The few strands of pure red hair lying quietly were like the dawn in the black night, incredibly striking.
Seeing the hair, Ye Zi's grim expression softened. He quickly picked up the hair, confirmed that it belonged to Kushina after a moment of inspection, and his killing intent grew even fiercer.
Without any hesitation, he placed the hair back in its place. Luckily, he had the habit of carrying a ninja tool pouch with him. He took out a kunai and stuck it into the soil next to the hair. Then, he set off to pursue the enemy ninja who had taken Kushina.
He was not arrogant enough to think he could save Kushina by himself; just delaying the enemies was already fortunate. Therefore, the hair must be left as a marker for the pursuing Konoha ninjas, and he could only leave one kunai to make the mark more noticeable. He could not make more obvious markers along the way, as it would slow down his progress.
What kind of person is Kushina…?
After more than a year of interaction, he couldn't understand why enemy ninjas would risk infiltrating Konoha Village just to capture a girl who had just graduated from the ninja academy. After all, the war had only slightly eased, and with a single spark, a great battle could reignite.
The only thing he could be sure of was that Kushina possessed value significant enough to provoke such drastic actions from the enemy.
Searching for the hair along the way took up quite a bit of time. Fortunately, her hair was pure red rather than black, making it easier to find even after nightfall.
Despite this, after several hours of pursuit, Ye Zi still saw no sign of anyone. If this continued, there would be no chance to recover once the enemies crossed the border.
On the other side, the Cloud Ninjas who had captured Kushina had been moving at full speed from the beginning. However, she lacked the stamina and endurance to match theirs, and as they neared the border, she could finally hold on no longer.
"Useless." the Cloud Ninja in charge of dragging Kushina cursed coldly. He looked at the tall man in front of him and asked, "Kyocho-sama, we are almost there. The Konoha people probably won't catch up. Should we slow down?"
The Cloud Ninja known as Kyocho had a rugged appearance with dark skin and a grotesque cross scar over his right eye. His expression was cold as ice, giving him an extraordinary, chilling aura just by looking at his face.
Upon hearing his subordinate's question, Kyocho paused, thinking that the Konoha ninjas probably wouldn't catch up, and since his three subordinates were visibly fatigued from the high-speed journey, he agreed to slow down.
He glanced at Kushina, who seemed on the verge of collapsing, and said coldly, "Slow down. We're close to the border. Don't be careless."
"Yes." the three Cloud Ninjas responded, visibly relieved. The high-intensity journey had indeed exhausted them, and if it were anyone else but Kushina, the pace could have been deadly.
Unbeknownst to them, a lone wolf was closely pursuing them.
Half an hour later, the Cloud Ninjas who had switched to walking seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll, as if the difficult task was almost complete, and their vigilance began to significantly drop. Only Kyocho, with his cross scar, remained alert.
In contrast, Kushina, whose consciousness was fading, was filled with despair.
"Someone… save me."
In her swaying vision, there was only the dark path. Faintly, a blurred figure suddenly appeared.
Black hair, black eyes, blending into the night, clear yet indistinct. The figure flickering in the darkness, the face appearing sometimes clear and sometimes blurred, seemed close at hand but still wore a face of indifference.
"Ye… Zi."
A glimmer of light appeared in Kushina's dim eyes, and her weak voice trembled and became indistinct.
"Ye Zi?" The Cloud Ninja dragging Kushina heard the vague whisper and couldn't help but look back at Kushina.
"Stop!"
At this moment, Kyocho, who was leading, suddenly stopped, gripping the hilt of his knife and turning sharply to face the back.
Seeing Kyocho's reaction, the other three ninjas understood that someone had caught up and quickly became alert, looking into the darkness behind them. They saw a figure leap from the trees and land on the ground not far from them, as if a divine soldier had descended from the sky.
"One person? Just a kid?" Seeing that the pursuer was only a Konoha child, the three Cloud Ninjas relaxed slightly, thinking that it was just a single child and not a large group of Konoha ninjas.
"You caught up."
Ye Zi, slightly out of breath, looked at the familiar figure ahead and shouted, "Kushina, are you okay?"
Unlike before, his voice was filled with anxiety and urgency, not the usual cold indifference.
Hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar voice, Kushina, thinking she might have seen an illusion, slowly turned her head and indeed saw him.
"Ye… Zi!"
Seeing Ye Zi made Kushina feel as if she was saved. Her eyes widened with joy, and her face, covered in grime, instantly lit up with relief.
"Do you think you're saved now?"
The cold voice in her ear shattered Kushina's hopes mercilessly.
Kyocho stepped over Kushina and glared coldly at Ye Zi, saying, "Nice expression. Since you dared to chase after us alone, you must be prepared to die."
As he spoke, Kyocho slowly drew his short sword, his gaze becoming exceedingly cold.
"You three, take the target across the border quickly. I'll handle this kid. If nothing unexpected happens, there might be more pursuers soon."
"Yes!"
Although they didn't understand why Kyocho wanted to stay behind just to deal with a kid, they followed the orders and sped up, dragging Kushina along.
"Damn it!"
Ye Zi stared at the short sword in Kyocho's hand, his expression grave. His goal was only to delay the enemy. It would have been ideal if the strongest person stayed behind, but in his expectation, it shouldn't have been the strongest one left behind just because he was a kid.
But it was precisely the strongest one who was left behind!
The short sword shining with a cold gleam under the moonlight as it cut through the forest seemed like the scythe of death to him.
There was no doubt that the Konoha ninjas who had become corpses were killed by this man's hand, all with a single cut to the throat—quick and decisive. However, the dead Konoha ninjas had many other small injuries, indicating that Kyocho's blade wasn't fast enough to prevent others from reacting. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to ambush from the dark and kill them directly.
"There's no chance of winning… no, just very low."
Ye Zi's expression was extremely grim. Not to mention being restrained by this man, even surviving under his hands was already very difficult. This way, he wouldn't be able to stop Kushina from being taken away.
Silently taking out a kunai and holding it tightly, he gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to look at Kushina being taken away but to focus on the man who was already exuding a chilling murderous aura. The surrounding air seemed to become viscous under the intense killing intent.
Kyocho seemed confident, and instead of attacking immediately, he looked at him, whose breathing had steadied, with a hint of admiration in his eyes. The fact that Ye Zi managed to catch up with a calm demeanor and even managed to conceal his aura indicated that this kid was not simple. However, the age was never a measure of strength.
It was a pity that this potentially talented kid from Konoha was still too young. Being reckless enough to chase after them meant that the price to be paid would be heavy!
"Do you know why I stayed behind?" Kyocho raised his arm slightly, a murderous look covering his face. "Because I know the others aren't your match! Unfortunately, you encountered me. Die here!"
Just as he was about to attack, a swift figure landed beside Ye Zi. Because he was focused on Kyocho, he noticed the figure only when it was already beside him.
Ye Zi's heartbeat quickened, and he was about to attack the figure when the voice made him stop his attack.
"Where is Kushina?" Minato's gaze turned serious as he looked at Kyocho. In a single glance, he could tell that this man was incredibly strong!
"Another kid." Kyocho frowned. It would have been acceptable if the pursuing Konoha ninjas were jōnin, but he hadn't expected that two kids would show up, and they both seemed formidable.
Seeing Minato catch up, his eyes flashed with relief. He pointed in a direction and said with an unmistakable tone, "Kushina is being taken by three Cloud Ninjas. Go quickly. I'll hold this man off."
"But…" Minato hesitated, not believing that he could handle the powerful Kyocho and fearing that Ye Zi might be killed.
"Stop hesitating. If you're any later, once Kushina is taken out of the country, it will be all over." Seeing Minato still hesitating, Ye Zi's tone became even more urgent.
"You're right." Minato nodded. He understood that if Kushina were taken out of the country, even if they managed to find her, it would be too late. Without another word, he swiftly dashed towards the direction Ye Zi had pointed out.
"Be careful!" Ye Zi shouted after him, though he didn't know if Minato could hear him.
Looking back at Kyocho, Ye Zi's expression became grim again. Kyocho's expression was no longer cold but showed an unmistakable interest, as if savoring the upcoming battle.
The night was getting darker, and the forest seemed to close in, but for him, the approaching battle had become his only focus.
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