chapter 3

As the masked man tried to keep up with her speed, Kushina took the opportunity to study him more closely. She observed him carefully and noticed that, despite not reacting well to her speed, he seemed quite calm, which made her even more alert. She realized that he was not someone she could simply talk to and come to an agreement with.

Kushina then decided to act quickly and cunningly. She knew she needed to keep moving constantly to prevent the masked man from catching up with her. With a determined smile on her face, she focused her chakra and jumped towards the man, who tried to dodge her attack. However, Kushina was fast and agile and managed to hit him with a precise kick.

But her kick once again passed through the masked man's body, who tried to grab her but failed. At that moment, a giant hand made of red chakra emerged from Kushina's back, hitting the man and forcing him to jump away to avoid the blow.

"You don't need to thank me now, Kushina. I'll charge my price later," Kurama said to Kushina in her mind, even before she could express her gratitude for the bijuu's help.

Kushina was aware that Kurama was a Bijuu that harbored a strong hatred for humans, and although she needed the bijuu's help to face the masked man, she knew the risks of trusting such a powerful and dangerous being. Despite this, she kept this information in her mind and continued to fight, now with more confidence knowing that she had Kurama's help if she needed it.

The masked man, still dazed by Kushina's giant chakra hand, decided it was time to show off his abilities. He began gathering an incredible amount of chakra, and Kushina, who was about to flee, was impressed by how quickly he made the hand seals. She knew she was facing a formidable opponent and was ready to fight with all her might.

In a quick move, the masked man performed a series of hand seals and launched a huge fireball at Kushina, shouting, "Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" ("Fire Style, Grand Fireball Technique!"). Kushina managed to dodge it narrowly, but the fireball hit the water they were in, creating a large explosion that generated a dense cloud of smoke.

Kushina took advantage of the distraction caused by the explosion to move quickly towards the smoke and hide, planning her next strategy to face the masked man. So far, her physical blows had not had any effect on the enemy, making him an extremely difficult opponent to defeat.

As Kushina continued to fight the masked man, Kurama watched the fight in silence, apparently waiting for the right moment to act again. However, as the fight dragged on, he grew impatient and wondered if he should interfere to end the fight once and for all.

Kushina realized that her physical attacks were not effective against the masked man, which made her frustrated and worried. She knew she needed to find a way to defeat him before he could cause any harm to her.

While trying to devise a new attack plan, the masked man seemed to feel an urgency, looking around as if assessing the situation. He then spoke to himself, "I'm wasting too much time here." Kushina didn't have a chance to act before the masked man disappeared. He made a suction on a specific part of his mask and his body went in, making him disappear quickly, leaving Kushina alone and confused.

Kushina didn't know what to think about the masked man and his motivation for attacking her. She knew, however, that she needed to stay alert as he still posed a threat.

Kushina took a deep breath and ran at high speed towards the village of Konoha. Kurama, who was inside the seal, thought to himself and concluded that Obito was possibly following Minato, as Obito must be very frustrated for not being able to destroy Konoha with his plan. As Obito would be searching for Minato, he would likely be hiding or planning some sort of ambush to catch him while Minato tries to rescue Kushina.

"I think it's time for me to leave. With my speed, I can get out of here quickly," said the fox to Kushina in his thoughts. Kushina, who was running towards the village, reflected for a moment. She did not want Kyuubi to leave now as it was still a threat to the village.

"Perhaps it's better for you to leave when all of this is over. It would be safer for everyone," replied Kushina, carefully choosing her words so as not to irritate the Bijuu. Kurama didn't seem to care much about her suggestion and decided to speak directly: "I believe it would be better if we became "friends". That way, the village would be more likely to accept me."

Kushina was a little uncomfortable with the idea, but before she could express her disagreement, Kurama interrupted: "There's no more discussion. You owe me a favor, so do what I'm telling you," he said, authoritatively. Kushina furrowed her eyebrows in anger at being ordered by a Bijuu, but as she was in debt to Kurama, she decided to obey him.

Kushina was about to perform the sealing of Kurama to allow the nine-tailed fox to be released, but before she could do so, Kurama materialized in front of her, without the need for her to break the seal. Kushina was shocked by the enormous 100-meter-long fox that appeared before her. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Kurama responded as if reading her thoughts: "You don't need to be surprised, as when you gained my powers, the seal automatically opened so I could get out."

Kushina raised her right eyebrow in response to Kyuubi's answer. Even though she had obtained the powers of the fox, it was not expected that Kurama could leave without her permission. Kushina remained alert, but Kurama once again replied, "Don't overthink it. We won't get anywhere if we keep arguing. Let's go where you want to go."

"Do you read minds?" Kushina shouted at Kurama, who heard her clearly. Kyuubi smiled, showing off its sharp and intimidating teeth and replied, "Who knows? Let's stop chit-chatting and get moving."

Then, Kurama grabbed Kushina with one of its tails, surprising her, and ran at an impressive speed towards their destination.

Kushina struggled to keep her eyes open as she faced the strong winds whipping her face. Even with her hands in front of her face, she could feel her eyes tearing up and the sensation of sand and dust hitting her skin. But with determination, she focused on the view of the village approaching quickly.

Kushina widened her eyes, surprised by what she heard. "Assume from here? Wait, what are you going to do?" she asked urgently, but before she could get an answer, she was thrown at high speed by Kyuubi's tail as they approached the village. The strong winds entered her mouth, causing her cheeks to swell and making it difficult for her to breathe.

"Tell all the elders of this village. If they try anything against me, they will die! And keep your husband under control in case he tries anything. He won't like the outcome, just like you won't," Kurama spoke seriously, not joking in any of its words. Kushina felt a bloodthirsty desire coming from Kyuubi, even though he had only spoken in her mind.

With courage, Kushina responded, "Don't give me orders and don't threaten me." She then performed a seal, and two shadow clones appeared by her side as they flew at high speed.

Kurama replied, "Take it as you will, but I warned you. Don't come crying later." Passing quickly by the sides of the barriers surrounding the village, the huge fox scared the villagers who panicked. The ninja were already ready to inform their superiors, and the Uchihas, who had seen the enormous fox, ran to warn the patriarch who had been called to meet with the Hokage. Some ninja quickly began to evacuate the area, concerned about what could happen next.