Rei Ao finally turned his gaze to the three ninja.
It was only a casual glance.
Then he raised his right hand and, from a distance, lightly pointed at the three ninja who were bracing as if facing a deadly threat.
The motion was effortless—like brushing dust off his sleeve.
No hand seals. No chakra. No fanfare.
But the instant his fingertip landed—
The three ninja, whether mid-attack or on guard, froze completely in place!
Not the stiff immobility of a paralysis jutsu.
It was as if even the very concept of "time" had stopped flowing through them.
In an instant, their eyes lost all spark, turning hollow and vacant; their pupils dilated, reflecting nothing.
Breathing, heartbeat, blood flow—even the faint ripples of thought… every sign of life, under that distant finger, sank into absolute, deathly "stasis."
Like three lifelike statues—"alive," yet stripped of their souls.
The night wind passed, and even the hems of their clothes no longer fluttered.
Kushina stared, dumbstruck, at this scene so eerie it defied comprehension, her mind going blank.
Th-this… what kind of ninjutsu is that?
No! This isn't ninjutsu at all, is it?!
"Done."
Rei Ao withdrew his hand, as if he'd merely handled something trivial.
"The nuisances are quiet for now."
He turned back to Kushina and tilted his head slightly.
"Then, per our deal, I'm here to save you."
S-save me?
Kushina still hadn't processed it.
Rei Ao had already stepped forward, bent down, and slid an arm beneath her knees and behind her back, lifting her up in a smooth bridal carry as if she weighed nothing.
"Ah!"
Kushina yelped, her hand instinctively clutching the fabric at his chest.
His hold was unexpectedly steady—warm, even, in a way that should've been reassuring.
But Kushina's cheeks burned, her heart pounding absurdly fast. She felt nothing but shock and confusion.
"W-wait! Where are you taking me?! And those people…"
"Someone will come to handle the rest," Rei Ao said flatly.
"Your safety is part of the deal now."
He started walking, as though he intended to carry her out of the woods.
Just then—
"Put her down!"
A clear, sharp shout from a teenage boy rang out. With a piercing rush through the air, a golden figure shot out from the bushes to the side like lightning, instantly cutting off Rei Ao's path!
The newcomer wore Konoha's standard green flak jacket and a forehead protector. His bright blond hair gleamed under the moonlight.
He still had a hint of youth on his face.
But his sky-blue eyes were razor-sharp with vigilance and resolve, a kunai held across his chest as he stared Rei Ao down.
It was the boy who'd sensed something wrong and sprinted here at full speed the moment he could—
Namikaze Minato!
Minato swept his gaze across the scene.
Kushina was in the arms of a strange man—apparently unharmed, but clearly panicked.
Not far away, three ninja who were obviously from another village stood frozen in bizarre poses, devoid of any presence, their state unnatural.
And the man in front of him… was unfathomable!
There was no chakra to sense at all, yet he radiated an overwhelming pressure—danger incarnate!
"Who are you?"
Minato's voice was taut. His body leaned slightly forward, coiled to explode into a high-speed assault at any moment.
"Put Kushina down! She's a Konoha ninja. Without authorization, no one is allowed to approach her or take her away!"
It was both a warning—this involved the village's core interests—and a reminder of Kushina's sensitive status.
Rei Ao stopped.
He looked at the blond boy blocking his way, expression unchanged.
"You want to tell me she's a jinchūriki?"
He repeated it, emotionless—only a lofty, indifferent coolness.
"So what?"
Minato's pupils contracted.
This man didn't care in the slightest about what "jinchūriki" meant—or the forces tied to it.
"Final warning!"
Minato tightened his grip on the kunai; chakra began surging rapidly through his body.
"Put Kushina down, or I will treat you as an invader and use full—"
He didn't get to finish.
Because Rei Ao looked at him.
Not a normal look.
That glance was calm—almost plain.
But the moment their eyes met, Minato felt as if an invisible, ice-cold hand had clamped down on his heart!
The blood in his body seemed to freeze in an instant!
An indescribable terror descended out of nowhere like a towering tsunami, swallowing him from head to toe!
It wasn't killing intent—this was something more fundamental: the crushing weight of an absolute gap in the very hierarchy of life.
Like an ant that accidentally looked up and saw a silent titan-god gazing down from the heavens.
"Ugh… ah…"
Minato wanted to move, wanted to resist—but his body refused to respond!
Every muscle, every nerve screamed with the most instinctive, despairing tremble and submission under that single glance.
He couldn't even move a finger.
All he could do was stand rigidly in place, cold sweat bursting across his forehead, his face drained paper-white, those blue eyes filled with shock and helplessness like he'd never known before…
What did he just see?
In the depths of those tranquil eyes, he thought he saw stars extinguish, worlds remade, all things returning to nothingness…
I'll die.
I'll really die.
If the other man so much as entertained the thought, he'd end up like those three ninja—maybe worse.
Rei Ao withdrew his gaze.
As if he'd merely glanced at an unremarkable pebble by the roadside.
He ignored Minato, still standing there rigid, soaked through like he'd been hauled out of water.
Cradling the still-dazed Kushina, he took one step forward.
Space rippled beneath his feet.
Their figures blurred like reflections dissolving into water, turning hazy and transparent—then vanishing completely.
Not a trace of chakra fluctuation.
Not the faintest mark of spatial distortion.
As if they had never been there at all.
Only when that suffocating pressure finally dissipated did Minato shudder violently. His knees gave out, and with a thud he dropped to the ground.
He braced himself with both hands and gulped air in huge, ragged breaths.
His heart hammered like a war drum, and the clothes on his back were already drenched with sweat.
What… was that?
Who in the world was that man?!
He jerked his head up, staring at the three enemy ninja still frozen like statues, then at the empty patch of ground where Rei Ao and Kushina had disappeared—his eyes full of disbelief, lingering fear, and a deep, gnawing worry.
Kushina was taken.
Taken by a terrifying existence beyond comprehension—beyond resistance.
He had to report to the Third immediately!
Minato forced his trembling legs to stand, cast one last look at the three eerie "statues," and gritted his teeth.
In a flash, he sprinted at full speed toward the Hokage Tower.
The moonlight remained cold and clear over the woods that had fallen silent again.
And only three soulless "statues" stood there, wordlessly testifying to how utterly what had just happened surpassed all common sense.