Tsunade's fists clenched. She planned to beat Nawaki up before leaving the village.
"Tsunade, I think we could let Nawaki see the battlefield."
Just then, Orochimaru's voice rang out.
Kidnapping a Proper Young Girl
In the end, Nawaki still went with Orochimaru to the northern battlefield.
With Orochimaru talking her into it, Jiraiya thumping his chest and promising to keep him safe, and Nawaki making a fuss about wanting to go, Tsunade thought it over and agreed.
Nawaki was underestimating the brutality of the battlefield. Tsunade furrowed her brow. It might be good to let him see it for himself.
As for Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Chonhua, neither of them had any plans to go to the battlefield.
Namikaze Minato was practicing the Summoning Technique and building a bond with the toads. He had been going to Mount Myoboku every day lately.
Nawaki was going because he wanted to go. Namikaze Minato was more modest, and thought his strength wasn't enough. He might only get in the way on the battlefield, so it would be better to focus on training.
Jiraiya thought Namikaze Minato was more than strong enough. Besides, they would be there to protect him. There would certainly be danger, but if he stayed alert and careful, it could still be a chance to gain experience.
Namikaze Minato thought it over, but still declined.
Uchiha Chonhua hadn't gone because he remembered what had happened in the original story.
He glanced at Kushina, who was chatting and laughing with Mikoto. His gaze turned somber. Was this the time?
He wasn't sure, but he would keep a close eye on her.
"I'll leave it to you."
Uchiha Chonhua released a raven-black crow into the air.
The crow cawed and flew toward the person in the photograph its master had shown it.
Uchiha Chonhua formed Hand Seals. The next instant, the world before his eyes shifted, and his mind linked to the crow.
Through the crow, he could look down at the earth from the sky. Konoha came into view.
Before long, the crow found Kushina Uzumaki. It perched in a nearby tree and stared at her, blinking.
Wherever Kushina Uzumaki went, the crow followed.
"Is one of them really enough?"
Uchiha Chonhua didn't think a single crow was enough, so he summoned four more to follow Kushina Uzumaki.
From the east, west, and south, with another watching from above, they observed Kushina Uzumaki from every angle to make sure nothing slipped past them.
Even if, hypothetically, the crows lost track of her, he had a second plan: Tsume Inuzuka's Ninja Dog, Kuro-maru.
As her classmate, Kuro-maru knew Kushina Uzumaki's scent. If her vision failed him, he could still rely on his nose.
If that didn't work either, Uchiha Chonhua tapped the desk lightly.
Then he'd have to use the old method from the original story and search for Kushina's striking red hair.
"I wonder when those Cloud Village spies will make their move."
The feeling that things were beyond his control made Uchiha Chonhua uneasy.
He knew that Kushina Uzumaki had been kidnapped by Cloud Village when she was young, but he didn't know what day it happened. Judging by her age and Forehead Protector in the original story, it had to be within the next year or two.
Cloud Village had acted irrationally, launching another war against the Land of Fire without tending to the aftermath or rebuilding after the Eight-Tails had ravaged their village.
Uchiha Chonhua sensed something was going on. Considering the Eight-Tails rampage and Kushina's age...
There was no doubt about it. Kushina's kidnapping was imminent.
Uchiha Chonhua waited patiently.
And so, a month and a half passed.
Everyone in the village had their attention fixed on the fierce fighting at the northern battlefield.
With ninja deployments, logistical preparations, incentive payments, compensation for the bereaved, and all the rest, Konoha had been bustling with activity.
While everyone was caught up in the situation at the northern battlefield, an unseen upheaval took place in the Senju Compound.
It was dusk.
Uchiha Chonhua was practicing variations in Chidori's shape. He had just been testing the maximum length of Chidori Sharp Spear when his expression shifted and his face changed.
He quickly dispelled the lightning in his hand. His legs instinctively lifted off the ground, and he shot toward the Senju Compound.
On the way, he linked to the crows and learned everything from their memories.
"They were kidnapped right from the house. Didn't Grandma Mito notice? Or..."
Uchiha Chonhua's expression darkened. Perhaps she had noticed, but Grandma Mito was now so frail she was on the verge of death. There was nothing she could do.
"Hm?"
Uchiha Chonhua scooped something up from the ground. A red strand of hair fluttered in the breeze between his fingers.
He had found Kushina's hair so quickly. She was much more perceptive than in the original story. She hadn't even gone far from the Senju Compound before he found a red strand. Her will to survive was far stronger than it had been in the original story.
In that case, lightning crackled across Uchiha Chonhua's body, coursing around his limbs.
Whoosh!
A streak of lightning flashed through the air, boosting his speed several times over.
He had developed it based on Cloud Village's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, but it was only a prototype. It greatly increased his speed, but lacked the strength and defense of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
After all, it was a Cloud Village secret technique, and Uchiha Chonhua didn't know some of the key details.
But it was enough. In the martial world, speed was the ultimate advantage. Most ninja had high attack and low defense, so speed gave him a significant edge.
