Rescue

Those few strands of pure red hair lying quietly were like the dawn breaking in the night, incredibly dazzling.

Seeing the hair, Ye Zi's somber expression softened. He quickly picked up the strands and examined them for a moment. After confirming it was Kushina's hair, the killing intent in his eyes grew even sharper.

Without any hesitation, he placed the hair back. Fortunately, he had a habit of carrying a ninja tool pouch. He took out a kunai from it and stuck it into the soil next to the hair. Then, he got up and pursued the enemy ninja who had abducted Kushina.

He wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could rescue Kushina alone. Being able to delay the opponent would already be a stroke of luck, so the hair had to be left behind to guide the Konoha ninja who would pursue them. He could at most leave a single kunai to make the marker more obvious, but he couldn't make more obvious marks along the way, as that would slow down his progress.

Who exactly is Kushina...?

After spending over a year together, Ye Zi couldn't fathom why enemy ninja would risk infiltrating Konohagakure just to abduct a girl who had recently graduated from the Ninja Academy. The war had only just calmed down, and a single spark could reignite a major conflict.

The only thing he could be sure of was that Kushina possessed a value that would make the enemy go to such lengths.

Searching for the hair along the way had cost him considerable time. Fortunately, Kushina's hair was pure red, not black, so it wouldn't be as difficult to find after nightfall.

Even so, after chasing for several hours, Ye Zi still couldn't see anyone. If this continued, once the enemy crossed the border, there would be no chance of recovery.

On the other side, the Cloud ninja who had abducted Kushina had been moving at full speed from the beginning. However, Kushina couldn't match their stamina and endurance. As they neared the border, Kushina finally couldn't hold on any longer.

"Useless." The Cloud ninja responsible for pulling Kushina cursed coldly and turned his gaze to the tall figure in front, asking, "Lord Jiu Xiao, we've reached this point, and Konoha's people won't be able to catch up. Should we slow down?"

The Cloud ninja addressed as Jiu Xiao had a rough appearance, dark skin, and a hideous cross-shaped scar over his right eye. His expression was as cold as ice, giving him an extraordinary, sharp aura just by looking at his face.

Hearing his subordinate's question, Jiu Xiao paused. He also thought that Konoha ninja likely wouldn't be able to catch up to this point. Moreover, his three subordinates were showing signs of fatigue after traveling at full speed for half the day. He agreed to his subordinate's suggestion.

He glanced at Kushina, who was lowering her head as if she might collapse at any moment, and said coldly, "Slow down. We're almost at the border, don't let your guard down."

"Yes." The three Cloud ninja felt a sense of relief. The high-intensity, full-speed travel had indeed made them tired, not to mention Kushina, who had weaker stamina and endurance. If it weren't for the special physical characteristics of the Uzumaki clan, anyone else might have found such travel deadly.

Unbeknownst to them, as they made this decision, a lone wolf was tightly pursuing them from behind.

Half an hour later, the Cloud ninja, now walking, seemed to be strolling. They could already see the successful completion of this difficult mission, and their vigilance began to drop significantly. Only Jiu Xiao, with his hideous cross-shaped scar, still had vigilance in his eyes.

Compared to the Cloud ninja's ease, Kushina, whose consciousness was already blurring, was filled with despair.

"Who... save me."

In her wavering vision, there was only the dark road. Vaguely, a blurry figure suddenly appeared.

Black hair, black eyes, blending into the night, clear yet indistinct. The figure trembling in the darkness, the face that was sometimes clear and sometimes blurry, seemed within reach, still wearing a cold expression.

"Ye... Zi."

A sliver of light quietly appeared in Kushina's dim eyes. Her weak voice trembled and blurred.

"Ye Zi?" The Cloud ninja pulling Kushina heard the indistinct whisper and couldn't help but turn to look at Kushina.

"Stop!"

At this moment, Jiu Xiao, who was walking at the forefront, suddenly stopped. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and abruptly turned to look behind him.

Seeing Jiu Xiao's reaction, how could the other three not know that someone had caught up? Their hearts skipped a beat, and they quickly looked warily into the darkness behind them. They saw a figure leap from the large trees in the forest, like a divine soldier descending from the heavens, landing on the ground not far from them.

"Just one person? And a kid?" Seeing that the pursuer was just a Konoha kid, the three Cloud ninja breathed a sigh of relief. They had thought a large group of Konoha ninja was coming.

"They caught up."

Ye Zi panted slightly, his gaze falling on the familiar figure in front. He shouted, "Kushina, are you alright?"

Unlike before, this voice was filled with anxiety and urgency, not the usual indifference that showed no emotion towards anything.

Hearing this familiar yet strange voice, Kushina, who thought she was seeing an illusion, slowly turned her head and saw Ye Zi.

"Ye... Zi!"

As if seeing Ye Zi meant she was saved, Kushina's eyes slowly widened. A flicker of joy flashed across her dirt-stained face.

"You think you're saved?"

