บท 132: Chapter 131: Divergence

The "Adamantine Sealing Chains" is a unique sealing technique of the Uzumaki clan, capable of restraining a ninja and even temporarily sealing a tailed beast.

When Kushina used the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Byakuya remained calm before several dark golden chains appeared behind him, blocking Kushina's attack.

Seeing this, Kushina fully confirmed Byakuya's identity.

Byakuya was indeed a genuine descendant of the Uzumaki clan, as only the Uzumaki lineage could master such an advanced sealing technique like the Adamantine Sealing Chains.

Byakuya stared at Kushina before saying, "Is the wife of the Hokage planning to take action against Amegakure?"

At this moment, Kushina somewhat regretted her impulsiveness. She quickly retracted the Adamantine Sealing Chains and said with displeasure, "I just can't stand you slandering Lady Mito..."

"What I said was the truth..."

Byakuya also withdrew his dark golden chains and countered, "Isn't Elder Mito a Konoha ninja? If it weren't for Konoha, would she have trained you to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

Upon hearing this, Kushina unusually fell silent.

She realized Byakuya's concern for her. Despite his disdain for Konoha, he was essentially worried about her safety and didn't want her to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

At that moment, inside the house, Minato Namikaze and others sensed the chakra clash outside.

Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato arrived beside Kushina, his expression tense as he looked at Byakuya.

Yahiko and Konan also arrived in the open space, their eyes filled with worry.

They knew Byakuya's identity and were aware of the grudge between him and Konoha, but they couldn't understand why he had clashed with Kushina.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Kushina smiled, "Minato, don't worry about me. I just wanted to spar with Byakuya on sealing techniques, but I accidentally went a bit too far."

Byakuya also had no intention of fighting with Kushina and chuckled, saying, "Lady Kushina and I were indeed sparring earlier, but we unintentionally disturbed you all."

Hearing this, Minato's expression softened a lot. "Kushina, you're not in good health right now. You should rest more and stop sparring with Byakuya."

Kushina nodded but refused to part with her clansman for now, "I know. You go and chat with Yahiko and the others. I still want to talk to Byakuya about Uzushiogakure."

Since Kushina had said so, Minato couldn't refuse and could only take Yahiko and the others back to the living room. Before leaving, he glanced at Kushina and Byakuya.

It was obvious that what had just happened wasn't as simple as sparring.

But Minato trusted Kushina and believed she could handle the situation with Byakuya.

After Minato left, a calm Kushina explained to Byakuya, "Byakuya, I was a bit impulsive just now. However, you also misunderstood. I became the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki voluntarily. If not for Konoha's protection, I might have been kidnapped by Kumogakure before I could become a Jinchuriki.

After Uzushiogakure was destroyed, we, who had nowhere to go, could only seek refuge in other ninja villages. Rather than becoming a test subject in a hostile village, it was better to become a Jinchuriki to protect Konoha."

"A Jinchuriki to protect Konoha, huh?"

Byakuya frowned and then said, "Before coming to Konoha, I was actually thinking of bringing you back to Amegakure. After all, not all clan members were as lucky as you."

Kushina's expression changed slightly, and she asked, "You mean the other clan members are living badly?"

Byakuya nodded and said, "Nagato's parents died a long time ago. The killers were ninjas who invaded the Land of Rain. As for Akane (OG Karin's mother), she was used as a 'human medicine.' If I hadn't found her, she might have already been dead."

After hearing about Nagato and Karin's experiences, Kushina sighed in her heart.

She had always thought that her childhood experiences were painful enough, but now she realized that the fate of other members of her clan was even more tragic. In contrast, she was the luckiest one.

Thinking of this, Kushina suddenly looked at Byakuya. She wanted to know about Byakuya's experiences.

Byakuya guessed Kushina's thoughts and shook his head, saying, "Although I have Uzumaki blood, I didn't inherit the clan's red hair. Besides losing my parents, I haven't experienced anything particularly difficult."

Seeing Byakuya say this, Kushina didn't press further, but she knew that despite his words, Byakuya must have endured many hardships in secret.

After a moment of contemplation, Byakuya asked Kushina, "Lady Kushina, have you really decided not to join Amegakure? Amegakure can also protect you, and there won't be any discrimination."

Kushina shook her head and smiled, saying, "Byakuya, did you forget that I'm the wife of the Hokage? It's already good enough that I don't cause trouble for those old men. Do you really think they are brave ehough to exploit me?"

Byakuya responded, "Since you're willing to stay in Konoha, I have nothing more to say. But you're willing to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to protect Konoha—is Konoha really worth protecting?"

At this point, Byakuya glanced toward Konoha in the distance, lost in thought.

Kushina didn't quite understand Byakuya's words. Under Minato's leadership, Konoha was only getting better. She couldn't grasp why Byakuya was so pessimistic about Konoha's future.

However, since they clearly had differing opinions about their choice of village, Kushina decided not to continue the topic, to avoid any further strain on their relationship.

After visiting the Namikaze household, Byakuya, Yahiko, and Konan began heading back to their base.

On the way, Yahiko, curious about the conversation between Byakuya and Kushina, asked, "Byakuya, did you and Kushina get into a fight just now?"

Byakuya didn't hide the truth and nodded, saying, "Yes, we had a disagreement. We have different views on Konoha, and I even tried to invite her to join Amegakure, but she refused."

Yahiko's expression changed slightly, feeling a bit exasperated by Byakuya's actions.

It was understandable for Byakuya to hold a grudge against Konoha. After all, Uzushiogakure had suffered due to Konoha's betrayal. Not to mention, during Hanzo's recent attack on the Akatsuki, Konoha's influence was also involved.

But inviting Kushina to Amegakure seemed a bit excessive.

Kushina was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the wife of the Fourth Hokage. Recruiting her in such a straightforward manner was bound to cause friction, so no wonder a conflict broke out between them.

However, if Byakuya didn't cause any trouble while in Konoha, Yahiko might start to worry. Byakuya was not someone to remain passive—unless he was secretly plotting something bigger, like the sudden attack on Amegakure last time.

With this in mind, Yahiko said to Byakuya, "Byakuya, if you really have an issue with Konoha, we can always return to the village now."

Byakuya shook his head, glanced at Yahiko, and said, "This is my personal grudge. It has nothing to do with Amegakure or our cooperation with Konoha. Our collaboration with Konoha is more beneficial than harmful."

After a brief pause, Byakuya continued, "When you meet with Minato tomorrow, remember to talk more about our reforms in the Land of Rain. Highlight the benefits of those reforms."

Hearing this, Yahiko was momentarily surprised but still nodded.

Promoting the Akatsuki's ideals was one of the main purposes of this trip. However, if Konoha strengthened through its own reforms, wouldn't that undermine Byakuya's argument that Konoha was a threat?