Time passed.
Kushina didn't know how much.
Minutes.
Hours.
Maybe longer.
There was no sun here.
No sound.
No change.
Only stone.
Only silence.
Only—
him.
"…still breathing…"
Kushina didn't answer.
Her back rested against the cold wall.
Her eyes half-open.
Tired.
But awake.
"I'm not dying that easily."
A low hum.
"…we'll see…"
Footsteps.
Kushina's gaze shifted.
Slowly.
A door.
Heavy.
Metal.
It opened with a deep, grinding sound.
Light spilled into the cell.
Blinding.
For a moment.
Kushina narrowed her eyes.
A figure stepped inside.
Not rushed.
Not cautious.
Confident.
The door closed behind them.
Silence returned.
But different now.
Occupied.
The figure stopped a few steps away.
Watching her.
"…you're awake."
Kushina didn't move.
"Unfortunately."
A short pause.
Then—
"You're calmer than expected."
Kushina tilted her head slightly.
"You expected screaming?"
"…most do."
She gave a faint, dry smile.
"Disappointing, I know."
Silence.
The figure stepped closer.
Still out of reach.
But close enough.
"You understand why you're here."
Not a question.
A statement.
Kushina's eyes sharpened.
"You tell me."
A pause.
Then—
"You are dangerous."
Kushina let out a quiet breath.
"I've heard that before."
"…you destroyed your own training ground."
"…almost killed one of your own."
Silence.
Kushina didn't react.
But her fingers tightened slightly.
"…you can't control it."
Her gaze lifted.
Cold.
Steady.
"Then why am I still alive?"
A pause.
Longer this time.
"…because you are valuable."
There it was.
Kushina's lips pressed together.
"I'm not a weapon."
"…you already are."
"No."
Her voice was quiet.
But sharp.
"I'm not yours."
The air shifted slightly.
The figure didn't move.
"…this isn't about ownership."
A beat.
"It's about balance."
Kushina frowned.
"Balance?"
"…your clan understood that once."
Her eyes narrowed.
"…the Uzumaki."
Silence.
"…you were never just a clan of seals…"
A step closer.
"…you were the ones who could contain what others feared."
Kushina's breath slowed.
Focused.
"…so they used us."
"…yes."
No hesitation.
No denial.
"…they always have."
A pause.
Then—
"And they always will."
Kushina's jaw tightened.
"I'm not going to let that happen."
A low hum.
"…you don't get to decide that."
Her eyes flashed.
"I do."
Silence.
The figure studied her.
Long.
Carefully.
"…you remind me of her."
Kushina's heart skipped.
"…Akane."
The name hit harder than anything else.
"…you know her."
"…we studied her."
Cold.
Detached.
"…she was the first."
Kushina's breath caught.
"…first… what?"
A pause.
Then—
"The first to survive it."
Silence.
Heavy.
"She carried it longer than anyone else."
"…and then?"
Kushina's voice was quieter now.
Careful.
The figure didn't look away.
"…she broke."
The word echoed.
Deep.
Final.
Kushina's fingers tightened against the chains.
"…no…"
"…yes."
A step closer.
"…she tried to control it…"
"…just like you."
Kushina's chest tightened.
"…and she failed."
Silence.
"…it consumed her."
A faint pulse inside Kushina.
Listening.
Watching.
"…she lost herself…"
The words settled deep.
Too deep.
Kushina looked down.
Just for a moment.
"…I'm not her."
"…no."
A pause.
Then—
"…you might be worse."
Her head snapped up.
"…what?"
"…you resist."
A beat.
"…that makes it unstable."
Kushina's eyes hardened.
"I'm not going to break."
Silence.
The figure watched her.
Long.
Then—
"We'll see."
A pause.
"…you have time."
Kushina's gaze sharpened.
"For what?"
"…to prove us right."
The words landed cold.
Heavy.
Final.
The figure turned.
Walked toward the door.
Then stopped.
Without looking back—
"If you survive…"
A pause.
"…you might become useful."
The door opened again.
Light spilled in—
Then vanished.
Darkness returned.
Silence.
Kushina sat there.
Still.
Breathing slow.
Controlled.
"…she broke…"
A low voice answered.
"…of course she did…"
Kushina closed her eyes.
"…I won't."
A pause.
Long.
Then—
"…prove it…"
Kushina exhaled slowly.
Her grip on the chains tightened.
"…I will."