The Golden-Haired Genius's Stiff Smile and the First Glimpse of the Three-Person Shura Field

"There is a god... hidden in his mind!"

Yamanaka Inoichi's shrill, agonizing roar echoed through the sealed underground interrogation room. He convulsed violently on the cold stone floor like a fish out of water. Dark red blood gushed wildly from the corners of his eyes, nose, and mouth, staining his collar crimson in the blink of an eye.

"Inoichi!" Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up abruptly, his pipe clattering to the floor and scattering sparks.

The remaining eye of Shimura Danzo narrowed sharply. Without a moment's hesitation, he triggered the mechanism at the base of his cane. A chilling flash of steel, accompanied by the piercing shriek of Wind Release chakra, struck directly at Baishi's throat!

"No matter what is hidden in his mind, Konoha does not need uncontrollable variables!" Danzo's voice was as cold as an ice cellar.

The blade sliced through the air, and the chill of death instantly pressed against Baishi's skin.

Bound tightly to the iron chair by chakra chains, Baishi had nowhere to dodge. Yet, the pupils beneath his mask remained devoid of any ripples.

The backlash mechanism of the Simulator? He sneered inwardly. That is a dimensional product capable of intercepting the fate of planes; for the mere spiritual power of the Yamanaka Clan to dare touch it is like a mayfly trying to topple a tree.

On the surface, however, Baishi acted as if he had been scared out of his wits. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a desperate, miserable scream: "Lord Hokage, help me—!"

Just as Danzo's blade was a mere half-inch from Baishi's carotid artery—

"BOOM—!!!"

The half-meter-thick reinforced steel door let out a groan of unbearable pressure before being blasted inward by a terrifying, violent force!

The multi-ton metal slab slammed into the center of the interrogation room like a cannonball. Danzo's expression shifted violently, and he was forced to retract his blade and retreat.

A scorching heatwave, carrying a thick scent of blood and violent chakra, instantly flooded the underground space. The searchlights overhead flickered wildly under the intense energy fluctuations, emitting a buzzing sound of electrical discharge.

"Who dares touch him—!!!"

Accompanied by a hoarse, desperate roar, a crimson Nine-Tails chakra cloak illuminated the dim interrogation room like burning hellfire.

Uzumaki Kushina stood barefoot amidst the wreckage, her dazzling red hair dancing wildly in the shockwave. Her eyes had transformed into beast-like vertical slits, locked onto the blade-wielding Danzo with killing intent that felt almost tangible.

"Kushina?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen was shocked. "How did you get here? Quickly, withdraw the Nine-Tails chakra!"

Kushina ignored the Third Hokage entirely. Her gaze fell instantly upon Baishi, who was locked in the interrogation chair.

He was drenched, and beneath his half-shattered mask, a bloody, mangled wound was visible—a graze from Minato's kunai. At this moment, he looked like a lamb waiting for the slaughter, huddled in the chair and trembling.

In that instant, the image of the blood-drenched ANBU youth who had shielded her from a fatal blow five years ago perfectly overlapped with this pathetic, low-ranking cannon fodder before her.

"Baishi..."

Kushina's eyes turned bloodshot in an instant. She lunged toward the interrogation chair, her scorching hands grabbing the chakra chains forged from special metal.

"Sizzle—"

The intense heat of the Nine-Tails chakra instantly raised blisters on her palms, releasing the smell of charred flesh, but she didn't even frown. Relying on sheer, terrifying brute force, she tore the thick chains to pieces!

"Clang!" The broken chains hit the floor.

Kushina pulled Baishi tightly into her arms. Her trembling arms locked around his shoulders as if, should she let go, he would vanish completely just like in her dreams.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry I'm late..." Hot tears fell into the crook of Baishi's cold neck, Kushina's voice choked with sobs. "Did they hurt you? Does the wound still hurt? Don't be afraid, I'm here. No one will ever hurt you again!"

Buried in that softness and heat, Baishi smelled the unique fragrance of her hair, mixed with the scent of blood radiating from her extreme grief and indignation.

He suppressed the sneer in his heart, his body cooperating by trembling violently. Instead of hugging her back, he used his handcuffed hands to push against her shoulders with extreme resistance.

"M-My Lady... you have the wrong person..." Baishi bit his tongue, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his voice as weak as a candle in the wind. "I am just a Genin... please don't... offend Lord Hokage for my sake..."

At times like this, the more one tried to distance themselves, the more it ignited the other party's protective instincts.

Sure enough, hearing his "submissive" words, Kushina's heart ached as if it were being shredded by knives.

