Kazuki stared at the system panel.
He wanted to "respect the original timeline."
But the original timeline never respected him.
Right now, he was inheriting the complete ninjutsu library of Hashirama Senju—including A-Rank techniques like Summoning: Fivefold Rashōmon.
And Option 1?
A C-Rank toad summoning?
That was practically charity.
As for Option 2—escorting Kushina to Kumogakure?
Absolutely not.
He wasn't about to throw her into political hell just to play villain.
Option 3, on the other hand…
Now that was interesting.
The favorability increase didn't matter much.
But the Supreme Pack?
The last one gave him Hashirama.
Who knew what this one would contain?
Kazuki reached to untie Kushina's bindings—
And suddenly—
A yellow flash tore across the battlefield.
"Kushina!"
Blond hair.
Sharp blue eyes.
Killing intent like a blade.
Minato Namikaze had arrived.
The moment he saw Kushina in Kazuki's arms—
His heart dropped.
He's the kidnapper.
"Body Flicker!"
Minato vanished.
Kushina gasped.
"Kazuki—!"
Minato appeared behind him instantly, kunai slashing toward Kazuki's neck.
Kazuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Fast.
But—
I'm faster.
He tilted his head just enough.
The blade missed by a hair's breadth.
Before Minato could reassess—
He was already moving again.
But this time—
He saw clearly.
"Kazuki?!"
Too late.
Momentum carried his strike forward—
The kunai pierced—
Wood.
The "Kazuki" in front of him turned into a wooden log.
Substitution Technique.
Ten meters away—
Kazuki reappeared, still holding Kushina.
Kushina stared at Minato angrily.
"Minato! Stop!"
Minato froze.
"I—I'm sorry! I thought you were Kumogakure—!"
Kazuki didn't respond.
He moved.
One step—
The ground shattered.
Chakra exploded beneath his feet.
He vanished.
Minato's eyes widened.
What speed—?!
Before he could fully react—
A kick slammed into his guard.
Boom.
Minato flew backward.
But he never hit the ground.
Kazuki was already there.
Punch.
Kick.
Elbow.
Palm.
Each strike precise.
Controlled.
Not lethal.
But humiliatingly dominant.
"You should look before you stab."
Punch.
"And stop attacking allies on instinct."
Kick.
"Next time, I won't hold back."
Minato crashed through three trees before finally skidding to a halt.
His clothes were torn.
Face bruised.
Mind completely shaken.
He had held back.
That was true.
But so had Kazuki.
And that was the terrifying part.
Minato had never felt so outmatched in close combat.
When did he become this strong?
Kushina stood frozen.
Part of her felt bad.
Another part felt it was deserved.
If Kazuki hadn't used Substitution—
He might have died.
Above them—
A black crow circled.
Its pitch-dark eyes reflected a middle-aged man watching through a crystal sphere.
Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.
Through the crow's vision, he had seen everything.
The Wood Release clone.
The timing of the Substitution Technique.
The physical control.
That wasn't sloppy academy taijutsu.
That was battlefield precision.
Calculated.
Measured.
Like a seasoned veteran disciplining a rookie.
"That boy…" Hiruzen murmured. "Something isn't right."
Moments later—
Another figure landed.
Sakumo Hatake.
He took in the scene instantly.
Unconscious Kumogakure shinobi.
Minato battered.
Kazuki standing calm.
Kushina safe.
Sakumo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're Kazuki, right? What happened here?"
Kazuki didn't answer immediately.
He walked to Kushina instead.
Gently untied her wrists.
Then—
Without warning—
He lifted her into his arms.
Princess style.
"K-Kazuki?!"
Kushina squeaked.
Her face turned bright red.
No boy had ever held her like this before.
She covered her face with her hands, peeking through her fingers.
Under the moonlight—
Kazuki's black hair shimmered silver.
His expression calm.
Confident.
Different.
Her heart fluttered.
[Ding!][Option 3 complete.][Reward: Kushina Favorability +10.][Supreme Pack ×1 obtained.]
Minato slowly stood up in the background.
Bruised.
Silent.
Watching.
For the first time in his life—
He felt like he had arrived second.