Mysterious and Reliable

Yagami sighed in relief. His life had been saved.

A White Spear Heron cried out behind him.

Yagami hurriedly turned around and saw the beak of a White Spear Heron blocking a Steel Needle Senbon for him.

"Don't lose focus. These are Mist Ninja elites!"

Uzumaki Yuka landed beside Yagami.

Her high-slit skirt fluttered in the wind and mist.

Her toned legs were right before Yagami's eyes.

At that moment, Yagami thought Uzumaki Yuka was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Sorry. The Squad Commander's death distracted me."

The Guardian Ninja and Uzumaki Ninja made their move.

Countless Chakra chains shot forth, clanging against Juzo Biwa's Kubikiribōchō.

Juzo Biwa was steadily forced back.

More Mist Ninja charged out of the fog.

Uzumaki Yuka shouted, "Go! Leave this to them! The two of us will protect Princess Kushina!"

Yagami's eyes lit up. His mission had been to cover the rear. Now that the Daimyo Guardian Ninja were doing that, he was not abandoning his mission.

This was also a good chance to report the situation here to Captain Commander Yellow Dog.

Yagami left with Uzumaki Yuka. They ran more than two hundred meters before finally breaking through the fog.

The view before them suddenly opened up.

Over a hundred meters to the side, the Azure Sparrow Squad was fiercely battling a portion of the Cloud Ninja.

The Yellow Dog Squad was closely following Uzumaki Kushina's group, preparing to intercept the other portion of the Cloud Ninja.

Seeing this, Uzumaki Yuka was about to charge at the Cloud Ninja and shield Uzumaki Kushina from behind.

Yagami weighed his own strength. No, there are too many Cloud Ninja. I could still easily die. I need to think of something.

He said to Uzumaki Yuka:

"Yuka! Princess Kushina is only seven years old!

She's small! Your large White Spear Heron can carry her while flying!

That's the only way to get her out of the encirclement quickly!"

Divert disaster eastward. As long as Uzumaki Kushina was no longer here, the Cloud Ninja and Mist Ninja would naturally leave as well.

If Kushina dies, then she dies. My own life is more important.

Uzumaki Yuka understood at once. Yes, why fight the Cloud Ninja head-on? She now had a flying Summoned Beast and could fully exploit the advantage of the skies.

The ability to fly was rare in the ninja world. Ninety-nine percent of ninja had no means of fighting in the air.

Uzumaki Yuka summoned the Giant White Spear Heron and had it fly toward Uzumaki Kushina.

"Sixth Grandpa! I've contracted a flying Summoned Beast! Let Princess Kushina leave first!"

The Uzu Hidden Village's Sealing Squad Leader, Uzumaki Yuka's Sixth Grandpa, brightened.

This was a good idea.

Everyone here could die, but Kushina had to escape.

Kushina had a special physique and stood a great chance of becoming a Jinchuriki—perhaps even a Perfect Jinchuriki.

If Kushina became a Jinchuriki, Uzu Hidden Village would grow stronger, just like Takigakure with its Seven-Tails.

Uzumaki Kushina was thrown into the air.

The three-meter-long White Spear Heron let out a shriek, then seized Uzumaki Kushina by the shoulders.

Uzumaki Kushina soared into the sky. Her hair was a vivid red, redder than that of every other Uzumaki Ninja.

Yagami immediately looked toward the Cloud Ninja.

Just as he had expected, once the Cloud Ninja saw their target flying away, they split off a large number of troops to pursue Uzumaki Kushina.

The pressure on the Yellow Dog Squad suddenly dropped.

After two months of fighting in the Land of Waves, the Yellow Dog Squad had been reduced to battered remnants, with over half its members dead or injured.

"Captain Commander! The Land of Whirlpools Daimyo's Guardian Ninja have joined the battle! They've held back the Mist Ninja! The Brown Bear Squad Commander was unfortunately killed!"

Yellow Dog glanced back at the dense fog nearby and said, "I understand."

Two full squads had been wiped out, while the remaining two were also reduced to remnants. Of the squad's original sixty-plus men, only nineteen remained.

