Hokage's Office
Even though it was already past eight, the office was still brightly lit.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting at his desk, handling various documents.
Although the war between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud was nearing a temporary end, there was still a lot of aftermath that required his attention.
Looking at the thick stack of unfinished papers on his desk, he smiled wryly and rubbed his right shoulder.
"Sigh, it seems there won't be any time for cards tonight. My ranking will be surpassed by that kid, Fugaku, again."
"Hokage-sama!"
At that moment, an Anbu member suddenly appeared, kneeling in the Hokage's office.
"What is it?"
Hiruzen put aside a document he had just finished reviewing and asked casually.
"Special Jōnin Amou Natsuhiko is currently outside the building, saying he has something significant to discuss with you."
"Oh? It's Natsuhiko."
The Third Hokage raised his eyebrows slightly, not knowing what Natsuhiko wanted to discuss.
After pondering for a few seconds, he said, "Let him in."
"Yes!" The Anbu replied and instantly left the office.
Moments later, Natsuhiko walked quickly into the office. Before the cheerful Third Hokage could speak, he said urgently, "Hokage-sama, Kushina has been kidnapped by Hidden Cloud ninjas. She's currently in the forest north of Konoha. Please organise a rescue team immediately!"
"Wha... What!?"
Hiruzen's smile vanished instantly, his face changing dramatically. "Natsuhiko, are you sure there's no mistake?"
"There's no mistake."
Natsuhiko showed the bracelet on his left hand and said, "Hokage-sama, this is my newly invented communication bracelet. It can use chakra waves for long-distance communication."
"To test it, I gave one to Kushina as well, and she just used her bracelet to call for help."
"Communication bracelet..."
Hiruzen was momentarily stunned, quickly realising the potential of this device in wartime.
Natsuhiko, how did he silently invent such a fantastic thing? However, the situation was urgent, and he had no time to think deeply. He quickly took a crystal ball from a drawer, pulled off the bloodstained dust cloth, and began to perform his self-created Telescope Technique.
Although he trusted Natsuhiko wouldn't make such a severe claim lightly, he still needed to confirm it.
If, after mobilising forces, it turned out Kushina was only playing a joke on Natsuhiko, it would be pretty embarrassing.
This Telescope Technique could locate not only by place but also by specific chakra.
As the future Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Kushina's chakra was naturally recorded in it.
However, after performing the technique, he still couldn't see Kushina in the crystal ball.
It wasn't a blacked-out interference caused by a barrier but rather a misty blur.
Seeing this, Hiruzen's heart sank.
This indicated two possibilities.
First, the target had already left Konoha, out of the range of the Telescope Technique.
Second, the target was dead, with no chakra remaining in the body...
Neither possibility was good news for Hiruzen.
However, compared to the second possibility, he now hoped Natsuhiko was right and that Kushina had been kidnapped.
The question was, with Anbu watching over Kushina and Konoha protected by a barrier, how could Hidden Cloud ninjas kidnap her without a trace?
Suppressing his doubts and anger, he performed the Telescope Technique twice more.
The first target was the Anbu ninja protecting Kushina. The screen was again blurry...
The second target was the Hidden Cloud delegation's inn, and this time, an image finally appeared.
The Hidden Cloud ninjas were all gathered in the courtyard.
Even in December, they were training shirtless, using various equipment to build their strength. The scene looked intense.
Hiruzen endured the discomfort of watching the scene and counted the numbers, finding that no one was missing.
Here is the translation:
---
"Was it someone else who made a move, or did he only leave a shadow clone there? Unfortunately, he can't even verify it because if it really were a shadow clone, its disappearance would notify the main body, making rescue even harder.
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
The jutsu invented by the Second Hokage is genuinely something one both loves and hates.
Then he clapped his hands and said in a deep voice, 'Someone, come!'
'Hokage-sama!' An Anbu member appeared instantly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered, 'Get 'Husky', 'Bug'... and Hyūga Hizashi to see me immediately!'
'Yes!' The Anbu member disappeared again.
Then Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze returned to Natsuhiko, who was watching the crystal ball with great interest, causing Hiruzen's mouth to twitch.
