Hero Water

"Let go!"

The girl's voice echoed in the alarm, yet she could see nothing in her eyes.

The owner of that voice was nowhere to be seen, not even a shadow.

Minato Namikaze gasped for air, feeling a heavy burden on his heart.

It was as if a lead ball had been placed upon his heart; the overloaded weight made even breathing difficult for Minato Namikaze.

His eyes seemed to have shut the doors to his ears; Minato Namikaze realized this.

Opening his eyes abruptly, what Minato Namikaze saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.

A wooden ceiling, somewhat warm in color, yet Minato Namikaze could not calm down.

Just a short while ago, he had been defeated so easily, and the person he was supposed to protect had been taken away by someone who stepped right over him.

He hadn't even been able to do a single thing.

He hadn't even—

He hadn't even had the strength to look at Hui when he was being taken away.

Minato Namikaze sat up quietly, then leaned against the headboard, silently lifting his head to stare at the ceiling.

He tried to take a deep breath, but his hands gripped the bedsheets tightly.

His golden hair hung over his face, and the breeze blowing in from the window gently lifted it, the golden strands seeming to have grown much darker.

"Damn it!"

In the quiet room, only this single exclamation from Minato Namikaze remained.

"It has truly been a long time, My Lady Princess."

Hui gritted his teeth as he looked at the person before him, his hands bound.

The person in front of him was someone he knew well—

Kuchiki Kurohane.

That was the name of the person before his eyes.

The younger brother of Kuchiki Kuroi, and one of the strongest people in Takigakure.

Unlike his brother, who had no talent for being a ninja, Kurohane had unexpectedly good talent in the ninja arts, which was exactly why he had achieved such status.

A capable Jonin, his strength, which might look average at first glance, was practically the best in Takigakure.

"What do you want?"

Hui gritted his teeth, but Kurohane did not get angry; instead, the smile on his face grew even brighter.

"What do I want?"

Kurohane's smiling eyes shifted, turning sharp.

"Aren't you the one who knows best?"

"Lord Guardian."

Kurohane grabbed Hui's arm, leaning his body in close.

Sashizhen and Ono Ishi watched from the side, not paying much mind.

Hui, however, wore an expression of utter disgust.

"Don't come near me!"

His voice was filled with anger, and his unbound feet finally couldn't help but kick out at Kurohane.

But an ordinary person is, after all, just an ordinary person. In Kurohane's eyes, Hui's kick was like slow motion, easily caught.

"Don't be so angry."

Kurohane didn't take Hui's counterattack seriously at all.

He was merely an ordinary person; even a common Genin would be enough to handle a whole group of them.

As someone who could be called an elite Jonin, he had even less reason to care.

"You have a very important role to play."

Kurohane grabbed Hui's hair, staring straight into Hui's eyes.

"Let's go."

Kurohane shoved Hui away, throwing him directly onto the ground.

"To the place where the Hero Water is kept."

Kurohane turned around, walking away with his back to the three of them.

Sashizhen and Ono Ishi exchanged a glance, then pulled Hui up and dragged him along to follow Kurohane.

Perhaps no one knew that, at this moment, with his back turned to them, Kurohane was wearing a wide, sinister grin.

A devilish smile was etched onto Kurohane's face, wide and ostentatious, yet completely unseen by those behind him.

Next, they headed toward the location of the Hero Water.

"The target has been abducted, and the condition for the Chakra Fruit to manifest is the target's blood?"

Jiraiya sat alone at the dining table.

His students were all nursing injuries and confined to their beds; for now, he was the only one left to contemplate strategy.

"Troublesome, truly super troublesome."

Jiraiya sighed and stroked his long white hair.

When it came to schemes and the like, Jiraiya admitted he was the least adept; unlike a certain fellow named Orochimaru, he was much more reckless in his approach.

Yet, all this time, Jiraiya had made it through unscathed. His luck had always been decent, and he had never encountered a situation that led directly to his demise.

It was only in his later years that his luck had soured, leading him to cross paths with a student who had already strayed from the path.

Then there was the woman he loved who did not love him back; the deep affection he had harbored for decades never found its moment to be expressed.

"Let's just go for it."

Just as Jiraiya was about to suggest a direct assault, a voice spoke his thoughts aloud.

It was a voice Jiraiya knew very well; he had just heard it moments ago.

He cast his gaze toward the source.

As expected.

It was Yueshu!

Beside him were the other three members of the Jiraiya Squad.

They hadn't continued to rest in their rooms; instead, with a tacit understanding, they had gotten out of bed and come here.

"Your bodies haven't—"

"We want to win! This time, we must!"

Before Jiraiya could finish, Minato Namikaze interrupted him.

"Minato—"

Jiraiya looked at Minato Namikaze, who had stepped forward, the light in his eyes burning brighter than ever.

Perhaps no one felt more responsible for this failure than Minato Namikaze, who had watched helplessly as others trampled over him.

Taking a breath, Jiraiya smiled.

"Then."

"Let's go together!"

"Yeah!"

With bandages still wrapped around their bodies, the severely wounded students pleaded with their teacher, and the teacher took the lead to launch an attack on the enemy.

This was the Jiraiya Squad.

An unconventional squad.

The injured Jiraiya Squad was making a comeback, not even having unwound their bandages, ready for another battle!

"Good grief, these young people today!"

Jiraiya took the lead, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from curling upward.

"This is the Hero Water."

Kurohane walked to the side of a small lake and pointed at it, while Sashizhen and Ono Ishi stood nearby with Hui.

Both men looked at Kurohane.

They exchanged a glance, said nothing, and simply pushed Hui toward Kurohane.

The Hero Water was truly a massive temptation; a tenfold increase in chakra was something every powerhouse dreamed of.

Sashizhen and Ono Ishi felt around their bodies and pulled out water bottles, as did Ono Ishi.

Kurohane watched from the side, Hui now in his grasp.

Sashizhen and Ono Ishi's backs were turned to him, causing Kurohane's free hand to tighten involuntarily.

Such an obvious opening made Kurohane struggle to suppress the urge to strike, but as a notorious rogue ninja in the black market, he was not impulsive—unlike this morning, when he had suddenly launched a sneak attack and taken out two of his own Jonin.

Otherwise, Jiraiya might not have been able to make it back in time.

"Well, the payment has been received. Until we meet again."

Ono Ishi and Sashizhen stowed their bottles and bid a simple farewell.

Finally, Kurohane revealed his true colors.

Hui, beside him, had already been knocked unconscious, and Kurohane looked down at her with a wicked grin.

"It's your turn to take the stage, Princess."

A moment later, as a pillar of light shot straight into the clouds, the young girl's body collapsed to the ground.