Kushina was a little different from ordinary ninjas. She had a big fox living inside her.
Very few people in Konoha knew about this. It was her biggest secret.
This fox didn't have a home of its own, but it liked to live inside other people.
Before, it had been freeloading in Grandma Mito's body. Now that Grandma was about to pass away, the fox was crying and shouting that it wanted to live in Kushina's body instead.
Grandma Mito had explained all of this to Kushina.
Kind-hearted Kushina had no choice but to take in this pitiful, unwanted big fox.
However, she didn't feel any different from before.
Could it be that the big fox had an accident during the stowaway process and died?
Kushina didn't know, but it didn't really concern her. After all, she didn't like the fox that much.
The Hokage had told her to stay inside the small courtyard for a week, and then she could go out and return to school.
That night, as Kushina lay in bed preparing to sleep, she suddenly heard a voice calling out to her.
When she opened her eyes, she was in a dark place.
That voice kept calling her name.
"Who are you?" Kushina shouted, feeling a little frightened.
But the surroundings remained pitch black and empty. A cold wind blew from nowhere, its chill seeping into her skin.
"Come on, hurry up," the voice urged.
Kushina cautiously asked a few more questions, but there was no response.
Guided by the voice, she kept walking forward.
Then, suddenly, the darkness faded into light.
Kushina found herself in a vast space. At the center stood a massive cage with the character "seal" written across it.
The area around the cage was filled with cherry trees, their petals falling silently, covering the ground in a soft pink-white layer.
Inside the cage, a gigantic fox rested its head on its massive paws, its red eyes watching Kushina.
"Hey, brat," the big fox called out.
Kushina immediately recognized it as the pitiful big fox Grandma had told her about.
The fox stared at her and spoke in a low, persuasive tone.
"Do you want my power? If you want it, I'll give it all to you. Just tear off that seal, and everything in this world will be yours!"
Uh... Kushina looked at the big fox as if it were an idiot.
"My grandma said I can't let you out," she said, stepping a little closer.
"Hmph, don't mention that woman in front of me." The fox growled, its claws gripping the cage. It shook it violently, but the bars didn't budge.
Its expression was fierce, half-threatening and half-menacing, as it waved its claws.
"Undo the seal right now, or I'll kill you, brat!"
Kushina flinched, but then she raised her head and froze.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"...."
The Nine-Tails couldn't break through the seal, and this brat wouldn't remove it either.
Feeling suddenly bored, it lay back down, preparing to sleep again.
Kushina wiped her eyes.
She missed Grandma so much.
Before she passed away, Grandma Mito had told Kushina that the fox had a terrible temper.
The only way to control it was through love.
Only by embracing the fox with kindness and communicating with it could a Jinchuriki be strong—and truly happy.
Kushina always listened to her grandma's words. She considered herself a gentle and kind girl.
Though some people misunderstood her, calling her "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero."
But they all apologized soon after.
And they never mentioned that nickname in front of her again.
So, as a gentle and loving girl, Kushina decided to use love to influence this big fox.
Even though it was scary and aggressive...
But how should she do it?
After thinking for a moment, she gathered her courage—
And spat at the Nine-Tails inside the cage.
Nine-Tails: "....."
A long silence.
The fox, which had a bit of a clean-freak streak, was absolutely furious.
It was the first time in its life that it had suffered such an insult.
It immediately stood up, its massive shadow looming over Kushina.
Its blood-red pupils locked onto her.
"Brat, I'm going to kill you. You actually dared to spit at this great being! Even Mito wouldn't dare to do such a thing!"
Kushina trembled a little but still replied seriously,
"Sister Tsunade taught me that love means kissing someone. Kissing is basically just spitting into another person's mouth..."
So, this brat was an idiot.
The Nine-Tails suddenly lost all interest.
Why was it even bothering with an idiot?
It lay back down, closing its eyes.
"What is this place, Big Fox?" Kushina asked cautiously.
The fox's temper was really too bad.
"Your consciousness space," the Nine-Tails answered impatiently.
Still, it admitted that the environment was much better than Mito's.
Mito's consciousness space had been filled with green trees. It made the Nine-Tails want to vomit.
Every time it saw those trees, it remembered the fear of being dominated by Hashirama Senju.
"It's good that you like it here," Kushina said.
Nine-Tails scoffed.
"Huh? I don't like it here at all! I'd rather stay in a sewer for the rest of my life than stay here for a single minute."
"...."
After that, the fox started threatening her again, demanding she release it.
But Kushina ignored it.
Time passed like this. Every day, Kushina would visit the big fox and try to talk to it.
At first, she thought the fox was antisocial and didn't like to talk.
But after a few visits, she realized—
It was actually quite talkative.
First, it kept trying to convince her to undo the seal.
Then, when it saw that wouldn't work, it started sleeping all day.
After waking up, it would boast about its past great achievements.
For example, it had beaten up nine guys named Shukaku.
It had also fought the First Hokage and was only sealed because Mito Uzumaki had ambushed it.
And just like that, a week passed.
Kushina was finally allowed to leave and return to the ninja academy.
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