Ambushed on the Road

"Shin, from now on, you absolutely have to stay away from that woman."

Once they were in the cabin, Kushina said solemnly to Shin.

"Yeah. I would even if you didn't tell me to."

Shin had no desire to endure being pinched on the cheek, unable to fight back, and left feeling so aggrieved.

He'd get stronger first and get his revenge later. For now, he'd better keep his distance from Tsunade. She had no idea how to hold back, and she'd pinched his face until it was swollen.

Shin thought bitterly.

A few hours later, the ship finally reached shore. Kushina leaned against Shin, her head spinning.

"Shin, I can't take it anymore. I'm so dizzy."

Shin supported Kushina. He hadn't expected her to get seasick. It was probably because this was her first time on a boat.

"We've already reached shore, Kushina. Just hang on a little longer."

"Tsk, tsk. The little girl gets seasick? How embarrassing." Tsunade folded her arms and taunted her.

Kushina's constant hostility earlier had annoyed Tsunade. Though she hadn't wanted to stoop to arguing with a little girl, she couldn't resist taking a jab at Kushina now that she saw her in such a sorry state.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not seasick."

Kushina stubbornly shook her dizzy head and glared at Tsunade.

"Tsk!"

Tsunade said no more. Picking a fight with a little girl was beneath her. People would laugh at her.

"Let's rest a bit before we set off again."

Tsunade saw that not only Kushina but also Uzumaki Akiko and Uzumaki Kai were feeling unwell, so she suggested they take a break.

Shin was fine; he didn't get seasick. Uzumaki Hikari was a Chunin, so he had no trouble either.

They rested for a while, ate something, and then continued on their way.

"How long will it take to get from here to Konoha?" Shin couldn't help asking Tsunade.

"Come over here and I'll tell you." Tsunade smiled and beckoned him over.

"Forget it. I don't want to know anymore."

Shin and Kushina walked behind the others, admiring the scenery of the Land of Fire.

After they disembarked and set foot on land, they were in the Land of Fire. Though it wasn't the largest of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire undoubtedly had the best soil.

The soil here was fertile, and even the trees grew more lushly than those in the Land of Whirlpools. Its people were also much wealthier than those of other countries.

"Shin, how are we going to live once we get to Konoha?" Kushina asked him anxiously.

"Just like before. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, Kushina. And don't call me Shinny."

Shin raised a hand and ruffled Kushina's hair, making her feel warm inside.

Though she was a little uneasy about unfamiliar Konoha, with Shin by her side, the gloom in her heart seemed to lift.

It didn't matter where they were. As long as she was with Shin, it would all be the same.

Gradually, Kushina let go of her worries and began to feel better. The shadow of the Uzumaki Clan's destruction also faded somewhat from her heart.

"What are you two talking about?"

Tsunade suddenly fell back and asked Shin and Kushina.

"Uh, you have time to come back here and talk with us?" Shin asked.

"I'm escorting you, but we're already inside the Land of Fire. At worst, we might run into a few bandits. It's perfectly safe."

Tsunade said that before they had entered the Land of Fire, she'd stayed on guard. Now, she'd let her guard down completely.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A rain of kunai and shuriken suddenly came flying down at Shin and the others. Some of the kunai even had Explosive Tags attached.

Shin's expression changed. He had no time to worry about revealing his strength. He grabbed Kushina and swiftly dodged.

The Senju Clan ninja had relaxed a little, just like Tsunade, but they were all still capable ninja.

They reacted quickly to the sudden ambush, swiftly shielding the few surviving members of the Uzumaki Clan and leading them out of harm's way.

Tsunade's gaze turned strange.

She had been about to rush in and take Shin and Kushina out of the attack's range, but Shin had already whisked Kushina away.

The burst of speed he'd shown made Tsunade look at him with surprise. She estimated that he was every bit as fast as she was.

"So this kid Shin isn't as simple as he seems."

Tsunade hurriedly dodged as well. There was no time to dwell on that now; she had to deal with the attackers.

Tsunade's gaze turned cold. She couldn't believe they'd been ambushed in the Land of Fire.

The worst part was that she'd just told Shin that the Land of Fire was safe and nothing would happen, only for these people to appear and make a fool of her.

Tsunade could feel her face burning. These attackers were unforgivable.

Shin took Kushina behind a large tree and hid there, gripping her hand tightly as he warily watched their surroundings.

"If only I could awaken the Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura."

The Mind's Eye of the Kagura was an ability of the Uzumaki Clan and one of the most powerful sensory techniques in the Naruto World.

Once activated, it could sense unusual movements through chakra within a radius of dozens of kilometers.

If the chakra signature was already known, it could even detect the target's exact location and movements, their numbers and characteristics, and even their speed.

Its sensory abilities were in no way inferior to the Byakugan's. The only problem was that very few members of the Uzumaki Clan could awaken the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

In the original story, Karin was the only known person to awaken this ability. Shin didn't know whether he could awaken it himself.

If he could awaken the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he'd be able to pinpoint the enemy's location and movements, making it much easier to defend against them.

As things stood, they were at a huge disadvantage. They had to stay focused and keep an eye on their surroundings at all times, in case the enemy took advantage of a moment's inattention to launch a surprise attack.

Ninja were assassins by trade. Ambushes were their specialty.

"Kushina, don't be afraid. I'll protect you."

"I'm not afraid." Kushina clenched her fists, feeling deeply frustrated. Right now, she was only holding them back.

"I have to train hard from now on."

Kushina secretly made up her mind. At the very least, she couldn't hold Shin back anymore.

Shin kept Kushina hidden there while the battle had already begun on the other side. More than twenty ninja suddenly appeared. They wore matching clothes, but none had Forehead Protectors.

There was no way to tell which country they belonged to. They charged at the Senju Clan ninja and launched their attack.

That's right. The people Tsunade had brought to rescue the Land of Whirlpools were all members of the Senju Clan.

Tsunade used the Strength of a Hundred, concentrating chakra throughout her body until it enveloped her. A powerful gust of wind then erupted around her.

"Die!"

Tsunade punched one of the ninja, sending him flying like a rag doll.

Before he hit the ground, the ninja was already dead. That was just how terrifying her Strength of a Hundred Technique was.