"You little brat!"
Kushina snapped fiercely.
"Oh? Isn't this the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero?"
Shin replied lazily, unfazed by her insult. After all, he was a good six or seven years younger than her.
"What did you just call me, you damn brat?!"
Kushina raised her hand, ready to strike.
But Shin didn't flinch. He reached out and caught her snow-white wrist.
So soft… and smooth.
"Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. Isn't that right?"
Kushina's beautiful eyes widened in anger, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
[Kushina's Hatred Value +100]
"You—you—you…"
She gritted her teeth, remembering how this guy always acted with no regard for seniority. "Forget it, I'm not stooping to your level."
She pulled her arm back discreetly, then asked with a hint of curiosity:
"What are they talking about in there?"
Shin's gaze lingered on her chest as he answered nonchalantly, "It's about the Scorch Release kunoichi, Pakura."
"Oh." Kushina immediately lost interest. "And here I thought it was something important. They didn't even let me listen in—for what? Like I care."
As she spoke, she suddenly noticed the brat in front of her…
His eyes were glued to her chest.
Her face flushed red—out of anger.
She instinctively crossed her arms over her chest and snapped:
"You—you—you—where the hell are you staring, you perv?!"
[Kushina's Hatred Value +500]
Shin's lips curled into a smirk. He suddenly stepped forward.
Kushina's aura faltered for a moment, and she instinctively took a step back.
But Shin kept advancing.
Until she felt the cold wall against her back—no room left to retreat.
They were face to face, barely a foot apart.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Kushina's breathing grew uneven.
Her pretty face, whether from anger or embarrassment, turned a deep shade of red.
Shin's grin faded. His expression turned solemn.
"Kushina, you're going to die."
Kushina froze.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she stared at him, suddenly calm.
She didn't immediately refute him.
After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her voice and asked:
"You saw it with your Kekkei Genkai?"
As the Hokage's wife, she was privy to certain high-level secrets known only to the Hidden Leaf's upper echelon.
In the village's intelligence archives, there was a detailed dossier on the dangerous anomaly that was Shin.
His Kekkei Genkai was strange—unprecedented in shinobi history.
It manifested in two main abilities.
The first was Telekinesis—he often controlled a specially made longsword, capable of beheading enemies from a hundred paces with terrifying precision.
But the more important ability was the second—something that remained one of Konoha's deepest secrets.
It was also part of the reason why, despite their dislike of him, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others tolerated his existence.
Shin possessed a limited ability of Precognition.
Repeated instances had confirmed this.
He himself had admitted as much.
Thanks to his foresight, Konoha had been able to preempt several key events in the Third Shinobi World War.
Countless losses had been avoided.
Now, hearing Shin suddenly utter those chilling words…
Even Kushina couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.
Her child hadn't even been born yet—how could she accept dying?
"Not just you," Shin continued casually, as if stating something trivial. "Minato will die too."
"A lot of people in Konoha will die."
"What?!"
Kushina gasped.
Her heart clenched.
"What exactly did you see?"
"Why should I tell you?" Shin sneered.
"You—!"
Kushina could feel the malicious amusement radiating off him.
This was exactly why she never liked this little punk.
Even though her husband, Minato Namikaze, trusted him deeply…
Kushina had always known—
This guy's eyes were never clean when they looked at her.
They'd argued plenty behind Minato's back.
Even fought.
But in front of others, he put on a perfectly innocent face.
No one could see the twisted, cunning man behind the mask.
Kushina's eyes glittered. She gave a mocking laugh, trying to bait him.
"Who knows if what you say is true? Are you just trying to trick me again?"
Shin's expression didn't change. He leaned in close and whispered in her ear.
Kushina wanted nothing more than to punch him into the next century.
But remembering his precognitive ability, she held back.
His breath tickled her ear, making them instantly turn red.
But before she could react further, he murmured—
"You and Minato plan to name your child Naruto. It's the name of the main character from Jiraiya's book."
Boom.
The words hit Kushina like a thunderclap.
How… how could he know that?
Only she, Minato, and Jiraiya-sensei knew about that name.
His vision… it was real.
Kushina's lips trembled.
She believed him now.
Konoha was in grave danger.
Many people would die.
She and Minato would die.
And the baby?
Kushina's eyes widened suddenly. Her voice turned hoarse.
"The baby… what about my baby?"
"Naruto?"
Shin recalled the boy who grew up shunned, drinking spoiled milk, and fighting with words alone.
"He survives."
Huuu…
Kushina let out a long breath of relief.
As long as her baby lived.
"But his life is miserable," Shin added. "He has nothing to eat most of the time. He catches fish from the river. Survives on instant ramen and expired milk. The villagers shun him. Isolate him. No one likes him…"
"What? That's impossible! How could that happen?!"
Kushina stood frozen in disbelief.
Then she shouted, "Liar! He's the son of the Fourth Hokage! How could—?!"
Shin scoffed. "Because he inherited your burden—he became the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki."
Kushina went completely still.
As a Jinchuriki herself, she knew exactly what that meant.
So everything he said… was true?
Her unborn child was destined to suffer like that?
"What… what kind of future did you see?" Kushina ground out, nearly shaking with rage.
Her beautiful eyes bore into the boy before her—this smug, conniving brat.
"If you do as I say, Kushina," Shin said gently, voice almost intimate, "I'll tell you exactly what's coming. And I promise—you and Minato will survive. You'll get to watch your little Naruto grow up, safe and happy. He won't suffer the things I saw. What do you say?"
His tone was soft, as if speaking to a beloved woman.
"You want me to listen to you?" Kushina's eyes widened.
Did she hear him right?
This guy had some nerve.
Shin looked at her delicate, beautiful face and licked his lips.
"If Kushina doesn't listen to me… not only will you die, Minato will too."
"Lady, you don't want anything to happen to your dear husband, do you?"
Kushina froze.
Then suddenly, her eyes ignited with fury.
"Shut your mouth!"
Her shoulders trembled with rage.
"You're threatening me? You dare threaten me?!"