He had been pushed to this point, yet he was still trying to protect her! Still trying to swallow the secret of how he saved her all those years ago!

"I won't allow you to say that!" Kushina whipped her head around, her crimson vertical pupils glaring at the Third and Danzo, while three massive tails began to manifest from the Nine-Tails chakra behind her. "If anyone dares touch a hair on his head today, I will tear this building down!"

Just as the atmosphere reached a breaking point, a golden figure slowly emerged from the shadows at the doorway.

Namikaze Minato.

He had just arrived via the Flying Thunder God, his breath still uneven. But when he looked up and saw the scene inside the interrogation room, he froze in place.

Under the pale halo of the searchlights, his fiancée—the red-haired girl who usually blushed at the mere act of holding hands—was currently shielding a low-ranking ANBU in her arms with an incredibly intimate and possessive posture.

For the sake of that man, she had unleashed the Nine-Tails chakra, defied the highest authority in Konoha, and didn't even seem to notice that her own hands were burned to a bloody mess.

Minato's usually flawless, sun-like, warm smile shattered, piece by piece, in that moment.

It felt as if something deep inside his heart had been ripped open, and cold wind was howling into the void.

"Kushina..." Minato's voice was dry. He struggled to maintain his reason and took a step forward. "This is an interrogation room. Let him go first; we can talk about this when we get home."

"Don't come any closer!"

Kushina snapped sharply. One of the chakra tails behind her lashed out like a whip, striking the stone floor at Minato's feet and carving a deep fissure.

Minato was forced to stop. He looked at the crack in the floor in disbelief, his golden bangs obscuring the gloom surging in his eyes.

"Home?" Kushina let out a bitter laugh, her eyes filled with disappointment and obsession. "Which home? Back to that place full of lies? Minato, you know deep down who saved me on that rainy night five years ago!"

Minato clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms.

She still didn't believe him! She would rather believe in an absurd hallucination, believe in a low-ranking ANBU of unknown origin, than believe in him, her own fiancé!

"Kushina, your mind has been affected by the Nine-Tails." Minato took a deep breath, his tone becoming unprecedentedly stern, his hand already quietly gripping a Flying Thunder God kunai. "I must take you out of here first."

"Dare to touch him and see what happens!" Kushina did not yield in the slightest. The chains of her Adamantine Sealing Chains had already emerged from behind her, pointing directly at Minato.

The three-way standoff erupted violently within the cramped basement.

Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the scene, his brows knitted into a tight knot. A Nine-Tails jinchuriki rampaging in the heart of the village was no laughing matter. Once the Nine-Tails broke its seal, Konoha would face an apocalyptic disaster.

Yet, he was even more wary of Yamanaka Inoichi, who lay on the ground with his life hanging in the balance, and the seemingly frail ANBU youth protected in Kushina's arms.

"Hiding a god in his mind..." Sarutobi exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his eyes terrifyingly profound.

Danzo let out a cold snort and gripped his ninja sword. "Hiruzen, mercy does not command an army! The Nine-Tails jinchuriki is out of control, and this genin is the culprit. He must be eliminated immediately!"

"Shut up, Danzo." Sarutobi cut him off sharply, then put on a gentle expression as he looked at Kushina. "Kushina, the village has no intention of harming him. Inoichi was merely conducting a routine check; now that the check is over, he has been proven innocent."

At these words, Danzo looked at Sarutobi in disbelief.

Minato also jerked his head up, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Buried in Kushina's arms, Baishi finally curled his lips into an imperceptible cold sneer beneath his mask.

An old fox is an old fox, after all. Before figuring out the truth about the "god" and faced with the threat of the Nine-Tails rampaging, Sarutobi chose to back down.

The vigilance in Kushina's eyes did not dissipate. She held Baishi tightly, like a lone wolf guarding its prey. "I am taking him with me!"

"No!" This time, it was Namikaze Minato who spoke.

Minato strode to the front of Sarutobi and knelt on one knee. His face, which had regained its composure, revealed a heart-stopping sense of resolve.

"Lord Third, since Kushina trusts him so much, and he has proven his innocence," Minato raised his head slightly, his azure eyes locking onto Baishi, who was huddled in Kushina's arms. "I propose that the genin 'Owl' be transferred to my direct squad, where I will personally supervise him."

The interrogation room fell into instant silence.

Baishi's breath hitched for a moment. Keeping a romantic rival under your nose to monitor him? Namikaze Minato, you are even more ruthless than I imagined.