Kushina paid no attention to Hiruzen Sarutobi or the ANBU who had arrived with him.
Sima Ming’s words had forced her to confront a painful truth—her favorable impression of Konoha had existed only because she loved Minato, and that love had blinded her to everything else.
As a child, she had been cared for by Grandma Mito and looked after by Tsunade.
Later, she met Minato, who became the love of her life.
Because of them, she had always believed Konoha was a wonderful place.
But now, looking back…
When she first arrived in Konoha, her classmates mocked and bullied her because of her bright red hair.
The villagers whispered behind her back, pointing at her because she was an orphan from the Land of Whirlpools.
The Land of Whirlpools had been one of Konoha’s closest allies.
Yet when it was invaded and massacred, Konoha had not sent a single soldier to help.
The only reason they had protected her afterward was because the Uzumaki Clan possessed exceptional sealing techniques, making them the perfect vessels for the Nine-Tails.
Before Kushina, the Nine-Tails’ first Jinchūriki had been Uzumaki Mito, who also came from the Land of Whirlpools.
When Mito’s life neared its end, Konoha needed another Uzumaki to continue containing the beast.
As these thoughts spiraled through her mind, an even darker possibility surfaced.
Could Minato have been chosen by Konoha from the very beginning…
simply to tie her heart to the village?
The thought frightened her.
She immediately shook her head.
“No…”
She refused to doubt Minato’s feelings.
If he had truly been nothing more than a tool, he would never have become Hokage.
His love for her had been genuine.
But Minato represented only himself.
The rest of Konoha…
That was another matter entirely.
Even Tsunade—granddaughter of the First Hokage, princess of the Senju Clan, and someone born and raised in Konoha—had eventually abandoned the village after becoming disillusioned with it.
Kushina could only blame herself.
Because of Minato, she had ignored Konoha’s darkness for far too long.
Seeing the sorrow etched across Kushina’s face, Hiruzen chose not to comment on her cold attitude.
After all, Minato had sacrificed his life to protect the village.
Still, one question refused to leave his mind.
The Nine-Tails had clearly been extracted from Kushina.
So why was she still alive?
The sealing formula on Naruto’s body proved that Minato had ultimately sealed the Nine-Tails into his son.
If that was the case…
How had Kushina survived?
Another mystery troubled him even more.
The time and location of Kushina’s childbirth had been classified as top secret.
Only a handful of trusted individuals knew.
To ensure her safety, the delivery had been arranged outside the village under the protection of the Hokage’s personal guards, with the Barrier Team securing the area.
Yet somehow, the enemy had struck at the precise moment Kushina was weakest after giving birth.
There had to be an informant.
Hiruzen mentally reviewed everyone who knew the details.
None of them seemed likely to betray Konoha.
“…Could it have been Danzo?”
The ruthless elder’s face flashed through Hiruzen’s mind.
Danzo had always coveted the power of the Nine-Tails.
Silently, Hiruzen watched Kushina carry Minato’s body while cradling Naruto in her arms as she slowly returned to the village.
Meanwhile, Sima Ming noticed something interesting.
None of the newly arrived shinobi could see him.
Realization quickly dawned on him.
He was currently a Soul Reaper—a spiritual being.
Even in the world of Bleach, only living people with exceptionally high spiritual pressure could perceive souls.
A ninja’s Chakra was created by combining physical energy and spiritual energy.
Because of that, Sima Ming had assumed every ninja possessed enough spiritual awareness to see him.
Apparently…
He had been mistaken.
Thinking back carefully, Minato had only noticed him after the Shinigami’s arm passed through Minato’s own body.
Kushina hadn’t sensed him until he physically touched her.
Otherwise, with Minato’s cautious personality, he would never have used the Reaper Death Seal while an unknown individual remained nearby.
At the very least, he would have dealt with the mysterious stranger first before risking such a fatal technique.
Following Kushina back toward Konoha, Sima Ming considered his next move.
Since no one else could see him…
Did he really need to stay in Konoha while recovering?
The village still housed Orochimaru—a man deeply fascinated by souls.
If Orochimaru discovered him, he would probably become even more excited than Jiraiya peeking into the women’s hot springs.
As for the promise he had made to Minato…
There was no rush.
He could return after regaining his strength.
Besides, in Konoha’s current situation, even Danzo would hesitate before provoking the widow of the Fourth Hokage.
Having made up his mind, Sima Ming gave Kushina’s retreating figure one final glance.
Then he turned to leave.
Except…
He couldn’t.
No matter how hard he tried, his body refused to move away.
As Kushina continued walking, an invisible force suddenly yanked him forward several steps, as though an unseen rope connected the two of them.
“What the…?”
Sima Ming’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Did Kushina place some kind of sealing technique on me?”
He planted his feet firmly, trying to resist.
The pulling force remained.
He tried moving sideways.
Nothing.
“Does a sealing jutsu like this even exist in the ninja world?”
Curious, he stepped a little closer.
Instantly, the strange pulling sensation disappeared.
But the moment the distance between him and Kushina exceeded roughly ten meters…
The invisible force returned.
After repeating the experiment several times, he finally reached a conclusion.
“I can only stay directly behind Kushina.”
“I can’t even shift a few degrees to either side.”
“My maximum distance is ten meters.”
“The minimum…”
He glanced at their awkward positioning.
“…Negative eighteen centimeters.”
Sima Ming’s expression darkened.
“Have I been sealed just like the Nine-Tails?”
He was furious.
He had saved Kushina’s life out of kindness.
And this was how she repaid him?
“Kushina! Stop!”
Lost in grief, Kushina didn’t hear him.
Left with no choice, Sima Ming rushed forward and grabbed her shoulder.
“You need to explain this!”
Feeling someone touch her shoulder, Kushina finally stopped.
She turned around in confusion.
There was no one there.
Only then did she realize whose voice she had heard.
Although grief filled her heart, she still remembered that Sima Ming had saved her life.
Without his reminder, she might have continued sacrificing herself for a village that had never truly valued her.
“Mr. Sima…”
As she spoke, she instinctively turned around again, hoping to face him while expressing her gratitude.
It was only proper etiquette when speaking to a benefactor.
The moment she turned…
Sima Ming shot behind her at incredible speed, almost as fast as a Flash Step.
After looking around and finding no one, Kushina assumed he simply didn’t wish to reveal himself.
She reluctantly gave up trying to face him directly.
“Mr. Sima… what were you saying just now?”
Sima Ming didn’t answer.
His face had already turned pale.
His head spun violently, and nausea churned in his stomach.
Anyone prone to motion sickness knew the feeling.
Driving yourself rarely caused dizziness.
Being dragged around by someone else certainly did.
That was exactly what he was experiencing.
Using Flash Step under his own control was perfectly fine.
Being forcibly flung behind Kushina every time she turned around…
That was torture.
Determined not to suffer through another dizzying spin, Sima Ming hurried closer and wrapped his arms tightly around Kushina.
“Mr. Sima!”
Startled, Kushina instinctively struggled.
“Don’t move!” Sima Ming shouted immediately.
Fortunately, because he was already holding onto her, the forced displacement was minimal.
The dizziness quickly subsided.
Only then did he glare at the invisible space before him and complain,
“I risked my life to save you, and this is how you repay me?”
“You’ve actually sealed me up like a Tailed Beast!”
“Is this your idea of repaying kindness with hostility?”