He had heard about this kid's 'copying' ability from Biwako.
Not to mention, when Natsuhiko explained the principle of the communication bracelet just now, it reminded him of the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques.
So when he saw Natsuhiko staring at the crystal ball, it actually made him a bit uneasy.
This brat, does he want to imitate even me?
He coughed twice to draw Natsuhiko's attention back, then said, 'Natsuhiko, you did very well this time. Without you, we wouldn't have known about Kushina's abduction in time.'
'And, Natsuhiko, can you still contact Kushina with that communication bracelet?'
Natsuhiko shook his head slightly. 'The distance is too far. It's already out of communication range.'
Sarutobi Hiruzen expected this and sighed helplessly.
Natsuhiko then smiled and said, 'Of course, the more important thing is that I am just a shadow clone here, and the communication bracelet on my hand is just a dummy and can't be used.'
'A shadow clone... Natsuhiko, you...'
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Natsuhiko.
'Hokage-sama, rest assured, my main body is only using the communication bracelet for long-distance tracking. If there's no opportunity, I won't act rashly.' Natsuhiko spread his hands.
'Besides, my main body will also leave marks along the way to help the rescue team catch up with the enemy faster.'
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He was afraid that Natsuhiko might act impulsively and try to play the hero.
After seeing Natsuhiko's communication bracelet, his evaluation of Natsuhiko rose again.
He is such a critical research talent that if he were to die accidentally, or worse, be captured by the Hidden Cloud Village, he would genuinely be devastated.
So, seeing Natsuhiko so clear-headed made Sarutobi Hiruzen very gratified.
This way, he could let Natsuhiko take on a more critical role in this rescue operation...
At this moment, Natsuhiko bowed slightly and said, 'Hokage-sama, since there's nothing for me to do here, I should release my shadow clone and return to my main body.'
'I wonder if there's anything you need me to convey to my main body?'
...
In the dense forest north of Konoha, a blue streak of light was recklessly charging forward.
One could faintly see that the streak of light was a white-haired youth.
He was carrying a strange machine on his back, which was furiously emitting blue flames, propelling him forward at an astonishing speed.
This youth was, of course, the rushing Natsuhiko.
With a click, a hot wooden ball was ejected from the machine and caught by Natsuhiko.
'Another chakra capacitor used up.'
Wearing goggles, Natsuhiko smiled wryly and inserted another capacitor into the machine.
'It seems I need to design a proper vehicle. This makeshift rocket backpack compresses and releases chakra, which is very inefficient.'
'Maybe I should look into using Wind Release...'
Natsuhiko thought as he sped forward without slowing down.
Occasionally, the rocket backpack would cause deviations in direction due to unstable chakra emissions, requiring Natsuhiko to adjust with a wrist-mounted device shooting out spider silk, maintaining his high speed despite the occasional stumble.
Meanwhile, Natsuhiko kept throwing strange white balls at nearby trees, creating white bat markers with arrows to guide the rescue team.
Suddenly, Natsuhiko's expression changed slightly. It turned out that the shadow clone sent to notify the Third Hokage had returned.
'S-rank mission, Operation Kushina Rescue, huh?'
Natsuhiko found it somewhat amusing that the Third Hokage's message was to assign him a task.
Though he was only responsible for leading the way, the Third Hokage also gave him discretionary authority.
He just hoped he wouldn't have to use that authority.
Natsuhiko muttered to himself.
However, things didn't seem to be going as Natsuhiko had hoped.
He had been rushing for nearly an hour with the rocket backpack, but judging by the state of Kushina's red hair left along the way; he was still some distance from the enemy.
This rocket backpack, despite its many issues due to being hastily made, was at least two to three times faster than an average ninja.
This meant that the Hidden Cloud ninjas had been moving at full speed since leaving Konoha without conserving their strength at all.
This realisation made Natsuhiko's heart sink.
The Third Hokage had not only given him the task but also provided his shadow clone with the information on the Hidden Cloud envoy ninjas and contingency plans for various scenarios.
And now was one of the worst scenarios.
