For one terrible second—
Kushina couldn't move.
Ren's voice echoed through the clearing, cutting through every thought in her head.
"…help me…"
Not rage.
Not hatred.
Not violence.
Just desperation.
Raw.
Human.
Her chain trembled violently beside her, cracking the earth beneath it.
The hunters remained perfectly still.
Watching.
Waiting.
Studying.
"…they're doing this deliberately…"
"…I know…"
"…they want you unstable…"
Her breathing shook harder.
Because this wasn't fair.
None of it was fair.
They had taken him apart piece by piece—
and now they were forcing her to watch.
Daichi's voice cut through the pressure sharply.
"Kushina."
She barely heard him.
Her eyes stayed locked on Ren.
On the way his body jerked unnaturally every few seconds.
On the seals spreading further across his skin.
On the fear still barely visible beneath all that pain.
"…I can save him…"
"…can you…"
Her fingers twitched.
The chain pulsed darker for a second.
"…you want to try…"
"…shut up…"
"Kushina."
Daichi's voice again.
Closer this time.
Harder.
"You need to decide. Now."
That snapped her attention toward him for half a second.
His expression hadn't changed.
Still controlled.
Still focused.
But his eyes were sharper than before.
More urgent.
"If you rush in emotionally, they win."
Kushina clenched her jaw.
"So I do nothing?"
"That's not what I said."
"It's what you keep implying!"
The pressure inside her surged again instantly.
The chain lashed against the ground violently.
Cracks spread outward beneath her feet.
Minato moved closer immediately.
Not touching her.
Just entering her line of sight.
"Kushina."
His voice stayed calm.
Steady.
That helped more than she wanted it to.
"You still have control."
Silence.
Her breathing trembled.
"…barely…"
"…still enough…"
Behind the hunters, Ren screamed again as another seal pulse ripped through his body.
Rei collapsed fully to his knees at the sound.
"…please…"
Kushina's chest twisted painfully.
She looked between them.
Grandfather.
Grandson.
Both trapped.
Both broken by the same people standing calmly in front of her.
And the hunters still watched like this was all just another experiment.
One of them finally spoke.
"Emotional instability increasing as predicted."
Kushina's eyes snapped toward him instantly.
Cold.
Sharp.
"You talk too much."
The hunter didn't react.
"Subject attachment response stronger than expected."
Another added calmly:
"Synchronization probability rising."
Silence.
Daichi's expression darkened immediately.
"…that's what they're testing…"
Kushina frowned.
"…what does that mean."
No one answered immediately.
Then Minato's gaze shifted slightly toward her chain.
"…your emotional state is affecting your chakra more than before."
A beat.
"They're watching how far they can push it."
Kushina's stomach dropped slightly.
"…they're trying to trigger Kurama…"
"…yes…"
A dark rumble echoed inside her instantly.
Interested.
Awake.
"…finally…"
"…NO…"
The pressure surged harder.
This time she almost lost it.
Almost.
The chain snapped outward violently toward the hunters—
but stopped halfway.
Frozen.
Shaking.
Kushina's entire body trembled with the effort of holding it back.
Sweat rolled down the side of her face.
"…you're struggling…"
"…I know…"
"…let go…"
"…shut up…"
Daichi stepped closer immediately.
"Breathe."
Kushina glared at him.
"If you tell me to breathe one more time—"
"Then stop proving me right."
That hit hard enough to cut through the pressure for half a second.
Her chain flickered violently.
Unstable.
But shrinking.
Not gone.
Just smaller.
The hunters observed silently.
One tilted its head slightly.
"Interesting."
Kushina's expression twisted immediately.
"I swear to god—"
Another pulse ripped through Ren.
This one worse than before.
He collapsed completely, clawing weakly at the ground beneath him as the seals spread further across his body.
Rei cried out instantly.
"REN!"
Kushina moved before thinking.
One step forward—
then another.
Daichi caught her arm immediately.
"No."
She jerked against his grip instantly.
"LET GO."
"You're walking into exactly what they want."
"He's dying!"
"And they know you'll react to that!"
Silence exploded between them.
Kushina stared at him.
Furious.
Hurting.
Conflicted.
Because again—
he was right.
And she hated him for it.
"…you hate him right now…"
"…a little…"
Minato stepped closer to them both now, his voice quieter.
"We can't save him here."
That hurt too.
Kushina looked at him sharply.
"So we just leave him?!"
"No."
A pause.
"We survive this first."
That stopped her.
Just slightly.
Minato's gaze stayed steady on hers.
"If you lose control now… you can't save anyone later."
Silence.
Heavy.
Real.
Ren's breathing hitched violently again.
His eyes flickered toward Kushina one last time.
For a second—
just one second—
he looked human again.
Terrified.
"…please…"
Kushina's chest felt like it split open.
The chain trembled beside her again.
Violently.
Then—
slowly—
painfully—
she forced it down.
The chakra pulled back inch by inch.
Her breathing uneven.
Her hands shaking.
But controlled.
Still controlled.
The hunters watched carefully.
One finally spoke.
"Decision confirmed."
Another added:
"Subject prioritizes restraint over impulse."
Kushina's eyes narrowed immediately.
"…you're learning from this…"
"…they're adapting…"
Rage flickered again inside her chest.
But smaller now.
Sharper.
Focused.
Not wild.
Different.
Daichi slowly released her arm.
Kushina didn't move.
Didn't rush forward again.
Even though every part of her wanted to.
That was the worst part.
Ren collapsed fully against the ground, barely conscious now.
Rei's broken expression shattered something inside her all over again.
But this time—
she stayed still.
And somehow—
that hurt more than fighting ever had.
One of the hunters finally turned away.
"Withdrawal."
The others followed immediately.
Ren's body jerked once as the seals activated again.
Then—
the hunters pulled him back into the darkness.
Like dragging away a broken weapon.
Rei tried weakly to crawl after him.
"…Ren…"
Too weak.
Too late.
The forest swallowed them completely.
Silence remained behind.
Heavy.
Unbearable.
Kushina stood frozen in the center of the clearing.
Her fists clenched so tightly they hurt.
"…you let them take him…"
The voice inside her was quieter now.
Not mocking.
Just observing.
Kushina closed her eyes briefly.
"…I know…"
And somewhere deep inside herself—
something changed.