Life and Death on a Thread

Ueno Kei hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to glance at Yuhi Kurenai, who was sorrowfully stroking the bloodless face of Kurama Yakumo.

He hesitated and said, "Kurenai-sensei, I... this..." Ueno Kei suddenly felt tongue-tied; he didn't know what to say. Comfort Yuhi Kurenai? That would be ridiculous, as he was the one who had directly killed the girl.

Apologize? That would be even more farcical. Setting aside the fact that he would have been killed himself if he hadn't struck, there was the deep-seated hatred the girl had displayed toward Konoha.

For a ninja of Konoha, killing anyone hostile to the village was a matter of course; there was nothing wrong with it at all.

Ueno Kei suddenly realized that no matter what he said at this moment, it would seem pale and powerless.

Yuhi Kurenai slowly shook her head, revealing a sorrowful expression, and said bitterly, "Kei, you didn't do anything wrong. There is no need to apologize. I was just... sigh."

Yuhi Kurenai interrupted Ueno Kei's words. In truth, she knew that if Ueno Kei hadn't acted decisively, both of them might have died in this place.

Actually, what Ueno Kei did not know was that Yuhi Kurenai had been holding back, and because of that hesitation, she had not exerted her full strength. The same went for Kurama Yeqiong and Kurama Yewu earlier.

As Jōnin, could they really have been defeated so easily by Kurama Yakumo?

In reality, no. Kage-level fighters could be considered equivalent to the nuclear weapons of Ueno Kei's past life; they could not be deployed easily, and there weren't many of them to begin with. Thus, Jōnin naturally served as the main force of a village.

The number and strength of a village's Jōnin were the direct standards for measuring its power; Jōnin represented the solid core strength of the village.

Some ninja villages only had two or three Jōnin to keep up appearances.

So the question arose: as the core strength of the village, even if the monster inside Yakumo was terrifying and possessed immense power, could it really solve two Jōnin in an instant?

It seemed unlikely. Setting aside whether the monster's strength could rival a Tailed Beast, how much of that monster's power could the body of a mere ten-year-old child like Yakumo contain?

At most, it would be equivalent to the chakra reserves of a Jōnin.

Ultimately, it came down to underestimation and a lack of resolve. Both the Kurama Clan and Yuhi Kurenai harbored a sense of guilt toward Kurama Yakumo—the death of her parents, a lonely childhood, and the fate of being imprisoned.

No matter how many reasons there were, at the very least, this was an iron-clad fact that could not be changed.

Furthermore, Yakumo had acted suddenly, ambushing her uncle and great-uncle, and Kurama Yeqiong had not anticipated the sudden surge in Yakumo's power, which was how she had succeeded.

When it came to Yuhi Kurenai, it wasn't a matter of being ambushed.

Rather, Yuhi Kurenai herself harbored thoughts of atonement. Subconsciously, she felt that if she just let Yakumo have her revenge, perhaps the girl could let go of the hatred in her heart, and the monster would naturally be eliminated.

It sounded like a very naive thought, but it reflected Yuhi Kurenai's inner indecision—her deep guilt and sense of sin toward Kurama Yakumo.

Ueno Kei watched Yuhi Kurenai in silence; even he could see that her words were insincere.

Perhaps ethically speaking, Ueno Kei would rather believe that Yuhi Kurenai had reasons to resent him; after all, Yakumo was her beloved student, no matter what she had done.

However, that could not change the intimate relationship between the two of them. But as for Ueno Kei, to Yuhi Kurenai, he was merely a stranger within the village.

Still, at the very least, Yuhi Kurenai appeared to be a rational person. A falling-out or an attack seemed unlikely. It sounded as if Ueno Kei's worries were ridiculous; after all, regardless of Kurama Yakumo's previous identity, her current status was that of an enemy of Konoha Village.

As a Jōnin of Konoha, no matter how one looked at it, it was impossible for her to attack someone who had performed a meritorious service by eliminating a potential threat to the village. However, there were always exceptions to everything, weren't there?

At least for Ueno Kei, he was not one to easily choose to trust others and hang his life on that trust. It wasn't impossible, but for Ueno Kei, it was laughable.

The anxiety that had plagued Ueno Kei ever since he killed Kurama Yakumo eased slightly.

As long as Yuhi Kurenai didn't suddenly attack him, even if she were to resent him in the future, Ueno Kei wouldn't take it to heart.

"Kurenai-sensei, then, should we..." Ueno Kei remained silent for a long time, looking at Yuhi Kurenai, who hadn't moved at all, and asked in a slightly probing tone.

Yuhi Kurenai let out a soft breath and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She spoke, "Yes, since the mission is complete, it is time to return to the village."

Yuhi Kurenai took one last look at Kurama Yakumo's corpse, which had been split in two. Her expression was complex, and her heart was in total disarray; her mind was a mess. To be honest, Yuhi Kurenai just wanted to be alone for a while, but she knew some things had to be handled immediately.

"I'll go check on those two from the Kurama clan first. They are important; if possible, I want to bring them back to the village." Yuhi Kurenai turned to say this to Ueno Kei, then stood up and walked toward Kurama Yeqiong and Kurama Yewu, who were lying unconscious not far away.

Ueno Kei nodded slightly.

Yuhi Kurenai walked toward the two Kurama brothers. After checking them briefly and finding that they were only seriously injured and not in mortal danger, she breathed a sigh of relief and then bandaged their wounds.

Ueno Kei cast a flickering glance at Yuhi Kurenai, then shifted his gaze back to Yakumo's corpse.

For some reason, Ueno Kei felt an irrepressible sense of agitation in his heart, a feeling that something was wrong. Ueno Kei frowned and began to think.

What exactly had he overlooked?

No! Ueno Kei suddenly shuddered violently.

He looked up at his surroundings; it was still gray, still an endless space, and the high platform beneath his feet was still there.

This meant the space hadn't collapsed, but the caster had already been killed! He had never heard of a situation where the caster died but the technique remained active!

Ueno Kei looked suspiciously at the corpse of Kurama Yakumo at his feet.

With that one look, Ueno Kei's face turned ghastly.

The clothes were the same, but where was the corpse of Kurama Yakumo? It was clearly the face of a person he didn't recognize at all.

A chill ran through Ueno Kei's entire body.

He immediately shouted, "Kurenai-sensei... watch out for Kurama..."

A cold sensation crept up Ueno Kei's back. In his desperation, he quickly shifted his body to the left. His pupils contracted instantly, and he let out a shrill cry.

An unknown tentacle had instantly slashed across Ueno Kei's back.

If Ueno Kei hadn't shifted his body slightly, that tentacle would have pierced directly through his left chest.

Even so, Ueno Kei was dealt a devastating blow. A terrifying gash was carved into his body, and his internal organs felt as if they had been violently slammed. With a sharp "wah," he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

An ordinary person would have perished long ago.

As a ninja, Ueno Kei possessed a physique far stronger than that of an average person, yet even so, he could not escape the clutches of death.

It was only because he had practiced the Wind Wing Heart Technique for years, leaving his internal organs and body far more resilient than a normal man's, that he did not die instantly. However, if any time were to pass and the bleeding did not stop, Ueno Kei would undoubtedly die.