This meant that the enemy had made thorough preparations in advance, and there was someone to receive them not far from Konoha, so they didn't fear exhausting their energy.
If they met up, even with additional personnel, rescuing Kushina would become significantly more complicated.
After all, with Kushina in the enemy's hands, if things went south, they might kill her immediately.
While other villages' ninjas might negotiate, the brutish Hidden Cloud ninjas would definitely do it.
The best course of action was to launch a sneak attack and rescue Kushina first, then plan the next steps.
But if they met up, the difficulty of a sneak attack would significantly increase.
This was why the Third Hokage gave him discretionary authority.
'This is a bit troublesome.'
Natsuhiko thought to himself.
He initially thought he was just a support, but now he might have to carry the mission.
However, there might be sensory-type ninjas among the enemies, making a sneak attack difficult.
Should he rely on Minato catching up and then jointly rescuing Kushina?
While Natsuhiko was analysing various plans, his bracelet suddenly vibrated.
'!'
Natsuhiko's heart sank.
This meant Kushina had sent another message...
—
Natsuhiko opened the scroll interface, his expression grave as he looked at the message.
His rocket backpack integrated a chakra wave communicator, allowing him to receive Kushina's messages from a considerable distance.
But he had previously instructed Kushina not to send messages unless it was something important to avoid being detected by any sensory ninja the enemy might have.
Though Kushina usually seemed carefree, she wasn't a girl who didn't understand the seriousness of the situation.
This meant that she must have something essential to inform Natsuhiko about to send this message.
Could it be to notify him that the enemy had already met up with their support team?
Natsuhiko extended his finger and gently opened the message.
His eyes widened as he read the content displayed on the interface:
[Are you there?]
With a rush, Natsuhiko felt his blood pressure spike.
He had to take back his previous thought; Kushina was indeed a fool.
Risking her life to send a message saying, "Are you there?"
Just as Natsuhiko was about to reprimand Kushina for such behaviour, she sent another message, making him stop.
[Red Comet: Although we are pretty far from Konoha, I know you must have a way to receive my message, Natsuhiko.
Right, don't worry. Just as you said, the leader of these people is a sensory ninja, but his sensory jutsu can't be used continuously, so I took advantage of the intervals to send you a message! Haha, how smart am I?
This is my 1322nd message. Please reply if you get it!!]
This idiot...
Natsuhiko looked at the words on the scroll, easily imagining Kushina on the verge of tears, pretending to be cheerful.
It seemed that the sensory ninja's activation and cessation of his jutsu had apparent movements, allowing Kushina to notice the pattern.
And it was only just now that Natsuhiko had closed the distance enough to enter the communication range finally.
However, he didn't reply immediately, continuing to wait for more of Kushina's messages.
After all, the chakra wave from his message could also be detected by that sensory ninja.
Only by sending his message right after receiving Kushina's could he minimise the risk of being detected.
Thus, every second felt extremely long for Natsuhiko in the meantime.
InNatsuhiko instantly sent a message and then quickly sent another pre-written message:
[White Demon: Kushina, you need to be careful not to show too much excitement. First, tell me the number of enemies, their appearance, and the duration and cooldown of that sensory jutsu.]
A moment later, Kushina sent another message.
[Red Comet: Wuwu, Natsuhiko, I knew you would come...
Right, back to business. Let me see...]
With the information provided by Kushina, Natsuhiko quickly identified the three individuals from the Hidden Cloud envoy.
Jounin Yawaei and two Chunin nobodies.
Yawaei's sensory jutsu was used every three to five minutes, lasting for a few seconds each time, probably to save chakra.
Although the range was uncertain, Natsuhiko knew that ninjas capable of large-scale sensory techniques were treasured assets in any village other than Konoha, unlikely to be dispatched for such diplomatic tasks.
Thus, three to five minutes should be enough for Natsuhiko with his rocket backpack.
Still, more intelligence was needed.
As he continued to advance, Natsuhiko sent another message to Kushina.
[White Demon: Tell me everything they're saying.]
...
A while later, on the plains not far from the forests of the Land of Fire.
