wasn't up to any good! Don't worry, Takuya, I'd never let it take over."

Takuya suppressed a laugh.

"Kushina, I'm saying you should let the Nine-Tails do it. But under one condition—it has to lend you its chakra."

"What?!" Kushina was stunned. Let the Nine-Tails take control? Make a deal with it?

"But why would I agree to something like that? I don't want anyone, not even a tailed beast, controlling my body!"

Takuya gently touched her cheek, his expression serious. "Kushina, do you want to be free?"

The sudden shift in his tone made Kushina realize this was no time for jokes or stubbornness. She nodded.

Freedom—it was something she dreamed of every day. She was tired of being followed everywhere by the ANBU, even when she was just going to the bathroom. And while she could move freely in Konoha, she was banned from its most secret places. The restrictions placed on her life were suffocating.

"I want that more than anything," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

"Then trust me," Takuya said softly, brushing his hand against her face. Her cheeks turned red as she gazed at him, eyes glistening with emotion, and nodded.

"Don't cry," Takuya said gently. "If my plan works, not only will you be free, but your entire clan will be too. No one in the village will look down on them anymore, and they'll be treated with respect."

***********important********

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