Time rewinds slightly to earlier events.
At around six o'clock, Kushina was walking to her doorstep.
Though she often had meals at Grandma Mito's place, after all, that was still the Senju clan's territory.
She didn't live with Grandma Mito and had her residence.
Just as she took out her keys and opened the door, Kushina couldn't help but yawn, covering her mouth and looking somewhat exhausted.
It's all because of that guy Natsuhiko. Recently, he's been asking her to spar every morning, exhausting her completely each time with his tentacle techniques.
This left her with no energy to even go to the Ninja Tavern to play cards these past few days. She just wanted to get home early, take a bath, and fall asleep.
However, as she wobbled into the yard, Kushina suddenly sensed something amiss.
The combat instincts she had honed through sparring with Natsuhiko recently made her feel a sense of danger, immediately putting her on high alert.
Unfortunately, her reaction was still a beat too slow. A shadow appeared behind her abruptly, followed by a swift hand chop.
Before Kushina could make any resistance, her body went limp, collapsing to the ground.
Then, two more figures appeared in the yard.
At this moment, the moon emerged from the clouds, casting moonlight that illuminated the entire yard.
In the faint light, the three figures with dark skin wearing Kumogakure ninja attire could be seen.
"Captain Yawai, how is it?"
The ninja who had knocked out Kushina closed his eyes and formed a hand seal with one hand.
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and nodded:
"No doubt about it, this immense chakra volume is rare even among the Uzumaki clan."
"It seems this girl is indeed Konoha's future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"
He then said excitedly, "And this chakra feels very special, extremely valuable for research. We've really struck gold this time!"
One subordinate regretfully said, "It's a pity she hasn't truly become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki yet, or we'd have hit the jackpot."
"Fool!" Yawai whispered harshly, "If she had really become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, we wouldn't even have the chance to get close to her."
"Captain, you have a point." The subordinate scratched his head.
Then, under Yawai's direction, the subordinate took out a rope and tied up Kushina.
The other subordinate, however, expressed some concern:
"Captain Yawai, are we really okay acting on our own like this? Didn't the village send us to Konoha to sign a peace agreement?"
Yawai sneered, "The truce is because we can't do anything to each other at the moment, not because of any damn peace agreement."
"And as the strongest of the tailed beasts, the Nine-Tails demands very high standards for its Jinchuriki."
"I'm afraid Konoha won't find a more suitable candidate than this girl."
"So as long as we take her back to the village, we will surely cause Konoha a lot of trouble."
"By then, Lord Raikage won't have time to praise us; why would he blame us?"
He then laughed, "And don't forget, the Two-Tails is still sealed in the Amber Purification Bottle, originally intended for a little girl, but now we seem to have a better choice."
A subordinate chuckled, "Turning Konoha's prospective Nine-Tails Jinchuriki into our Two-Tails Jinchuriki sounds thrilling."
Yawai also smiled, then turned serious again.
"But we mustn't be careless before we return to the village. Don't forget, we haven't found the person who provided us with the information about this girl."
"That's true. Captain, could this be a trap?"
Yawai shook his head, "If it were a trap for us, we would already be surrounded."
"As I see it, this is likely another internal conflict within Konoha, using us as pawns."
"Indeed, fortresses are easiest to breach from within. Only Konoha can defeat Konoha."
"But once we leave Konoha, who is the player and who is the pawn might still be up for debate."
At this point, the subordinate had finished tying up Kushina and carried her on his shoulder.
The three of them then swiftly left Kushina's residence, disappearing into the distance.
Finally, one of the Kumogakure subordinates lamented, "It's a pity I didn't get to see that Ninja Tavern..."
After they left, a sad, one-eyed man emerged from a nearby grove.
Shimura Danzo!
Watching the departing Kumogakure ninjas, Danzo's eyes deepened, and then he vanished into a puff of smoke.
...
When Kushina woke up again, she found herself being carried on a ninja's shoulder, with two other ninjas swiftly leaping through the forest.
She instinctively struggled, only to find herself tightly bound by solid ropes, unable to move.
Kushina then saw the man who seemed to be the leader lower his hand from forming a seal, glance at her, and say:
"Impressive, waking up so quickly, as expected of the Uzumaki clan."
"But I advise you not to struggle. After all, we might become comrades in the future, so I don't want to be too rough with you."
"?"
Comrades?
Kushina was puzzled.
But from the ropes binding her, the Kumogakure attire, and the previous conversation, even with her not-so-bright mind, Kushina quickly understood her situation.
She, Uzumaki Kushina, had been kidnapped!!
"Grandma Mito, Natsuhiko, Sister Tsunade, someone, please save me!?"
Kushina cried inwardly.
Although she had undergone considerable practical training with Natsuhiko recently, faced with a real crisis, Kushina was still at a loss.
Fortunately, she quickly thought of the communication bracelet Natsuhiko had given her.
Even though these Kumogakure ninjas had taken away her ninja tools, they hadn't touched her bracelet.
So, Kushina secretly infused the chakra into the bracelet and activated it.
Looking at the scroll interface before her, even though she knew others couldn't see it, Kushina still felt nervous.
First, she used the knowledge from the ninja academy to identify her location.
Then, using the rune technique Natsuhiko had almost forced her to learn, she quietly typed out a message and sent it with all her might.
[Red Comet: Natsuhiko, I've been captured by Kumogakure's bad guys, now in the forest north of Konoha; please save me!!]
After sending the message, Kushina felt every second drag by.
Fortunately, after a dozen seconds, she was astonished to receive a response:
[White Demon: Do not respond! Do not respond!! Do not respond!!!
Kushina, rest assured I have received your message and will initiate a rescue operation shortly.
However, there might be sensory-type ninjas among the enemy, and frequent communication might alert them to the chakra fluctuations during transmission!
So unless there are significant changes, do not communicate frequently!
Also, if you have the chance, Kushina, you can leave markers along the way, like strands of hair.
Lastly, to reiterate:
[Do not respond! Do not respond!! Do not respond!!!]
[Red Comet: OK, no problem!]
Kushina almost sent this message but managed to hold back...
Thinking for a moment, she decided to follow Natsuhiko's advice and secretly pluck a strand of her red hair, dropping it on the ground.
"I hope I get rescued before I run out of hair..."
Kushina cried inwardly again.
...
At Natsuhiko's house, a peculiar black tower was emitting white smoke.
No. 2 stood nearby, shaking his head:
"Tsk tsk, the prototype of the Dark Tower we finally built got burned out by your message."
"I told you this machine couldn't handle such high-power transmission."
Natsuhiko, fiddling with a backpack-like device on a stone table nearby, replied casually:
"No choice; I had to ensure Kushina could receive my message."
"In the end, I was too careless, thinking the kidnapping would happen after Kumogakure signed the agreement and was about to leave."
"Didn't expect them to act so decisively..."
"Good thing I had prepared for this scenario."
"Minato also left towards the northern gate of the village, and I reminded Kushina to use her hair for marking."
"Minato might find her hair in the dark forest and follow to rescue her, which is an added safety measure."
"But we can't rely entirely on the 'plot,' as my presence has already changed many things."
"Looks like I have to go in person."
By now, Natsuhiko had strapped on the machine and smiled at the three little ones:
"This time, I might have to go all out. It looks like you all might have to go to bed early tonight."
(End of Chapter)
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