The ANBU casualty rate was far too high.

"Follow the Summoned Beast! Make the Uzumaki Princess our first priority!"

Yagami followed at the very rear of the squad.

There was good news: his Squad Commander was gone. As long as Captain Commander Yellow Dog did not directly issue him orders, he was completely free.

Thanks to Uzumaki Kushina's small frame, the White Spear Heron did not slow down and flew swiftly.

The situation had changed. Before, the Konoha Anbu had been blocking the Cloud Ninja. Now, the White Spear Heron and Uzumaki Kushina were at the front, the Cloud Ninja were in the middle, and the Konoha Anbu were behind them.

The Cloud Ninja ran desperately forward, forced to split their forces to delay the Konoha Anbu.

One Cloud Ninja squad after another was sent to the rear to cover the retreat.

Yagami stayed behind the squad, carefully searching for chances to strike.

A Cloud Ninja was sent flying and staggered backward.

Yagami seized the opportunity, used the Body Flicker Technique to leap behind the Cloud Ninja, and borrowed the force of his backward fall to drive his ninja blade through the man's chest.

Pulling out his blade, Yagami vanished behind the ANBU.

Kurozaru, the nearest ANBU Squad Commander, glanced sideways. This ANBU in a fox mask had chosen his moment perfectly.

His own squad had suffered severe losses. After the battle, he would request that man for his squad.

Amid the nonstop fighting, Yagami gradually grew familiar with the Body Flicker Technique.

His Body Flicker Technique became faster and faster.

At the same time, he discovered a small trick.

When jumping, concentrating Chakra in his calves and feet increased his speed. But when landing, he likewise needed to concentrate Chakra in his legs.

That way, he could instantly stop upon landing and enter a combat stance.

The battle stretched from the coast into the heartland of the Land of Waves.

Under Uzumaki Yuka's control, the White Spear Heron deliberately flew through areas with complex terrain.

Rocky beaches, swamps, towering mountains.

The pursuit grew increasingly difficult.

After three Cloud Ninja squads had been eliminated, the Cloud Ninja finally gave up.

Without the Mist Ninja's help, the Cloud Ninja alone could not stop the Uzumaki Ninja and Konoha Anbu.

After running for several more hours, Captain Commander Yellow Dog selected a secluded mountain hollow and ordered the group to rest.

Uzumaki Yuka was enjoying the Sealing Squad Leader's praise. The flying Summoned Beast she had contracted had become the key to the battle.

With this Summoned Beast, Uzumaki Yuka had leaped past the level of Chunin and gained the strength of a Special Jonin.

From time to time, she turned to look at Fox, who was resting with his eyes closed in the distance, his ninja blade in his arms.

Fortunately, Fox had warned them in advance. Otherwise, she would not have been able to arrive with the reinforcements in time.

Uzumaki Yuka would not tell the Sealing Squad Leader about Fox. Fox was a spy planted by the Senju Clan within the Konoha Anbu; the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

Only after meeting someone at the level of the Senju Clan Head or an elder could she try to probe indirectly.

The Senju Clan would never admit to planting a spy in the ANBU. That was a grave crime.

Without realizing it, Fox had come to seem mysterious yet reliable to Uzumaki Yuka.

Every time they met, Fox displayed some new ability. His Body Flicker Technique alone had astonished Uzumaki Yuka.

That was clearly the skill of someone who had practiced the Body Flicker Technique for at least two and a half years.

"Big Sister Yuka, this white bird is so pretty."

Uzumaki Kushina had to stand on tiptoe just to reach the White Spear Heron's slender legs. She stroked its feathers, unable to put them down.

"I wonder what kind of Summoned Beast I'll have in the future. Flying feels so wonderful."

Uzumaki Yuka said, "Princess Kushina, you'll definitely have an extremely powerful Summoned Beast in the future. Maybe even a Tailed Beast."

After resting briefly and taking some Soldier Pills, the group continued onward, circling through the Land of Fire toward the Land of Whirlpools.

Yagami watched Kushina's back with deep worry, wondering whether he could survive the Uzumaki Clan's extermination unscathed.