Chapter 111 - 11

Chapter 11 KushinaA moment later, Naruto opened his eyes and cast his gaze toward a specific location deep within the cage that he had just locked onto."Found you."The corners of Naruto's mouth curled slightly, and then he withdrew his gaze and looked back at the Nine-Tailed."Kurama."When speaking the name, Naruto's tone was very casual, just like calling out to an old neighbor he had known for many years."I'll come back to see you in a bit."After saying this, Naruto's consciousness dissipated like smoke blown away by a gust of wind, vanishing before the Nine-Tailed without any warning.Not even a single ripple was left on the water-covered ground.The cage fell into a brief, deathly silence.Then came a violent reaction, like a volcanic eruption.The name Kurama was like a key, precisely thrusting into a corner deep within the Nine-Tailed's memory that had been buried for a very, very long time.It was the name given to it by the Old Man of the Six Paths, a symbol of the time when it was treated as an independent life with dignity, a name it thought no one else in this world would ever know again."Kurama?"The Nine-Tailed lunged at the cage bars, its massive claws slamming hard against them, emitting a deafening metallic clang.The entire cage shook violently, and the incantations on the sealing paper began to flicker rapidly, but its large claws still recklessly reached out through the gaps between the bars, its nails scraping against the metal to create a piercing screech."How do you know that name, brat?""You get back here! Why do you know that name?""Answer me, Uzumaki Naruto..."The Nine-Tailed's roar echoed continuously through the long sewer, but the only response was the hollow echo reflected back by the walls.On the other side, Naruto's consciousness passed through layer after layer of mental barriers, as if diving continuously into an ocean of consciousness.The Sealing Space where the Nine-Tailed resided receded, and the violent, cold aura of Chakra was gradually replaced by an entirely different atmosphere.It was a warm and reassuring feeling.Golden light, like rippling water, slowly brushed over Naruto's consciousness.The cold and damp feeling in the tunnel quietly faded away, as if he had slowly walked across an invisible boundary and entered a completely different space.The ground and walls of this space emitted a soft golden glow; there was no specific material, as if it were constructed from pure light and warmth.The golden light beneath his feet rippled slightly with Naruto's steps, as if he were walking on the reflection of a calm lake.Then, Naruto saw a woman with a full head of red hair. She was standing in the golden light, her hands folded in front of her lower abdomen, looking at him with a smile.Her long hair was a vivid and warm deep red, like autumn maple leaves, or perhaps the sunset-dyed clouds at dusk.She wore simple home clothes, her face was gentle, and the corners of her eyes were slightly curved, filled with endless smiles and tenderness.This was not the polite smile of a stranger, but the smile of a mother who had waited for a very, very long time and had finally seen her child.In the smile, there was joy, heartache, indebtedness, and a kind of love that had been settled by time and prepared long ago.Naruto looked at her, and his heart inexplicably skipped a beat.Naruto, of course, knew who she was.Uzumaki Kushina, the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the wife of the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, a powerful female Ninja from the Land of Whirlpools, and "his" mother.But knowing was one thing, and actually standing in front of her was another.Some emotion belonging to Naruto was quietly surging within his body; this connection of blood that had been forced to break since infancy was reconnected at this moment across twelve years of time.Naruto looked at Kushina's smile, and a term of address automatically popped up in his subconscious.But this term of address turned in Naruto's throat, and then, due to some awkwardness typical of a thirty-year-old adult, it was forcibly changed to her full name."You are... Uzumaki Kushina?"The next moment, a red afterimage rushed toward him.Fast.So fast that Naruto couldn't react at all."Bang..."The next moment, a fist landed solidly on top of Naruto's forehead.The sound was dull yet crisp, like a wooden mallet striking a ripe watermelon.Naruto's consciousness was sent flying backward two meters by this punch, flipping in the air before landing.A bright red bump swelled up on his forehead at a speed visible to the naked eye.It hurt.It really hurt.This was clearly the world of consciousness, but for some reason, the pain of this blow was comparable to when he fell off a cliff and broke his ribs in his previous life.Naruto clutched his forehead and squatted on the ground, his whole body smoking."What did you call me?"Uzumaki Kushina's voice suddenly rose by an octave.She stood where Naruto had just been, her fist still held in a striking position.Kushina's eyes narrowed, and the corners of her mouth still carried a smile, but that smile now looked even more chilling than the Nine-Tailed's roar.Her long, deep red hair behind her seemed to be activated by some invisible aura, suddenly flying upward like nine ferocious red octopus tentacles, dancing and unfurling behind her, covering a large area of golden light and casting a shadow full of oppressive pressure.A tangible red Chakra erupted from her whole body, and that sense of oppression made Naruto feel as if he saw the shadow of the Nine-Tailed raging behind the cage for an instant.No, this is even scarier than the Nine-Tailed!The Nine-Tailed was at least separated by bars, but this lady was right in front of him, less than two meters away, and her fist might launch a second precise strike at any moment.Cold sweat broke out on Naruto's forehead. Looking at the complete form of this red-haired witch before him, his throat rolled involuntarily, and he swallowed a mouthful of saliva."Mom... Mom!"Naruto reacted extremely quickly, terrified that if he were a second late in calling her that, he would be treated to a second round of iron fists.Whoosh!Instantly, the sun shone, spring returned, and the golden space became warm and bright again.The red hair that had been baring its fangs and brandishing its claws behind Kushina all fell down, hanging smoothly behind her, and her eyes returned to gentle crescents, as if the red-haired witch who had just punched someone two meters away had never existed.The smile on her face that had made his hair stand on end turned into a mother's softest smile; she clasped her hands gently in front of her and tilted her head, looking at Naruto."Naruto, you've grown up."Kushina examined Naruto carefully from head to toe.This face, the golden hair, the blue eyes—it was almost carved from the same mold as her beloved Minato.Looking at Naruto, Kushina felt a sense of trance, as if she were seeing the tiny life she had held in her arms in swaddling clothes more than a decade ago, crying in her ear.In the blink of an eye, he had grown so big.Naruto stood up from the ground, rubbing the bump on his head that was still throbbing with pain, and silently made a resolution in his heart:"In the future, when I find a girlfriend, I will absolutely, definitely not find a violent one.""No matter how good-looking she is."