"Naruto, stay here. It might get dangerous later."
"No, I want to go with Uncle."
Naruto shook his head.
"There's going to be a fight later. I can only rest easy if you stay here for your own safety!"
Namikaze Mirai ruffled Naruto's hair.
Although those Cloud Ninja were not particularly strong, they posed quite a significant threat to Naruto as he was now.
He could not just stand by and watch his nephew fall into danger.
"I have this!"
Naruto ran to the bedside table, rummaged through it for a moment, then pulled out a metal device and waved it at Namikaze Mirai as if showing it off.
Its silver gun body reflected a chilling gleam beneath the moonlight.
A trigger sat at the front of its grip, while two long, narrow parallel metal rails formed the shape of a barrel.
The Electromagnetic Railgun! It was the weapon Namikaze Mirai had given Naruto for self-defense on his birthday!
"I almost forgot you had that!"
Namikaze Mirai's eyes curved into smiling crescents.
This weapon, developed personally by him, perfectly integrated the Chakra system with scientific principles.
Its Chakra storage device could convert Chakra into high-voltage current, then launch bullets at extreme speeds through the acceleration rails on both sides!
If it caught someone off guard, even a Jonin would likely suffer badly!
But even with such a weapon, Uncle still could not be completely at ease! In the dim night, a large amount of viscous Silver Fluid suddenly seeped from behind Namikaze Mirai, flowing together and slowly transforming beneath the darkness into someone with the same appearance as him.
"Protect Naruto."
Namikaze Mirai gave the order.
"Yes!"
That person's body collapsed into viscous Silver Fluid and flowed into Naruto's shadow.
"Huh? Uncle, what is this?"
Naruto raised his foot in fright.
It seemed as though something strange was dwelling within the shadow beneath his feet, making it darker than usual.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Namikaze Mirai smiled as he ruffled Naruto's hair.
Magnetic Fluid Clone! This was a physical clone he had developed with Magnetic Fluid as its core! Compared with conventional Clone Techniques such as Shadow Clones and Water Clones, it possessed certain incredible abilities.
"It's time to go, Naruto!"
Namikaze Mirai wrapped his arms around Naruto.
"Yeah!"
Naruto closed his eyes.
Whoosh! The two vanished.
Only a cold wind blew in through the window, making the curtains of the empty room sway.
"Hurry! Before those idiots notice, as long as we bring this girl back to the village, we'll have endless wealth!"
Beneath the cover of night, the Kumogakure leader carried the unconscious Hinata and greedily licked his lips.
The Byakugan! If they could uncover the secrets of this bloodline limit, Kumogakure would enter an unprecedented era of prosperity! At worst, they could use this girl to breed a whole group of descendants with the Byakugan bloodline.
If they accumulated them generation after generation, perhaps an entirely new ninja clan with the Byakugan bloodline would emerge within Kumogakure!
"Boss, something seems to be happening up ahead!"
The voice of a subordinate beside him pulled him from his fantasies.
"What is it!"
The lead Cloud Ninja frowned unhappily.
They had carefully selected this route.
And it was the middle of the night. There were no active ninja anywhere in Konoha, so what could possibly be going on? "Up ahead... there seems to be someone?"
Someone?! The lead Cloud Ninja froze, then looked in the direction his subordinate was pointing.
His eyes immediately widened.
What the hell?
Blond hair???
Two blondies, one big and one small? Were they being blocked by blondies?! He looked several more times before finally confirming that he had not misseen things out of nervousness. There really were two blondies blocking the path they had to take!
"Are you looking to die? There are only two of you, yet you dare block my way!"
The Cloud Ninja leader did not dodge. Instead, he accelerated and charged straight at them.
A savage glint flashed through his eyes as he gripped a Kunai in his right hand and viciously stabbed downward!
The corners of Namikaze Mirai's lips curled up.
He found me and, rather than avoiding me, charged straight over?
Interesting!
He flicked his right hand, and a blue electric arc flashed past.
Bang! The Kumogakure leader, who had been rushing forward, suddenly felt as if a fired cannonball had struck his abdomen. His face twisted, and he nearly vomited up breakfast.
Like a kite with its string cut, he arced through the night sky and flew backward, crashing onto the ground in the distance.
"Boss!!!"
The Cloud Ninja rushed over with bloodshot eyes.
When they helped their leader up, their pupils immediately contracted.
The clothes over his abdomen had been burned through by intense heat, revealing charred, bleeding skin. Their leader clutched his bleeding stomach, curled up in pain like a shrimp.
"Boss, are you okay?"
"What are you staring at?! Kill him already!"
Enduring the agonizing pain in his abdomen, the leader gritted his teeth. Blood vessels stood out in his eyes as he stared at Namikaze Mirai.
They had to kill this man.
No matter who he was, since he had discovered them, they could not leave any witnesses alive! "Yes!"
The remaining Cloud Ninja glared at Namikaze Mirai with hatred in their eyes.
Hinata, who had been tucked beneath the leader's arm the entire time, had been flung away by the commotion and finally woke up, rubbing her head dazedly.
"My head hurts... Where am I?"
She glanced around and shuddered in fright.
A group of fierce-looking ninja surrounded two blond-haired ninja? Hadn't she just gone to relieve herself? How had she ended up here?
"Naruto, I'll leave that girl to you!"
Seeing Hinata wake up, Namikaze Mirai smiled at Naruto beside him.
"Yeah, Uncle, don't worry!"
Naruto nodded seriously.
"You bastard, you hurt the boss! We'll never let you get away with this!"
The surrounding Cloud Ninja charged at Namikaze Mirai simultaneously.
Two Jonin and five Chunin?
A faint smile rested on Namikaze Mirai's lips.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Accompanied by several piercing whistles, several metal Kunai were thrown out, sealing off every direction in which Namikaze Mirai could dodge.
"Metal Kunai?"
Namikaze Mirai paused slightly, then smiled faintly.
"Looks like you haven't recognized me."
He stood where he was, neither dodging nor avoiding them.
All the Cloud Ninja who had thrown the Kunai fell into a daze, standing stiffly in place.
The Kunai that had been flying at high speed just a moment ago suddenly seemed to have plunged into viscous liquid. Their speed dropped drastically until they finally stopped altogether, silently floating beneath the night sky.
The sight was far too shocking.
For several seconds, the Cloud Ninja could not recover from their shock.
No one knew who was the first to speak in a trembling voice.
"The Blue Flash..."
Meanwhile, Naruto had circled around the battle zone and finally reached Hinata.
Amid Hinata's panicked expression, he took her hand.
"Come with me. Uncle and I will protect you!"
Naruto flashed what he believed was a dazzling smile.
Soon, his expression stiffened slightly.
Hinata covered her mouth with her other hand. Her pale eyes were filled with terror as she stared behind him.
A shadow engulfed Naruto and Hinata.
The Kumogakure leader covered his bleeding abdomen with his left hand. His face was twisted, and a cold smile lingered in his eyes.
"Brat, die!"
Before you continue