Chapter 39

[It was my birthday the other day and I forgot to upload the chapters I already wrote, so here's at least 1 in 2.!]

..............

"Kushina-nee," Eiji pouted at his sensei.

"I said no! So it's no!" Kushina refused Eiji's request. The boy's attempt failed again when trying to "legitimately" access the advanced Fuinjutsu books. Kushina slightly furrowed her brow sensing Eiji's emotions. They had known each other for years, and despite liking each other and being close, they both didn't trust each other 100% and harbored secrets.

And that bothered her at first... Eiji had no ill will towards her, and Kushina knew that. The problem arose when certain aspects of her life or her abilities came up. Eiji would deflect, acting cute or simply lying, downplaying his abilities, or claiming ignorance. Every time Eiji lied, she detected it thanks to her abilities.

She knew he was lying. But she didn't take it to heart and understood deep down that he didn't feel comfortable or safe enough with her to honestly and sincerely say everything she asked. So she let those matters slide and hoped that time would have some effect. But nothing happened; he continued to do the same things. Although the lies weren't significant, they bothered her for one simple reason.

He didn't trust her. And she couldn't argue or complain because she didn't trust him enough to tell him the fact that she was a Jinchuuriki.

Kushina knew that Eiji's Fuinjutsu skills were at the level of an expert or something close to it. It was impossible to try to disguise his ability from someone who was teaching him and was a master in Fuinjutsu. The way he poured his chakra and flowed it smoothly and calmly. The way he wrote and his handwriting. The way he remained calm and seemed to know things and "guessed" certain parts easily.

Initially, Kushina thought he was simply a Fuinjutsu genius like Minato. However, Eiji surpassed him a bit in speed. And suddenly he seemed to "stagnate." And his "lies" made her question and connect the dots. Kushina wasn't stupid and understood what was happening. This became more evident after the incident regarding Sakumo. It made him more cautious around everyone. What Eiji didn't realize or understand was that for ninjas, these actions made him appear more suspicious.

Eiji noticed the change in Kushina's expression. "What's wrong, Kushina-nee?" The expression he saw was one of genuine frustration. And Kushina wasn't the best person at hiding what she was feeling; she was the definition of transparent.

"Do you trust me?" Kushina asked with a downcast look. Her expression wasn't that of a confident person as she always appeared to be.

"Yes!" Eiji responded after a few seconds. He didn't understand the change in conversation and his sensei's mood.

!!!

Kushina felt a slight fluctuation in the chakra around the little boy in front of her and felt a little sad. She also felt a little guilty for not trying to be honest with him from the start and felt even sadder that he didn't trust her. She understood that feeling.

Even if you knew someone and got along with them, it didn't mean they trusted you enough to open up and tell things.

"You're lying, Ei-chan." After hearing Kushina's response, Eiji's hand trembled slightly, and his heartbeats began to beat slightly faster. As if caught stealing something.

Eiji opened his mouth but couldn't say anything to refute what she said.

Because it was true.

"I care a lot about you, Ei-chan. At first, I thought of keeping you and teaching you what I know for a while because of what you said about my hair. And because I didn't sense any malice or ulterior motives from you, and that part remains true to this day. Then you showed a lot of talent in Fuinjutsu. I know you're more talented than you try to show me, and that makes me a little sad," Kushina spoke as she stood up to face Eiji and weaved some hand seals.

A barrier formed around the house.

"I know it must be hard to trust someone entirely, but I believe that after all this time, we should start being more honest with each other. So I'm going to tell you my biggest secret, and I hope that means something to you." Kushina lifted her shirt slightly while applying some chakra to her abdomen, revealing a seal in the shape of a circle filled with writings and symbols around her smooth, clear skin.

"I am from the Uzumaki clan. I believe you must already know about this clan, but we are famous for our hair as red as blood, and high chakra levels even among the most mediocre ninjas. We are also the prime 'choice' for being selected as a human sacrifice. In other words, a Jinchuuriki. I am the one who holds within me the nine-tailed demonic fox."

"It was sealed inside me after Mito-sama passed away."

From start to finish, Eiji was speechless due to Kushina's sudden change in attitude. Feeling a bit scared of being caught and questioned. Trust wasn't something easy to give. Eiji often felt conflicted about whether to tell Kushina everything or not. But he was afraid she would tell Minato everything. He would then pass the information on to the Hokage, and it would all snowball into something that would turn against him someday.

So he watched her reveal her biggest secret. Eiji observed how she spoke, Kushina's voice wasn't confident or authoritative but that of someone afraid of what she was saying. Afraid of being judged and abandoned. Her hands trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly, as she slid over her skin, revealing the seal.

'She's trying and showing me her biggest fear and maybe... shame.'

Everything happened so fast. His heart was in a heightened state. The way she spoke. The way she acted. Everything that was contrary to her usual self left Eiji speechless. His mind didn't think or allow him to process anything, and everything that escaped his mouth was,

"So what?"

Kushina expected many kinds of reactions. Panic because she was a demon. Fear of her presence. Anger for interacting with and being deceived by the fox, or even feeling betrayed... But as always, he didn't follow the rules, and that left her perplexed.

