Hero Water?

"Let go!"

A girl's voice echoed through the room, but her eyes could see nothing.

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

Minato Namikaze gasped for breath, feeling his heart straining under the burden.

It was as if a lead weight had been placed on his heart. The crushing load made it difficult for Minato Namikaze to breathe.

It seemed his eyes had shut out his ears. Minato Namikaze realized that.

He suddenly opened his eyes and found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.

The wooden ceiling had a warm hue, but Minato Namikaze couldn't calm down.

Not long ago, he had been effortlessly defeated, and the person he was supposed to protect had been taken away by the man who had trampled over him.

He hadn't been able to do a thing.

He hadn't even—

Had the strength to watch Hui being taken away.

Minato Namikaze sat up quietly, leaned back against the headboard, and silently lifted his gaze to the ceiling.

He tried to take a deep breath, but his hands clutched the bedsheet tightly.

His blond hair hung over his face. A breeze from outside the window stirred it gently, and the golden strands seemed much darker than before.

"Damn it!"

The only sound in the quiet room was Minato Namikaze's voice.

"It's been a long time, Princess."

Hui glared through clenched teeth at the man in front of her, her hands bound behind her.

The man standing before her was someone she knew well—

Kuchiki Kurohane.

That was the name of the man before her.

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 excelled in that field. That was how he'd achieved so much.

He was a capable Jonin. At a glance, his strength seemed ordinary, but in Takigakure he was practically the strongest in the village.

"What do you want?"

Hui gritted her teeth, but Kurohane didn't get angry. Instead, his smile grew even brighter.

"What do I want?"

Kurohane's smiling eyes suddenly turned sharp.

"Don't you know better than anyone?"

"Guardian."

Kurohane grabbed Hui by the arm and leaned closer.

Sashizhen and Ono Ishi watched from the side, paying it little attention.

Hui, meanwhile, looked disgusted.

"Stay away from me!"

Her voice was full of anger. Her unbound legs finally lashed out at Kurohane.

But an ordinary person was still just an ordinary person. In Kurohane's eyes, Hui's kick moved in slow motion, and he caught it with ease.

"Don't be so angry."

Kurohane didn't take Hui's retaliation seriously.

She was just an ordinary person. Even a single ordinary Genin could handle a whole group of people like her.

As someone worthy of being called an elite Jonin, he had even less reason to care.

"You're very useful."

Kurohane grabbed Hui by the hair and stared directly into her eyes.

"Let's go."

Kurohane flung Hui to the ground and turned away.

"To the place where the Hero Water is."

With his back to the three of them, Kurohane started walking.

Sashizhen and Ono Ishi exchanged a glance, then hauled Hui to her feet and followed Kurohane.

Perhaps no one knew that Kurohane, walking ahead with his back to them, was grinning broadly.

A devilish smile spread across his face. He grinned without restraint, but the people behind him couldn't see it.

And so they headed toward the place where the Hero Water was kept.

"The target's been kidnapped, and the condition for the Chakra Fruit to appear is the target's blood?"

Jiraiya sat alone at the dining table.

Almost all his students were injured and lying in bed, so he was the only one here, trying to think up a strategy.

"What a pain. Such a huge pain."

Jiraiya sighed and stroked his long white hair.

When it came to scheming, Jiraiya admitted he was hopeless at it. Unlike a certain man named Orochimaru, he tended to be more reckless.

Still, Jiraiya had made it through all this time without incident. He'd always been pretty lucky and had never encountered a situation that had immediately cost him his life.

Only when he'd grown old had his luck turned for the worse, and he'd run into a student who'd already gone astray.

And then there was the person he loved, who didn't love him back. When the time finally came to confess the feelings he'd held for decades, he'd had no chance.

"Let's just charge in."

Jiraiya was about to attack directly when a voice spoke his mind.

It was a voice he knew very well. He'd heard it just moments ago.

He looked over.

Just as he'd expected.

It was Yueshu!

The other three members of Jiraiya Squad were with him, too.

They hadn't stayed in their rooms to rest. They'd gotten out of bed and come here without needing to say a word.

"You're still injured—"

"We have to win! This time, no matter what!"

Minato Namikaze cut Jiraiya off before he could finish.

"Minato—"

Jiraiya looked at Minato Namikaze. He had stepped forward, determination shining brightly in his eyes.

Perhaps Minato Namikaze was the one who blamed himself most for their defeat. He'd watched helplessly as someone trampled over him, unable to do anything.

Jiraiya took a breath and smiled.

"Then..."

"Let's go together!"

"Yeah!"

Bandages still wrapped around their bodies, the badly injured students called on their teacher. Their teacher took the lead and charged at the enemy.

That was Jiraiya Squad.

An odd little team.

The injured members of Jiraiya Squad charged back into the fray, their bandages not even removed yet. Another battle was about to begin!

"Young people these days!"

Jiraiya took the lead, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting.

--

"This is the Hero Water."

Kurohane stopped beside a small lake and pointed it out. Sashizhen and Ono Ishi stood nearby with Hui.

The two men looked at Kurohane.

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

The Hero Water was undeniably tempting. A tenfold increase in chakra was something every strong person could only dream of.

Sashizhen felt around his body and pulled out a water bottle. Ono Ishi did the same.

Kurohane watched them from the side, Hui already in his grasp.

With Sashizhen and Ono Ishi's backs turned to him, Kurohane couldn't help tightening his free hand into a fist.

The obvious opening made Kurohane itch to strike. But as a rogue ninja notorious in the black market, he didn't act rashly—not like he had that morning, when he'd launched a sudden ambush and taken out the two Jonin on his own side.

Otherwise, Jiraiya might not have made it back in time.

"Mm, we've received the payment. Until we meet again."

Ono Ishi and Sashizhen put away their bottles and said their goodbyes simply.

Kurohane finally showed his true colors.

Hui had already been knocked unconscious. Kurohane looked down at her with a sly grin.

"Your turn to make an appearance, Princess."

A short while later, a beam of light shot straight into the clouds, and the girl's body collapsed to the ground.