Kushina didn't sleep.
Not really.
Every time her eyes closed—
she felt it again.
That pull beneath her skin.
Heavy.
Patient.
Waiting.
And now—
she finally understood why the hunters kept pushing her emotionally.
Not because rage made her weak.
Because rage opened the door wider.
"…smart of them…"
"…I preferred not understanding…"
A low rumble echoed through the darkness inside her mind.
Amused.
"…too late…"
Kushina opened her eyes immediately.
The hidden camp remained quiet.
Daichi rested near the entrance of the stone shelter they had found earlier, though "resting" for him mostly meant sitting motionless while staying aware of literally everything.
Minato sat further back near the narrow cliff wall, one knee drawn up slightly as he sharpened a kunai in slow, even movements.
The scraping sound against the blade echoed softly through the silence.
Kushina hated how calming that sound was becoming.
"…that's weird…"
"…a little…"
She groaned quietly and pushed herself upright.
The movement immediately caught Daichi's attention.
"You should still be resting."
Kushina pointed at him without looking over.
"There it is again."
"…what."
"The disappointment."
Minato glanced up briefly.
"…I'm starting to understand what she means."
Daichi looked genuinely offended by that for half a second.
"…unfortunate."
Kushina snorted softly despite herself.
Small.
Brief.
But needed.
The humor faded quickly though.
Because the moment silence returned—
the thoughts came back too.
Synchronization.
Losing herself.
Kurama's chakra responding to her emotions more each day.
Kushina stared down at her hands again.
"…you're afraid now…"
"…maybe…"
That answer lingered.
Because it was true.
Not fear of Kurama exactly.
Fear of not noticing the moment where her choices stopped fully belonging to her.
Minato noticed the shift immediately.
Of course he did.
"You're thinking too loudly again."
Kushina blinked once before glaring slightly.
"That doesn't even make sense."
"…still true."
She rolled her eyes dramatically.
"You two are impossible."
Daichi finally stood.
His expression sharper now.
Focused.
"We need to test something."
Kushina immediately frowned.
"That sentence has literally never led to anything good."
"…probably not…"
Daichi ignored both of them and stepped toward the center of the small clearing outside the stone shelter.
"Come here."
Kushina didn't move immediately.
"You sound suspiciously confident for someone ruining my morning."
"You weren't sleeping anyway."
"…rude."
Still—
she followed.
Minato stepped outside after them quietly, leaning lightly against the stone wall nearby.
Watching.
Always watching.
Kushina crossed her arms once she reached the clearing.
"So what exactly are we testing?"
Daichi's gaze settled on her calmly.
"Your control."
"…that's vague and threatening."
"Your synchronization increased yesterday."
Silence.
The word still felt wrong in her chest.
Daichi continued:
"I need to know how much."
Kushina's stomach tightened slightly.
"…and how exactly are you planning to test that."
Daichi lifted one hand slowly.
"Attack me."
Kushina stared at him.
Then blinked.
"…sorry?"
"Use the chains."
"…absolutely not."
Daichi's expression didn't change.
"You need to understand what's happening before they force it further."
Kushina's jaw tightened immediately.
The hunters.
Ren.
Those experiments.
The pressure inside her stirred instantly at the memory.
"…good…"
"…quiet…"
Minato stepped away from the wall slightly.
"Kushina."
She looked toward him.
"You don't need to overpower him."
A pause.
"Just focus."
That grounded her slightly.
Just enough.
Kushina exhaled slowly and stepped back.
"…fine."
Her fingers lifted carefully.
The chain formed almost instantly now.
Faster than before.
Cleaner.
But heavier somehow.
The moment it appeared—
she felt it.
That connection beneath it.
Not fully hers anymore.
"…there…"
Her breathing slowed.
Steady.
Controlled.
Daichi remained completely still.
"Again."
Kushina frowned.
"I literally just started."
"The chakra."
A pause.
"It reacted before you moved."
Silence.
Kushina looked down at the chain.
He was right.
It pulsed faintly with her emotions before she consciously directed it.
"…that's new…"
"…finally noticing…"
Kushina ignored him and focused harder.
The chain steadied slightly.
Daichi nodded once.
"Now attack."
Kushina hesitated.
"…you sure?"
"Yes."
"…this feels like a terrible idea."
"…correct."
She rolled her eyes.
"You're both impossible."
Then—
she moved.
The chain snapped forward fast—
precise—
controlled—
Daichi shifted sideways instantly.
Minimal movement.
Barely avoiding it.
"Again."
Kushina attacked again.
Faster this time.
The chain twisted sharply through the air—
too sharply.
The pressure inside her surged immediately.
"…more…"
"…no…"
The chain slammed into the ground harder than intended.
The impact cracked stone beneath them.
Kushina's eyes widened slightly.
"…that was too much…"
Daichi's voice sharpened immediately.
"Focus."
"I AM focused."
"No."
A pause.
"You're emotional."
That irritated her instantly.
The pressure surged again.
The chain reacted with it immediately.
This time before she even moved.
Kushina froze.
"…you see it now…"
Her stomach tightened.
The chain pulsed violently beside her.
Responding directly to frustration.
To anger.
To pressure.
Not commands.
Emotion.
"…that's bad…"
"…depends…"
The chain suddenly lashed sideways without warning.
Minato moved instantly.
Fast enough to catch the chain mid-motion with a kunai-assisted deflection before it could hit the cliff wall behind him.
The impact shattered part of the stone anyway.
Silence crashed down immediately afterward.
Kushina stared at the damage.
Her breathing uneven now.
"…I didn't mean to do that…"
No one answered immediately.
Because that was the problem.
Daichi's expression darkened.
"The response time is accelerating."
Kushina slowly lowered her hand.
The chain flickered violently before disappearing.
"…that wasn't me…"
"…wasn't only you…"
That hit harder.
Much harder.
Minato stepped closer carefully.
Not afraid.
But cautious now.
"Kushina."
She looked toward him immediately.
His voice stayed calm.
Steady.
"You stopped it."
Silence.
Kushina blinked once.
"…barely."
"But you did."
A pause.
"That matters."
Her chest tightened slightly again.
Because part of her realized something terrifying.
He was reassuring her the same way someone talks to a person standing too close to the edge of a cliff.
Carefully.
Calmly.
Like one wrong push mattered.
Daichi looked toward the shattered stone wall silently before speaking.
"They're running out of time."
Kushina frowned immediately.
"…what."
His gaze returned to her.
"If synchronization keeps increasing naturally…"
A pause.
"…eventually they won't need to provoke you anymore."
Cold silence settled instantly over the clearing.
Kushina's stomach dropped.
"…what's that supposed to mean."
Daichi held her gaze.
"It means eventually Kurama's chakra will start responding on its own."
The pressure inside her rumbled softly.
Interested.
Awake.
Listening.
And for the first time—
Kushina truly understood something horrifying.
The hunters weren't trying to create synchronization.
It was already happening.