The door opened again.
This time—
Kushina was ready.
She didn't move.
Didn't look up immediately.
Didn't react.
Footsteps echoed across the stone floor.
Slow.
Measured.
Not one person.
Several.
"…they're back…"
Kushina exhaled quietly.
"I figured."
"Stand."
A sharp command.
Kushina didn't move.
"…stand…"
"I heard you."
Another step.
Closer.
A hand grabbed her arm—
hard.
Pain shot through her shoulder.
Kushina's eyes snapped up.
Cold.
Sharp.
"I said—"
She stood.
On her own.
The grip loosened.
Just slightly.
"…good."
Chains shifted.
Seals flickered.
Kushina felt it instantly.
Her chakra—
still restricted.
But thinner now.
Weaker.
"…they're loosening it…"
"…why…"
Kushina's gaze moved slowly across the room.
Four of them.
Same masks.
Same silence.
Watching her.
Studying her.
Like she wasn't human.
"…disgusting…"
Kushina's jaw tightened.
"Say that again."
No answer.
One stepped forward.
Calm.
Controlled.
"You will demonstrate."
Kushina frowned.
"…what?"
"Your control."
A pause.
"…or your lack of it."
Silence.
Kushina let out a short breath.
"And if I don't?"
A slight tilt of the head.
"…you will."
Another signal.
Two of them moved.
Fast.
Grabbing her arms.
Forcing her forward.
Kushina resisted—
but the seals tightened instantly.
Pain.
Sharp.
Restricting.
"…don't fight it…"
"Shut up."
They dragged her into the center of the room.
A circle.
Seals carved into the ground.
Different from before.
Stronger.
Designed for this.
"…a test…"
"…no…"
A pause.
"…a trap…"
Kushina's breath slowed.
Focused.
"…I won't give them what they want."
"…you already are…"
She ignored him.
The seals activated.
Light rose beneath her feet.
Pressure followed.
Not crushing—
containing.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Begin."
Silence.
Kushina didn't move.
Didn't react.
"…do it…"
"No."
A pause.
Then—
Pain.
Sudden.
Brutal.
The seal flared.
Kushina gasped.
Her body jerked forward.
Her breath broke.
"Begin."
Her hands trembled.
"…they're forcing it…"
"…yes…"
Another pulse.
Stronger.
Her chakra reacted.
Instinctively.
Her chains flickered—
weak—
then stronger.
Kushina clenched her teeth.
"…stop…"
"…you can't…"
The chains appeared.
Red.
Unstable.
The room shifted slightly.
The air tightened.
The observers didn't move.
Didn't react.
They were waiting.
"…more…"
Kushina's vision blurred slightly.
"No."
Another surge.
The seal pushed harder.
Her chakra spiked.
Uncontrolled.
The chains lashed out—
striking the ground.
Cracking stone.
"…there it is…"
Kushina dropped to one knee.
Her breath uneven.
Too fast.
"I said… stop…"
"…you can't control me…"
Her hands shook violently.
The chains grew stronger.
Wilder.
Closer to breaking free.
One of them stepped forward.
Observing.
"…increase pressure."
The seal flared.
Brighter.
Hotter.
Kushina screamed.
Her body arched.
Her chakra exploded outward.
Violent.
Unstable.
The chains erupted—
filling the space.
Striking walls.
Shattering stone.
The ground shook.
The observers stepped back—
but not in fear.
In calculation.
"…unstable…"
"…but powerful…"
Kushina's eyes flickered.
Not fully focused anymore.
"…more…"
The voice inside her—
closer now.
Louder.
Hungry.
"No—"
Her hands trembled.
Her body shaking.
"I said no!"
The chains surged again—
even stronger—
even wilder—
—
And then—
She stopped.
Abruptly.
Forced.
Everything froze.
The chains flickered.
Shook.
Then—
faded.
Gone.
Silence.
Heavy.
Kushina fell forward slightly.
Her breathing broken.
Her body weak.
"…you stopped…"
"…I chose to…"
Her voice barely audible.
But steady.
The observers watched.
Still.
Then—
"…interesting."
A pause.
"…she resisted."
Another voice:
"…for now."
Kushina lifted her head slowly.
Her eyes tired—
but clear.
"I'm not your weapon."
Silence.
Then—
"…we'll see."
The seal dimmed.
The pressure eased.
Just slightly.
Enough to move.
Enough to breathe.
But not enough to escape.
The chains around her wrists tightened again.
Pulled her back.
Control restored.
Not hers.
Theirs.
"…that was pathetic…"
Kushina let out a weak breath.
"Still here though."
A low rumble.
Not mocking.
Not quite.
"…barely…"
Kushina leaned back slightly.
Exhausted.
But awake.
"…next time…"
A pause.
"…you won't stop…"
Kushina's eyes closed briefly.
Then opened again.
Calm.
Determined.
"…watch me."
Silence filled the room again.
But something had changed.
Not in them.
In her.