Malphegor
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YTS: Ch. 47
🕑 Added 2025-03-28 16:07:32 +0000 UTCAs soon as her consciousness returned to her body, Kushina clutched her stomach, laughing so hard that she couldn't straighten up.
All these years of being the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki…
Every time she saw the Nine-Tails, it was either baring its fangs in a murderous rage, radiating killing intent, as if it wanted to destroy everything, or cursing like a foul-mouthed brute—starting with the First Hokage, then the Second, moving on to Gold and Silver Brothers, and finally, always making sure to give Mito and Madara a special mention.
Although Kei had told her before that the Nine-Tails was nothing more than a lonely, love-deprived big fox…
That if she approached it with kindness and treated it as an equal rather than a monster, over time, it would eventually reciprocate with goodwill…
She had tried! But it was like warming a stone with her own body heat. The best she got was indifference on its good days; on bad days, it would hurl insults at her. She wasn't some pushover—how could she just endure the Nine-Tails' attitude without pushing back?
But now… everything had changed.
With that bright, beaming smile on the Nine-Tails' face, as long as she sealed off her hearing, wasn't it just the most delightful sight?
"How long will this technique last?" Kushina half-lay on the sofa, wiping away tears of laughter from her eyes.
"Well… that's hard to say. If there's no external interference, it might last a lifetime?"
Kei scratched his cheek.
If an ordinary person were affected by [Always Smiling], they'd probably be stuck smiling for the rest of their life.
But for a ninja? Whether it was Orochimaru's body modifications or Tsunade's medical ninjutsu, they could probably restore facial nerve function.
The issue was that the Nine-Tails wasn't made of flesh and blood—it was a chakra entity created by the Sage of Six Paths when he split the Ten-Tails.
Could it alter its own facial muscles and nerves?
That was unclear.
After all, even when Minato split the Nine-Tails into Yin and Yang halves, it still survived just fine. If the Nine-Tails was ruthless enough, maybe it could force a change in its own face.
Though the process… probably wouldn't be pleasant.
Gurgle, gurgle~ Gurgle, gurgle~
Like the sound of boiling water, a noise rose from Kushina's body.
Scarlet chakra slowly seeped from her abdomen, spreading across her body like a visible aura, forming a chakra cloak.
"That's just petty," Kushina muttered, then waved dismissively when she saw Kei's slightly concerned look.
She reached into her ninja pouch, pulled out a palm-sized suppression talisman covered in sealing script, and slapped it onto her stomach.
The orange-red Nine-Tails chakra that had been surging around her instantly dissipated. The sealing mark, which had become visible due to the Nine-Tails' chakra flare-up, faded back into her skin.
Kushina dusted off her hands with satisfaction.
Her face practically shouted: Come on, praise me!
She had only heard Kei mention this kind of talisman twice, but after searching through the Uzumaki clan's inheritance texts for a long time and privately practicing, she had finally managed to create one!
No matter how unruly the Nine-Tails was, with both Mito's seal and her suppression talisman working together, she could keep it completely in check!
BANG!
Just as Kei was about to shower her with praise and boost her mood, the guest room door was violently yanked open.
Tsunade, having just shaken off a genjutsu, stormed in, exuding a fierce presence. Her face was grim as she scanned Kushina and Kei in the living room.
"Did the Nine-Tails' seal break?"
"Uh… we were just practicing how to control its chakra." Kei's mind raced as he hastily came up with a half-baked but somewhat plausible excuse.
After all, whether it was saying that Madara wasn't dead or predicting that someone in the future might use Edo Tensei to summon him for chaos…
To most people, that just sounded like paranoid delusions.
Running off specifically to put a contract seal on the Nine-Tails because of that? Already ridiculous.
Then, thinking the Nine-Tails' smile looked nice and giving it a "permanent smiling face", only to cause it to go berserk?
This…
Yeah, he really didn't want to say that out loud.
"That's right! Just say it like that!"
Kushina nodded like a pecking chick, secretly giving her boyfriend a thumbs-up behind her back.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the two of them. Seeing that they were sticking to the same story, she couldn't be bothered to dig deeper. It wasn't her house, after all. Even if something got wrecked, she wouldn't be the one feeling the pain.
Besides, instead of worrying about this nonsense, wouldn't it be better to continue that gambling game from earlier?
That poker game was actually pretty fun. She already had two pair, just one more card, and she'd have a full house...
Wait!
She got so into the game that she forgot about the genjutsu! She couldn't dispel it on her own and would need that Kei to release her again.
No, wait…
Wasn't she here to deal with this brat in the first place?
Tsunade glanced at the clock on the wall, and her pupils trembled slightly. She had actually been playing in the illusion for an entire afternoon?!
If the genjutsu's energy hadn't weakened over time and if the Nine-Tails' chakra hadn't suddenly flared up, triggering her body's instincts to warn her… She might not have snapped out of it until the illusion completely lost power.
This brat's genjutsu… was insanely strong!
Tsunade's brows furrowed slightly as she looked at him with a much more serious expression than before.
To use a near-instantaneous genjutsu while exchanging blows in battle, even those Uchiha guys with three-tomoe Sharingan might not be able to pull that off!
And what was even more ridiculous… This near-instantaneous genjutsu also had mental backlash!
When she first got caught in it, her Yin Seal-based sensory technique immediately warned her that she was under an illusion.
But she didn't forcefully break free right away—not because she was enjoying the casino, but because she had tested it once.
And just from that single attempt, a sharp, needle-like sense of danger clearly told her: if she forcibly broke out, her mind would suffer severe damage. Mental injuries weren't something that could be easily healed with Mystical Palm Technique or other medical ninjutsu.
Even for her, a spiritual wound would require significant recovery time. So, knowing that Kei wouldn't actually hurt her, she just went along with it and enjoyed the illusionary casino experience.
But…
Hadn't this brat earlier told her to test the Hōzuki clan's secret technique?
That genjutsu… was nothing like the Hōzuki clan's jutsu!
Tsunade's sharp eyes locked onto Kei, who was now awkwardly forcing a smile.
Short golden hair… Hmm, this blond kid was actually quite handsome. Decent build. Strong abilities.
But wasn't his integrity just a little too flexible?
The way he casually threw away his own words with zero guilt… Did Kushina pick her boyfriend just for his looks?!
"So, um, Lady Tsunade… how about a game of cards after dinner?"
Kei felt extremely uncomfortable under her stare, so he tried to change the subject.
"... First, you explain to me exactly what the hell is up with that 'Hōzuki clan secret technique.'"
"..."
