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Compared to Thunderstorm Birth, a long-range Lightning Release technique copied through the Sharingan that was somewhat flashy but impractical, the close-range Lightning Release technique used by the Cloud Ninja before him seemed more powerful.

After dodging the big guy's attack, Uchiha Matsuri formed hand seals and used the Great Fireball Technique. As expected, the Great Fireball Technique didn't pose much of an obstacle to the two Cloud Ninja.

Seeing the big Cloud Ninja and the one named Luo charging at him, Uchiha Matsuri smiled faintly and once again used a genjutsu through his Sharingan.

"Damn it." Luo's heart sank when he saw the big guy fall under the genjutsu.

Not giving Uchiha Matsuri a chance to launch a sneak attack, Luo leaped in front of the big guy and helped him break free of the genjutsu.

Once he came to, the big guy couldn't help shuddering. If Luo hadn't helped him just now, he'd probably have ended up like that little runt—a corpse.

"Idiot, didn't I tell you not to look him in the eyes?" Luo scolded him, sounding somewhat displeased. "If I accidentally fall under his genjutsu later, you need to break me out of it as fast as you can. And vice versa. Got it?"

"Got it," the big guy replied, chastened.

Seeing that his opponent had broken free of the genjutsu, Uchiha Matsuri didn't lose heart. Instead, he quickly formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Seeing Uchiha Matsuri launch another attack, Luo and the big guy exchanged glances, then both formed hand seals.

"Lightning Release: Heavy Flow Violence!"

In an instant, streaks of lightning appeared around their hands. They dodged more than a dozen fireballs, then charged at Uchiha Matsuri.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their kunai clashed, then fell to the ground.

After dodging a flurry of attacks from Luo, Uchiha Matsuri suddenly found the big guy behind him.

Thud.

Uchiha Matsuri was kicked away.

Damn it. I've awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, and I still couldn't see his attack coming. A line of blood ran from Uchiha Matsuri's mouth as he cursed inwardly.

They had all run at full speed for seven hours, but he'd spent too much chakra and had been forced to rely on his Sharingan's genjutsu, while the two men in front of him could still use powerful ninjutsu and taijutsu.

The thought left Uchiha Matsuri feeling thoroughly frustrated.

Looks like I can only use Thunderstorm Birth to win this in one move. Just as Uchiha Matsuri was about to form hand seals, a sudden turn of events made his eyes contract sharply.

Just as Uchiha Matsuri was kicked away, Luo and the big Cloud Ninja used the Lightning Release: Four-Pillar Binding Technique. In an instant, four pillars threaded with faint lightning appeared around him, trapping him inside.

Seeing Uchiha Matsuri trapped, Luo clapped his hands, then sneered. "Kid, don't bother struggling. No one who's been trapped by our Four-Pillar Binding Technique has ever made it out alive."

"Damn it." Uchiha Matsuri looked at the barrier around him and above him, and despair rose in his heart.

If he hadn't been trapped, Uchiha Matsuri could have drawn on the chakra stored in his Yin Seal to use Thunderstorm Birth. And if he really couldn't beat them, he could have simply run away.

But now he was trapped inside the barrier. He could neither fight nor flee. If he used Thunderstorm Birth to force his way out, he probably wouldn't survive at such close range.

Perhaps seeing through Uchiha Matsuri's thoughts, Luo and the big guy simply settled in to wait him out.

The two men only needed to stop Uchiha Matsuri from moving forward. Likewise, his goal was to hold them back and give Minato Namikaze time to rescue Kushina Uzumaki.

For the next few minutes, the two sides faced off in this strange standoff.

"Something's wrong. Several groups of chakra are approaching quickly from the southwest." Luo, whose sensory abilities were particularly strong, suddenly furrowed his brow.

"Hmph. Lord Hokage's reinforcements are here. You two are dead." Hearing that, Uchiha Matsuri sneered.

"What do we do, Luo?" The big guy was at a loss.

"Retreat!" Though reluctant, Luo still gave the order. After all, the two of them would be no match for more than a dozen powerful Konoha Ninja. It would be like a moth flying into a flame.

"What about this kid...?"

"Forget him."

As the two men ran farther and farther away, the Four-Pillar Binding Technique gradually weakened, then finally disappeared.

A few seconds later, Jiraiya, Dan Katō, and more than a dozen unfamiliar Ninja appeared in Uchiha Matsuri's field of vision from the southwest.

From a distance, they saw a dark figure in the middle of the road. The dozen-odd Ninja all drew their kunai and took up fighting stances.

When they realized the little black figure was Uchiha Matsuri, Jiraiya waved, and the group stopped.

"Matsuri, what are you doing here?" Jiraiya asked, slightly surprised.

Since the incident had happened so suddenly, the Third Hokage hadn't had time to tell Jiraiya that Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Matsuri had already gone to rescue Kushina Uzumaki.

"Are you all right, Matsuri?" Seeing how pale Uchiha Matsuri looked, Dan Katō asked with concern.

"I'm fine, Jiraiya-sensei, Dan-senpai. Minato's already gone to rescue Kushina. Hurry and go support him!" Uchiha Matsuri hurriedly pointed northeast.

"Dan, stay here and look after Matsuri. The rest of you, come with me."

"Yes, sir."

Ten minutes later, after finishing his treatment, Uchiha Matsuri saw Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki slowly approaching from the northeast, escorted by Jiraiya and the others.

"Minato, how's Kushina?" Uchiha Matsuri asked with concern.

"She's fine. She was just exhausted and fell asleep for a while." Minato Namikaze gazed tenderly at the sleeping Kushina Uzumaki in his arms.

"Uh..." Looking at Minato Namikaze's lovestruck expression, Uchiha Matsuri suddenly didn't know what to say.

After they returned to Konoha, the Third Hokage naturally gave Uchiha Matsuri and Minato Namikaze a scolding. Although the two had worked together to retrieve Kushina Uzumaki after the Cloud Ninja kidnapped her, they were both still Genin under the age of twelve. In the eyes of many adults, pursuing the enemy without any assistance from a Jonin had been both dangerous and reckless.

From Kushina Uzumaki, Uchiha Matsuri gradually learned some things he hadn't known before.

A month earlier, Mito Uzumaki, the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had passed away. As she lay dying, the Third Hokage transferred the Nine-Tails from Mito Uzumaki into Kushina Uzumaki.

That was also why, when assigning teams, the Third Hokage had insisted on keeping Kushina Uzumaki in the village.

After becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki was naturally placed under secret surveillance by Anbu, and her residence was moved from a bustling street to that deserted house.