Relying on the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan, Byakuya directly intruded into the inner world sealed within Kushina Uzumaki.
At this moment, the oppressive, malevolent chakra of the Nine-Tails surged wildly from within its cage, battering against the seal and flooding Kushina's consciousness. Caught in the tide of this overwhelming chakra, Kushina had lost control and consciousness, her will overwhelmed by the Tailed Beast's fury.
"Who dares to enter this space...!?"
The Nine-Tails' thunderous voice echoed as it sensed the intrusion.
Byakuya stepped forward, his Mangekyō Sharingan spinning slowly as he faced the towering figure of the fox behind the prison-like bars.
"So, you're the Nine-Tails."
Kurama, the strongest of the Tailed Beasts, glared with pure hatred. Since being sealed into Kushina, it had waited for an opportunity to weaken the seal. That moment came earlier—while Kushina had been outside the village's inner barriers, Kurama forcefully flooded her system with chakra, pushing her into a berserk state.
Now, with the seal weakened and Kushina's consciousness suppressed, Kurama was on the verge of breaking free.
But then, Byakuya appeared.
"You! Those eyes…!"
Kurama's roar shook the entire space.
"Damn it… those cursed eyes again. That accursed bloodline…"
Kurama remembered clearly. It had once been controlled—enslaved—by that very power. Long ago, it had been forced into battle by someone bearing the Mangekyō Sharingan. It fought not of its own will, but as a puppet of Uchiha Madara, crushed under the force of both Sharingan and Hashirama Senju's Mokuton. Eventually, it was sealed. And now, again, another Uchiha stood before it.
[Ding—Sensing the Nine-Tails' rage: +3000 negative energy, chakra +70]
[Ding—Sensing the Nine-Tails' rage: +4000 negative energy, chakra +80]
[Ding—Sensing the Nine-Tails' rage: +4000 negative energy, chakra +90]
Byakuya raised an eyebrow in surprise as the system readout ticked upward. He hadn't expected such a surge just from provoking Kurama.
"Tch… You're pretty generous, Nine-Tails," he said, smirking.
"You wretched Uchiha… I'll tear you apart!!"
Kurama's rage intensified, chakra boiling and crashing against the cage.
[Ding—Sensing the Nine-Tails' rage: +5000 negative energy, chakra +110]
[Ding—Sensing the Nine-Tails' rage: +6000 negative energy, chakra +120]
But despite the fury, Kurama remained locked behind the Eight Trigrams Seal. His claws scraped against the invisible walls, unable to breach them.
Kushina, however, wasn't so lucky. As the Jinchūriki, her chakra network was directly linked to Kurama's. The overflowing chakra within the sealed space caused her entire being to tremble. Her form twisted in agony, her skin marked by the corrosive red chakra that seeped from her pores.
"I almost forgot why I came," Byakuya muttered, turning toward her.
He extended his hand, reaching through the turbulent chakra, and with the precision of the Sharingan, severed the overflow connection between Kushina and Kurama's chakra.
"Kushina's mine to handle now. As for you, Kurama… I'll be back."
Kurama howled in fury as Byakuya pulled Kushina's consciousness free. The chakra storm began to subside.
Outside the seal, Byakuya's eyes opened slowly. Kushina lay unconscious in his arms, the red chakra cloak now completely dissipated. Without Kurama's chakra, her body finally relaxed.
He held her gently.
"Byakuya-sama!"
Uchiha En rushed to his side, alarmed.
"The Jinchūriki's rampage has been quelled," Byakuya said calmly. "Get the squad to repair the area. Maintain public order."
"Yes, understood!" Uchiha En saluted crisply before turning to mobilize the Uchiha Police Force.
Byakuya turned to leave with Kushina still in his arms—but before he could take more than a few steps, masked figures in black cloaks dropped from the rooftops.
The Anbu had arrived.
"Uchiha Byakuya! Put down the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki immediately!"
The Anbu captain's voice was sharp and commanding, katana already halfway drawn.
Byakuya narrowed his Mangekyō eyes.
"Oh? You want to take her back now… after abandoning your post when she lost control?"
The Anbu hesitated, but stood firm.
"This is an order under the authority of the Hokage. Surrender the Jinchūriki!"
Originally, the ANBU captain was furious about the Uchiha clan interfering in matters concerning the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
He stood aside as Kushina, having entered a state of partial transformation under the influence of the Nine-Tails, rampaged and clashed with members of the Uchiha Police Force.
Secretly, he hoped the Jinchūriki would cause significant losses to the Uchiha, whom he viewed with suspicion and contempt—especially after recent signs of rising defiance within the clan.
However, what he hadn't anticipated was the overwhelming strength of the Uchiha clan's response.
Using advanced Sharingan techniques and coordinated tactics, the Uchiha forces successfully restrained the berserk Kushina—something even most elite shinobi would struggle with.
Seeing this, the ANBU captain quickly changed course. Realizing that the situation had gone beyond his control, he led his squad to intercept Uchiha Byakuya, who was carrying the unconscious Kushina.
"Hand her over. The Jinchūriki is classified as a national-level asset," the ANBU captain ordered coldly.
"...Move," Byakuya spat, his Mangekyō Sharingan spinning slowly. His tone carried no emotion—just authority laced with contempt.
He had no intention of handing Kushina over. The Nine-Tails within her made her a key to far greater ambitions. Letting her return to the Third Hokage's inner circle was not an option.
"You dare defy direct orders from the ANBU?" the captain barked, stepping forward and drawing his chakra-enhanced blade.
The rest of the ANBU mirrored him, preparing for confrontation.
Byakuya looked at them in mild amusement.
"You're pointing your swords at me? The ANBU must be feeling suicidal today."
Up to now, the ANBU had avoided direct conflict with the Uchiha, especially with Byakuya, who had already defeated several of their units in earlier covert operations. The sight of a captain standing up to him was rare—and foolish.
"Don't think your clan's eyes put you above the law," the captain snapped. "This is Konoha. Orders come from the Hokage, not from the Uchiha."
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