Facing the Cloud Ninja

Whoosh.

A kunai sliced through the air toward him. With Kushina in his arms, Yueshu couldn't fight back.

He twisted his body in midair and barely managed to dodge. The kunai still grazed his thigh.

He gritted his teeth, fully aware of how dire the situation was.

Konoha was still a long way off. He was the only one on his side who could fight, while his opponents were experienced ninja. Unlike the gravely wounded Genin he'd faced before, these were genuine Chunin or stronger.

"Mission triggered: Survive this rescue. Mission reward: one draw."

The system's voice sounded in his mind. Yueshu landed and ducked behind a tree, narrowly avoiding a barrage of kunai. But that gave the pursuers time to catch up.

What kind of mission is this? I'm already out of options. Is it trying to motivate me with a draw?

Yueshu smiled bitterly as he listened for movement around him.

"Hey, brat, you're out of places to run. Hand her over nicely, or we'll take her ourselves. Behave, and we might make it quick for you."

An adult man's voice came from behind the tree. The Cloud Ninja had caught up with Yueshu and Kushina. He couldn't outrun them, so his only choice was to face them head-on.

He gently set Kushina down and leaned her against the tree. Then he smiled at her.

"Be good and listen to me. I'll be right back."

"What are you going to do?"

Smack.

That familiar sensation returned, and a wave of weakness washed over Kushina. Her vision went black, then slowly blurred.

"Don't..."

"I'll get you back to Konoha. We'll go home together."

Kushina looked at Yueshu's blurred face and reached out with her little hand. But the next moment, she fainted.

Yueshu took a deep breath and stepped out into the open, where the two Cloud Ninja could see him.

"Well, well. You came out, little mouse."

They grinned and licked their lips.

"Not bad. You took one of ours out when we weren't paying attention. Are you some kind of Konoha prodigy?"

The two men held kunai in one hand, their eyes cold and impassive.

"What I love most is dragging little prodigies like you down to hell!"

They didn't bother with any cowardly numbers game. Both Cloud Ninja charged at once.

Here they come!

Yueshu's heart gave a sudden leap, and a flash of red crossed his eyes. He could see both Cloud Ninja's movements clearly.

He didn't retreat to play it safe. Kushina was behind him—he had nowhere to go.

Yueshu held his breath and just barely slipped past the incoming kunai. Taking advantage of the opening, he struck back and drove both Cloud Ninja away.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

He immediately formed Hand Seals and pressed his advantage.

"Earth Style: Earth Style Wall!"

A Cloud Ninja's voice rang out, and an earthen wall surged from the ground, blocking the scattered fireballs.

"Interesting. Those eyes of yours... Are you from the Uchiha Clan?"

The two Cloud Ninja looked at Yueshu, and the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes immediately caught their attention.

"Fire Style—"

"Your Hand Seals are too slow!"

Yueshu didn't answer. He continued his attack, but one of the Cloud Ninja used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside him.

A kunai stabbed toward him. Yueshu's Three-Tomoe Sharingan fixed on the Cloud Ninja in front of him, his blood-red eyes perfectly calm.

He shifted his foot slightly and slipped past the kunai, but kept forming Hand Seals.

"Great Fireball Technique!"

Yueshu puffed out his cheeks and blasted a Great Fireball right into the enemy's face.

The Great Fireball stood out against the night, lighting up the area in an instant.

"Too green."

A voice came from behind him. A piece of wood dropped in front of Yueshu.

Substitution Technique!

The kunai in his hand glimmered white-blue. The Cloud Ninja had poured chakra into it to make it more deadly.

"I'll give you that line back!"

The instant the kunai pierced Yueshu's back, a cloud of smoke rose. He, too, had turned into a piece of wood.

"Rasengan!"

"Wind Style: Wind Blade!"

A Wind Blade flew in from the side. Yueshu ignored that Cloud Ninja, his eyes fixed only on the opponent in front of him, who had let his guard down and exposed an opening.

