The shinobi from Kumogakure had no idea about the changes occurring in Ryoma's body.
To them, his appearance was nothing more than a joke.
"Kushina, I advise you not to play any tricks," one of them sneered.
"No matter how much you struggle, no one's coming to save you!"
Gritting her teeth, Kushina shot back, "Aren't you afraid of sparking a war by kidnapping me, a kunoichi of Konoha?"
The Kumogakure jōnin laughed at her words.
"War? Your Konoha is even more afraid of war than we are!"
"I'll tell you the truth—once we bring you back to Kumogakure, Konoha won't dare make a move. Because when you arrive, you'll become the jinchūriki of one of our tailed beasts."
Kushina's eyes widened. "Jinchūriki? You…"
The jōnin grinned.
"You don't need to worry, Kushina. In Kumogakure, you'll be treated with honor—more than Konoha ever gave you. If you don't refuse, you could even become the wife of the next Raikage! You'd be the First Lady of our village."
Kushina's face went pale.
So that was their plan? To use her as a tailed beast's vessel—and on top of that, force her to marry the next Raikage?
No matter how nicely he worded it, she wanted no part of it!
"Doesn't your village already have the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki?" she demanded.
"There's always room for another," the jōnin replied casually.
Clapping his hands, he barked, "That's enough talking. Stop resisting and behave yourself!"
"The border's just ahead—the one picking us up should already be waiting!"
Kushina felt her chest tighten.
I don't want to be the Raikage's wife… I don't want any of this!
Panic churned inside her as memories began flashing in her mind.
'Hey, don't hit me! You're so violent, no one will marry you in the future!' Ryoma had once complained, rubbing his head.
'Your hair's so fiery red—it's really pretty,' Minato had said with a gentle smile.
'Kushina, come help me with the dishes. A woman should at least know how to cook,' Mikoto had teased, smiling warmly in her apron.
'Kushina, you really don't want to go swimming? It's so nice and cool!' her friends had called out.
And then Mito Uzumaki's soft, knowing voice:
"We were brought here as vessels for the tailed beasts… but before that, find love to fill your heart. That way, even as a Nine-Tails jinchūriki, you can still live a happy life…"
She thought of Ryoma, Mikoto, Minato… of Lady Mito… and all the friends she couldn't bear to lose.
"I can't leave them…" she whispered.
Just when despair threatened to swallow her, countless tiny saplings suddenly sprouted from the ground, growing at impossible speed into towering trees!
The trees surged forward, instantly separating her from the Kumogakure shinobi.
"Mokuton?!"
"Who's there?!"
Kushina's eyes widened. Could it be some Konoha elder come to save her?
"Grab her!" the jōnin roared.
But before they could reach her, five figures appeared out of nowhere and clashed with the enemy.
Kushina's gaze turned hopeful—only for her eyes to widen again.
"Ryoma?!"
All five rescuers… looked exactly like him!
She froze in shock, unable to react, when a thick branch suddenly swept her off the ground.
"Ah!"
She cried out as the branch reeled her in toward someone.
Before she could steady herself, her legs nearly gave way—
"Hey! Pepper, what are you doing?"
Ryoma caught her easily, holding her against him.
She looked up into his black hair, sword-like brows, and bright, confident smile.
The Ryoma she knew was timid… yet here he was, the first to charge in and save her.
Her lips curled into an involuntary smile.
"Ryoma?"
"How about it?" he grinned. "Surprised?"
Seeing his smile, the tension in her heart melted away.
She glanced at the Ryoma holding her… then at the five others fighting ahead.
"This… this is the Shadow Clone Technique?"
"How else?"
Ryoma had only fused less than five percent of Hashirama Senju's power from the character card, yet he already felt capable of completely overwhelming these Kumogakure shinobi.
If he ever reached one hundred percent fusion… the result would be unimaginable.
Kushina stood frozen in shock. When did Ryoma learn the Shadow Clone Technique?
And this… Mokuton?
She looked ahead. Aside from the one Kumogakure shinobi who had broken free from the clones and fled, the rest had already been knocked to the ground by Ryoma's shadow clones.
The elite undercover operative who had been working inside Konoha for years… defeated so easily?
"Trying to run? Get back here!"
Ryoma's hands flashed through seals, and countless roots burst from the ground, snaking forward at incredible speed.
"No!"
The jōnin glanced back, but his vision was already filled with thick, twisting roots. They engulfed him in an instant.
Ryoma exhaled slowly.
The Wood Release—Hashirama's kekkei genkai—was simply too strong.
With just 5% of Hashirama's power, he had already subdued a jōnin.
The title "God of Shinobi" was well deserved.
"Ryoma… are they all dead?" Kushina asked hesitantly.
Ryoma shook his head. "No, they're just restrained. We'll wait for our reinforcements to arrive."
Kushina flushed, lowering her gaze before speaking in a small, embarrassed voice.
"Ryoma… could you untie the rope on my hands?"
[Given the host's current situation, three choices are available!]
Option 1: Wait for the arrival of the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, and follow the original timeline.
Reward: C-Rank Summoning — Small Toad.
Option 2: Escort Kushina to Kumogakure and become a villain.
Reward: A-Rank Ninjutsu — Hell Stab Four-Finger Thrust.
Option 3: Untie Kushina's ropes and sweep her off her feet.
Reward: Kushina Affection +10, Supreme Pack ×1.