A cold voice echoing in her ear mercilessly shattered Kushina's delusion.

Jiu Xiao walked past Kushina, staring at Ye Zi, whose face was filled with killing intent. He said coldly, "Nice expression. Since you dared to chase after us alone, you must be prepared to die, right?"

As he spoke, Jiu Xiao slowly drew the short sword at his waist, his eyes becoming incredibly deep and cold at that moment.

"You three, take the target and quickly cross the border. I'll deal with this kid. If nothing unexpected happens, there will likely be more pursuers later."

"Yes!"

Although they didn't know why Jiu Xiao would specifically stay behind to deal with a mere kid, they still obeyed the order, grabbed Kushina, and decisively increased their speed.

"Damn it!"

Ye Zi stared at the short sword in the man's hand with a grave expression. His goal was only to delay the opponent. If the opponent chose to leave one person behind to cover their retreat, that would be for the best. However, in his estimation, based solely on the fact that he was just a kid, the person left behind shouldn't be the strongest one.

But, the person who stayed behind was precisely the strongest one!

The short sword, flashing with a cold edge under the moonlight filtering through the trees, was like the Grim Reaper's scythe to Ye Zi.

Undoubtedly, the Konoha ninja who had become corpses had all died by this man's hand, each with a clean, swift throat slit. However, the Konoha ninja had many other small wounds on their bodies before they died, so it could be judged that the man's blade wasn't fast enough to prevent others from reacting. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to ambush from the shadows and directly kill the Konoha ninja.

"No chance of winning... No, just very, very low."

Ye Zi's expression was extremely grim. Not to mention being held back by this person, just surviving his attack would be difficult. In this case, he wouldn't be able to stop Kushina from being taken away.

Silently, he took out a kunai and gripped it in his hand. Ye Zi gritted his teeth tightly, forcing himself not to look at the being taken away Kushina, and instead stared intently at the man who had begun to exude a sharp killing intent. The palpable killing intent that rushed towards him made the surrounding air feel thick.

Jiu Xiao seemed to have absolute confidence. He didn't attack immediately. Instead, he looked at Ye Zi, whose breathing had evened out, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes. Being able to catch up at such a speed and not have his breathing disordered proved that this kid in front of him was not simple. As for age, it had never been an indicator of strength.

It's a shame, but this kid, who might be a genius of Konoha, is still too young. Chasing after me so recklessly will come at a heavy price!

"Do you know why I stayed behind?" Jiu Xiao raised his arm slightly, his face filled with killing intent. "Because I know the others aren't your match! It's a pity you ran into me. Die here!"

Just as he was about to make a move, he stopped. A swift figure landed beside Ye Zi. Ye Zi, whose attention was completely focused on Jiu Xiao, only noticed the rapidly approaching figure when it was already by his side.

Ye Zi's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to attack the figure, the other person's voice made him abruptly halt his intention.

"Where's Kushina?" Minato's gaze fell upon the murderous Jiu Xiao, and his expression instantly became as grave as Ye Zi's. In just one glance, he knew this man before him was incredibly strong!

"Another brat." Jiu Xiao frowned. If the pursuing Konoha ninja were Jonin, it would be one thing, but he hadn't expected two brats to catch up, and they both looked far from ordinary.

Seeing Minato arrive, a flicker of joy flashed in Ye Zi's eyes. He pointed in one direction and said with an irrefutable tone, "Kushina is being held by three Cloud ninja right now. You go chase them quickly. I'll keep this man occupied."

"But..." Minato hesitated. He didn't believe Ye Zi could handle the man in front of him and was very likely to be killed.

"Stop being so wishy-washy! If we're any later, once Kushina is taken across the border, it'll all be over." Seeing Minato still so indecisive, Ye Zi couldn't help but get angry.

Hearing this, Minato looked deeply at Ye Zi, a resolute expression flashing across his face. He couldn't betray Ye Zi, who was risking his life. Therefore, he absolutely had to save Kushina!

With his decision made, Minato shot off like an arrow from a bow, ignoring Jiu Xiao's presence, and headed in the direction Kushina had been taken.

"How dare you ignore me!"

A trace of anger crossed Jiu Xiao's face. While surprised by Minato's speed, he flashed forward, appearing at Minato's side, and brought his blade down with precise and vicious timing.

But facing this fatal strike, Minato didn't even look. His eyes were only on the path ahead. At that moment, Ye Zi moved between them. With a clang, in the darkness of the night, sparks flew. Ye Zi, holding a kunai, blocked the blow. Minato, without looking back, vanished into the darkness.

"Good, very good."

Watching Minato leave at extreme speed, a chilling killing intent emanated from Jiu Xiao's mouth.

Ye Zi's arm trembled, feeling the heavy force transmitted through the kunai. The short blade glinted with a cold light, even making his skin ache slightly.

So strong!

Facing someone this powerful, even escaping seems like a luxury...

Why... why would I gamble my life to face such a formidable enemy?