Naruto: Mixed Heritage(Rewrite)

The air in the small room felt heavy, charged with unspoken truths and lingering tension. The faint smell of burned incense mingled with the earthy scent of old wood, as Kushina's piercing gaze bore into Renjiro.

He shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny, he had already asked her what was the reason why his adamantine chain was basically a degraded version of hers since they could not nullify chakra.

This was a huge matter of concern for Renjiro. While the adamantine chains were a very versatile Chakra Seinou to have, with both the chakra nullifying and barrier making sub-abilities, the former was the one ability that Renjiro regarded with the utmost importance. After all, he was aware that in the future a certain group in the future would start hunting tailed beasts.

'There is also the fact that in the fourth shinobi war, I might have to face the ten tails, so being able to nullify its chakra would be a lifesaver.' The thought continuously echoed in the back of Renjiro's head.

"What do you mean?" Renjiro asked again, his tone steady but curious, his dark eyes narrowing.

Kushina tilted her head slightly, her crimson hair glinting in the afternoon light. She frowned, stepping closer to Renjiro, her eyes scanning his face intently. Her expression was one of both thoughtfulness and concern. "First of all," she said slowly, her voice carrying a note of caution, "what is wrong with your eyes?"

Renjiro blinked, taken aback by the abruptness of her question.

'She couldn't have realized...right?' he wondered briefly.

"What?" he asked, his brows furrowing in feigned confusion. His tone was a tad bit defensive.

Kushina leaned closer, her nose nearly brushing his as she squinted at him. "There's something off about them," she murmured, her voice dropping into a thoughtful hum. "But I can't quite put my finger on it..."

Her sudden focus on his eyes caught him off guard, and Renjiro realized he had to deflect her curiosity quickly. When Kushina leaned in even closer, raising her hand as if to examine him more closely, he swatted her hand away with a quick motion.

"It's nothing," Renjiro said curtly. "I didn't exactly escape unscathed from my encounter with the Two-Tails jinchūriki."

Kushina's eyes widened slightly at his words. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice low and serious.

Renjiro forced himself to remain calm. He couldn't tell her the truth—that he had removed his own eye on purpose. Even if Kushina was among the two people Renjiro fully trusted in this world, the other being Miwa, Renjiro still couldn't tell her everything.

Revealing the truth would raise too many questions, questions he wasn't prepared to answer, at least not yet. So instead, he leaned into the lie he had crafted, using his battle with the two-tails jinchūriki as a convenient scapegoat.

"During the fight, I sustained some injuries," he explained, keeping his tone measured. "My healing covered most of it, but it left... traces."

Kushina frowned, her concern deepening. "Shouldn't your healing have fixed everything completely?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

Renjiro gave her a reassuring nod, hoping to steer the conversation away from his lie. "Yes, and it did for the most part. That's why it's hard for anyone to tell. But it was a close call."

The jinchuriki studied him for a moment longer, her intense gaze seemingly searching for any cracks in his explanation. Finally, she asked, her voice softer now, almost hesitant. "But your Sharingan wasn't affected, right?"

Renjiro shook his head quickly. "Not in any way I can tell," he said, exhaling a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Kushina's sharp eyes softened slightly, and he could tell she had bought his excuse.

'She's really perceptive.' Renjiro blindly thought.

Kushina's expression shifted suddenly, her eyes widening as an idea struck her. She snapped her fingers, the sound loud and sudden in the quiet room. "Wait!" she exclaimed, turning to Renjiro with a mixture of excitement and curiosity. "If your healing can repair your eyes, then... what if you removed them? Wouldn't they just regenerate? You could end up with... I don't know, a collection of Sharingan! Your body could become a treasure trove!"

Renjiro froze, his expression carefully neutral. He felt a bead of sweat slide down his temple. Her question struck uncomfortably close to the truth—far closer than he was comfortable with.

While Kushina knew about his enhanced healing abilities, since she played a hand and was present when he got it, she wasn't aware of its full extent. Kushina didn't know of its regenerative capabilities since Renjiro told her that he fixed his eyes by 'placing it back' with medical ninjutsu during that one time he lost his eye. Heck, even Renjiro wouldn't have known if he didn't stumble upon it by accident.

But this was a secret he intended to keep. If anyone discovered that his body could actually regenerate, it would raise dangerous questions and in no time, they could connect the dots realizing that he is dojutsu farming.

"What?" Renjiro forced a laugh, trying to mask his unease. "Do you know how much chakra it takes to heal an eye? It's not as simple as plucking them out and waiting for them to grow back!"

Kushina crossed her arms, frowning. "But have you tried experimenting?" she pressed, her tone both curious and insistent.

'I don't like the look on her face'

Renjiro pretended to be offended, placing a hand over his chest in mock indignation. "You want me to risk my dōjutsu for some wild theory?" he asked, his voice dripping with exaggerated disbelief. "No thanks. I'd rather not gamble with my vision."

Kushina sighed dramatically, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. "Fine, fine," she said, though her curiosity clearly wasn't sated.

"Anyway, we're way off-topic. You're definitely dodging the real question. Why don't your chains nullify chakra?"

Renjiro leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. "Is it because it was my secondary chakra seinou? Maybe it's not as compatible as yours?"

Kushina shook her head, her demeanour shifting as she grew serious again.

'Was that a trace of pity?' Renjiro thought as he studied the jinchuriki's face. He was not sure if he was imagining things.

"No," she said, her tone firm. "Do you remember the magatama process?"

Renjiro blinked, the mention of the process sparking a memory. "Well, it was more of a ritual than a process," he began, his voice trailing off as a look of realization dawned on his face. He stared at her, his eyes widening. "Don't tell me..."

Kushina nodded solemnly, her expression grave. "Yes, Renjiro," she said quietly. "The reason you can't nullify chakra with your chains... is because of me."

The words hit Renjiro like a physical blow, and for a moment, he was speechless. His mind raced as he tried to piece together the implications of what she had just said.

=====

Bless me with your powerful Power Stones.

Your Reviews and Comments about my work are welcomed

If you can, then please support me on Patreon. 

Link - www.patreon.com/SideCharacter

You Can read more chapters ahead on Patreon.