One Night (End)

Ueno Kei gripped the Lingyu Blade, struggling to withstand the onslaught of the monsters.

At first, Ueno Kei could easily slaughter the creatures; although they looked terrifying, they were actually slow and possessed weak defenses.

Relying on the sharpness of the Lingyu Blade, Ueno Kei could effortlessly cleave through the Double-Horned Monsters' fur-covered skin, which appeared sturdy but was in fact quite fragile.

This allowed him to achieve one-hit kills.

Yuhi Kurenai, on the other hand, was even more efficient. Wielding a kunai, she finished off the monsters at a speed even faster than Ueno Kei's. While Ueno Kei was curious as to why Yuhi Kurenai, a Jonin, did not use higher-level A-rank ninjutsu to clear the monsters instantly, the current situation left him no room for idle thoughts.

Just as Ueno Kei had worried earlier, while the thousands of monsters looked intimidating, their lack of strength meant that under the combined assault of Yuhi Kurenai and Ueno Kei, their numbers were dwindling rapidly, and they had caused the pair very little damage.

They served only to cause fatigue and drain their chakra.

Kurama Yakumo, watching from the high platform, was not about to let Yuhi Kurenai off so easily.

Thus, the scene shifted: in addition to the remaining Double-Horned Monsters, dozens of short, shadowy figures resembling wraiths appeared.

Ueno Kei found it difficult to track the movement of these wraiths with his naked eye. Although their defenses were negligible—Ueno Kei could still kill them with a single strike—their movement speed was so fast that he could not respond perfectly. Even more frustrating for Ueno Kei was the presence of over a dozen green-furred, long-beaked monster birds circling overhead, occasionally diving down to attack him and Yuhi Kurenai.

Within a mere dozen seconds, several claw marks had already appeared on Ueno Kei's body. It was fortunate that while the birds were fast, their attacks lacked significant power; otherwise, the few times he had been struck would have been enough to kill him.

However, this was largely because Kurama Yakumo was not focusing much of her attention on Ueno Kei; the majority of the monsters were attacking Yuhi Kurenai. Furthermore, in the brief moments between his own attacks, Ueno Kei noticed that chains—the same ones he had seen before—would occasionally appear at Yuhi Kurenai's feet, attempting to bind her.

He did not know if this was because Yuhi Kurenai was a Jonin or if the young Kurama Yakumo held a deep grudge against her, but it was a great help to Ueno Kei.

Though Ueno Kei was defending himself in a somewhat disheveled state, he was fortunate enough to have avoided any fatal injuries and was gradually becoming accustomed to the monsters' attacks.

Clang. Another monster bird dove, its talons striking the Lingyu Blade. Suddenly, Ueno Kei's expression shifted; a Double-Horned Monster took advantage of the moment he was occupied with the bird.

With a sound like a bull's lowing, it lunged, slashing fiercely at Ueno Kei's back.

Puff. The Double-Horned Monster's claws tore through Ueno Kei, who suddenly transformed into a cloud of white smoke. With a thud, a wooden log fell to the ground.

Not far away, Ueno Kei knelt on one knee, panting heavily as he used the Lingyu Blade to support himself.

That was close! Ueno Kei's face was etched with lingering fear. Fortunately, he had reacted in time and used the Body Replacement Technique to escape. Although the Double-Horned Monsters were slow and had weak defenses, unlike the others, their claws were genuine, lethal weapons.

If he hadn't dodged just now, Ueno Kei was certain that even if he didn't die, he would have been severely wounded.

Ueno Kei's expression hardened as a whistling sound erupted above his head. Chirp! Several monster birds let out shrill cries, diving toward him with extreme speed.

Ueno Kei had dodged their attacks repeatedly, which seemed to have enraged them. Unlike the probing attacks of one or two birds before, this time five or six were attacking him in unison.

Ueno Kei gritted his teeth, a shadow of despair inevitably clouding his heart. Was he truly going to die here?

In the distance, Yuhi Kurenai was already struggling to protect herself. Although she saw Ueno Kei's predicament, she was surrounded by a group of monsters several times larger than the one attacking him, leaving her unable to break free.

The young girl on the high platform curled her lips into a cold sneer, feeling a sense of perverse pleasure as she watched her former enemy on the verge of death.

"Kill, kill, kill! Hahaha!" A crazed expression appeared on the girl's face, her eyes bloodshot and thirsty for blood, as if she had descended into madness.

Just as Ueno Kei and the others were trapped in this desperate situation, outside, beyond a grey, mysterious barrier, stood an elderly man in black tactical gear and a middle-aged man with a prominent scar on his face, wearing the standard Konoha shinobi uniform. These two were the Third Hokage and Nara Shikaku.

Behind them stood seven or eight Konoha Anbu.

Earlier, when Kurama Yakumo had fallen into a bloodthirsty state and dragged Ueno Kei and the others into that unknown space, an unusual light had suddenly appeared between heaven and earth.

The Third Hokage realized something had gone wrong and rushed to the source of the light.

He had since been blocked outside this grey barrier, where he encountered Nara Shikaku, who was in the same situation. According to Shikaku's report, he had been with Yuhi Kurenai when a sudden flash of light occurred, after which he found himself isolated outside the barrier while Yuhi Kurenai had vanished.

"Shikaku, you know about that child, don't you? This is likely one of her abilities," the Third Hokage said with a deep, helpless sigh.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I have heard rumors of the genius of the Kurama Clan, but I never imagined it would be this terrifying. To maintain such a massive, barrier-like existence—the amount of chakra that girl possesses must be immense; it might even rival a Tailed Beast!" Nara Shikaku said with a grave expression.

"You are right, Shikaku. There is indeed something foreign within that girl. While her strength may not match a Tailed Beast, it is not something an ordinary person can handle," the Third Hokage said, his brows furrowed. Clearly, he was wary of that foreign presence as well.

A look of shock appeared on Nara Shikaku's face. "Could it be that the girl is...?"

The Third Hokage's face showed a hint of melancholy. He waved his hand to stop Shikaku from continuing and added, "Breaking this barrier is not difficult. Although the child is gifted, the construction of this barrier is too fragile and full of holes. However, as you said, Yuhi Kurenai, those from the Kurama Clan, and the Anbu are all inside."

"If we act rashly, no one knows what the consequences might be!" The Third Hokage's tone was filled with conflict.

If he didn't break the barrier, he couldn't rescue the Konoha shinobi inside, but if he did, he couldn't guarantee their safety. Although the Third Hokage was known as the "Shinobi Hero" and was well-versed in countless ninjutsu, he found the Kurama Clan's unique abilities extremely troublesome.

"The rest of you, stand guard in the surrounding area. Do not let anyone approach!" After a moment of thought, the Third Hokage decided to seal off the area first and deal with the rest later.

"Yes!" the Anbu replied in low voices, their figures vanishing with a series of whooshes.