Kurenai Yuhi

"I'm back."

Lu Yan felt a flash of light and shadow, then the world spun around him as he returned to the Naruto World.

Looking at the dense forest around him, which had barely changed, and the bright daylight, Lu Yan frowned. "I wonder how much time has passed in the Ninja World."

After a moment's thought, Lu Yan changed into the clothes of an ordinary person from the Ninja World and hurried toward a border town.

In the town, after asking around about the time, Lu Yan made his way to a secluded alley. He looked at the mark on an inconspicuous brick in the wall: Obito, if it's safe, come back as soon as possible.

"Twelve days have passed in the Naruto World. It seems the time ratio between the Republic of China World and the Naruto World is five to one."

"I wonder how Minato-sensei, Rin, and Kakashi are doing."

Lu Yan lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Beneath the code left by Namikaze Minato, he left a mark meaning "safe," then turned and ran toward Konoha.

Because the natural energy in the Naruto World was abundant, the trees grew exceptionally tall.

High up in a towering tree, Kurenai Yuhi leaned against the trunk, panting rapidly as she busily used kunai and Explosive Tags to set several traps.

The Third Shinobi World War had begun. Sand Ninja and Konoha Ninja were clashing frequently along the border, and Kurenai's squad had received a mission to search for Sand Ninja spies who had infiltrated the area.

Unfortunately, the Sand Ninja had sent the elite Jonin Arakawa on this infiltration mission. After encountering him, Kurenai's comrades had all died protecting her, leaving Kurenai alone to flee toward Konoha.

"Shiraishi-senpai, Kuribayashi-senpai..."

Kurenai Yuhi clutched the kunai in her hand. Tears welled in her large red eyes and streamed down her fair cheeks.

Kurenai Yuhi was only nine years old, and had graduated from the Ninja Academy just six months earlier. Fearing that something might happen to his daughter, her father, Shinku Yuhi, had used his connections to find two experienced Chunin to accompany her.

He hadn't expected this intelligence-gathering mission to be so dangerous. Both of Kurenai's comrades had died, and she was now in grave danger, pursued relentlessly by the Sand Ninja.

"I can do this."

Hearing the pursuers closing in, Kurenai gritted her teeth and counted silently to herself.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"Now!"

Kurenai spun around and hurled a kunai. The Sand Ninja at the front smirked and easily dodged it, then taunted her, "Little girl, are Konoha Ninja really this useless?"

He didn't notice that the kunai had struck a tripwire behind him. The traps around him sprang into action.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Kunai and shuriken Kurenai had planted in advance shot out from all around, speeding toward the Sand Ninja.

"Not good!"

The Sand Ninja's mocking smile froze, replaced by a flicker of fear. He quickly retreated, using the kunai in his hand to deflect the incoming weapons. But everything had happened too fast, and several kunai and shuriken slipped through and lodged in his chest.

"You..."

The Sand Ninja pointed a trembling finger at Kurenai, who wore a delighted smile, then suddenly collapsed to the ground.

Kurenai had just breathed a sigh of relief when her expression suddenly tightened. She quickly leaped backward.

"Pretty alert, aren't you?"

A flash of blade swept past Kurenai. In its place stood a gaunt, grim-faced middle-aged Sand Ninja.

Holding a specially made short sword in his left hand, Arakawa glanced indifferently at the Sand Ninja on the ground, who was still barely alive, and sneered. "Useless."

With a swing of his short sword, he sent the Sand Ninja's head flying. It rolled to a stop at Kurenai's feet, its lifeless eyes staring up at her.

"He was your comrade!"

Kurenai's hand trembled around her kunai, but she stood her ground, shouting angrily at Arakawa.

Arakawa wore a scornful smile. "The weak don't deserve to be my comrades."

"You're a Konoha Genin. What's your relationship to Shinku Yuhi? Your eyes disgust me just as much as his."

Kurenai's expression turned resolute. She was about to light the Explosive Tags on her body and fight to the death when a familiar voice rang out. "Mister, what's with that look? She's such a cute little girl."

"Obito!"

Kurenai stared at Lu Yan in delighted surprise. Then, remembering their predicament, her expression changed and she cried out anxiously, "Obito, run!"

With that, Kurenai charged at Arakawa, kunai in hand and determination on her face.

"What a foolish girl."

Watching Kurenai charge forward without hesitation, Lu Yan shook his head with a complicated expression. He flashed forward, wrapped his left arm around Kurenai's slender waist, and pulled her back as he raised Ivory in his right hand and fired a rapid volley at the oncoming Arakawa.

Arakawa narrowed his eyes and dodged several incoming ice bullets, then swung his blade at the shots he couldn't evade.

"Bang!"

A cloud of freezing mist enveloped Arakawa's short sword and both his hands, freezing them solid. Arakawa looked startled and quickly retreated.

"Ice Release? Are you from the Yuki Clan?"

As he channeled chakra into his frozen hands, Arakawa tried to buy himself some time.

"I'm your father."

Lu Yan couldn't be bothered wasting words on an enemy ninja who seemed like a pervert. He raised Ebony and fired three shots at Arakawa.

The bullets streaked through the air in an orange glimmer, flying toward Arakawa as fast as lightning.

Arakawa's pupils shrank rapidly. With a cold expression, he kicked the Sand Ninja's corpse on the ground into the path of the oncoming bullets, then rolled aside.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Flames shot into the sky. Using the corpse as a shield, Arakawa stood up some distance away, his chest charred black and his head covered in blood.

"You brat, you've made me angry."

Arakawa's face darkened. He licked the blood running down to his lips, flexed his hands as they regained their mobility, and rapidly formed Hand Seals.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Blades of wind burst from Arakawa's mouth and shot toward Kurenai.

"Coward!"

Lu Yan frowned and formed a Hand Seal with one hand, pressing it to the ground.

A sturdy stone wall rose in front of Kurenai, shielding her completely.

"You fell for it!"

"Earth Flow River!"

Arakawa laughed loudly as chakra surged through him. A roaring river of mud rushed toward Lu Yan and Kurenai.

"Heh."

Lu Yan's lips curled up. He stepped back, wrapped an arm around Kurenai's waist, and rose into the air, then fired repeatedly at Arakawa with Ivory.

Badly injured, Arakawa rolled aside in a desperate dodge and avoided the bullets. But he hadn't expected the hard ground where they struck to turn into a swamp. His body sank into it.

Lu Yan and Kurenai landed on a tree branch. Watching Arakawa struggling in the swamp, Lu Yan remained expressionless and raised Ivory again, firing several more shots.

In an instant, the swamp turned back into solid ground. The only difference was that Arakawa was trapped inside it, with only his head exposed as he gasped for breath.

"Brat, who are you?"

"How can a Konoha Ninja be so strange?"

Lu Yan couldn't be bothered to answer. Looking at Kurenai's adorable, stunned expression, he couldn't help pinching her soft cheek and smiling. "Kurenai, it's been a long time."