In the outer courtyard of the Senju clan grounds, Ice Vulpix and Fire Six-Tails were engaged in a chase.
After all, neither Kushina nor Mikoto had brought them to the competition stage.
Though they were specially cared for as young ones, they usually enjoyed playing together.
The flames on Fire Six-Tails' tail danced continuously, while Ice Vulpix's tail tip left thin frost trails, making the ground glittering and translucent where they passed.
The two little ones chased each other, running circles around the courtyard trees faster and faster each round, slipping under fences and weaving through gardens, their tails wagging as they dashed deep into the Senju clan territory.
Within seconds, someone exclaimed: "Oh no! It's icy! The floor has frozen over!"
"Those two Six-Tails are here again!!"
Running side by side as if on some important mission, they charged straight to Uzumaki Mito's doorstep.
"You two..."
Just then, Uzumaki Mito inside noticed them.
But before she could finish speaking, an ancient and massive Chakra Wave suddenly surged within her.
Nine Tails?
It sharply looked up inside Mito,
its red eyes holding an unprecedented... excitement?
Nine Tails snorted lightly, its tone unusually not annoyed but cheerful: "Hmm? These two little things... seem quite cute."
Mito: "???"
Even more surprised were the young Six-Tails.
The moment they entered the room, like small animals catching a scent, instead of hissing like last time, they seemed to smell something irresistibly appealing.
Uzumaki Mito collected herself.
Nine Tails had altered part of its scent, masking the negative energy inherent to the Tailed Beast.
Afraid of frightening the little ones.
But what scent had it changed to?
Whoosh!!
The next moment, both Six-Tails' eyes lit up simultaneously.
"Hooooo!"
"Awoo awoo awoo!!"
Their fur puffed up like flowers,
staring at Uzumaki Mito's abdomen...
More precisely, at the Nine Tails Chakra inside.
Like two hungry kittens eyeing grilled fish.
"So that's it, you like them that much, Nine Tails?"
The next instant, the two young Six-Tails hopped about, breathing heavily.
Ice Vulpix exhaled cold air,
Fire Six-Tails exhaled hot air.
They weren't attacking or provoking,
just blissfully expressing, "Ha~ this scent is wonderful!"
As if Nine Tails was emitting an irresistibly sweet Chakra.
Nine Tails laughed heartily inside Mito:
"Hahaha! These little ones know quality!! My Chakra isn't for just anyone to absorb!"
Just then, the Uchiha clansmember caring for the Six-Tails arrived somewhat reluctantly, looking speechless at their behavior.
Seeing the two Six-Tails frantically breathing toward Mito in the room, their expression turned peculiar.
The two little ones happily curled up at Mito's feet:
Ice Vulpix: "Hooooo~"
Fire Six-Tails: "Awoo~~"
Uzumaki Mito glanced at the Uchiha elder, who tactfully retreated, since this was Senju territory.
As for Uzumaki Mito, she had no time for the Uchiha either, only feeling helpless toward the Nine Tails inside her.
"This old man hasn't been liked by youngsters for a long time, let me enjoy it a little, won't you?"
The fire and ice Six-Tails wagged their tails joyfully.
In their eyes, the Nine Tails was nothing more than an oversized energy candy.
Meanwhile, the people of the Senju clan were plunged into unprecedented chaos and confusion.
For the first time, Lady Mito was being frantically licked by two Vulpix as if her Chakra scent were a tasty treat.
And the Nine Tails… seemed to be enjoying it immensely.
On the other side, in the arena, the air suddenly turned bitingly cold.
A frigid aura erupted from Kushina's feet, as if the entire stage had been instantly dragged into a winter realm.
The stone slabs glowed with a pale blue light, frost patterns blooming like flowers across the ground.
The eight Poochyena and the evolved Mightyena tried to continue their charge, but the moment they stepped into this Ice Domain, their movements noticeably slowed.
Their steps grew heavy, their limbs stiffened, and their speed was reduced to less than half of what it had been.
A collective gasp swept through the audience.
"This chill…"
"Is this the power of the Vulpix?"
Tama Inuzuka's expression tightened; for the first time, she found herself unable to read Kushina's movements.
Because Kushina had already locked onto her.
A wisp of cold wind condensed into a sharp, ash-white line, shooting straight from Kushina's fingertips toward Tama's direction.
It was so fast it was almost impossible to track.
Tama's heart jolted: "So fast!!"
As one who had awakened the Sage Body, she possessed judgment and resistance far superior to ordinary shinobi.
But facing Kushina…
She felt, for the first time, as if nature itself had set its sights on her.
A cold wind swept across the stage, Kushina's Chakra surging so powerfully it reversed the airflow of the entire arena.
Compared to Mikoto Uchiha's radiant, sun-like fighting style,
Kushina was entirely different.
Her power was overwhelmingly unrestrained and immense.
She raised her right hand, a pure, transparent ice-blue light gathering in her palm.
In the blink of an eye, three Ice Birds, formed from frost, took flight from her palm.
This was no ordinary technique—it was the manifestation of her own Snow Warning ability combined with her awakened Sage Body.
A power given form through Kushina's Chakra.
As they flew, each Ice Bird exuded a bone-chilling cold, streaking across the stage like three white bolts of lightning.
The first Ice Bird locked onto the foremost Poochyena.
The Poochyena roared, trying to dodge,
but the moment it moved, the cold air once again bound its joints.
BAM!!!
The Ice Bird struck it, instantly encasing it in solid ice, freezing both its movement and roar mid-leap, leaving it suspended in the air like a sculpture before crashing down.
The second Ice Bird spread its icy wings, gliding gracefully in an arc.
As it brushed past, two nearby Poochyena were immediately covered in spreading frost,
turning into two ice pillars in an instant.
The third Ice Bird was the most ferocious, pouncing toward the remaining Poochyena that were preparing to rescue their comrades.
The pack roared, twisting their bodies forcefully to evade, but the Ice Bird clung to them like a shadow, its tail stirring the air and scattering a cloud of ice dust.
The moment the ice dust touched the shoulders of the remaining Poochyena, it rapidly spread into large patches of frosty white.
"This is just too exaggerated!"
On the stage, Kushina stood at the center of the howling blizzard, her eyes reflecting the gradually freezing wolf pack.
Her presence was as serene as winter snow, yet carried an undeniable, overwhelming pressure.
"Tama, your Poochyena have all been frozen."
Now only Tama and her Mightyena remained.
There was no denying it—Kushina Uzumaki was strong.
Absurdly strong, especially with this Snow Warning ability that was utterly impossible to predict.
At this moment, Tama shouted angrily, "What kind of joke is this!"
Just as she was about to step forward, a glowing rune suddenly lit up beneath Kushina's feet—it was an Exploding Tag Tama Inuzuka had buried earlier, instantly detonating!
Boom!
White mist and shattered stones exploded in all directions, sending ice shards and dust flying as the entire stage was torn apart.
The next second, there was no blood at the blast center, nor any fallen figure—only countless glittering shards of ice.
Those ice fragments tinkled in the wind, then, as if drawn by some force, slowly gathered, swirled, and fused together like reversed snowflakes at the center of the stage.
Finally, they reformed into the figure of the young girl.
Kushina stood on the thin ice, gently brushing off the lingering frost from her clothes.
"This is the Sage Body—my Sage Body."
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