After countless experiments, Sima Ming and Kushina finally discovered what could act as a barrier between them.
First, the object had to be movable—things like clothing, blankets, tables, chairs, or stools all worked.
Second, one of them had to be holding or wearing it.
Objects permanently fixed in place didn’t count.
For example, although the bedroom door could slide open and shut, it was attached to rails fixed to the wall and floor, making it an immovable object in the eyes of whatever strange force bound them together.
With that mystery solved, they managed to overcome one awkward problem.
Unfortunately…
Another remained.
The bathroom.
Kushina’s house used a Western-style toilet mounted against the wall.
Whenever she tried to sit on it normally, Sima Ming was forced to end up directly behind her, practically pressed against her body.
There wasn’t even enough room for him to sit on top of the toilet tank.
The only way he could keep some distance was if Kushina sat sideways.
However, that solution created an even bigger problem.
The toilet seat was oval-shaped—long from front to back and narrow from side to side.
Sitting sideways wasn’t just uncomfortable; it also made it far too easy to miss the seat or make an embarrassing mess.
Kushina rejected the idea immediately.
After a brief silence, Sima Ming quietly suggested,
“…What if you sit facing backward?”
Kushina blinked.
Then her eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, she turned around and straddled the toilet facing the tank.
Although it wasn’t as comfortable as sitting normally, it was at least clean and practical.
More importantly…
It finally gave Sima Ming enough room to step back and hide behind something to preserve what little privacy remained.
With the most embarrassing problem finally resolved, Kushina’s mood improved noticeably.
As she walked toward the sink to wash her hands, she suddenly froze.
The mirror.
For the first time, she could clearly see Sima Ming’s reflection standing behind her.
“Mr. Sima…”
“So this is what you look like!”
“You look so young!”
“And… your body is transparent!”
“Amazing!”
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
She turned left.
Then right.
Then left again.
Each movement caused Sima Ming to sway helplessly along with her, like a toy attached to a string.
Kushina seemed to find this endlessly entertaining.
Sima Ming, on the other hand, was rapidly losing his patience.
Only after he grabbed her shoulders to stop her spinning did she reluctantly settle down, still looking as though she wanted to continue.
Not long afterward, Naruto woke up crying from hunger.
Still inexperienced as a new mother, Kushina awkwardly fed him before carefully changing his diaper.
Outside, the first rays of sunlight slowly spread across Konoha.
She let out a long, exhausted yawn.
Everything that had happened during the previous night finally caught up with her.
She had endured childbirth.
The extraction of the Nine-Tails.
Near death.
The heartbreaking loss of Minato.
And throughout it all, Naruto had needed constant care.
She hadn’t rested for even a moment.
After gently rocking Naruto back to sleep and placing him in his cradle, Kushina rubbed her tired eyes.
“…Mr. Sima.”
“I can’t stay awake any longer.”
The moment those words left her lips, she collapsed sideways onto the bed and instantly fell asleep.
Fortunately, Sima Ming had already anticipated this.
He had moved onto the bed beforehand, leaving over a meter of space between them.
At least, that had been the plan.
Before he could relax…
Kushina unconsciously rolled over in her sleep.
A moment later, Sima Ming found himself lying directly beneath her.
“…”
He could only smile bitterly.
“This restriction really is absolute.”
It completely ignored personal intention and even physical positioning.
No matter what happened, he would always remain directly behind Kushina without the slightest deviation.
For the first time in days, he actually missed his useless system.
If it were still functioning, perhaps it could explain what had happened—or even offer a solution.
Ever since arriving in the Naruto world, however, the system had gone completely silent.
The system interface wouldn’t open.
The shop had disappeared.
It was as though the system had never existed.
Thankfully, Kushina wasn’t particularly heavy.
Otherwise, being pinned underneath her for hours would have been unbearable.
The faint scent of milk lingered around her after nursing Naruto.
Already exhausted and still recovering from his own injuries, Sima Ming slowly drifted off to sleep as well.
In his dream…
He returned to the battlefield of Soul Society.
The war raged around him as he clashed fiercely against the Sternritter women.
Everything felt incredibly realistic.
