Kushina paused for a moment, then continued:
"Also, she's hiding her strength."
"If my sensing is correct, she has at least Jōnin-level Chakra."
"I don't know how skilled she is in ninjutsu or sealing techniques…"
"But she told us she's only extracted a little Chakra and doesn't know any jutsu."
"She has a powerful Chakra seal on her body that's suppressing most of her energy."
"A normal Uzumaki might have been fooled—but after learning so much from you, Xuan, there's no way she could hide it from me."
Uzumaki Rena nodded in agreement.
"I felt the same thing! But… I also sensed pity and great kindness from her."
"It's… contradictory."
Both Kushina and Rena were confused by Mia's drastic shift in attitude.
They turned to Uchiha Xuan.
"Xuan, what do you think?"
Uchiha Xuan touched his chin, smirking.
"It's normal for her to act like that. It has a lot to do with where she comes from."
"Her origins?"
Kushina and Rena looked surprised.
"Didn't she say she got separated while fleeing and ended up in the Land of Hot Water?"
"Of course not."
Uchiha Xuan shook his head, glancing at them with amusement.
"Haven't you two always wondered where the rest of the Uzumaki Clan escaped to after Uzushiogakure was destroyed?"
"Didn't you want to find them?"
"Mia knows."
"She's actually a messenger sent by the surviving Uzumaki clan—from their hidden refuge."
Kushina and Rena jumped to their feet in shock.
"Wait—what?!"
"So that's why she has such a powerful seal on her?"
"That makes sense… But then why was she so hostile toward us at first?"
Uchiha Xuan turned to Rena.
"Rena, you should understand this better than anyone."
"Huh? Me?"
Uzumaki Rena blinked in confusion.
Kushina also looked at her.
"Think about how you felt toward Konoha when you first arrived."
Uchiha Xuan smirked.
"Right!"
Rena's eyes widened in realization.
Back then, she resented Konoha deeply.
She blamed them for not helping the Uzumaki Clan when they were under attack.
If it weren't for Xuan and Kushina, she would have hated Konoha forever.
Now—she no longer cared about Konoha or its politics.
To her, only Xuan, Kushina, and a few others mattered.
Everyone else? Strangers.
"So you're saying Mia thought we had betrayed the Uzumaki Clan?"
Kushina's expression darkened.
"She assumed we ran to Konoha for safety and abandoned our homeland?"
"But then she realized the truth—"
"That I was being watched and controlled by Konoha. That Rena was brought here by Xuan and doesn't care about Konoha at all."
"She let go of her hostility because she saw that we weren't enemies."
"Exactly."
Uchiha Xuan nodded.
"Mia realized that you both never abandoned your clan. In fact, you've been trying to find and help other Uzumaki survivors."
"That was enough for her to change her opinion."
Kushina stared at him for a moment, then narrowed her eyes.
"Wait a second…"
"How do you know what she was thinking?"
Rena squinted suspiciously.
"Yeah… how do you know?"
Uchiha Xuan chuckled.
"Because I recently developed a new technique—Mind Reading."
"It lets me read the thoughts of people whose mental power and willpower are lower than mine."
"WHAT?!"
Kushina and Rena jumped away, crossing their arms over their chests.
They stared at him in horror.
"YOU DIDN'T USE IT ON US, DID YOU?!"
Kushina demanded.
Rena's face turned red.
"Oh no… did he hear all my thoughts?!"
Uchiha Xuan quickly waved his hands.
"Relax! I haven't used it on you two."
"I only tried it for the first time today."
"I know how dangerous this technique is, so I won't abuse it. You have nothing to worry about."
Kushina glared at him for a moment.
"…Hmph! You better not!"
Rena pouted, looking slightly disappointed.
"Same goes for me!"
"Alright, alright!"
Uchiha Xuan held up his hands in surrender, chuckling.
Only then did the girls sit back down.
A Few Days Later – The House Thieves
At Uchiha Xuan's house, late at night…
A small yellow-gray head poked out from the floor.
Shukaku glanced around cautiously.
"You sure Xuan isn't home?"
A muffled voice came from below.
"He's not here! Let's go in!"
Shukaku whispered back.
A second later, Little Nine Tails emerged from the ground.
The two tiptoed into the house, heading for the second floor.
"Are you sure the money's in his room?"
Little Nine Tails whispered.
"Positive!"
Shukaku nodded.
"I saw him put it there yesterday."
The two crept up the stairs…
But suddenly—
A cold voice echoed behind them.
"Oh? So you two are the ones stealing money from the house?"
Shukaku and Little Nine Tails froze.
Their fur stood on end.
Slowly, they turned around—
To see Uchiha Xuan standing behind them, arms crossed.
"Uh… I-I mean…"
Little Nine Tails laughed nervously.
"I was just joking! Right, Shukaku?"
"Yeah, yeah! Just a joke!"
Shukaku nodded rapidly.
Uchiha Xuan's expression darkened.
"You two… are tailed beasts."
"And you're stealing money to buy snacks and manga?"
"Isn't that embarrassing?"
Little Nine Tails puffed up.
"Hey! We're not human! We're tailed beasts!"
WHACK!
Uchiha Xuan smacked him on the head.
"OWWW! I'M SORRY!"
Little Nine Tails clutched his head, whimpering.
"B-But we don't have any money! What else were we supposed to do?"
"Exactly!" Shukaku added.
"Come on, Xuan! Can't you give us a little spending money?"
Uchiha Xuan snorted.
"Want money? Go earn it yourself."
"But no stealing!"
"If I catch you two doing this again, you're getting locked in a small, dark room. Got it?"
Shukaku and Little Nine Tails gulped.
"Uhh… understood!"
[Magnet Style Training]
Later, Uchiha Xuan dragged Shukaku into the lab.
"Alright, show me your Magnet Style."
Shukaku sighed in relief.
"That's it? No problem! Watch closely!"
For the next hour, he demonstrated Magnet Style, explaining everything he knew.
Then—
[You have learned Magnet Style Training Method (Shukaku Version).]
[Allows the user to control magnetic fields like Shukaku.]
Uchiha Xuan grinned.
"Perfect. Now, let's see what else I can learn…"
7% discount code available in PATREON
7C9CE
patreon.com/Gho_
patreon.com/Gho_