The Kumogakure shinobi had no inkling of the changes in Night Maple's body.
They just took Night Maple's appearance as a joke.
"Kushina, I advise you to stop playing tricks."
"Even if you keep stalling, no one's coming to save you!"
Gritting her teeth, Kushina said, "You Cloud-nin kidnapped me—aren't you afraid of starting a war?"
Hearing that, a Cloud-nin burst out laughing. "Start a war? Your Konoha fears war even more than we do!"
"I don't mind telling you—once we make it back to the Cloud, Konoha won't dare go to war! Because once you're in our village, you'll become the jinchūriki of a tailed beast."
Kushina's eyes widened. "Jinchūriki? You're going to…"
The Cloud-nin smiled. "Kushina, don't worry. We'll treat you as an honored guest—better than Konoha does! If you don't mind, you'll be the next Raikage's wife! In our village, that's the First Lady!"
Kushina turned pale at that!
So the reason she'd been taken was because the Cloud needed a tailed-beast vessel?
And she'd have to become the next Raikage's wife?
Sweet as he made it sound, she wanted none of it!
"Doesn't Kumogakure already have an Eight-Tails jinchūriki?"
The Cloud-nin chuckled. "There's another one."
Clapping his hands, he said, "That's all I've got to say. Resistance is useless—be obedient and comply!"
"The border's just ahead! Our pickup should be there!"
Kushina was on the verge of tears.
"I don't want to be the Raikage's wife—I don't!"
Panic surged in Kushina's heart, and images flickered through her mind.
'Hey, stop hitting me! If you're this violent, no one will marry you later!' Night Maple shielding his head.
Minato smiling: "Your hair's fiery red—it looks pretty good!"
'Kushina, come rinse these veggies. A woman has to know her way around the kitchen, hehe!' Mikoto grinning in an apron.
'Kushina, you really won't swim? It's so refreshing!' Friends waving to her.
Gentle Granny Uzumaki Mito: "We were brought here to be vessels for the tailed beasts… But before that, you must find love to fill the void. Then even living as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, you can still find happiness…"
Kushina thought of Night Maple, Mikoto, Minato, and the others, of Granny Mito, and so many, many friends.
"Kushina can't bear to leave you all…"
Just as despair gripped her, countless saplings burst from the ground, instantly growing into towering trees!
In a heartbeat, the trees split everyone apart!
"Wood Release?!"
"Who?!"
Kushina's eyes went wide. She had no idea which lord had come to save her.
"Grab her, now!"
At the leader's bark, everyone lunged for Kushina.
Right then, five figures appeared and plunged into the melee.
Kushina looked hopefully toward the Konoha rescuer—then gaped.
Night Maple?!
They were all Night Maple?
Stunned, Kushina hadn't yet reacted when a thick branch sprang up and whisked her away.
"Ah!"
With a cry, Kushina found herself brought before someone.
Before she could react, her knees buckled and she was about to collapse.
"Hey! Red Hot Pepper, what are you doing!"
Night Maple caught the soft, trembling Kushina in his arms.
Kushina looked up—black hair, sword brows and starry eyes, a bright, hearty smile.
She'd never expected the usually timid Night Maple to be the first to rush to her rescue.
At that thought, a hint of delighted smile touched Kushina's lips.
"N-Night Maple?"
Night Maple grinned. "Well? Surprised or not?"
Seeing his smile, Kushina's tension and worry melted away.
She glanced at the Night Maple beside her, then at the five Night Maples fighting ahead.
"T-That's the Shadow Clone Technique?"
"What else?"
With less than 5% fusion of the Hashirama Senju character card, Night Maple already felt he could crush these Cloud shinobi.
If he reached 100% fusion, it was unimaginable.
Kushina was dumbfounded—when had Night Maple learned the Shadow Clone Technique?
And this Wood Release…
Kushina looked ahead. Aside from the leader who smashed a clone and ran, the other Cloud-nin had already been floored by Night Maple's shadow clones.
Kumogakure's elite sleepers, cultivated in Konoha for years—taken down by Night Maple just like that?
"Trying to run? Get over here!"
Night Maple flashed through hand seals; countless roots shot forth.
"No!"
The ninja glanced back—and his vision filled with a deluge of thick roots that swallowed him in an instant.
Night Maple couldn't help exclaiming.
Hashirama Senju's kekkei genkai was terrifyingly strong.
At just 5% power, he'd handled a chūnin with ease.
The God of Shinobi's title was no exaggeration.
Kushina asked blankly, "Night Maple, are they all dead?"
Night Maple shook his head. "Nope. All captured. Now we just wait and see when our reinforcements arrive."
Blushing, Kushina shyly said, "Night Maple, could you untie my hands?"
[In view of the host's current situation, three options are granted!]
[Option One: Wait for the Yellow Flash—Namikaze Minato—to arrive and respect canon! Reward: C-rank Summoning—Little Toad.]
[Option Two: Escort Kushina to Kumogakure and become a villain! Reward: A-rank ninjutsu—Hell Stab: Four-Finger Thrust.]
[Option Three: Untie her bonds and pick Kushina up! Reward: Kushina Affection +10! Supreme Starter Pack ×1!]