Self-cultivation of the Vessel

Kushina noticed that Grandma Mito suddenly stopped her actions and curiously approached her for a closer look.

In her hands, she held a card that Kushina was very familiar with:

[First Hokage · Senju Hashirama]

[Cost 7, Attack 7, Life 10]

[Birth of Tree Realm: Upon entering the field, change the battlefield to "Forest," and at the beginning of the domain expansion, deal 1 damage to all opponent units on the field]

[Wood Clone: Spend 4 life points to summon two Wood Clones (7/4/1) onto the field]

[Introduction: Leader of the Senju Clan, pacified turbulent times with Wood-Style Secret Jutsu. Co-founder of the Konoha Hidden Villages alongside Uchiha Madara, and the First Hokage. In the first Five Kages Summit, evenly distributed Tailed Beasts among the Five Great Countries, briefly achieving peace in the Ninja World. Defeated Uchiha Madara in the Valley of the End, passed away years later, referred as the God of Shinobi by the world.]

Mito quickly recovered from her dazed state and leisurely said, "Life is truly short, even for that person; his entire life can be summarised in just a few words."

Mito gently caressed the rough surface of the card, her voice tinged with melancholy.

"Grandma, how about we go eat first?" Kushina suggested in a low voice, pulling Mito's sleeve.

She regretted impulsively bringing these things back to show off, causing Grandma to be reminded of past memories.

"I'm fine," Mito smiled gently to reassure Kushina. "It's just seeing so many old acquaintances momentarily touched me. And I haven't seen Hashirama's projection yet."

Finished speaking, she gently placed the card on the duel disk.

The next moment, a man with long black hair, dressed in red-layered armor, appeared before Mito.

Although in a combat posture, he wore a bright smile on his face.

Mito couldn't help but stand there in awe.

Compared to most other tangible but lifeless illusory shadows, Hashirama's illusory shadow not only had the appearance but also captured his bold and somewhat silly temperament.

It reminded her of the times when they used to spar in this courtyard.

Unfortunately, it was only an illusory shadow.

Mito sighed and gave her assessment, "Quite well done."

This time her comment was particularly brief.

At this moment, perhaps due to a bug, the character's entrance lines were slowly arriving.

So, after many years, Hashirama's voice echoed in the estate again.

And it was different from what Kushina had heard before:

"—Nine-Tails, your power is too strong. I'm sorry, I can't let you roam freely!"

The next moment, Mito's expression changed slightly.

She felt a powerful chakra erupting deep within her, as if about to break free!

Then, she suppressed it with a backhand.

"Grandma, are you okay?" Kushina also sensed Mito's unusual facial expressions and colour, holding her hand worriedly.

"I'm fine. It seems that the Nine-Tails is quite excited to see Hashirama," Mito said with a smile, patting her stomach.

Another intense chakra fluctuation occurred in the sealed space!

Again, she suppressed it.

Nine-Tails: %￥#@%￥!!!

Mito removed Nine-Tails from the chapter due to his sassy language.

"Nine-Tails..." Kushina looked at Mito's abdomen and muttered unconsciously.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, Konoha brought Kushina to the village, providing her with food, shelter, and education; it certainly wasn't without any cost.

She had long felt that Konoha needed her for something.

Later, she learned that Konoha needed her to succeed Mito-sama, becoming the second Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Guided by Mito-sama, Kushina learned Sealing Jutsu and naturally understood what it meant to be a Jinchuriki.

It meant she would no longer be seen as a normal person but as a tool, an item.

A container for storing the Nine-Tails.

Upon learning this, she was deeply affected.

If it weren't for the genuine love she felt from Grandma Mito, Tsunade, and others, she might have given up long ago.

However, even now, the fate of being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki hung over her like the Sword of Damocles, with pressure and loneliness constantly enveloping her.

"Don't worry, my old bones can endure for a while longer," Uzumaki Mito knew what Kushina was thinking, comforting her with a gentle touch on her head.

If there were other choices, she wouldn't burden this young girl with such a heavy responsibility.

Unfortunately, there was no other Jinchuriki candidate who could withstand the power of the strongest Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails, not even her biological granddaughter, Tsunade.

Mito continued to stroke Kushina's soft hair, speaking with great tenderness:

"Kushina, don't think too much now. Just focus on training, working, and playing every day. These little experiences accumulated over time will be the source of your strength against the Nine-Tails in the future."

Kushina nodded in a somewhat bewildered manner, not quite understanding Grandma Mito's meaning. However, after hearing Mito's words, she felt a sense of reassurance.

Then, she saw Grandma Mito suddenly smile and change the topic:

"By the way, Kushina, you're not that young anymore. I should add, 'Find a good lover.' It's time for you to have a love life. Don't be like your sister Tsunade, who's thirty and still not married. It worries me..."

"Grandma Mito!"

As soon as Kushina heard her grandma bring up the topic of love, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and her eyes widened. She couldn't help but stomp her foot in indignation.

Why did the conversation suddenly shift from the serious fate of being a Jinchuriki to matchmaking?

Is the end of the universe really about matchmaking?

Oh, dear, she's still just a child!

Thinking about discussing the topic of love with her grandma, Kushina felt so awkward that she could probably dig out an area of a three-bedroom, one-living-room house with a small courtyard using her feet.

"What's there to apologize for? You guys are lucky. In the past, we couldn't even freely choose our love!"

Seeing Kushina blush like a little tomato at the mention of this topic, Mito couldn't help but find it amusing.

She embraced Kushina, while gently stroking her red hair.

Kushina, in a playful manner, buried her face in Grandma Mito's chest and rubbed her cheeks against her bonkers, left!, right!

Then she heard her grandma speak in a soft tone:

"Kushina, listen carefully. Even though we are destined to be containers for the Nine-Tails..."

"Becoming a Jinchuriki doesn't prevent us from having the possibility of happiness."

"The trick is to fill the container with love before putting in the Nine-Tails."

"That way, even if we have to live on as Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, we can still find happiness."

Now Kushina understood the true meaning behind her grandma's earlier words.

After a moment of silence, she looked up and asked Grandma Mito:

"So, Grandma, are you happy as a Jinchuriki?"

Mito hesitated for a moment after hearing the question.

To be honest, she had never thought about this question. She didn't even know what answer she would give.

Her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the Hashirama illusory shadow not far away.

Bits and pieces of the past kept rising in her mind.

Sweet, bitter, spicy, plain...

Although many painful things had happened, her lips couldn't help but gradually curve upward, eyes narrowing with a smile.

In the end, Kushina didn't hear her grandma's answer, but from her grandma's face, she had already received the answer she anticipated.

(End of this chapter)

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