Hearing the enormous crash, Jiraiya and the others immediately dispelled the mist and rushed to Sen's side.
They followed Sen's gaze.
Kushimaru Kuriarare was being helped to his feet by his subordinates. Blood hung from the corner of his mouth, and his left hand clutched his right arm, which had been twisted out of shape, its bones exposed—
That was the price he'd paid for instinctively blocking with both arms at the last moment.
If that punch had landed squarely in his abdomen, he'd probably be well and truly dead by now.
Kushimaru Kuriarare glared at Sen with eyes so cold they seemed ready to drip blood. Panting heavily, he ground out a single word: "Retreat!"
Two smoke bombs burst open, covering the surviving Mist Ninja as they fled in disarray.
"Check Sen's condition first!" Jiraiya immediately called out.
"Sen! Are you all right? Why are you so red? Did you get hit by a Fire Style jutsu?" Kushina asked anxiously.
Sen's skin was bright red from head to toe after he'd forcibly opened the Eight Inner Gates, as if he'd been scorched by flames.
He didn't have Might Duy's body, tempered through a thousand trials. Just opening the Third Gate had already brought him to the brink of collapse.
Once the effects wore off, he felt as though every inch of his bone marrow was wailing.
Sen even felt that if he hadn't had the Uzumaki Clan's constitution, he'd probably be lying here for good today.
"I'm... fine." Sen forced himself to stand, but the pain made him furrow his brow.
Jiraiya was in a bit of a dilemma. The team's mission had been to kill those Mist Ninja, and so far, they'd only managed to injure one.
Just then, Uchiha Chizuru and the others arrived to reinforce them.
"Sen, Jiraiya-senpai, are you all right?"
Seeing so many people, Jiraiya immediately gave his orders. "Sen was injured fighting another Mist Ninja. Come with me and give chase."
He turned to Minato and Kushina. "Take Sen back. He can't help us now, and he'll probably be laid up for a long time. We can handle the others."
Jiraiya could tell at a glance that Sen's injuries came from using a Forbidden Jutsu, but he didn't say so aloud.
Minato and Kushina nodded. After Sen quickly briefed them on the enemy, they each took one of his arms and hurried back with him.
On the way back, Minato couldn't help asking, "That thing you used—it was a Forbidden Jutsu that forcibly increased your strength, right?"
"Something like that. Getting into a fight like that with a Jonin was worth it." Seeing the worry written all over Kushina's face, Sen reassured her. "I'll be fine. I'll recover in a week at most."
Once they were back aboard the safe ship, Minato was still puzzled. "It's strange. You're usually so calm. Why would you suddenly use a Forbidden Jutsu and fight to the death with him today? What happened in the thick fog?"
"Don't ask so many questions." Sen plopped down on the ship and changed the subject. "By the way, do you think Kushimaru Kuriarare can reattach his hand after losing it?"
As he rowed, Minato analyzed the situation. "Judging by how badly it was severed, he'd probably need a transplant. But transplants can easily cause rejection, unless he has a blood-related brother or something..."
Minato scratched his head, realizing his train of thought didn't quite make sense. "Even if they were brothers, you couldn't just cut off one brother's hand and give it to the other, could you?"
Hearing that, Sen suddenly remembered that in the original story, Kushimaru Kuriarare was infamous for murdering his comrades—including his own older brother...
Konoha Rear Medical Unit.
Thanks to his knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu and the Uzumaki Clan's incredible constitution, Sen was back on his feet and full of energy after just five days.
From Minato and Kushina's visits, he also learned the latest about the battle:
Konoha had successfully occupied the main island, but the Mist Ninja's harassment had never stopped.
They neither launched a full assault nor retreated. They just kept harassing Konoha's ninja like flies.
That afternoon, Sen was instructing members of the Uchiha Clan on the training ground when Orochimaru appeared silently behind him.
He looked at the reward notification from the system and claimed [Mental Power +1]. After all, Mental Power was the weakest stat on his current status panel.
Just as he was about to continue sparring with his opponent, Orochimaru appeared there.
Seeing Orochimaru come to speak with Sen, the other clan members tactfully moved elsewhere to continue their training.
"How surprising. I thought you'd need at least half a month to recover." A glint of curiosity flashed in Orochimaru's slit pupils. Only then did he ask,
"You've been keeping track of the situation on the battlefield lately, right?"
"Yeah," Sen nodded. "The Mist Ninja keep harassing us, but they aren't launching a direct attack."
"Not entirely." Orochimaru spoke slowly. "I think they're looking for something."
His gaze fell pointedly on Sen.
Sen yawned. "They're looking for me, or the sword I'm carrying. Either way."
"Clever." A trace of excitement showed on Orochimaru's face as he handed Sen a scroll. "Interested in joining me for a big gamble? Our mission is to secure the surrounding islands. If we keep dragging things out like this, we'll be at a disadvantage."
Sen opened the scroll and read it carefully. His expression turned grave. "This is a gamble with my life."
"High risk, high reward." Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of temptation. "I'm also curious. You've completed several missions brilliantly and escaped danger each time, so why do I have this feeling..."
He paused, then said each word distinctly. "That the village seems to want you to die on a mission?"
Orochimaru couldn't help wondering. By all logic, the village should be nurturing a promising junior with great potential. Yet this mission seemed to be sending Sen to his death.
Sen shrugged. "Maybe some people in the village don't like the Uchiha."
"So, are you taking the mission or not?"
"I'll take it," Sen replied without hesitation. "But I have one condition: assign Kushina and Minato some simple missions. The Mist Ninja's waters are too deep."
A look of surprise flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. This mission was practically a death sentence, yet Sen didn't want any teammates? Did he intend to complete it alone?
A look of surprise flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. "You're going alone?"
"No." Sen considered it for a moment, then continued, "Assign Teacher Jiraiya to other missions, too."
He was just a little worried that, given Jiraiya's personality, he might tell the higher-ups, including Sarutobi Hiruzen, every single thing that happened.
Besides, this mission would probably involve a lot of running for his life. Jiraiya wouldn't be much use.
Orochimaru stared blankly for a moment, then let out a quiet laugh:
"Sen, you really are the boldest person I've ever met. Even I can't help feeling outdone."
Sen ignored Orochimaru's praise. "Those Uchiha who came as reinforcements haven't been reassigned yet, have they? I'd like to borrow them. That won't be a problem, will it?"
Seeing Orochimaru agree, Sen began to formulate a plan.
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