The tremor rolled through the forest again.
Stronger this time.
The roots beneath them shifted violently, loose dirt sliding across the broken clearing.
Kushina felt it immediately.
That pressure.
Wild.
Unstable.
Wrong.
"…him…"
"…yes…"
"…he's getting closer…"
Minato's gaze locked onto the trees instantly.
"They're pushing him harder."
Daichi stepped in front of the clearing without hesitation.
"Kushina. Move."
She didn't.
Her eyes stayed on Rei.
The old Uzumaki's breathing had become shallow now, uneven tremors running through his body with every breath.
He looked terrified.
Not of dying.
Of what was coming.
"…if they're using him again—"
"We don't have time," Daichi cut in sharply.
Another tremor.
Closer.
This time the trees themselves shook.
Splinters rained from above.
Kushina's jaw tightened.
"…we can't leave him."
Daichi's expression hardened immediately.
"We don't have a choice."
"Yes, we do."
"Kushina—"
"No."
The word came out sharper than expected.
The pressure inside her shifted instantly.
Reacting.
Interested.
"…there it is…"
"…not now…"
She forced it back down before it could rise further.
Minato stepped closer, his eyes still scanning the forest.
"If we stay here, they surround us."
Kushina looked between them.
"So what? We abandon him?"
Rei's hand tightened weakly around her sleeve.
"…don't…"
She looked down immediately.
The old man shook his head faintly.
"…don't stop for me…"
"That's easy for you to say."
Rei gave a weak, broken laugh that turned into coughing again.
Blood hit the ground.
"…you sound like her…"
Kushina froze.
"…Akane?"
Rei nodded weakly.
"…same eyes…"
A pause.
"…same anger…"
That landed too close.
Daichi noticed it immediately.
"Kushina."
Her eyes snapped toward him.
"We move. Now."
Another violent tremor shook the clearing.
Then—
a scream tore through the forest.
Raw.
Broken.
Inhuman.
Kushina's chest tightened instantly.
"…he's in pain…"
"…yes…"
"…they're forcing it…"
The trees ahead exploded outward.
Not from impact.
From chakra.
Wild red energy ripped through the darkness between the trunks like lightning.
And then—
he appeared.
The boy slammed into the clearing hard enough to crack the ground beneath him.
His body shook violently.
Far worse than before.
Dark seal markings spread across his skin now, pulsing unnaturally beneath the unstable chakra surrounding him.
Kushina's eyes widened.
"…what did they do to him…"
"…more seals…"
"…containment forced onto unstable chakra…"
Minato's voice lowered immediately.
"They're pushing his body beyond its limit."
The boy lifted his head slowly.
And for a second—
his eyes looked clear.
Actually clear.
They locked onto Rei instantly.
"…you…"
Rei's expression broke completely.
"…Ren…"
Silence crashed over the clearing.
Kushina's eyes snapped toward the old man.
"…you know him?"
Rei's breathing trembled violently.
"…my grandson…"
That hit like a physical blow.
Kushina stared at the boy again.
At Ren.
At the unstable chakra tearing through him from the inside.
"…no…"
"…now you understand…"
Ren's body jerked violently.
Like something inside him was fighting for control.
His gaze shifted slowly toward Kushina again.
Recognition flickered there.
Then pain.
Then rage.
"…make it stop…"
The chakra around him exploded outward again.
Daichi moved instantly.
"BACK!"
Kushina didn't move immediately.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Grandson.
Not a weapon.
Not a monster.
A person.
"…they turned him into this…"
"…yes…"
"…and they'll do the same to you…"
Ren screamed again, clutching at his head as the seal markings spread further across his neck.
The hunters emerged slowly behind him.
Watching.
Observing.
Not helping.
One stepped forward calmly.
"Subject instability increasing."
Another voice followed.
"Emotional response confirmed."
Kushina's stomach turned.
"…they're doing this on purpose…"
"…of course they are…"
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Not fear.
Rage.
Pure and sharp.
Daichi stepped closer to her immediately.
"Do not react emotionally."
Kushina looked at him in disbelief.
"Seriously?"
"That's what they want."
"They turned someone into this!"
"And they want you angry."
Silence.
Heavy.
Because he was right.
That made it worse.
Ren suddenly lurched forward violently.
Not attacking.
Running.
Straight toward Rei.
"…Grandfather…"
His voice cracked apart halfway through the word.
Rei's eyes widened immediately.
"Ren—"
Then the seal activated.
Kushina saw it instantly.
A sharp pulse beneath Ren's skin.
His body jerked unnaturally.
Like invisible chains had yanked him backward from the inside.
The scream that tore out of him afterward barely sounded human.
Kushina's chest twisted painfully.
"…they're controlling him…"
"…yes…"
"…through pain…"
Ren collapsed to one knee, shaking violently.
One of the masked figures stepped closer.
Cold.
Calm.
"Return."
Ren's body moved instantly.
Not willingly.
Forced.
Kushina's eyes widened.
"…no…"
Rei tried to push himself up weakly.
"STOP—"
The hunter ignored him completely.
"Return to position."
Ren's body obeyed automatically.
Like a puppet pulled by strings.
Something inside Kushina snapped at that.
Not control.
Something deeper.
Her chain exploded outward before she consciously chose to summon it.
The ground cracked violently beneath her feet.
Daichi turned immediately.
"Kushina!"
Too late.
Her eyes locked onto the hunters.
Sharp.
Furious.
"You don't get to do that."
The air around her shifted dangerously.
The chain pulsed again.
Stronger.
More unstable.
"…careful…"
"…I know…"
"…you're angry…"
"…GOOD…"
The hunters didn't react.
One simply tilted its head slightly.
"Emotional escalation detected."
Kushina's jaw clenched.
"Shut up."
Another pulse of chakra exploded outward from Ren.
His scream echoed through the clearing again.
Rei broke completely at the sound.
"…please…"
That word hit harder than anything else.
Not Ren this time.
Rei.
A grandfather begging helplessly while watching his grandson be destroyed.
Kushina's breathing shook.
"…I can't leave them…"
Daichi stepped directly in front of her now.
"You have to choose."
Silence.
Everything froze for a second.
Kushina stared at him.
"…what."
"If you lose control here, everyone dies."
A beat.
"If you stay focused, we still have a chance."
Her hands trembled harder now.
The chain pulsing beside her.
Rage.
Pressure.
Guilt.
Pain.
All pulling at once.
And behind the hunters—
Ren lifted his empty eyes toward her again.
"…help me…"
Silence.
Then—
Kushina made her choice.