Naruto: I Roamed the Ninja World as a Woman

Chapter 146 Kushina's Choice

The effect of the "Master of Fighting" attribute has ended.

The temporary keyword "King Kong" has been closed.

[You have successfully killed one elite Jonin, one ordinary Jonin, and two special Jonin!]

[Achievement Points +316!]

[Title effect activated, granting an additional 316 achievement points!]

The Whirlpool Shrine is located directly below the Fire Shadow Rock, only three or four miles away from where the battle took place.

The idea of ​​Yunyin setting up an ambush here is actually quite clever.

Because Mito Uzumaki's residence was nearby, there were very few Anbu members in the area. Furthermore, the invitation from the Third Kazekage gave them ample time to carry out the kidnapping.

Unfortunately, they were unlucky and ran into Ayane Amamiya, who was "out hunting in the wild" with them.

During the journey.

Ayane Amamiya took a break from her busy schedule and quickly glanced at the battle summary that popped up on the panel.

Seeing the increasingly sparse achievement points at the end, the girl couldn't help but shake her head slightly.

Although Matthew's kill was credited to him, given his condition at the time, the achievement points he could gain were negligible.

In other words.

On average, killing a ninja at the Jonin level now only earns me 100 achievement points.

If you want to become stronger by killing people.

Even without considering the diminishing returns effect, just the gold attribute "Sage Body" alone would kill 200 Jonin!

That's roughly equivalent to slaughtering most of Konoha!

Back then...

Six months ago, when she first stepped into the battlefield from the Ninja Academy, killing a Chunin would give Ayane Amamiya 100 achievement points.

After sparring with Tsunade, I was able to gain over 200 points!

But now—

Killing Chunin would probably only net a few dozen points, and as for Genin, it would likely only be a single digit.

Of course, behind the rapid devaluation of achievement points is her rapid improvement in strength.

When she graduated from the Ninja Academy, she already possessed the strength of an ordinary Chunin.

In just six months, he has already risen to the level of an elite Jonin, touching the threshold of Kage level.

This speed of improvement.

Even the veteran Uchiha Madara had to exclaim how awesome it was after seeing it!

It's known that a Celestial Body requires 40,000 achievement points, so the Otsutsuki bloodline, which goes even higher, would likely require even more.

Let's assume that starting this year, I can grind out 20,000 achievement points every year.

So, it will take 3 to 5 years to officially reach the Sixth Path level, at which time I should be around eighteen years old.

"If we also factor in the upgrade investments for other attributes such as sealing techniques, immortal arts, and Yin-Yang escape—"

The number of achievement points I need is probably astronomical.

Thinking about this, Ayane Amamiya felt a little helpless.

Even with cheat codes, they can't keep up with the growth rate of those two princes, Naruto and Sasuke?

Is there no justice left in this world?

Is there no law anymore?

Fortunately, I still have enough time to develop.

Madara Uchiha's eyes have already reached Nagato. No matter what his plans are, he needs to wait for Nagato to grow up.

Despite having things on her mind, Ayane Amamiya kept walking.

Soon, the Whirlpool Shrine was in sight.

Ayane Amamiya paused.

Mito Uzumaki stood at the door of the cabin, holding a small lantern, and smiled at the two girls.

"grandmother!"

Kushina Uzumaki rushed over like a bird returning to its nest, and pounced on Mito's side.

"Grandma, do you know?"

The girl, who had seemed calm just moments before, suddenly trembled slightly in her voice: "There were several ninjas, I think they were from the Hidden Cloud Village, lying in ambush on the road trying to capture me!"

Only in front of this grandmother could she be her most authentic self.

Mito gently patted Kushina's back to comfort her.

But his gaze passed over her and landed on Ayane Amamiya, who was standing quietly a few steps away.

The girl's dark red hair seemed even more lustrous in the dim lantern light than when she was receiving her medal that afternoon. Her amber eyes were calm as water, with a hint of wariness in them.

"child."

Mito's voice was gentle, "You did a good job, thank you for protecting Kushina."

Ayane Amamiya gave a slight bow, her manners impeccable: "Lord Mito, you flatter me. I was simply there by chance."

She did not deny that she had taken action.

However, they maintained a distance in their words, and did not appear closer because of the previous gifts or the current gratitude.

"Come in, everyone!"

The old man smiled again, looking at the two of them: "I have something I want to say to you two little ones."

Ayane Amamiya had already made preparations before arriving, and nodded upon hearing this: "Okay."

The three of them entered the wooden house and sat down on the tatami mats.

Mito's gaze gradually deepened.

She sighed softly, as if she had unloaded some heavy burden, and said first, "Kushina, I'm sorry. There are some things that Grandma has been keeping from you."

She looked at the red-haired girl nestled beside her, her eyes filled with pity and guilt.

"grandmother?"

Kushina keenly sensed the heavy atmosphere and called out uneasily.