Uchiha Chonhua knew almost immediately that Kushina Uzumaki had been captured. At full speed, he quickly caught up with the Cloud Village ninja who had kidnapped her.
They still hadn't left Konoha's borders.
"Come on, hurry! Pick up the pace. We need to get to Lord Raikage as fast as possible."
The Cloud Village leader had Kushina Uzumaki tucked under his right arm. He ran without stopping, his expression tense, pushing himself as hard as he could as he raced toward the northern battlefield.
The others were doing the same. The last man in the group kept glancing back, his face filled with hope and fear.
He hoped his more than ten years as a spy were finally over and that he could return to his home in Cloud Village.
And he was naturally afraid that Konoha ninja were pursuing them from behind.
His fear was justified. The Cloud Village ninja nervously glanced back again, only to see a young, handsome face appear right in front of him.
What stood out most were his pair of blood-red eyes.
So close!?
Who was this...
Before his body could react, his thoughts scattered.
Those eyes... the Sharingan!?
It was already too late by the time the Cloud Village ninja realized what was happening. The world spun around him, and he lost his bearings. He stood there in a daze, motionless.
The others continued rushing forward, not noticing that one of their companions had fallen behind.
The sun sank in the west, and darkness spread across the sky, concealing Uchiha Chonhua's figure.
In the darkness, eerie crimson eyes watched the Cloud Village ninja ahead.
"There are five Cloud Village ninja in total... Kushina looks unharmed."
Uchiha Chonhua watched Kushina carefully pluck out strands of her hair and drop them on the ground. The Cloud Village ninja were so focused on running that they hadn't noticed her at all.
"Let's finish this quickly."
Uchiha Chonhua soared like a wild goose, lightning flickering around him as he transformed into a bolt and landed in front of the Cloud Village ninja.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan swept over them with casual ease.
The Cloud Village leader saw someone suddenly land in front of him. His heart lurched, and he thought, This is bad! Without taking a closer look at the newcomer, he immediately shouted, "Kill him—"
He couldn't finish.
He had already seen the face turn toward him, and at once noticed what was out of place in the scene before his eyes.
A pair of eyes, entirely blood-red, with tomoe slowly turning in their pupils.
His mind drifted as well, sinking into silence.
In the entire world, only those eyes remained...
Kushina Uzumaki was still struggling with her hair when she suddenly saw the Cloud Village ninja who had captured her stop.
Before she could wonder why, the shout, "Kill him!" startled her. But then there was no more sound, and everyone stood perfectly still.
Kushina Uzumaki curiously turned to look.
She saw Uchiha Chonhua standing there with his arms crossed. When he noticed Kushina Uzumaki looking at him, he waved.
"Are you all right, Kushina?"
Uchiha Chonhua walked over and rescued Kushina Uzumaki. She still seemed dazed.
He smiled gently and patted the top of her head.
"I came to save you, Kushina. Look."
Uchiha Chonhua showed her the red strands of hair caught between the fingers of his right hand. They fluttered in the breeze, brushing against Kushina's round cheek.
They tickled a little.
Kushina Uzumaki came to her senses, her eyes lighting up as she hugged Uchiha Chonhua in delight.
"I knew you'd come save me! I wasn't scared at all, y'know!"
Uchiha Chonhua gently hugged her back. The little girl seemed a bit worked up.
"But I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find me."
Kushina Uzumaki held the red strands of hair she had broken off.
"Hehe, that's why I left my hair behind as a marker. I knew you'd find it right away, y'know!"
"Oh? How did you know I'd find it?"
Uchiha Chonhua asked curiously. Kushina's little face flushed as she shook her head. "I don't know, but I just believe you'd find my hair and come save me, y'know!"
"See? I'm fine now."
Kushina left Uchiha Chonhua's arms, then swung her arms and stretched.
"Though my hair's all uneven now."
Kushina felt a little sorry for her hair.
When she had first arrived in Konoha, her bright red hair had earned her many strange looks. Sometimes, even she had found her hair irritating.
But as time went by, Kushina no longer felt that way.
Her family and friends liked her red hair, especially...
Kushina Uzumaki shyly glanced at Uchiha Chonhua. He definitely liked it. Though she had never asked him what he thought of her hair, Kushina had a feeling he liked it, and she wanted to believe he did.
So, as long as the people she cared about liked her hair, that was enough. After all, she didn't even know the people who looked at her strangely.
Thinking back to what she used to believe, Kushina couldn't help finding it funny. Good grief, she'd been such a child.
"It really does stand out. It'd be hard for anyone not to notice those strands."
Uchiha Chonhua walked over to the Cloud Village ninja. They stood there in a daze, staring blankly ahead without moving.
Kushina Uzumaki came over and took a look, waving her hand.
"Are they... caught in a genjutsu?"
Uchiha Chonhua nodded, then snapped his fingers. The Cloud Village ninja walked over and lined up behind him.
Before you continue