Chapter 19 (Patreon)

“Split open the heart, reflect its will, and bloom—Kyōen!”

As Roy spoke the release command, pale violet light gradually gathered before him.

Then his expression froze.

The Zanpakutō that should have materialised was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, Kushina—the woman who had been standing directly in front of him—had vanished without warning.

Roy and the Nine-Tails stared at one another, equally baffled by what had just happened.

More importantly, Roy could no longer sense the connection between himself and Kushina.

He reached toward the place where she had been standing and swept his hand through the empty air several times.

She had not merely become invisible.

She was truly gone.

Roy immediately focused his thoughts and withdrew from the tailed beast space.

The moment he opened his eyes and saw the figure before him, he released a breath of relief.

“Kushina, did you feel anything just now?”

Hearing his voice, Kushina finally recovered from her shock. Her voice trembled with nervousness, though there was also a faint trace of wonder in it.

“R-Roy-kun… Your sword…”

Roy quickly stepped closer.

Following Kushina’s gaze, he looked over her shoulder—and finally saw his Zanpakutō.

The sword was not in her hands.

Its blade was embedded directly in her chest.

“Kushina!”

Roy’s face changed at once.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Kushina answered quickly. “But… I can’t seem to pull it out.”

Only then did Roy notice the strangeness of the situation.

Given Kushina’s slender frame, a blade of that length should have passed completely through her body.

Yet there was no wound, no blood, and not even a trace of the blade protruding from her back.

It clearly had not pierced her in the ordinary sense.

An absurd legend about a sacred blade hidden within a woman’s body flashed through Roy’s mind.

He dismissed the thought and carefully wrapped one hand around the hilt.

“I’m going to pull it out slowly. Tell me immediately if it hurts.”

Kushina nodded.

Roy began drawing the sword out inch by inch, his entire body tense as he closely watched her expression.

If she showed even the slightest sign of pain, he would stop immediately.

“Mmm…”

As the Zanpakutō slowly emerged, Kushina’s earlobes became increasingly red.

A strange, soft sound escaped her lips.

By the time Roy had completely withdrawn the blade, Kushina’s legs had nearly lost their strength. Her knees buckled, and she almost collapsed onto the floor.

Roy did not even spare a glance at the restored Zanpakutō.

He immediately caught Kushina and pulled her into his arms.

“How do you feel? Are you really all right?”

“It felt…”

Kushina’s eyes were slightly unfocused.

“It felt very good…”

Realising what she had just said, she hurriedly corrected herself.

“N-No, I mean I’m fine. Nothing hurts.”

Roy failed to notice the dazed look in her eyes.

Once he confirmed that she was unharmed, he finally turned his attention toward the Zanpakutō in his hand.

Its shape had returned to exactly what it had been before it was broken.

However, a brilliant crimson streak now ran along the spine of the blade, its colour identical to Kushina’s hair.

At the same time, Roy sensed that the Zanpakutō’s Shikai ability had changed.

Kyōen’s original ability had been to reflect the weaknesses hidden within an enemy’s emotions. Once those weaknesses were fully revealed, Roy could deliver a fatal strike directly against the target’s soul.

In theory, it was a terrifying ability.

In actual combat, however, the process of drawing out and reflecting an emotional weakness took far too long.

His opponents would not simply stand still and wait for him to finish.

Roy had only ever managed to use Kyōen’s ability successfully against a few mindless Hollows.

Now, however, its power had transformed.

“Kyōka: Love Prison…”

Roy unconsciously spoke the information transmitted to him by the Zanpakutō.

Crimson light immediately bloomed across the entire blade.

Eight scarlet chains erupted from the sword and spread through the room, twisting around Roy like living creatures awaiting his command.

He could control all eight chains freely and use them to unleash indiscriminate attacks over a wide area.

Kushina stared at the dancing chains in astonishment.

Aside from their colour, they were almost identical in appearance to the Uzumaki clan’s Adamantine Sealing Chains.

“Roy-kun, those are—”

Before she could finish, Roy pulled her tightly into his embrace.

“Kushina, you helped me more than you realise.”

His excitement was impossible to conceal.

“Not only did you restore my Zanpakutō, you also changed its old, impractical ability into something I can actually use in battle. I don’t even know how to thank you.”

Roy paused before giving her a hopeful smile.

