Scared Stiff

Uzumaki Yuka was heavily injured, and the Cloud Ninja Squad Leader was under her control.

Purple Cat, however, remained fixated on his Anbu mission, his primary objective being to prevent the Sealing Jutsu from leaking.

Killing Uzumaki Yuka would indeed complete the mission.

But wouldn't he die himself once the mission was complete?

Sometimes, Yagami truly couldn't understand the thought processes of these Konoha Ninjas.

Every day in the Anbu, aside from training, they did nothing but listen to lectures from squad leaders of various ranks, being deeply brainwashed into believing that a ninja is merely a tool for executing missions.

Mission first—this principle was executed in the Anbu without any compromise.

Just like Kisame Hoshigaki in the original story, who completed an intelligence escort mission and then, before the Konoha Ninjas could arrive, ruthlessly killed all the ninjas of the Intelligence Division.

Following closely behind Purple Cat, Yagami used Purple Cat's back to conceal his own hand seals, avoiding being seen by others.

Purple Cat's kunai stopped just 10 centimeters from Uzumaki Yuka's throat.

Like the Cloud Ninja Squad Leader, his entire body went rigid, his joints locked by a cursed seal.

Purple Cat was greatly shocked. Uzumaki Yuka had been stabbed twice; how could she still possess such combat power?

Uzumaki Yuka was also surprised, because this Karma Seal of Retribution was not cast by her!

Turning to see the Fox behind Purple Cat, Uzumaki Yuka realized something.

No wonder the Fox had been quite protective of her along the way; it turned out the Fox was a member of the Senju Clan!

Secret arts of the Uzumaki like this were never passed on to anyone except disciples or those who were absolutely trusted.

The fact that the Fox also mastered the Sealing Jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan and was one of their own was truly surprising.

So, when she encountered danger, the Fox hadn't thought about killing her, but had instead prioritized restraining Purple Cat.

Yagami rushed toward the Cloud Ninja Squad Leader at the first opportunity.

He thrust his kunai fiercely toward the Cloud Ninja Squad Leader's heart.

The Cloud Ninja Squad Leader was quite strong and managed to break free in time from the seal Uzumaki Yuka had set while heavily injured.

He raised his blade in an upward slash, aiming for Yagami's wrist.

Facing a powerhouse like the Cloud Ninja Squad Leader, who was at least an Elite Chunin, Yagami felt that he would be dead in the next instant.

He had already used his resurrection for this month; if he died, he would be truly dead.

Yagami feigned a weakness in his legs, dropping his body, and coincidentally dodged the upward slash of the ninja blade.

The kunai did not strike the Cloud Ninja captain's heart; it pierced his abdomen.

Having landed the blow, Yagami threw himself onto the ground, scrambling away as fast as he could.

What followed was beyond his ability to participate in; he had already pushed himself to his absolute limit.

Yagami's Chakra Quantity was average, and the restraints of Purple Cat's Sealing Jutsu had also been lifted.

Facing the Cloud Ninja captain right before him, Purple Cat had no choice but to deal with the Cloud Ninja first.

The Cloud Ninja captain retreated in a hurry, terrified of being hit by the Sealing Jutsu again, but Purple Cat gave chase.

Yagami crawled over to Uzumaki Yuka's side, beginning to staunch her bleeding and applying medicine.

After some simple treatment, Uzumaki Yuka's condition improved significantly.

Uzumaki Yuka grabbed Fox's hand, guiding it toward her thigh with a trembling but firm grip.

Yagami was taken aback. At a time like this? Isn't this inappropriate?

Under Uzumaki Yuka's skirt, he fumbled against her thigh for a moment until he felt a scroll strapped there.

"Throw it! Throw it at the Cloud Ninja! This is what they want! It's our secret weapon!"

Yagami felt a surge of secret joy; saving the Uzumaki Ninja had indeed been the right choice, and there was an unexpected reward to boot.

He picked up the scroll and threw it with all his might toward the Cloud Ninja Squad Leader.

It was only then that Yagami noticed Purple Cat was dead, having just been cut down by the Cloud Ninja Squad Leader.

The scroll unfurled in the wind, flickering with a golden light.

A sound of clashing chains and iron rings erupted, and dozens of chains tipped with spiked kunai shot out like a massive web.

