Rescue

Yusuke pressed his palm against the Sunagakure jōnin's forehead, sending chakra needles into his brain.

The Sunagakure jōnin hadn't regained consciousness, but the intense pain still made him groan instinctively.

Just then, Yusuke felt a cold sealing force rebound at once, trying to crush the foreign probe.

"Hmph."

"Not even as good as Root-level Sealing Jutsu."

Yusuke's eyes narrowed. The techniques he had learned from the Uzumaki Sealing Scroll came in handy.

His chakra flowed like water, winding around the seal and slipping in through the gaps.

Fragments of broken memories unfolded before Yusuke:

Pakura and Rasa facing off in the woods...

"I'll take the northeast..." Rasa's arrogant face...

The layout of a hidden Sandstone Stronghold... patrol routes...

Two jōnin, thirteen Chunin... These were the members of Rasa's squad.

"Just as I thought. There's more than one squad."

Yusuke withdrew his hand. The Sunagakure jōnin had completely passed out.

Yusuke pointed to Pakura and the jōnin on the ground. "Stay here and keep an eye on them. I'll be right back."

Hyuga Aya nodded and said softly, "Be careful."

Without another word, Yusuke closed his eyes and focused.

The coordinates of the Flying Thunder God Kunai on Inuzuka Go appeared clearly in his perception.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

Bzz—

Yusuke vanished from the woods.

Pakura's eyes widened when she saw it. That's the technique I saw in the intelligence scroll... Flying Thunder God?!

Sandstone Stronghold, trophy storage room.

Three Sunagakure Chunin were replenishing their depleted ninja tools.

Suddenly, the air rippled, and a figure appeared out of nowhere.

"Who?!"

The three managed only those words before—

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Kunai flashed across their throats.

Their eyes filled with horror, but they couldn't utter a sound. Clutching their necks, they crumpled to the floor.

Yusuke concealed his presence and expanded his sensory range to its limit.

The chakra signatures throughout the stronghold took shape in his mind.

"Thirteen. Only one has a signature strong enough to be a jōnin."

"There are two faint chakra signatures inside. They should be Go and the others."

"That means the enemy has one more jōnin and ten Chunin."

Yusuke relaxed slightly. "As long as they're alive, that's what matters."

He considered his options. "I can't storm the place. If I make too much noise, the Sunagakure shinobi might panic and kill the prisoners."

"That leaves infiltration."

"Transformation Technique!"

He formed Hand Seals. A puff of white smoke flashed, and Yusuke took on the appearance of one of the Sunagakure Chunin lying on the floor.

He quickly dragged the three bodies into a shadowy corner, then lowered his Forehead Protector and walked out as if nothing had happened.

The stronghold's corridors were dim, thick with dust and the smell of blood.

Yusuke hurried along, but in his mind he precisely recalled every junction and every possible ambush point.

A Chunin approached from the opposite direction. "Hey, Kurata, it's not time to change shifts yet..."

"Shhk!"

Yusuke's kunai sliced cleanly through his artery. He caught the limp body and quickly dragged it into an empty room nearby.

The second... the third...

Yusuke silently cleared the enemies along the way.

After taking out the fourth Chunin, he finally reached the interrogation room at the end of the corridor.

The metal door was ajar. Suppressed groans and scolding came from inside.

Yusuke steadied his breathing, forced a panicked expression onto his face, and shoved the door open.

"B-bad news, sir!"

Inside the interrogation room, the only Sunagakure jōnin was sitting in a chair.

Two grim-faced Chunin stood beside Inuzuka Go and the other prisoner. They were evidently dedicated interrogators.

Miyazaki Kenta was tied to a chair, covered in wounds and barely alive.

Inuzuka Go was chained to the wall. His face was swollen and bruised, but he still glared fiercely at his enemies.

The Sunagakure jōnin scolded him irritably. "What's with the panic? Pull yourself together!"

"Y-yes... sir."

