A dense mass of grotesque monsters appeared before Yuhi Kurenai and Ueno Kei. They crouched slightly, with two horns on their heads and enormous heads that looked like a cross between a bull's and a tiger's. Their bodies were covered in coarse fur, and their gaping mouths revealed rows of sharp, saw-like teeth.
Ueno Kei's pupils contracted slightly. His whole body tensed as he gripped the Lingyu Blade tightly in one hand, warily watching the monsters.
At that moment, Ueno Kei had no doubt that the girl was a monster in human form. And with the monsters' appearance, the houses from before had already vanished.
In their place was a desolate, barren scene. Apart from the few living people present, there were only hundreds of monsters with grotesque faces.
For some reason, though, the monsters' eyes were bloodred and they looked ravenous, yet they only stayed where they were, roaring furiously in the direction of Yuhi Kurenai and Ueno Kei. They didn't charge.
But the sound alone buzzed in Ueno Kei's ears so loudly that it almost felt as if his head were about to explode.
The pain was unbearable.
Kurama Yakumo stood atop a raised platform. With a light sweep of the paintbrush in her right hand across the drawing board, two chains appeared and tightly bound the Kurama Yeqiong brothers, who had collapsed on the ground.
She hoisted them high into the air. Once she had finished, she turned her gaze to Yuhi Kurenai, staring at her coldly, without the slightest warmth. What reassured Ueno Kei a little was that
Kurama Yakumo's eyes seemed to hold no place for him at all. Ueno Kei let out a slight breath of relief. If she wasn't paying much attention to him,
then his chances of staying alive would be a little better. Probably?
Ueno Kei's mouth twitched as hundreds more monsters suddenly appeared. His last bit of wishful thinking vanished in an instant. He made a rough estimate of how many monsters were in the scene. Now,
there were over a thousand. Even if these creatures weren't very strong, Ueno Kei figured that if even some of them surrounded him, he'd sooner or later be swallowed by the mass.
No, by the sea of monsters.
Besides, Ueno Kei glanced at Kurama Yakumo, standing on the raised platform. These bizarre creatures had appeared out of nowhere, but before they did, Ueno Kei had clearly noticed Kurama Yakumo moving her hand over the drawing board.
Even though Yuhi Kurenai's earlier explanation of Kurama Yakumo's abilities had been somewhat vague, Ueno Kei could still tell that the monsters' appearance was definitely closely connected to her powers.
Who knew whether that seemingly harmless girl might conjure up another batch even if they wiped out these monsters? Ueno Kei doubted Kurama Yakumo could use her abilities without limit or cost.
But he would rather prepare for the worst. If Kurama Yakumo could keep throwing out tens of thousands of them, then Ueno Kei figured dying of exhaustion would probably be the best possible outcome.
The most terrifying part was that Ueno Kei still had no idea what Kurama Yakumo was capable of, how strong she was, or how many special abilities she had.
I can only take things as they come. Sigh. Ueno Kei murmured under his breath.
Run away? That would be stupid. Not only might it attract Kurama Yakumo's attention, but if he left the range of Yuhi Kurenai's protection, Ueno Kei was sure he'd die even faster.
So Ueno Kei had only one choice. He slowly drew on the chakra within his body, his sharp gaze fixed on Kurama Yakumo atop the raised platform.
The Lingyu Blade trembled faintly. The moment the fight began, Ueno Kei would have only one target: Kurama Yakumo.
Capture and kill the girl!
Kurama Yakumo, standing on the raised platform, had no way of knowing what thoughts had flashed through Ueno Kei's mind in those brief moments. And even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared. To her, Ueno Kei was an insignificant nobody. The strength he had shown
wasn't even worth her notice.
The only thing on her mind now was to wipe out the woman before her, her former teacher.
"Teacher Kurenai, today I'll avenge my parents! I'll start with you!" Kurama Yakumo spoke without a hint of emotion.
As Kurama Yakumo's words fell, Ueno Kei tensed all over.
Countless chains suddenly burst from the ground, binding Yuhi Kurenai and Ueno Kei in an instant.
Yuhi Kurenai was worthy of being a jōnin. Her hands formed Hand Seals in a flash, and the space around her and Ueno Kei twisted.
"Clang!" It was as if something had collided. The chains shattered into countless fragments and disappeared. Before Ueno Kei could even breathe a sigh of relief,
"They're coming, Kei. Protect yourself!" Yuhi Kurenai's grave voice sounded in his ear. The thousand-plus monsters roared and charged the moment Kurama Yakumo finished speaking. From their bloodthirsty appearance, Ueno Kei had no doubt that if he fell among them,
he'd be torn to pieces.
"Why am I so unlucky? Just when things were finally—finally..." At that moment, Ueno Kei felt a deep sense of defeat. Survive?
Ueno Kei gave a bitter laugh. He'd done all he could; the rest was up to fate. It would've been a lie to say he didn't resent Yuhi Kurenai. But things had come to this, and he couldn't complain. They were in it together now. All he could do was hope for a miracle.
In truth, Yuhi Kurenai was already feeling regretful. She had badly underestimated her beloved student Yakumo.
Otherwise, she would have sent Ueno Kei out of this space first. She simply hadn't expected Yakumo's strength to have grown so terrifyingly in just two short years.
After all, Yuhi Kurenai was a kind-hearted person among the ninja, especially toward the ninja of her own village. All the more so when it came to a student like Ueno Kei, who was still studying at the Ninja Academy.
Looking at Ueno Kei's young, inexperienced face and the bitter edge beneath his determined expression, Yuhi Kurenai couldn't have missed it.
Yuhi Kurenai felt deeply apologetic toward Ueno Kei.
"Kei, I'm sorry. I should have sent you out of this space first. I thought I could protect you, but I'm the one who got you into this," Yuhi Kurenai said bitterly.
Ueno Kei was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected this female ninja to be like that. His lingering resentment toward Yuhi Kurenai immediately faded.
After all, Ueno Kei wasn't a bad person. He simply put his own interests first by instinct. His sense of right and wrong was normal. His earlier resentment toward Anbu and Yuhi Kurenai for dragging him into such a dangerous situation
had been only natural, considering they were nothing to him.
But Yuhi Kurenai's self-reproach eased Ueno Kei's resentment considerably. Besides, the Third Hokage had saved his life. In a way, he owed Konoha.
I'll just call it repaying Konoha. At least I've already lived three or four years longer than I otherwise would have. Ueno Kei tried to comfort himself with a self-deprecating thought.
"Teacher Kurenai, if everything is already set in stone, I won't hold it against anyone. You don't need to blame yourself either."
Before the monsters swallowed them, Ueno Kei suddenly turned back and spoke in a joking tone.
Yuhi Kurenai froze. She looked at the boy's back. It wasn't particularly broad, yet somehow seemed so solid. A faint smile touched her lips, and she felt a sense of comfort.
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