Chapter 304: Did We Really Escape the Genjutsu?
"I just…"
Kushina frowned tightly, as if recalling what had just happened.
"I think I just had a nightmare. No… that wasn't a dream!"
"Mmm, looks like keeping quiet won't help anymore."
Rin pulled away from Yakushi Nono's hand that had been covering her mouth and gave a helpless smile.
"So what exactly was the dream?"
Uchiha Hikari asked curiously.
"It wasn't a dream."
Kushina looked sorrowful and emphasized it again.
"It was the strand of chakra I left inside Naruto. It got activated, and I saw some things. I couldn't handle it, so it exploded like a Shadow Clone and returned with its memories."
"So what exactly did you see?"
Everyone was curious and gathered around Kushina.
Just what kind of thing could shock Kushina, even with an Impure World Reincarnation body, into fainting?
"..."
Kushina hesitated for a moment. In the end, she clenched her teeth and decided to say it.
'Damn it.'
'You two weren't ashamed to do something like that, so what's wrong with me saying it out loud?'
Kushina didn't know exactly what had happened between Minato and Naruto, but in her mind, no matter what misunderstanding had occurred, it shouldn't have led to the scene she saw.
She had to say it.
Maybe if she spoke up, public opinion could pressure the two of them to stop this sinful relationship in time.
Sadness.
Fear.
The scene earlier had been too horrifying. Kushina even felt it was worse than the situation in the Limited Tsukuyomi world.
At least in the Limited Tsukuyomi world, Minato and Naruto were only each involved with the Nine-Tails. They weren't involved with each other.
"Ah?"
"Ah?"
"Ah????"
After Kushina finished explaining quietly, everyone fell into a stunned silence.
"Did we really escape the Limited Tsukuyomi genjutsu?"
Hanabi raised her little hand and asked weakly.
"What do you think?"
Uchiha Hikari, the one who had cast the Limited Tsukuyomi illusion herself, glanced at Hanabi.
"Sigh."
Kushina let out a long sigh.
Originally, she had hoped the strand of chakra left inside Naruto would make first contact with him in her place, so that when she met him herself later, she wouldn't feel so much pressure.
But now things had turned out like this.
That strand of chakra exploded before it even did anything and even brought back such outrageous memories.
Now the pressure was even greater.
After leaving the medical department, everyone carefully comforted Kushina while heading toward the experimental division.
Their idea was simple. At a time like this, there was no point overthinking it. They should just go back, beat Naruto up, and knock some sense into him first.
So they planned to have Senju Tobirama use the Flying Thunder God technique to send Kushina back.
However…
At that moment, Kabuto Yakushi was carrying out Orochimaru's orders. He had activated the surveillance equipment from the Sound Village and was observing Uzumaki Naruto.
When everyone saw the monitoring footage, they stopped walking and temporarily put aside the idea of returning.
"Maybe it really was just a misunderstanding?"
"Yeah, yeah. Look at his expression. He still seems very determined and serious."
"That's right. Let's keep watching."
Everyone spoke one after another, which finally allowed Kushina to relax a little.
That's right.
Maybe there really was some hardship or misunderstanding involved.
As for why she couldn't imagine it, perhaps it was simply because her imagination was too limited.
After all, before she saw the story of the Limited Tsukuyomi world, she couldn't have imagined those scenes either.
"Alright, let's watch first."
Kushina sat down on a small stool that Hanabi had brought and stared intently at the surveillance screen.
Kabuto didn't say anything. He operated the controls, constantly switching between different camera feeds.
Naruto, relying on Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God technique, had escaped Kimimaro's attack range and was steadily moving deeper inside.
His objective was to find Sasuke.
After using Flying Thunder God several times in succession to help his son escape danger, Namikaze Minato's chakra was finally exhausted. He dissipated.
He didn't even have time to say another word.
Naruto also didn't pay any attention to the person who claimed to be his father and whom the Nine-Tails seemed to call "Fourth Hokage."
Right now, there was only one person in Naruto's mind.
Sasuke.
He had to find Sasuke and… rescue Sasuke… bring Sasuke back.
"Huh? Why is there a mosaic censor?"
Rin pointed at the screen and asked in confusion.
"You'll understand in a moment."
Kabuto answered casually without even turning his head.
"I'm leaving."
Uchiha Hikari turned around and walked away immediately.
"Huh? You're leaving already? Aren't you curious?"
Hanabi was surprised.
"Not curious."
Uchiha Hikari replied calmly.
She had already guessed that something unpleasant to look at might happen next.
According to the medical advice from Yakushi Nono, although she was still healthy, it was best not to experience continuous stimulation. Otherwise she might end up like Haruno Sakura from Konoha and develop nodules.
"Uh… then maybe we should leave too? Let Kushina-nee watch it alone."
Hanabi suddenly remembered the example Yakushi Nono had mentioned earlier and was afraid she might develop the same condition.
"Yes, you should go quickly. I can handle this alone."
Kushina also spoke seriously to them.
After the others left.
The scene Kabuto had mentioned finally appeared.
In order to find Sasuke, Naruto needed to enhance his sensory abilities.
And to enhance his sensory abilities, he needed to enter Sage Mode.
But Naruto knew this was Orochimaru's territory. If he created too many Shadow Clones, it would easily expose his location.
With no other choice, Naruto created fewer Shadow Clones, splitting into ten of them, and began the preparatory actions needed before entering Sage Mode.
Running along the trees while performing those preparatory actions.
Even with the mosaic censorship, Kushina clearly understood what was happening. Her vision darkened, and she nearly fainted again.
To prevent herself from passing out, Kushina quickly punched herself hard in the head. After blasting apart half her skull, she finally managed to calm down.
"It's nothing. This is perfectly normal human behavior. And don't misunderstand Naruto. He's preparing to enter Sage Mode."
Kabuto Yakushi pushed up his round glasses and calmly explained Naruto's actions.
Indeed, Kabuto had only watched the surveillance for a short moment before understanding Naruto's shortcut for quickly entering Sage Mode.
However, he didn't need such a method.
"Sage Mode?"
Kushina froze for a moment.
"Look at his eyes."
Kabuto adjusted the surveillance and zoomed in slightly.
"It really is."
Seeing this, Kushina finally relaxed a little.
Although she didn't understand the principle, at least there seemed to be an explanation.
If doing that allowed someone to enter Sage Mode, then it made sense why Jiraiya-sensei spent so much time going to hot springs and pleasure districts for "research." He must have been training Sage Mode.
…
Wait!
When that thought crossed her mind, Kushina suddenly realized something was wrong.
Sage Mode was something so serious. How could it possibly be trained using such a method?
She had reversed cause and effect.
It shouldn't be that after seeing Naruto train like this, she assumed Jiraiya trained the same way.
Rather, the reason Naruto trained like this was because that old pervert Jiraiya had taught him!
(End of this chapter)