The Barrier Rises and the Ultimate Choice of Pushing Away

The moment the lightning shield dissipated, a terrifying recoil tore through the muscle groups in Baishi's left shoulder.

Blood exploded like mist. Without even a muffled groan, he used the force of the blast to propel himself forward like a cannonball, slamming into Kushina, who lay paralyzed on the ground.

BOOM—!

The black-purple Tailed Beast Bomb, now devoid of obstacles, crushed the ground where Baishi had been standing just a moment before like a beast unleashed. The pillar of destructive energy grazed his back, instantly vaporizing the remnants of his ANBU uniform. The stench of charred flesh mixed with the thick, metallic scent of blood pierced straight into his nostrils.

Baishi's only remaining arm scooped up the red-haired woman from the ground.

Kushina's body was as cold as ice, her life force fading rapidly as the Nine-Tails was extracted. In contrast, Baishi's chest was searingly hot, fueled by his heart pumping frantically and the overloaded combustion of his chakra.

"You..." Kushina's unfocused pupils dilated sharply.

She smelled the scent of scorched flesh coming from Baishi. She could clearly feel that the left arm holding her had its bones shattered into countless pieces, held together only by the few remaining tendons and the forced tension of his lightning-attribute chakra.

Above them, four pillars of red light reaching into the heavens were rapidly closing in.

The dark red Four Red Yang Formation barrier descended like the guillotine of a grim reaper, closing at a speed visible to the naked eye. The gap was down to two meters, then one and a half, then one...

Baishi's retinas had been severely burned by the intense glare of the Tailed Beast Bomb, leaving his vision a sea of blinding blood-red.

He gasped for air, each breath spraying bloody foam from the puncture wound in his chest. He knew full well that with his current broken body, leaking blood at a frantic rate, it was impossible to leap out of the barrier while carrying someone.

The life force of this simulation body had been completely severed; even if he escaped, he would not live for more than three minutes.

To intercept Namikaze Minato's ultimate destiny, to make this woman who possessed the power of the Nine-Tails truly become his plaything in reality, this performance had to be taken to the extreme.

Without a moment's hesitation, Baishi slammed his feet to a halt mid-sprint.

His heavy military boots plowed two deep furrows into the flagstones, sending gravel flying.

Kushina sensed him stop, and her heart gave a violent jolt. She clutched at the tattered collar of Baishi's chest, her nails digging deep into his blood-soaked skin.

"No... don't let go!" Her withered red hair danced wildly in the storm, her voice raspy and unrecognizable. "If we go, we go together! Minato... Minato will be here soon!"

Minato?

A cruel, cold sneer curled the corners of Baishi's mouth beneath his mask.

That golden-haired genius was currently busy settling his precious son; he had no time to spare for this place.

"Shut up." Baishi's voice was as raspy as sandpaper on stone, yet it carried an unquestionable coldness.

The muscles in his remaining left arm bulged violently, squeezing out the very last shred of the simulation body's life potential. He exerted force from his waist, his spine letting out an unbearable cracking sound, and he swung his left arm in a full arc, hurling the red-haired woman like a cannonball toward the gap of less than half a meter at the top of the barrier!

"Baishi—!!!"

Kushina's body soared into the air, the sensation of weightlessness instantly enveloping her.

In mid-air, she turned her head uncontrollably. Looking past Baishi's shoulder, she saw the black-purple Tailed Beast Bomb that had completely crushed everything in its path.

The light of destruction had already touched Baishi's back.

And that man simply stood there quietly, maintaining the posture of having thrown her. He did not turn around, did not flee, and did not even weave a single sign for defense.

HUM—!

A dull, thunderous boom shook the night sky.

The second after Kushina flew out, the dark red light curtain slammed shut.

The Four Red Yang Formation was completely sealed. Inside and outside the barrier were now two absolutely isolated worlds.

THUD!

Kushina fell heavily onto the grass outside the barrier. The immense momentum sent her rolling seven or eight times across the muddy ground until she slammed into a large tree, finally coming to a stop.

A sweetness rose in her throat, and she spat out a large mouthful of blood. Her withered red hair was matted with mud and grass, looking utterly wretched.

But she couldn't care less about her broken ribs or her fading life force.

She scrambled up like a madwoman, crawling and stumbling toward that dark red light curtain.

RUMBLE—!!!

Inside the barrier, the Tailed Beast Bomb detonated completely.

The black-purple energy storm instantly swallowed the entire hilltop. The walls of the Four Red Yang Formation shuddered violently under the terrifying shockwave, ripples of violent energy spreading across them.

Kushina threw herself against the barrier, pressing her hands firmly against the dark red light curtain.

The extreme heat radiating from the surface of the Four Red Yang Formation instantly scorched her palms. Her flesh hissed, and the stench of burning meat filled the air, but she felt no pain at all.

Through the translucent red light, she watched helplessly as that destructive energy completely engulfed Baishi's slender figure.

There was no miracle. No Flying Thunder God.

The man who had severed his own arm to save her, who had been pierced through the chest by a black rod, and who had used his own flesh and blood to withstand the Tailed Beast Bomb, was left behind in that cage of despair forever.

"No... don't..."

Kushina's legs gave out completely, and she collapsed to her knees before the barrier. Tears mixed with the gray blood on her cheeks, splashing in large droplets onto the scorched earth.

"Come out! You bastard! Who gave you the right to make decisions for me!"

Her shrill, piercing roar tore through the night sky of Konoha. She hammered frantically against the indestructible barrier, her scorched fists becoming a bloody mess, leaving shocking bloodstains on the dark red light curtain.

Why did it have to end like this?

She should have been the Fourth Hokage's wife, destined for a perfect life. But when disaster struck, the golden-haired sun who had promised to protect her forever was not by her side.

Instead, it was this expendable pawn, his name hidden behind an ANBU codename, who repeatedly stood before her, forcefully shoving the hope of survival into her hands while walking towards his own destruction.

Within the barrier.

Obito stood atop the rampaging Nine-Tails, his black cloak fluttering in the chakra storm. His Mangekyou Sharingan coldly gazed at the area below, swallowed by the light of the Tailed Beast Bomb.

"A pathetic self-sacrifice," Obito sneered, his voice laced with undisguised contempt. "Is this the Will of Fire you pride yourselves on? In the face of absolute power, it's merely the impotent wails of the weak."

He commanded the Nine-Tails to turn, its massive tail lashing out fiercely at the barrier wall of the Four Red Yang Formation, preparing to tear through this defense to deal with Konoha's reinforcements.

However, the instant Obito turned.

From the center of the destructive radiance, the figure that should have been vaporized was still standing.

Baishi's lower body had been completely shredded by the Tailed Beast Bomb's energy. His left arm, along with half his shoulder, had turned to dust.

But he did not fall.

The remaining lightning chakra, like chains, rigidly anchored his remaining half-torso.

Baishi slowly raised his head.

Through the churning crimson barrier, through the flying ash and blinding light, his eyes, black and terrifyingly calm, locked with pinpoint accuracy onto Kushina, who was collapsing and crying outside the barrier.

Their eyes met.

Kushina's frantic pounding on the barrier froze. Her breath hitched completely, her hands pressed tightly against the light screen, trying to etch the man's reflection into the depths of her soul.

Before the light completely consumed his head, Baishi's lips curved slightly, forming a tragic yet gentle arc.

His broken lips parted slightly.

No sound emerged through the barrier.

But Kushina understood the mouthing.

Her pupils instantly dilated to their limit, her heart was crushed by an invisible hand, and along with her soul, she plunged into an abyss of eternal damnation.