"H-huh...?" Kushina blinked several times. She felt he wasn't lying. It was his most sincere reaction.

"So what?" Eiji repeated what he said and pointed to her seal. "You're not a demon or anything like that. You're a normal person like anyone else in this village. The only thing that changes is the fact that you're a walking scroll sealing a big fox."

"I don't care what others think or say. To me, you're my dear Kushina-nee. The one who lectures me when I do something irresponsible with Fuinjutsu. Who gets angry without reason sometimes. But at the same time, also finds happiness in the simplest things. You're very emotional too. Instead of doing anything else, you taught me, cared for me, and treated me like your younger brother... or even a son. I don't believe a demon could show all this care for years and never ask for anything in return, and I am very grateful to you for everything."

"And I doubt any demonic fox would have hair as beautiful as yours," Eiji spoke everything he thought of her from the bottom of his heart without even blinking or averting his gaze from Kushina. And all he could see was a tear rolling down her face.

She tried to wipe away the tears that streamed down a few times, but they didn't stop falling for a moment. She was so happy that he didn't say what she expected... She lost count of how many times someone turned their back on her after knowing she was a Jinchuuriki. Kushina was even happier to realize that he hadn't lied even once...

Time passed, and Eiji approached Kushina while comforting her with a hug...

"Thank you..."

"No..." Eiji shook his head. "Thank you, I should say..." He swallowed. "For trusting me enough to tell me this... I actually feel a little ashamed... Because I couldn't do the same." Eiji lowered his head. "But... I promise to start being more honest with you, Nee," Eiji spoke increasingly quieter as his voice faded. But it was okay, Kushina heard every word and felt grateful that his efforts hadn't been in vain.

Then Kushina began to tell her story about how she became the Jinchuuriki. She told about Uzumaki Mito, the previous Jinchuuriki, and how everything happened until she met Minato and the present day.

Eiji reflected a little on Kushina's words and thought about the knowledge he had about this world. And how this life was his, Eiji decided to do whatever he wanted whenever he could.

"In fact... I feel a little bad for the Nine-Tailed Fox..." Eiji said as he looked at Kushina's stomach as if he could see what was inside.

"You said you both weren't in agreement and you chained him with your clan's ability, the Adamantine Chains... And since then, he's been chained inside you without being able to speak to anyone or even move... Motionless for centuries, it's really pitiful..." Eiji's sad and melancholic tone made Kushina feel bad. As if she were mistreating someone and she didn't quite understand Eiji's words.

"What do you mean? That fox is very wicked and malicious. At any opportunity it has, that fox tries to do something evil and harm me, trying to take over my body or corrupt me. So I chained it to keep it obedient... It has a very bad and unpleasant attitude," Kushina raised her voice confidently and complained as she recalled the attempts she made in the past.

Eiji had a unique way of dealing with Kushina. Her way of thinking was very similar to a certain person's. "Let's try this way, Kushina-nee," Eiji went to Kushina's closet and grabbed some ramen, placing it in front of her.

"What would you do if you couldn't eat this ramen for... hmmmm... 10 years?" Eiji pointed to the food in front of him and thought even better. "No, better! Ichiraku's food!"

Kushina looked horrified at Eiji as if he were a demon and had committed the greatest sin in the world. "You are rebuked in the name of the sage of the 6 paths..." At the same time, she had already taken Eiji's ramen and moved away from him while protecting her most sacred possessions.

Eiji couldn't contain his laughter and said. "H-haha... Look, Nee-san. Imagine that the freedom of the Nine-Tailed Fox is like your ramen. The fox loves its freedom as much as you love your Ichiraku Ramen. How would you feel about the person who stole your ramen for all this time? Wouldn't you feel hatred and try to attack the person who stole your ramen for all this time? Or even try to beat them until they regret it?"

Then Kushina had an epiphany and understood what Eiji was trying to say... And Suddenly she felt very sorry and guilty, ashamed and pale at the thought of possibly being without ramen for so long... and began to feel pity and sympathy for the Nine-Tailed Fox. Kushina soon entered a conflict of feelings regarding the fox. A touch of regret could be seen on her face.

Maybe chaining the Nine-Tailed Fox was an exaggeration?

"How about giving him a chance and talking to him? You could even come to an agreement that would benefit both of you," Eiji persuaded Kushina lightly with the knowledge he possessed. "Try starting by asking his name," Eiji requested sincerely. This could be the best way to try to befriend the demonic fox.

"His name?" Kushina asked dazed... Does the demonic fox even have a name? She reflected perplexed.

"Of course!" Eiji nodded and continued. "Everything in this world has a name. Whether it's a bird, a dog, a cat, or any other living being in this world. Why would it be different for him? I'm sure the demonic fox has a name!"

Kushina felt it was reasonable what her genin was saying. It must be very sad to have a name and not be called by it, right?

"Okay, let's try it." Kushina agreed with Eiji's idea. She felt very bad for stealing the Nine-Tailed Fox's ramen. "It must be very bad to be without his ramen too. The freedom..." Kushina closed her eyes, preparing to enter her mental image.

[Darn it! I don't need your human sympathy!]