Ryoma frowned. The task still wasn't complete.
In his mind, the system's guidance flickered to life again—this time pointing toward the northeast.
He glanced at the dark, looming forest ahead and hesitated.
This forest is way too dark…
Kinda creepy…
For a moment, Ryoma wondered whether he should continue the chase.
I'm just a shinobi!
"Do you want to go back and live like a salted fish?"
"But the task is already 60% complete… maybe I can find four more strands of hair and finish it!"
Gritting his teeth, Ryoma made up his mind. He hadn't come all this way just to quit halfway.
Pursue!
At the gate of Konohagakure, a golden blur shot out like lightning.
It was Namikaze Minato.
"Minato, did you find anything at Kushina's house?"
The voice belonged to none other than Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.
Minato held out a single strand of deep crimson hair. "This should be Kushina's."
Sakumo immediately summoned one of his ninken, letting it take in the scent. The dog barked and bolted northeast.
"The scent is heading that way," Sakumo said, frowning. "But it's already faint…"
"Brother Sakumo, can we still catch up?" Minato asked urgently.
"We'll try!"
Turning to another shinobi, Sakumo ordered, "Go back and report to the Hokage. I'll pursue with Minato!"
With that, the two leapt into the night.
Following the system's prompts, Ryoma soon found a second strand of hair.
[Ding! Clue found. Task completion: 70%. Please continue tracking!]
At the same time, fragments of Naruto's storyline began to surface in his mind.
If memory served, Kushina had deliberately dropped strands of her hair for Minato to find. By the next morning, she would have been taken all the way to the border.
Just as she was about to lose hope, Minato would appear—hero saving the damsel—and win her heart.
But now… Ryoma was here.
If he picked up all the clues, could Minato still find her?
If his interference really caused Kushina to be captured for real… wouldn't that throw the entire future of Naruto off course?
Shoving aside the thought, Ryoma found the third strand.
Eighty percent complete. Just two more to go.
There was no way he was giving up now.
Forget the Konoha Whirlwind—this is my mission.
Ryoma reached the edge of the forest. His figure flickered as he landed atop a tree branch, scanning the open plain ahead.
His pupils narrowed sharply.
A hundred meters away, several figures were fleeing toward Kumogakure. At the rear was a slender figure with long red hair—Kushina.
The moment he spotted her, someone spotted him.
"Who's there?!"
A cold voice rang out behind him.
Not good!
Before Ryoma could react, a powerful palm slammed into his back.
Bam!
Blood sprayed from his mouth. Agonizing pain tore through his chest as if his organs had been smashed. He tumbled from the treetop.
His attacker dropped down as well—a Kumogakure shinobi in standard uniform.
A Chūnin at least.
"Hmph. Just a Genin. Seeking death."
The man sneered and vanished in a blur.
Shadow Clone… Ryoma realized. The ninja didn't even bother to confirm the kill—he was certain the blow was fatal.
In the distance, Kushina heard the commotion in the woods. She glanced back, her face going pale. She couldn't see who it was, but she knew it must have been someone trying to rescue her.
Killed by Kumo-nin.
"Hmph, stop struggling and keep moving," one of the captors said. "See? Anyone who comes to save you dies."
The words made her falter. For a moment, Ryoma's smiling face flashed in her mind.
No… it can't be him. He's a coward.
But her hands trembled all the same.
Leaning against a tree, Ryoma panted heavily, his vision blurring.
[Ding! Target Kushina located. Congratulations to the host for completing Opening Option Three. Reward: Supreme Opening Package!]
Open it! Hurry!
Cold seeped into his body. His eyelids grew heavier. He could barely hold on.
Damn… I nearly played myself to death.
This gift pack might be his only hope.
[Ding! Open Supreme Opening Package?]
[Yes!]
A dazzling light burst forth.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the SSS-level Character Card: Senju Hashirama!]
[Upon fusion, the host will acquire all ninjutsu, taijutsu, senjutsu, combat experience, and training talent of Senju Hashirama!]
[Due to the large gap between the host's current strength and the card's power, complete fusion will require approximately one year!]
[Proceed with fusion?]
Fusion!
Ryoma's eyes lit up. There was hope after all.
Senju Hashirama…
The First Hokage.
The God of Shinobi.
The reincarnation of Asura.
A man of unmatched vitality—able to heal from grievous wounds instantly. Even Uchiha Madara once said, "On the battlefield, no one can kill Hashirama."
In the next instant, a vast, ethereal space unfolded in Ryoma's mind.
At its center stood a towering figure, a presence that seemed to rise above heaven and earth itself—Senju Hashirama.
Ryoma's perspective shifted, as though he had become Hashirama himself.
Before him stood a young Uchiha Madara, eyes blazing with power.
"Wood Release — Sea of trees!"
The ground shook violently.
Countless saplings burst from the soil, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye. In moments, they transformed into a colossal forest.
From all directions, massive, gnarled branches surged forth like living beasts, surging toward Madara to engulf him completely.
This… was the Bloodline Limit of the First Hokage.
Ryoma's eyes snapped open. Power surged through him like a flood.
The searing pain in his body vanished in an instant.
The cold creeping through his limbs dissipated.
Every pore in his body seemed to open, his entire being brimming with vitality.
He could feel the natural energy around him, instinctively drawing it in, refining it into chakra at an astonishing speed.
More than that—he felt an intimate connection to his surroundings, as if the very earth and trees recognized him.
In just a few seconds, he had gone from the brink of death to being at full strength.
And he knew—without a doubt—that he could now unleash the jutsu he had just witnessed: Wood Release — Sea of trees.
One thought, and an endless forest could rise at his command.
This was the terrifying might of Senju Hashirama's Wood Release.
And Ryoma had inherited not just the techniques, but all the combat instincts, the battle-hardened experience of the God of Shinobi himself.
Even now, at the very beginning of the fusion, his strength had multiplied tenfold… a hundredfold.
If this was just the start, then full integration was simply beyond imagination