A Moment's Respite: Half a Tube of Blood Restored by a Soldier's Ration Pill

"No." Jingxin shook his head. "I am from another ninja village, ordered to bring you away from here. Are you willing to leave?"

A glimmer of light flashed in Chinatsu's eyes, but it quickly dimmed again. "No! We aren't going! We absolutely will not..."

"What if we promise not to force you to do anything you don't want to?" Jingxin interrupted her. "There isn't much time; it's already chaotic outside. This is your chance."

"Why should we trust you?" Chinatsu looked at Jingxin warily, shielding Karin behind her tightly.

The little girl clutched her mother's sleeve, her large eyes filled with fear, yet also a hint of anticipation.

"Mommy~" Karin whispered. "I want to leave this place... they are always draining your blood..."

Jingxin removed his mask, revealing a kind face. "Exactly. A tree moved dies, a person moved lives. How much worse could it get? Why not give us a chance to prove our sincerity?"

Just as Chinatsu hesitated, footsteps and shouting came from downstairs: "The infirmary! Go check on them quickly!"

The Grass ninja had arrived.

Fear flashed instinctively in the eyes of the mother and daughter. Chinatsu said to Jingxin, "Prove you aren't a Grass ninja!"

A Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared in Jingxin's eye sockets.

Chinatsu's eyes widened.

The archives of the former Land of Whirlpools were very comprehensive, and as someone familiar with Kekkei Genkai, she knew the truth.

Regarding things like the Uchiha or the Byakugan, if the eyes were not original to the body, it would be impossible to control their opening and closing.

The person before her was an Uchiha clansman.

With no time to overthink, Chinatsu immediately pulled the tubes from her arms.

The next instant, Jingxin grabbed Chinatsu and Karin, one in each arm, hoisted them onto his shoulders, kicked the window open, and vaulted out.

"This way!" Yeying's voice came from the edge of the forest.

She had already cleared the guards in the backyard and was waiting to receive them.

Jingxin rushed into the forest with Chinatsu and Karin.

Behind them, the Grass ninja had already stormed into the infirmary, and upon discovering the captives were gone, they immediately began a search.

Jingxin and Yeying led Chinatsu and Karin, moving rapidly toward the designated rendezvous point.

Half an hour later, the four arrived at the meeting spot, a hidden cave.

Jingxin and Yeying set the mother and daughter down, and Yeying used medical supplies prepared in advance to treat Chinatsu.

Karin sat beside her mother, her small hand gripping her mother's tightly, her gaze drifting toward Jingxin.

Jingxin smiled at her, then turned and walked to the cave entrance to stand guard.

Not long after, footsteps sounded outside the cave; Shifeng had returned.

He was radiating a murderous aura, his massive frame stained with large patches of blood, with bits of flesh remaining on his clothes and ninja tools.

Shifeng cursed, "Damn it, how frustrating. Not being allowed to use Earth Style, I almost got killed by that bunch of trash!"

As soon as he entered, Chinatsu and Karin were turned deathly pale by his appearance, shrinking back toward Yeying and Jingxin.

Shifeng didn't care in the least. "Is everyone here? Let's move!"

The wasteland on the border of the Land of Earth appeared exceptionally vast at dawn.

The five of them stood on a rocky hill, looking back toward the direction of the Land of Grass.

Behind them lay the dense forest; before them were the familiar barren mountains and rock walls.

Shifeng quickly assessed the situation. "The Grass ninja won't give up easily; they will send out tracking teams."

"We must return to Iwagakure as soon as possible." He looked at Yeying and Jingxin. "I will be responsible for clearing our tracks; you two are responsible for carrying them."

Chinatsu's face remained pale; the prolonged imprisonment and escape had consumed a great deal of her stamina.

Karin gripped her mother's hand tightly, her eyes filled with exhaustion.

Yeying walked over to Chinatsu, her eyes behind the owl mask scanning Chinatsu's condition. "Get on."

Chinatsu hesitated for a moment before climbing onto Yeying's back.

Yeying's movements were crisp and efficient; after hoisting Chinatsu up, she adjusted her posture to ensure no pressure was placed on any of her wounds.

Jingxin also picked up Karin. The girl's body was very light; he stood up easily, supporting her legs with his hands.

"Move out," Shifeng commanded briefly.

The team began to advance.

Yeying led the way with Chinatsu on her back, Jingxin followed closely behind with Karin, and Shifeng brought up the rear, clearing their trail as they moved, erasing their footprints and signs.

The terrain of the wasteland was rugged and uneven, but for the highly trained Anbu, this was nothing.

Jingxin maintained a steady pace while observing the movement around them.

Karin, on his back, was initially a bit nervous, her small hands clutching Jingxin's shoulders tightly.

But after a while, she gradually relaxed, resting her head on Jingxin's shoulder.

"Um..." she spoke softly, her voice muffled through her mask, "What should I call you?"

Jingxin: "Just call me Blood Gold."

"Blood Gold... brother?" she asked tentatively, "Thank you for saving us, brother."

Jingxin: "..."

The reason he had informed Ōnoki of the situation regarding Karin and her mother was merely to supplement the future core strength of Iwagakure.

He hadn't thought much of it initially, but at this moment, Jingxin realized just how significant this was to them.

The group moved rapidly across the wasteland.

Shifeng was highly experienced; wherever they passed, the traces on the ground were naturally smoothed over, as if no one had ever walked there.

At noon, the group took a brief rest in the shadow of a rock face.

Jingxin lifted the lower half of his mask and tossed a military ration pill into his mouth.

The taste was nothing to write home about, but it could quickly replenish stamina and chakra.

He then handed one pill each to Chinatsu and Karin.

Karin looked at the ration pill in her hand, then imitated Jingxin, taking a small bite.

Her face immediately scrunched up: "So bitter..."

"Bear with it," Jingxin said, "Drink some water after you finish."

Military ration pills were not food; they were legitimate strategic reserve supplies.

This stuff was meant for rapidly replenishing human energy at critical moments, and taste was never a consideration during its initial development.

Chinatsu also consumed her ration pill, and her complexion improved slightly; the powerful vitality of the Uzumaki Clan was rapidly restoring her strength.

Jingxin sat down, leaning against the rock wall.

Karin snuggled up to her mother and asked curiously: "Brother Blood Gold, does this name have any special meaning?"

To be honest, it sounded quite creepy.

However, she had seen Jingxin's kind face, and he was their savior, which was why Karin could muster the courage to ask.

"It relates to my Kekkei Genkai and my strategic positioning." Jingxin's answer was accurate, though the other party might not necessarily understand it.

Karin nodded, looking predictably bewildered.

Five minutes later, the group set off again.

To everyone's shock, Chinatsu was actually able to move normally already!

Is this the power of the Uzumaki Clan?

In the time it took to catch one's breath, she had recovered half her health bar from a single ration pill?!

Terrifying.

The afternoon journey went even more smoothly.

They had already penetrated deep into the heart of the Land of Earth, and the risk of being tracked by Kusagakure had greatly diminished.

Shifeng's techniques were superb, and the group left no traces behind.

Even if Kusagakure learned the direction in which the person who snatched the Uzumaki mother and daughter had retreated, they would never dare to pursue them deep into the Land of Earth.