Yagami quickly flattened himself against the ground.

Everyone standing nearby was either pierced or bound by the chains.

The Adamantine Sealing Chains of the Uzumaki Clan?

Had the Uzumaki Clan actually turned their strongest sealing technique, the Adamantine Sealing Chains, into a disposable ninja tool similar to an Exploding Tag?

The Adamantine Sealing Chains were originally a high-level Sealing Jutsu that only those with the greatest talent in the Uzumaki Clan could learn, yet now, even ordinary clansmen could use them.

Yagami scrambled to his feet and threw kunai in rapid succession.

The immobilized Cloud Ninja captain in the distance died under the barrage of kunai.

Yagami let out a sigh of relief. The danger had finally passed.

"Fox! Continue!"

Captain Antelope's shout jolted Yagami awake. Only then did Yagami realize that Captain Antelope had also been sealed by the chains and was unable to move.

What a powerful Sealing Jutsu.

Kunai flew out one after another, striking the throats of all the Cloud Ninjas with precision.

The battle ended. All eight Cloud Ninjas were dead, the two male Uzumaki ninjas were dead, and Purple Cat was dead as well.

Yagami stood beside Purple Cat's corpse, feeling a sense of regret.

He had just started to get a feel for working in sync with Purple Cat, and now Purple Cat had died right here.

Purple Cat was also a commoner ninja, just like Yagami—nothing more than cannon fodder.

Captain Antelope walked over as well, saying with deep regret, "How did Purple Cat die first? That was a bit unexpected."

Yagami and Horned Bull looked up at the same time.

Wait, what?

Captain, what do you mean by that?

What exactly is your psychological order of operations? Who was supposed to die first?

Captain Antelope did not answer and walked toward Uzumaki Yuka.

"Captain Antelope, please have Fox carry me back to Uzu Hidden Village as quickly as possible."

Lying on the ground, Uzumaki Yuka made her request.

From the tense muscles in Captain Antelope's back, Yagami could tell that the captain seemed to be hesitating.

Isn't Uzu Hidden Village an ally of Konoha? What kind of mission did the captain actually receive?

Yagami could accept the order to ensure that the ninjas of the Uzumaki Clan did not fall into the hands of the Cloud Ninjas. Now that the Cloud Ninjas were all dead, why the hesitation?

Only the captain knew the contents of the mission; members like Yagami simply executed specific orders.

The scroll containing the Adamantine Sealing Chains was hidden on the captain's back, and he showed no intention of giving it to Uzumaki Yuka.

Captain Antelope finally said, "Very well, we will head to Uzu Hidden Village as quickly as possible."

Yagami hoisted Uzumaki Yuka onto his back and headed in the direction of Uzu Hidden Village.

When they stopped to rest on the road, Yagami set Uzumaki Yuka down and carefully checked her wounds.

The wounds were healing well.

Looking at her thighs again, there were no longer any scrolls hidden there.

When I checked her thighs last time, I had only focused on the beautiful muscle lines and had failed to notice that Uzumaki Yuka had hidden a scroll on her other leg.

Seeing Captain Antelope walk away, Uzumaki Yuka leaned against Yagami and whispered:

"I know you won't admit it, but since you've learned the Uzumaki Clan's secret technique, the Karma Seal of Retribution, you must be from the Senju Clan."

"I will treat you as one of my own."

"Please help me. Help me return to the village safely."

"Recently, many rumors have appeared in the village. One of them is that after the Second Hokage Tobirama sacrificed himself, Konohagakure no longer intends to honor the alliance treaty signed between the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan."

"The Hokage is no longer from the Senju Clan; it is Sarutobi Hiruzen of the Sarutobi Clan."

"The people of Konoha have been treating us worse and worse. Only the in-laws of the Senju Clan still insist on upholding the contract."

Yagami nodded slightly, feigning agreement.

However, if the captain ordered him to kill Yuka, he would turn and strike without a moment's hesitation.

He couldn't beat Captain Antelope, so he would listen to Captain Antelope.

Yagami was stunned by the sight of the Uzu Hidden Village, standing rooted to the spot for a long time without moving.

Is the Uzu Hidden Village really this powerful?