"Where are you taking me?" Gu Lingxiao's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of just the right amount of confusion.
He watched the woman in front of him, her fiery red hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her back was straight, and every step she took was quick and urgent, as if she were racing against something invisible.
Kushina did not turn back, nor did she answer.
Her mind was currently filled with Gu Lingxiao's inner thoughts from just moments ago—'Coup d'état', 'Extermination', 'Mikoto perishing', 'Exterminated by her own son'...
Every word felt like a red-hot iron, searing itself into her nerves, hurting so much she almost wanted to scream.
Mikoto... Her best friend, that woman as gentle as water who always listened to her complaints with a smile, accompanied her shopping, and shared in all her joys and sorrows—how could she end up with such a fate?
And the Uchiha Clan, one of the founding pillars of Konoha, the most powerful and ancient noble family in the Village—how could they possibly be exterminated?
This was too absurd! This was even harder for her to believe than Minato being a puppet Hokage!
However, everything revealed in this man's inner thoughts, from the puppet Hokage to the Nine-Tailed's 'tsundere' attributes, was being verified step by step.
She didn't know why he could know the future, but after the verification... She dared not disbelieve it, and she could not afford not to believe it!
She had to see Mikoto immediately! She needed to know more! She needed to know how all of this would happen, and how to stop it!
An unprecedented sense of determination and madness gripped her heart.
She had to protect Minato, and she had to protect Mikoto! No one could take them away from her!
Mikoto could be said to be one of the few friends she still had by her side in Konoha besides Minato.
Watching Kushina say nothing, just walking with her head down and moving quickly in front, Gu Lingxiao raised his brows slightly beneath his mask.
'What's wrong with this woman again? A moment ago she looked like she was ready to risk her life fighting me, and now she's rushing off like this. Where is she going?'
He followed behind, leisurely observing the surrounding streets.
As they followed Kushina's pace, the style of the surrounding buildings began to change, with the red and white fan clan emblem hanging in front of every household.
Gu Lingxiao's steps faltered almost imperceptibly, then he understood.
'Oh? Uchiha Compound?'
'Why come here? Could it be... Uchiha Mikoto? Oh right, I almost forgot, this gentle wife is Kushina's best friend.'
'Is she taking me to see her best friend? Tsk tsk, how this plot is developing, why does it feel like it's heading in an increasingly strange direction...'
Hearing this inner thought, Kushina's heart, which had been filled with anger and fear, inexplicably sprouted a tiny bit of pride.
That's right! Mikoto is my best friend! We're so close we're practically inseparable!
She subconsciously puffed out her chest, as if asserting ownership, but this small bit of pride was quickly replaced by a heavier anxiety.
She had to figure out where Mikoto's tragedy would originate.
Just the moment Kushina brought Gu Lingxiao into the area of the Uchiha Compound, several pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows immediately locked onto them.
On the treetops, two Anbu wearing animal masks exchanged a glance.
"It's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the one beside her is that Gu Lingxiao."
"What is she doing here? Hokage-sama just ordered 24-hour surveillance on that man."
"You keep watching, I'll go report to Hokage-sama!" One of the Anbu whispered, his figure flashing, and he disappeared from the spot.
...However, this Anbu's figure did not appear at the Hokage Building immediately.
He crossed more than half the Village and finally landed at another heavily guarded residence—deep within the Sarutobi Clan grounds.
Inside the study, Hiruzen Sarutobi was leisurely smoking his pipe, listening to the Anbu's report in front of him.
"...That is how it is, Sandaime-sama. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has brought that bodyguard named Gu Lingxiao into the Uchiha Compound." The Anbu knelt on one knee, his voice steady.
"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a cloud of smoke, a glint of sharp light flashing in his seemingly senile old eyes. "Kushina, that girl... went to the Uchiha house, has she..."
His fingers tapped lightly on the desk, as if he were pondering something.
As an Anbu under the direct jurisdiction of the Hokage, reporting to him, this "retired" old man, first, the implication was self-evident.
"I understand." Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, then finally just waved his hand. "Go report to Minato as well."
"Yes!" The Anbu acknowledged the order, and his figure disappeared again.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked out the window, his gaze deep.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the Uchiha... these two most unstable factors in Konoha coming together was not a good sign. Especially at this critical juncture when Minato had just taken office.
...Inside the Hokage Office.
Minato Namikaze was burying his head in a mountain of documents, his brows tightly locked.
That Anbu appeared silently and repeated what he had just said to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After hearing the report, the hand Minato held his pen with stopped in mid-air. He fell silent.
Unlike in the past when hearing similar things, he would always subconsciously find reasons for Kushina and Sandaime-sensei; this time, his mind was clear, and also icy cold.
The Anbu... went to Sandaime-sensei's place first. This fact, like an icy needle, pierced the last bit of fantasy in his heart called "naivety."
He was the Hokage! Yet his direct Anbu habitually reported to his retired teacher first. What did this mean?
It meant that in the eyes of the Anbu, and in the eyes of many in Konoha, he, Minato Namikaze, was still not the one who could truly call the shots.
So, from the very beginning, I had been kept in the dark. So, the "selfless assistance" I was grateful for was nothing more than another form of control.
Minato's eyes sank bit by bit.
He did not, like before, think about why Kushina wanted to go to the Uchiha Compound, nor did he worry about her friendship with Mikoto.
What he thought about was whether this action of Kushina's was also influenced by that man named Gu Lingxiao?
From yesterday until now, all of Kushina's abnormal actions seemed to be related to this man.
This man was like a stick stirring up muddy water, turning his originally calm and stable life upside down.
A subtle and dangerous aura flashed across this newly appointed Fourth Hokage.
"I understand, you may go." He said in a low voice.
"Yes!"
After the Anbu retreated, Minato leaned back slowly in his chair, looking at the Hokage Rock outside the window. On that face, which always wore a sunny smile, for the first time, a deep exhaustion and contemplation appeared.
...Inside the Uchiha Compound.
Kushina's arrival attracted the attention of quite a few Uchiha clansmen.
What surprised Gu Lingxiao somewhat was that these Uchiha, known for their arrogance, were actually quite friendly when they saw Kushina.
Many people would even take the initiative to stop and greet her with a smile.
"It's Kushina-sama."
"Kushina-sama, what brings you here today?"
"Would you like to come over to our place for a sit-down?"
Kushina also responded to each one with a smile, appearing familiar and natural.