CHAPTER 49

During the day, Byakuya and Mikoto accompanied Kushina as they went shopping and strolled through the village.

After midnight, Kushina quietly arrived at Byakuya's room, wearing only a light yukata.

"Byakuya… can you really help me suppress the Nine-Tails?" she asked hesitantly, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

Kushina understood the threat of the Nine-Tails better than anyone. As its Jinchūriki, she had endured its malice and violent chakra her entire life. Even with the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques, it was a constant struggle. The slightest lapse would allow the Nine-Tails to leak chakra and disrupt her control, sometimes even pushing her toward a berserk state.

Hearing Byakuya's claim to suppress the beast so casually, she couldn't help but doubt.

"Don't worry. Leave it to me," Byakuya said confidently, standing up.

"Now, show me the seal."

Kushina nodded, understanding what he meant. She loosened her yukata slightly to reveal the intricate seal etched into her stomach — the Eight Trigrams Seal left by the Fourth Hokage.

Byakuya placed his hand on the seal and activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. With a sudden flash of chakra, both he and Kushina lost consciousness.

When they came to, they were already inside the mental space of the seal — a dark, watery domain surrounded by massive bars.

From behind the cage, a thunderous voice roared.

"You again…!"

"ROOOAAAR! You damn pests — I'll tear you apart!"

The Nine-Tails glared at them with murderous intent. Kushina instinctively backed away, hiding behind Byakuya.

"Don't worry," he said calmly. "It's just a giant fox. Treat it like an oversized dog."

"A… dog?" Kushina blinked.

Peeking from behind Byakuya, she looked at the snarling Nine-Tails again. Somehow, now that her fear had been shaken off, it didn't seem as terrifying — just angry. Very angry.

"Hehe… you're right," Kushina said, giggling. "He is like a barking dog."

"Hey, doggie — stop barking so loud!"

"YOU DARE CALL ME A DOG?!" the Nine-Tails snarled, chakra thrashing violently against the bars of its seal. "You insolent insects!"

Unfortunately for the Nine-Tails, the seal held firm. No matter how much it raged, it couldn't do anything to them.

From then on, each night, Byakuya and Kushina would return to the sealed space and — much to the Kyuubi's dismay — taunt it for entertainment. During the day, they would act normally, but by night, tormenting the Nine-Tails became their unusual bonding ritual.

Two weeks passed this way.

Each night, the Kyuubi's resistance wore thinner, its fury slowly replaced with cold indifference.

One night, when Kushina arrived and gleefully shouted, "Hey, little doggie! We're back again!" — there was no reply.

"Hmm?" She stepped closer and even reached through the bars to pinch its nose. Still, nothing.

Suddenly, the Nine-Tails flicked its tail and sent her flying backward into the water.

"Hey! That's rude!" Kushina shouted, splashing to her feet. "Byakuya, something's wrong. He's not even roaring today. Did he… get sick?"

"Impossible," Byakuya said, stepping forward. "Tailed Beasts don't get sick."

To be sure, he summoned a spectral Susanoo hand and gave the Nine-Tails a firm slap across the cage.

"Oi, Kyuubi! You alive in there?"

The Nine-Tails slowly opened an eye and grunted, "Tch. Just go away."

"He's sulking…" Kushina said, stunned. "He's completely ignoring us now…"

"This is boring," she sighed. "I can't sleep if I don't tease him!"

Byakuya rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, maybe we just need to change tactics."

He suddenly turned back to the cage and shouted:

"Hey, Kyuubi! Want your freedom?"

The Nine-Tails' eyes opened wide.

"I can release the seal for you… if you ask nicely."

Byakuya stood firmly in front of the giant cage, his eyes locked with the beast behind the bars.

"Kurama! I'm going to release the seal!" he shouted.

The Nine-Tails' massive head lowered slightly, its eyes narrowing as it focused on the human before it. "You'll really remove the seal… for me?" Kurama's voice was deep, mocking, but tinged with curiosity.

"I will," Byakuya said coolly, "but only if you promise not to attack Kushina or me afterward."

Kurama let out a low rumble, something between a laugh and a growl. "Of course. If you remove this seal, I won't lay a paw on either of you…"

But inwardly, Kurama seethed. These damn humans... calling me a pet… locking me away and daring to taunt me every night. Once I'm free, I'll rip them to shreds. Of course, it didn't show any of that on its face. For now, deception was the path to freedom.

"Byakuya, are you seriously going to undo the Nine-Tails' seal?" Kushina asked, her voice filled with shock and concern. As a Jinchūriki, she understood the danger more than anyone.

Byakuya didn't flinch. "You don't trust me?"

"I… I do," she said, hesitating before nodding. "If it's you, then I'll believe in your decision."

"Good," Byakuya replied, forming hand seals. "Kurama, brace yourself. I'm releasing the seal now."

With a pulse of chakra, he touched the seal etched on the gate. Unlike Minato's complex Eight Trigrams Seal, this one unraveled under Byakuya's control, the chakra chains vanishing, and the massive gate creaked open.

The seal that kept Kurama locked away dissolved completely.

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