Ryoma had always wanted to respect the original storyline… but the original storyline clearly had no intention of respecting him.
Right now, he was fully absorbing all of the jutsu from Hashirama Senju's character card — including the A-rank Summoning Technique: Fivefold Rashōmon.
Compared to that, Option One's reward — the C-rank Summoning Technique for a small toad — felt laughably underwhelming.
As for Option Two, escorting Kushina Uzumaki to Kumogakure… that yellow-haired protagonist plot? Ryoma had zero interest in playing along.
Why send such a cute red-haired little loli away, when keeping her close was far more pleasant?
By contrast, Option Three was exactly what he wanted.
Whether Kushina's affection rose or not didn't matter in the slightest — what mattered was the reward: the Supreme Gift Pack.
The last time he opened one, he'd received an SSS-rank character card. What would he get this time?
Just as Ryoma was about to loosen Kushina's bindings, a yellow blur flashed toward them.
"Kushina!"
The newcomer had spiky blond hair, a cold, resolute face, and a fierce killing intent — Minato Namikaze, the future Yellow Flash of Konoha, had arrived.
He saw Kushina in someone's grasp, and his heart lurched violently.
This man had kidnapped Kushina.
Unforgivable.
"Shunshin no Jutsu!"
Minato's figure vanished in an instant.
A heartbeat later — swish! — he reappeared right behind Ryoma, a kunai already slicing toward the back of Ryoma's neck.
Ryoma narrowed his eyes, the corner of his lips curling upward.
Fast. As expected of the Yellow Flash.
But my reaction… is faster.
He ducked, avoiding the strike.
"Minato! No!" Kushina cried out in alarm.
Minato, having missed, flashed again to Ryoma's front — and now he saw the face clearly.
Ryoma?!
His eyes widened.
Too late — his body had already moved before his brain caught up, and the kunai drove toward Ryoma's chest.
"This—! I didn't mean to—"
Guilt flooded Minato's mind. He hadn't seen clearly. He thought Ryoma was a Kumogakure operative.
But in the very next second, both Ryoma and Kushina in front of him turned into wooden logs.
Kawarimi no Jutsu!
The real Ryoma and Kushina stood ten meters away.
Kushina herself didn't even know when she'd been swapped out. But when she saw Ryoma unharmed, she exhaled in relief — before glaring at Minato.
"Minato, what are you doing!?"
Minato gave a quick, guilty wave of his hand.
"I'm sorry, Ryoma. I didn't mean it. I didn't see clearly and thought you were an enemy from Kumogakure. Are you alright? Why are you even—"
Ryoma didn't answer. He simply attacked.
Retaliation wasn't usually his style… but some lessons needed to be taught.
The ground cracked beneath his foot as chakra surged into his legs. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Minato.
Minato's pupils shrank.
What speed!
He barely had time to raise his arms in defense before Ryoma's kick slammed into him, sending him flying.
"That's for not checking who you're attacking!"
"And that's for swinging without thinking!"
In mid-air, Minato was battered with a flurry of punches and kicks, never once touching the ground.
"Remember to look before you leap!"
"One more time like this, and I'll smash your head in!"
Three trees cracked and splintered as Minato crashed through them before sliding to a stop on the ground.
His clothes were in tatters, his face swollen, and his expression blank.
The genius ninja — the man who would one day become Hokage — had just been beaten senseless by a so-called dead-last shinobi.
Although Minato felt guilty for his earlier mistake, he hadn't expected Ryoma's retaliation to be so overwhelming. He didn't even have time to counterattack before he was completely outpaced — and within just one exchange, he had been thoroughly beaten.
Once Ryoma sent him flying, Minato found himself unable to recover mid-air.
That kind of control in close combat… was terrifying.
Could Ryoma actually be a peerless combat genius?
Or had he been hiding his true strength this whole time?
Kushina stood frozen in place, staring in disbelief at the sight of Minato being thoroughly manhandled.
But more than shock, she felt anger. If not for Ryoma's timely Kawarimi no Jutsu earlier, he might have been seriously injured — or worse.
Serves Minato right for attacking without thinking.
Just then, a pitch-black crow flew overhead. Its equally black eyes reflected the image of a middle-aged man.
Konohagakure – Hokage's Office
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at the scene displayed within the crystal ball on his desk.
As the Professor of Ninjutsu, Hiruzen had mastered all non–Kekkei Genkai techniques. The Summoning Technique: Crow was nothing unusual for him.
Through the crow's eyes, he had clearly seen Ryoma's Wood Style: Wood Clone Jutsu earlier.
The Wood Clone itself wasn't what concerned him — it was the timing of Ryoma's substitution.
The Clone Jutsu was only C-rank, but using it with such precision was far from simple.
This didn't fit at all with the image of Ryoma as an underachieving dead-last.
And the strikes Ryoma had landed on Minato — every punch, every kick — were perfectly measured, neither wasted nor sloppy. That wasn't the flailing of a hot-headed academy kid; it was the calculated, efficient assault of a battle-hardened veteran against an inexperienced opponent.
Minato had been thoroughly outclassed.
"Something's off about this boy… Has White Fang arrived yet?"
At that moment, Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, appeared.
His sharp eyes first fell on Minato, slumped against a tree, then shifted to Ryoma and Kushina. His frown deepened.
A shinobi showing up here under these circumstances… something wasn't right.
Not far away, several Kumogakure-nin lay unconscious on the ground.
These were clearly Minato's work…
So how had he ended up in this state?
Sakumo glanced at Ryoma, suspicion in his gaze.
"Are you Ryoma? What happened here?"
Ryoma ignored the question. Instead, he walked straight to Kushina.
Without a word, he untied her bindings — then, in one smooth motion, scooped her up in a princess carry.
"Ah! Ryoma! Wait—!" Kushina gasped. No boy had ever held her like this before.
Her hands flew up to cover her face, and she could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks.
In the soft, silvery moonlight, Ryoma's flowing black hair shimmered faintly, making him look somehow different — striking, even.
Through her fingers, Kushina snuck a peek at him. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest.
[Ding! Option Three complete!]
Reward: Kushina Affection +10!
Supreme Gift Pack ×1!