"Hang in there, everyone. We'll reach the rendezvous point with the support team soon!"
Among the three swiftly moving figures, Yawaei encouraged his two exhausted subordinates.
They had been running for nearly two hours since leaving Konoha; even Kushina, who was carried on someone's shoulder, felt sore all over, not to mention them.
The subordinate carrying Kushina said helplessly:
"Captain, I don't think anyone is chasing us. Why not slow down a bit?"
"Captain, you set the rendezvous point in the Land of Grass, made us run at full speed for so long, and used sensory jutsu every few minutes. There's been no opportunity to rest."
He glanced at Kushina and smiled: "Maybe Konoha hasn't even noticed she's gone yet."
"You're wrong; they must be coming to save me. You'll see!" Kushina growled.
The Hidden Cloud ninja snorted: "You'd better hope we're not being chased, otherwise…"
Yawaei cut him off with a look and added meaningfully:
"We can't be careless. Remember, someone inside Konoha provided her information. Who knows what schemes they have."
"That's why I set the rendezvous point in the Land of Grass, to avoid an ambush."
Seeing Kushina's shocked expression, Yawaei laughed inwardly.
Then, feeling it was time, he raised his right hand to perform a sensory check again.
Seeing this, Kushina's pupils contracted, and she suddenly spoke:
"You said someone sold out my information. Do you have proof?"
Yawaei paused, smiled, and said: "How else do you think we avoided the Anbu and Konoha's barrier?"
"Girl, Konoha isn't as wonderful as you think."
"When you get to Hidden Cloud, you'll see we are the true beacon of the ninja world!"
Seeing Kushina's incredulous expression, Yawaei shrugged and raised his right hand again.
However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred!
Snap!
Walking to the front, Yawaei heard a familiar sound from beneath his feet and immediately felt something was wrong.
They saw a series of explosive tags buried in the ground pulled up by steel wires, starting to activate...
The three of them were instantly furious, cursing inwardly.
Who would be so thoughtless to set up an explosive tag trap here and forget to retrieve it?
They had heard of people falling into wild traps before but never thought it would happen to them.
Sometimes, traps were set but not triggered by the enemy, and the one who set the trap didn't have a chance to recover it, causing this situation.
Since setting traps was very time-consuming and their route was random, they didn't suspect the trap was targeted at them.
"Scatter!"
Yawaei ordered, and the three of them instantly moved away from the explosion centre, dispersing their formation.
Boom!
An explosion echoed across the plains!
Flames and smoke temporarily obscured their vision.
The subordinate carrying Kushina leapt out of the explosion range.
Just as he was about to regroup with his teammates, he heard Kushina groan in pain, making him turn his head instinctively.
Damn!
He saw a large piece of sharp metal lodged in Kushina's back, rapidly staining her clothes with blood.
The ninja hurriedly and carefully placed Kushina down, preparing to treat her.
However, when he reached for the metal shard, his hand passed through it...
Splat!
Blood spurted!
In his moment of shock, a kunai slashed his throat.
The ninja clutched his neck, fell to the ground, and took his last breath in confusion.
A white-haired youth emerged from the ground, holding a blood-dripping kunai.
And the previously grievously injured Kushina, with the wound on her back, suddenly disappeared.
She turned her head at the noise and saw Natsuhiko, and her face lit up with joy.
But soon, her heart ached inexplicably, and she pouted, her voice filled with grievance:
"Natsuhiko, I..."
"Shh!"
Natsuhiko, smiling, raised his finger to his lips, silencing Kushina.
He didn't even have time to untie her, picking her up in a princess carry and silently escaping into the ground...
Moments later, two shadows rushed through the flames to the spot.
But all that remained was their subordinate's corpse.
"Subordinate---!!!"
Yawaei's eyes filled with tears, veins bulging on his forehead, his fists clenched tightly.
The other subordinate also looked sombre.
"Looks like we were too careless, fooled by that illusion!"
Suppressing his anger, he closed his eyes to sense.
Seconds later, he opened his eyes, glaring toward the forest:
"They escaped underground and haven't gone far; we still have a chance!"
"Chase!"
(End of chapter)
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