“How about another massage?”

Kushina’s heart immediately fluttered.

She remembered the pleasant soreness and relief she had felt during his previous massage, and nearly agreed without thinking.

However, it was still broad daylight, and she would need to feed Naruto before long.

Suppressing the impulse, she shook her head.

“You don’t need to thank me, Roy-kun. You’ve already helped me so much. I’m happy that I could finally do something for you.”

Now that his initial excitement had settled, Roy also realised that giving her a massage at that particular moment might not be appropriate.

He reluctantly drew his attention away from the inviting back in front of him and returned it to the Zanpakutō.

He could sense countless invisible blades surrounding each of the eight crimson chains.

Using the defensive strength of a Menos Grande from his memories as a reference, Roy estimated that the chains could tear one apart with ease.

He could also feel that all eight chains possessed the potential to combine into a single chain.

However, he had only just awakened this new ability and could not yet make them merge.

Most importantly, maintaining the chains did not consume his own spiritual power.

That meant he could keep his Zanpakutō released for an extended period without exhausting himself.

His endurance in prolonged battles would increase tremendously.

There was no enemy to fight at the moment, so after familiarising himself with the movements of the chains, Roy deactivated his Shikai.

The crimson chains disappeared.

The Zanpakutō returned to its sealed form, becoming a semitransparent blade as clear and crystalline as glass.

Roy slid it back into its sheath.

After what had just happened, Kushina no longer had any intention of returning to the tailed beast space to continue adapting to the Nine-Tails’ chakra.

She walked over to the sofa and carefully sat down.

A moment later, she pulled Roy down beside her.

Kushina then settled herself on his lap and looked back at him curiously.

“Roy-kun, will you tell me about your past?”

Roy began gently tending to the part of Kushina responsible for providing little Naruto’s meals while recounting his life as a Shinigami in Soul Society.

Kushina listened with widening eyes.

“That’s incredible! Roy-kun was actually a god from the Pure Land!”

“Well…”

Roy rubbed his nose awkwardly.

“I suppose that isn’t entirely wrong.”

Were Shinigami truly gods?

As far as Roy was concerned, most of them were little more than overworked and underpaid officials responsible for guiding souls and hunting Hollows.

The delicate fragrance lingering on his fingers reminded him that his work was not yet finished.

He continued his careful ministrations while telling Kushina about the days he had spent serving as a Shinigami.

The two remained that way until Yakushi Nono returned with little Naruto in her arms.

Only then did Roy stop what he was doing.

He gave the infant an unmistakably resentful glance as Nono carried him over.

Nono sat down beside them and looked at Kushina with concern.

“Kushina-sama, your face is very red. Are you feeling unwell? Would you like me to examine you?”

Kushina, who had just begun breastfeeding Naruto, immediately stiffened.

Her previously tender expression froze.

“No, I’m not sick,” she answered hurriedly. “I was exercising earlier. It must just be the heat.”

Nono studied her for a moment.

Although Kushina’s face was flushed, she otherwise appeared to be in excellent condition.

Perhaps she really was worrying unnecessarily.

To prevent Nono from asking any further questions, Kushina quickly changed the subject and began speaking to her about the Konoha Orphanage.

“The children are all very obedient and thoughtful,” Nono said. “They’ve helped me a great deal.”

The moment she mentioned the orphanage, a gentle, maternal light appeared on Nono’s face—much like the expression Kushina wore whenever she looked at Naruto.

Roy rested his chin on Kushina’s shoulder.

“The boy you mentioned before—Yakushi Kabuto—you should pay special attention to him in the future.”

Nono turned toward him.

“Kabuto?”

Roy nodded.

“He has exceptional talent as a shinobi. If he’s properly trained, I don’t think he’ll fall far behind Kakashi.”

Kushina naturally shifted the conversation toward Kabuto.

Nono did not suspect anything. She began recounting in vivid detail everything that had happened since Kabuto was brought to the orphanage.

Before they knew it, another three days had passed.

Kakashi finally returned to Konoha.

Walking beside him was a red-haired woman carrying a swaddled infant in her arms. She looked nervously around at the unfamiliar streets of the village.

“Kaorui-san, come with me to see the Hokage first,” Kakashi said. “Once I’ve submitted my mission report, I’ll take you to Kushina-sama.”