"I found several of our teammates' bodies downstairs."

"There must be an enemy infiltrator!" Yusuke said in his disguise, speaking hurriedly and fearfully.

"What?!" The jōnin sprang to his feet.

"You two, stay here."

"If anyone breaks in, execute the prisoners immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

The jōnin snatched a kunai off the table and waved Yusuke over. "Lead the way. I want to see who dares break in."

He strode out of the interrogation room first. Yusuke followed close behind. The instant the jōnin stepped over the threshold, he exposed his back without a care.

Yusuke's disguise vanished in an instant. He thrust his kunai forward, driving it into the jōnin's back without resistance.

The Sunagakure jōnin stiffened. Disbelievingly, he stared at the kunai protruding from his chest, then collapsed to the floor.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The two Chunin in the interrogation room saw the sudden turn of events, their pupils contracting.

But they quickly realized what was happening and immediately moved to attack the prisoners beside them.

Yusuke was faster. He used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared in front of the interrogators in an instant.

His kunai struck one after the other, stabbing swiftly toward their major arteries.

With two pfft pfft sounds, the men clutched their throats and fell dead.

"Captain, I knew you'd come for me."

Inuzuka Go grinned at Yusuke, though the movement pulled at his wounds and made him grimace.

Yusuke quickly cut the chains from Inuzuka Go and checked his injuries.

"Your chakra's sealed, and you've got three broken ribs. You'll be fine. You're not dying."

He took out a Military Ration Pill and some of the medicine Tsunade had prepared, then shoved them into Inuzuka Go's mouth.

"Heh, of course. I'm tough. Those Sunagakure bastards could barely do more than tickle me."

Inuzuka Go swallowed the medicine and spat out a mouthful of blood. He was already looking much better.

Just then, Miyazaki Kenta, still tied to the chair, shouted urgently, "Captain Yusuke, what about me?!"

Only then did Yusuke look at him, wearing a faintly amused expression. "Jōnin Miyazaki, don't worry. How could I forget you?"

"Wait here. I'll get Go out first. It's still not safe."

He hoisted the weakened Inuzuka Go over his shoulder and left a Flying Thunder God Formula mark in the interrogation room.

"Yusuke, you!"

But when Miyazaki Kenta saw the mark and recalled how Yusuke had appeared and disappeared without warning, he instantly understood. The rebuke he had been about to deliver caught in his throat.

Miyazaki Kenta's face went deathly pale. "Is this Flying Thunder God?! Why do you know Flying Thunder God?"

He was completely panicked now. He knew his earlier scheme had landed him in trouble with someone far more formidable than he'd realized.

Flying Thunder God was an S-rank forbidden technique. Even he, a jōnin, had never been able to access it, yet this man had not only gained access to it but had learned it.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Yusuke didn't look at him again. He focused on the technique mark he had left on Hyuga Aya.

"I'm leaving. I'll be back."

Bzz—!

The two vanished from the blood-soaked interrogation room, leaving behind a regretful Miyazaki Kenta and the Sunagakure corpses on the floor.

In the woods, Hyuga Aya saw Yusuke suddenly appear with Inuzuka Go and breathed a sigh of relief.

"How did it go?"

"I've taken care of most of the cannon fodder in the stronghold. There are still a few grunts left."

Yusuke set Inuzuka Go down and let him lean against a tree to rest.

Inuzuka Go dropped onto the ground and gasped for breath. The spatial distortion had made him feel a little nauseous.

Yusuke waved a hand, signaling him to conserve his strength.

His gaze fell on Pakura, who was bound.

Although her jaw had been dislocated and she couldn't speak, she had heard everything.

Especially the brief exchange between Yusuke and Hyuga Aya, and the way they had suddenly vanished and reappeared.

Infiltrating the stronghold... eliminating the enemies... Flying Thunder God...

It's over. The Sunagakure shinobi in the stronghold are finished.