Two women lay beside him, undressed and gleaming under the dim light like freshly forged blades. To Kaito, they burned as brightly and fiercely as twin flames.

The room was a scene of disarray—underwear scattered across the floor, pants carelessly tossed aside, and even the mask that usually concealed Kaito's face now lay abandoned near the door.

He glanced over at the sleeping figures of Tsunade and Kushina. His emotions were tangled. Tsunade... she was formidable and independent. But Kushina—she was the mother of the future Hokage.

Now that Kaito had changed fate by claiming Kushina as his own, he wasn't even sure if Naruto would ever exist.

He sighed and began putting on his clothes and mask. As he finished, the two women stirred awake, blinking slowly in the hazy light. Tsunade and Kushina exchanged glances, their eyes eventually landing on the glowing embers in the distance. Neither said a word.

They awkwardly dressed, Kushina cracking a window to let in fresh air. The scent hung thick in the air—an unmistakable sign of Kaito's late-night "test drive."

In the living room, Kaito was deep in thought. The original timeline was fragile. According to it, during Naruto's birth, Obito would attack Konoha, release the Nine Tails, and both Kushina and Minato would die in the process. But that couldn't happen now—not with Kushina in his life.

Still, that raised a painful question—how would Naruto come into existence? Could another host be found?

There was only one viable solution: the Yin-Yang separation of Kurama.

In the original timeline, Minato had used the Eight Trigrams Seal to split Kurama's chakra—sealing the Yang half into Naruto and the Yin half into himself. If that method could be replicated, perhaps Naruto's birth could still align with the original path.

Another, riskier method came to mind: fully extracting Kurama from Kushina and transferring the beast into another host—perhaps someone like Uzumaki Reiko. If done correctly, he could restore Kushina's life using Yang Release. But that was dangerous; Kaito had only just begun to master Yang Release techniques. He wasn't yet at the level Naruto had reached—reviving Guy, restoring Kakashi's eye...

"Ugh... headache," Kaito groaned, slapping his own face lightly three times. "Why'd I drink last night? What a mess."

He wandered into the kitchen, peering into the pot of nourishing soup bubbling softly on the stove. His body, even enhanced by Sage-level strength, felt sore from last night's exertions. The women were stronger than expected.

As he poured the soup into bowls, footsteps approached. Tsunade and Kushina walked in with vacant expressions.

"I thought you'd sneak off without saying goodbye," Tsunade said dryly.

"You cook too?" Kushina added, surprised. She took a sip from the bowl and raised her eyebrows. "Not bad."

Kaito exhaled, feigning frustration. "Do I look like the type to abandon after s€x?"

"Yes," both women answered at once.

He palmed his forehead. "Enough. I've made a decision—I'm going to remove the Nine Tails from Kushina's body. She deserves to live as a normal person."

Kushina flinched, her hand halting mid-sip. Her voice was soft but firm. "No. I'm used to it."

"If you pull Kurama out, she'll die," Tsunade warned. "We're family now. We can't take chances."

"I won't let that happen," Kaito said. "I'm confident—if I extract Kurama, Kushina will survive."

"What about Hiruzen?" Tsunade asked.

"He doesn't get a say," Kaito replied coldly. "This is between us."

Tsunade shrugged. "Fine by me."

"I said no!" Kushina suddenly shouted. Despite her body still recovering, she ran from the room, tears welling in her eyes.

Kaito sighed, gave Tsunade a regretful glance, and chased after her. Before she could get far, he caught her arm and vanished with her in a flash.

They reappeared deep within the forests behind Konoha, a rarely traveled spot thick with overgrowth and silence.

"Calm down," Kaito said gently, brushing a hand through her hair.

"Why do you care?!" Kushina sobbed, pounding weakly at his chest. "You don't even know what this means to me!"

"I do," Kaito whispered, wrapping her in a firm embrace. "Of course I care."

Kushina froze in his arms, her sobs breaking free a moment later. She cried hard against him, her pain pouring out like water from a cracked dam.

When she finally settled, eyes puffy and face red, Kaito smiled and used a small healing jutsu to ease the swelling.

"You want to know why I want Kurama out of you?" he said softly. "Let me show you."

Before she could respond, he touched her seal. Reality shifted.

In an instant, they were standing inside Kushina's inner world, face-to-face with the caged Nine Tails.

"You again!" Kurama growled. "What are you doing here?!"

Last time, this human had disrupted his escape.

"Just putting you to sleep," Kaito replied coolly. His spiritual pressure surged. Kurama's red eyes widened for a moment before rolling back. The great beast slumped into unconsciousness.

Even if he hadn't mastered illusion techniques, Kaito's raw spirit energy was more than enough to render the beast unconscious.

The scene dissolved, returning them to the forest clearing. Kaito turned to her. "There. Kurama's asleep."

His expression turned serious. "I need to tell you something, and you must not tell anyone else. Understood?"

Kushina nodded, noticing his sudden intensity.

Kaito activated electromagnetic sensing. Once he confirmed no one was nearby, he formed a spiritual barrier around them—one designed to block even the Third Hokage's surveillance.

Then he told her the truth.

He explained everything: the future Obito attack, Minato's sacrifice, the Nine Tails' split, Naruto's birth and eventual rise as Hokage.

Kushina stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief. The details were staggering. How could any of it be real? How could she have died... and left her child behind?

Even Hiruzen would struggle to believe this.

___

Throw in some power stones.

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