Except…
Something seemed strange.
Whenever Bambietta or Candice rushed toward him, their heads felt unusually soft whenever they collided with him.
It was almost as though…
Neither of them had skulls.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Early that morning, Kushina dressed herself in black mourning clothes before leaving for Konoha Cemetery.
Her face remained calm, but the sorrow in her eyes had only deepened.
Today was the memorial service for every shinobi who had lost their lives during the Nine-Tails Incident.
Among them…
The Fourth Hokage.
Minato Namikaze.
Of course, Minato’s coffin contained no body.
Only his Hokage cloak…
And one of his Flying Thunder God kunai.
Respecting Kushina’s wishes, Hiruzen Sarutobi had arranged a symbolic burial instead of demanding Minato’s remains.
He believed Kushina simply couldn’t bear to part with her husband.
Besides, with the Uzumaki Clan’s sealing techniques, preserving a body for many years posed no real difficulty.
Just as Sima Ming had predicted…
Kushina’s position within Konoha had become nearly untouchable.
She was the widow of the Fourth Hokage.
She was also the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki.
As long as she showed no intention of betraying the village or staging a rebellion, no one dared provoke her.
Not even Danzo Shimura.
Although Danzo coveted the Nine-Tails more than anyone, he knew that acting against Kushina now would destroy his reputation completely.
Over the past three days, Sima Ming and Kushina had spent many hours talking.
If Konoha truly wished to change…
Its leadership needed to change first.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had once been an extraordinary Hokage.
In his prime, he had mastered over a thousand ninjutsu and earned the title of the strongest Hokage.
But age had gradually exposed his greatest weaknesses.
He was indecisive.
Too sentimental.
Unable to make difficult decisions when they mattered most.
His greatest mistake…
Was his endless tolerance of Danzo Shimura.
Because of that misplaced trust, many of Konoha’s brightest talents had been sacrificed.
At the same time, Danzo’s actions had created countless enemies both inside and outside the village.
Danzo claimed everything he did was “for Konoha.”
Yet behind those noble words lay overwhelming selfishness.
He pursued the Hokage’s seat at any cost.
He harmed allies.
Manipulated innocents.
Even conspired against his own leaders.
Whenever someone spoke of Danzo’s contributions to Konoha, there was little evidence to support the claim.
The destruction he caused, however, was undeniable.
In many ways…
He had inflicted as much damage upon the village as an invading enemy force.
The two elder advisors weren’t much better.
Rather than acting as voices of reason, they frequently enabled Danzo’s schemes.
Time and time again, they became his shield and his justification.
Without their support, many of Danzo’s darkest plans would never have succeeded.
For a village hoping to rebuild itself…
Their continued presence brought more harm than benefit.
Even so, Kushina couldn’t remove them through strength alone.
Despite her growing influence, challenging Konoha’s highest authorities required powerful allies.
Fortunately…
One opportunity had already presented itself.
Uchiha Mikoto.
Following Hiruzen’s instructions, Mikoto had visited Kushina several times over the past few days.
To Sima Ming…
She represented the perfect bridge to rebuilding trust with the Uchiha Clan.
The atmosphere at the memorial service remained heavy with grief.
Families mourned together.
Flowers covered countless graves.
Yet unlike everyone else…
Sima Ming’s eyes gradually brightened.
He could feel it.
The cemetery overflowed with spiritual energy.
Although the souls of the fallen had already departed for the Pure Land, every body still retained faint traces of lingering soul power.
Individually, those remnants were insignificant.
But gathered together…
They formed an enormous reservoir of energy.
The amount was nearly comparable to the spiritual pressure contained within a Menos Grande.
More importantly…
This ownerless soul energy offered no resistance.
It was incredibly easy to absorb.
For someone recovering from severe injuries like Sima Ming…
It was the perfect source of nourishment.
As the funeral finally came to an end and the mourners began leaving one by one, Kushina quietly prepared to return home as well.
Just then…
Sima Ming called out to her.
Over the past few days, Kushina had gradually lowered her guard around him.
Although she had no idea what he intended to do in a cemetery…
She trusted him enough to stop and wait.