"Back then, the reason why Konoha went to great lengths to rescue you from the Land of Whirlpools was not only to fulfill its responsibility as an ally, but also because it harbored another—dark purpose."

"Your immense chakra reserves and Uzumaki clan bloodline make you a prime target."

.

Mito's voice was deep and clear.

When she spoke of these mysterious past events, her words were completely unvarnished, chillingly so.

"The Third Hokage, the Hokage advisors, and many high-ranking officials—including myself—originally planned that after you came of age, you would become the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, succeed me, and continue to protect this village."

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?!"

Kushina was struck dumb, her body stiffened abruptly, and she stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

She didn't actually know what a "Nine-Tails Jinchuriki" did, but she keenly sensed something was amiss.

If it's something good, why keep it from me?

"The so-called Jinchuriki is someone who seals a monster inside their body, then steals its power and turns it into a weapon of war for their village."

"And I am the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha."

"Of course, it was I who chose you as my successor."

"I'm sorry, Kushina, just like I told you that day, I'm old and my strength is failing."

Mito's voice carried a deep weariness and self-mockery: "So, like Danzo, I, for some greater cause," decided the fates of others that they could not choose.

The air in front of the ancestral hall seemed to freeze.

Kushina's body trembled slightly.

The overwhelming amount of information and the emotional impact left her speechless for a moment. She could only look at her most trusted grandmother with a bewildered and confused gaze.

So, the premonition I had that day at the Root Base was actually true?

Am I really no different from those children who were taken away?

For a moment, she couldn't tell whether the kindness that Grandma Mito and Tsunade had shown her in the past was genuine or not.

Was it all a lie?

Ayane Amamiya sat silently to the side, like a calm observer, but in her mind she was quickly calculating the meaning behind Mito's words.

What is this doing?

To give his last words?

In the original work, Kushina Uzumaki's performance as a Jinchūriki was actually quite poor in the early stages, and she even went berserk at one point in the independent side story "Minato Den".

Compared to her sealing techniques and vortex bloodline—

Clearly, in the original storyline, she probably learned about this news quite late and wasn't fully prepared mentally.

Mito's gaze shifted back to Ayane Amamiya.

This time, her eyes held a hint of pity: "Child, you, like Kushina, also possess the bloodline of the Whirlpool."

"I want to thank you for appearing in my life and showing me a new possibility."

Mito Uzumaki paused for a moment, then said, word by word, "It is precisely because of your appearance that I have decided to give Kushina the power of choice this time."

Ayane Amamiya: "?"

Oh no, this old lady seems to be after me!

She immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Grandma?" Kushina looked up abruptly upon hearing this, her eyes filled with shock and fear.

Mito gently stroked Kushina's hair: "Stay, continue to be a Konoha ninja, and take on the responsibility of being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in the future, protecting the village."

She placed the small lantern she had been carrying on the table.

Peel back the lantern's outer layer to reveal an orange-red ball of chakra light inside.

A miniature, reddish-brown fox was baring its teeth and hissing at the three of them.

Nine-tailed fox!

This strongest tailed beast appeared right in front of the three of them in such a blatant way!

Or perhaps—

Mito Uzumaki turned her gaze back to Ayane Amamiya, "Leave Konoha, follow Ayane's example, go out into the world, and find a path that belongs only to you."

Her life was indeed as fragile as a candle in the wind.

This was the last thing she could do for Kushina—to give her true freedom of choice.

If Kushina wanted to leave Konoha, she could use the current kidnapping operation by Kumogakure as an excuse to disappear without a trace.

If Kushina still harbors feelings for him, then everything will be as if nothing happened, and tonight's words will be as if she never said them.

"Leaving Konoha—"

"Where should I go then? Back to my hometown?"

Kushina Uzumaki was a little scared and a little aggrieved: "I... I can't even remember what my house looked like when I was a child."

A huge sense of bewilderment and helplessness suddenly surged up inside me.

"The ninja world is so big."

"Even if we disregard the Five Great Ninja Villages, there are plenty of places that can accommodate you."

Ayane Amamiya said softly, "For example, the Snow Country on the edge of the continent, the sparsely populated Demon Country, and the Rain Country."

There's a saying: "Life is precious, but freedom is more valuable."

However, this theory is not suitable for everyone, and Ayane Amamiya cannot make the decision for her.

"....

Kushina remained silent.

She looked at the deep guilt in her grandmother's eyes.

Then he looked at Ayane Amamiya's amber eyes, which remained clear even in the night and seemed to hold infinite possibilities.

If it weren't for what happened tonight, her relationship with Ayane Amamiya would only be so-so, not even as good as her teammates Mikoto Uchiha and Tsuru Inuzuka.

But even with tonight's life-saving grace.

Kushina Uzumaki still wasn't particularly close to the other party.

Relationships between people are built through interaction; how can they be achieved overnight?

She was caught in a deep dilemma and confusion.