Future Plans

"Ohayo, Minato," Kushina smiled as she ran toward Minato, who smiled back and greeted her warmly.

Standing next to him, Kushina turned her attention toward Yami, who was looking at her warily, his face full of sweat.

"Who's this?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Minato placed a reassuring hand on Kushina's shoulder. "Kushina, this is Yami. He just passed the exam to become a medic ninja and is also interested in learning fuinjutsu. I was just giving him some advice."

Kushina's expression softened, but Yami could still sense a lingering malice. "Nice to meet you, Yami."

"Nice to meet you too, Kushina-san," Yami replied cautiously, still on edge from the intense aura he had felt earlier.

Kushina glanced at the scroll in Yami's hand. "Minato's been generous, I see. Those are some valuable techniques he's shared with you."

"Yes, I'm very grateful," Yami responded.

"Is there something wrong?" Minato asked after he saw Yami repeatedly glancing at Kushina, looking on guard.

"No... I'm just a little bit tired. I exhausted my chakra in training, so I probably should go back and rest."

Without waiting for a response, Yami turned around and left, looking in a hurry to get away.

"What's wrong with him? Did I do something to him?" Kushina asked, her expression puzzled.

Minato shook his head, still watching Yami's retreating figure. "No, I don't think so. He seemed a bit on edge, but he did say he was tired. Maybe he's just feeling the pressure from everything that's going on."

Minato also noticed that Yami looked especially guarded against Kushina, and could even swear that he looked about to attack her due to how his hand was moving toward his pocket. But since he couldn't figure out what was wrong, Minato chose to trust Yami's words as being tired.

Kushina frowned slightly. "He seemed really wary, though. Like he sensed something was off. And that happened before I even greeted you."

"Well, now that you mention it…" Minato trailed off, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "He did seem unusually tense."

Narrowing her eyes, Kushina asked, "You don't think that he noticed that?"

Despite not saying it openly, Minato understood her meaning and quickly denied it. "No, it should be impossible for him to know about that. The number of people who know your real identity can be counted on one hand."

Kushina sighed in relief, though her concern lingered. "I hope you're right. We can't afford to have anyone finding out about me being the Jinchuriki."

Minato nodded, his expression serious. "I'll keep an eye on him, just in case. But let's not jump to conclusions. Yami has been through a lot and is probably just stressed."

****

Meanwhile, Yami, who had hurried away, stopped at a secluded corner, panting heavily.

"That malice I sensed... it must be coming from the Kyuubi."

Yami had never felt anything like that before. That kind of malice wasn't something any human could possess. His instincts had screamed at him to get away, and Kyuubi's dark emotions almost corrupted his mind. Only after he canceled soul perception and didn't feel anything did he regain control of his body and prevent his fighting instincts from kicking in.

He knew that his unusual behavior might have alarmed Minato and Kushina, raising their suspicions about him, but he couldn't do anything about it. The emotions he sensed were from the Kyuubi, who hated humans and wished for their destruction, not the Kyuubi who forgave humans after experiencing talk no Jutsu.

"But encountering Kushina today wasn't totally a loss."

Despite only meeting her briefly, Yami managed to confirm his theory. Since he could sense the Kyuubi's malice with soul perception, it meant that the Kyuubi had a spirit of his own. And since he had a spirit, Yami could extract part of it for his semi-Ten Tails Jinchuriki project.

"But how am I supposed to take soul fragments from that thing?"

Just feeling its emotions told Yami how huge the gap was between them, and no matter how much he trained, he wouldn't be able to beat a full-powered Kyuubi.

"The best chance to get part of his soul fragments is now while he's sealed inside Kushina."

Due to her Uzumaki heritage, Kushina firmly sealed the Kyuubi inside her, rendering him unable to move, and she could fully draw chakra from him. If Yami wished to get those soul fragments without fighting the Kyuubi, then his best chance was now while he was firmly sealed inside Kushina.

But how should he approach this? He and Kushina had nothing to do with each other. He couldn't exactly approach her and tell her that he wanted to extract some Kyuubi spirit fragments. Not only would he be chased down by Minato, but he could also be labeled a traitor for knowing such sensitive information that only a few people knew. That bastard Danzo could even take this opportunity to get back at him and get rid of him.

So, carelessly approaching Kushina wasn't an option. Then what should he do? Should he befriend her first before asking? Become her apprentice maybe? It would be a good plan as he was also interested in the Uzumaki heritage.

He knew that the chances of Kushina actually accepting him were pretty slim, but he saw no harm in asking.

"This could be left for later. After I study the seals in depth, I could show her my interest, and hopefully, she would agree to teach me."

Making up his mind, Yami straightened up and continued his way home. Once he was there, he ate dinner and opened the sealed scroll Minato gave him.

Inside the scroll, Yami found detailed instructions and diagrams for various intermediate fuinjutsu techniques. The intricacies of the seals fascinated him, and he marveled at Minato's expertise. He knew that mastering these techniques would be challenging but immensely rewarding.

He spent the next few hours studying the scroll, committing every detail to memory. As he worked, he couldn't help but think about his encounter with Kushina. The malice he had sensed from the Kyuubi was still fresh in his mind, and he knew that gaining access to its soul fragments would be a formidable task.

Yami decided to prioritize his training in fuinjutsu. The stronger his skills in this area, the better his chances of dealing with the Kyuubi and achieving his goals. He also resolved to keep a low profile around Kushina and Minato, not wanting to raise further suspicions.

The following morning, Yami returned to the hospital to meet the person in charge. As expected, he was accepted and assigned to a team of medic ninjas. His days became a routine of hospital duties and intense training sessions. He used shadow clones to maximize his time, ensuring that both his medical skills and fuinjutsu knowledge improved steadily.

As the days passed, his strength and skills were steadily rising which made him excited, however, a sudden expected news disturbed his grinding routine.

"The war… has started!!"

****

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