Kushina was now certain that Big Sister Tsunade had already suffered this kind of blow from Uchiha Sora before and had been thoroughly shaken by him. Now she was clearly trying to drag her down with her.
"Just you wait. Hmph!"
Thinking this, Kushina clenched her fists through gritted teeth, swearing that she would definitely make Tsunade pay for this later.
"Ahem!"
But then, remembering that Uchiha Sora was still sitting right there, she quickly relaxed her fists, straightened her expression, and looked at him seriously.
"Since your comprehension is so good, then keep learning from me. Let me see where your limit really is."
...
[...Your Chakra-Sealing Technique has reached perfect mastery.]
[...Your Contract Seal has reached perfect mastery.]
[...Your Four Symbols Seal has reached perfect mastery. From it, you have deduced and comprehended the Eight Trigrams Seal. Your Eight Trigrams Seal has reached perfect mastery.]
"You're incredible. You actually used the Four Symbols Seal as a foundation and deduced an even stronger Eight Trigrams Seal? This is far more powerful and complete than a simple double-layered Four Symbols Seal!"
As she listened to Uchiha Sora explain the Eight Trigrams Seal he had comprehended, Kushina could not help but exclaim in amazement.
In truth, she had learned the concept of the Eight Trigrams Seal from Uzumaki Mito.
But even Mito's Eight Trigrams Seal was simply formed by layering two Four Symbols Seals together.
At its core, it was still just the Four Symbols Seal.
But the Eight Trigrams Seal Uchiha Sora had just explained to her was completely different.
This was a true, complete Eight Trigrams Seal.
It was far stronger than the pseudo-Eight Trigrams Seal formed by stacking two Four Symbols Seals together.
"Hehe! Not bad, right? So? Want to learn it?"
"With this new Eight Trigrams Seal, you can replace the pseudo-Eight Trigrams Seal on your body. That way, you'll be able to control the thing inside you much more perfectly."
Uchiha Sora smiled as he spoke to Kushina.
"What? You..."
The moment she heard that, Kushina's face turned pale. She stared at Uchiha Sora in panic and asked, "You saw it all?"
"Of course."
Uchiha Sora spread his hands helplessly. "That special chakra mass inside you is huge. There's no way I wouldn't notice it."
"And the more sealing techniques I master, the more clearly I can sense the traces of the powerful seal on your body."
Hearing that, Kushina lowered her head slightly. Her expression turned dim and uncertain as she asked in a low voice, "Then... do you also think I'm a monster?"
"Huh?"
Uchiha Sora looked utterly speechless.
"What kind of nonsense is that? It's just because there's a little thing sealed inside you. Why would that make me think you're a monster?"
That made no sense at all.
Kurama: "...You're the little thing. Your whole family are little things."
Kurama had just sensed the sharp change in Kushina's mood and couldn't help peeking outside the seal. It just so happened to hear Uchiha Sora speaking so arrogantly.
It exploded with anger on the spot.
If Uchiha Sora didn't feel so strange and dangerous to it, it really would have wanted to jump out and teach him some physics with its claws.
Then he'd understand exactly who the little thing really was.
"Uh..."
Kushina's expression immediately froze. She could no longer even maintain her gloomy mood. Looking at Uchiha Sora with complete disbelief, she asked, "Are you sure you know what's sealed inside me?"
The Nine-Tails had this little presence in his eyes?
"Of course I do."
Uchiha Sora shrugged. "I could guess it easily. It's just a Tailed Beast. What's so rare about that?"
"Just think of it as a little pet you keep in a cage."
"The new Eight Trigrams Seal I created is simply a better cage. If you're worried about it getting out, then just replace the old cage with the new one."
That made Kushina burst out laughing.
"Hehe! A pet?"
For some reason, hearing it described that way suddenly made her feel like the Nine-Tails was a little pitiful.
Just what exactly did Sora think a Tailed Beast was?
"Yeah! I want to know too what exactly this brat thinks I am!"
Kurama roared furiously and was just about to force open a tiny gap in the seal and send some chakra outside so it could have a proper talk with Uchiha Sora.
It had only just started to stick its head out when—
"Hm?"
In the next instant, it met Uchiha Sora's cold gaze head-on. That terrifying spiritual pressure, along with the golden-red ocular power stirring restlessly in his eyes, felt like a bucket of ice water dumped straight over Kurama's head.
Its entire body shuddered on the spot.
"Can't afford to mess with him. Retreat. Retreat."
In an instant, Kurama shrank right back in.
A wise beast did not fight battles it couldn't win. So what if the brat had insulted it a little?
It was thick-skinned enough. It could take it.
If it really tried to fight back and got beaten down afterward, that would be a disaster.
"Hm?"
This time, Kushina also noticed Uchiha Sora's little movement and Kurama's reaction inside her.
Immediately, she looked at him in surprise and asked, "You can see the Nine-Tails? And what did you do? Why do I feel like it's a little afraid of you?"
She felt that Uchiha Sora had become even more mysterious.
"It's nothing."
Uchiha Sora smiled and shook his head. "Just a few spiritual methods. In any case, there's no need for you to feel burdened or troubled because of your identity as a Jinchuriki. In my eyes, it's not a big deal at all. Let's study the Eight Trigrams Seal instead."
"Alright!"
Kushina did not continue asking. She immediately began learning the new Eight Trigrams Seal from Uchiha Sora.
Her talent in sealing techniques truly was excellent. On top of that, she already had a foundation in the Four Symbols Seal and the pseudo-Eight Trigrams Seal, so she grasped the basics quickly.
At this rate, she would probably be able to fully master it in just a few days.
"That's enough."
Once he saw that Kushina had gotten started, Uchiha Sora finally stopped explaining.
"From here on, spend some time familiarizing yourself with it, then replace your seal yourself. Of course, I can also help you do it directly."
"Mhm!"
Kushina smiled and nodded. "I'll do it myself. I want to completely suppress it with my own hands."
"Let's keep studying sealing techniques. I'll explain, and you listen..."
"Alright."
...
Inside the Hokage's office—
"Tsunade, what were you thinking? Why did you let Uchiha Sora come into contact with Kushina?"
"Do you not know that Kushina is a Jinchuriki?"
"Do you not know how dangerous the Sharingan is to a Jinchuriki?"
The Third Hokage questioned Tsunade with a dark expression.
He had only just received reports from the Anbu and from Danzo's side, informing him that Tsunade had actually taken Uchiha Sora to meet Uzumaki Kushina.
This was absolutely not something the Third Hokage wanted to see.
A Jinchuriki was far too important—to him and to the village.
Moreover, he had an entire set of plans and arrangements regarding the Jinchuriki.
Now, those plans were at a crucial stage, and what he least wanted was for any unexpected change to occur at this moment.
Even if the person involved was Uchiha Sora, whom he intended to win over and bring under control, it still would not do.
"Tch!"
But Tsunade merely curled her lip in disdain.
"Old man, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Let me tell you this—Kushina is my little sister, not some Jinchuriki."
"Who I bring to see her is my freedom."
"She barely has any friends left already. What, are you people planning to imprison her?"
"When my grandmother was still alive, why didn't you dare treat her like this?"
"And besides, Sora is my disciple. I trust him absolutely. So what if I let him meet Kushina?"
"It's not like they're doing anything improper. He's only learning sealing techniques from her."
"Don't you want Kushina to form deeper bonds with the village and truly integrate into it?"
"Wouldn't it be perfect for Sora to get to know her and become friends with her?"
...