Thwack!

The Wind Blade cut across Yueshu's back. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he slammed the Rasengan into the Cloud Ninja's back.

Wasn't this the famous ball of chakra from the Hokage stories? Yueshu's strike sent the man flying.

Thump! Yueshu hit the ground. Wounded again, his small body was overwhelmed by a growing sense of weakness.

"Brat!"

Another one of his comrades had been taken down by a child. The last Cloud Ninja let out an angry shout.

"Wind Style: Great Whirlwind!"

A powerful wind swept through the area, making the trees sway violently.

Whoosh! The wind sliced Yueshu's arm, leaving a small cut.

His blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan turned toward the Cloud Ninja—but the man had already disappeared.

This is bad!

Sensing danger, Yueshu leaped into the air.

"Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"

The ground where Yueshu had been standing suddenly sank. At the same time, a kunai shot up from underground toward him.

Yueshu was about to knock it away with his own kunai, but then he saw what it was.

That wasn't an ordinary kunai. A tag was tied to its end.

An Explosive Tag!

Yueshu cleared his mind and formed Hand Seals.

"Wind Style: Wind Blade!"

He puffed out his cheeks and spat out several Wind Blades, sending the incoming explosive kunai flying off to the side.

Boom!

The Explosive Tag flashed, heated up, and blew apart.

Flames burst out from one side, suddenly lighting up the area.

Yueshu landed steadily, but the sound of something slicing through the air came at his ears.

He turned and saw three shuriken flying toward him.

Yueshu watched them fly. The world in his eyes seemed to slow down, every movement turning sluggish.

"Wait!"

Yueshu narrowed his eyes. He saw it now: the middle shuriken was clearly giving off a ripple of chakra.

That wasn't a shuriken. It was a Transformation Jutsu!

Yueshu wouldn't let this chance slip by. He immediately gathered chakra in his hand, forming a Rasengan.

As a jutsu that required no Hand Seals, the Rasengan was extremely quick to use. In an instant, he had a spinning ball of chakra in his hand.

"Rasengan!"

Yueshu thrust the Rasengan forward, accepting the risk of being struck by the other two shuriken in exchange for this chance.

He wasn't especially powerful. If he focused on stopping the other two shuriken, he wouldn't have any chance to attack. Worse, the enemy would get close, which was exactly what they wanted.

Thud! The two shuriken sank into Yueshu's body.

A cloud of smoke rose, and the middle shuriken transformed into a person: the last Cloud Ninja, who had disappeared moments ago. His face was full of alarm. He clearly hadn't expected the little brat to be so reckless.

The Rasengan glowed white-blue as it struck the Cloud Ninja, right before Yueshu's eyes.

No!

Yueshu's pupils contracted. Unlike the two previous times, he couldn't feel the enemy's body. It was as if he had hit nothing but air.

Another cloud of smoke rose. The next instant, the Rasengan struck the piece of wood inside it.

Substitution Technique!

The Rasengan hit the wood and ground it to splinters.

"An ordinary ninja would've gone down for sure. Not bad, Konoha brat."

The Cloud Ninja's voice came from behind him. Yueshu could hear it, but his body couldn't react in time.

"Have you ever seen the power of a Jonin?"

The voice was calm and measured, like the final pronouncement of a sentence.

"Lightning Style: Heavy Flow Violence!"

Yueshu heard the crackling of electricity.

His body finally reacted. He turned around at once, but it was too late.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared straight ahead. A ninja was racing toward him, trailing a bolt of lightning.

Step by step—it happened in an instant. The Cloud Ninja was right in front of him, and Yueshu hadn't managed to move.

Squish!

Yueshu could only dodge his vital organs. The Cloud Ninja's hand had already pierced his abdomen.

Electricity surged through his body, bringing a numbing sensation and excruciating pain.

"Not bad."

The Cloud Ninja's voice sounded by his ear. He pulled his hand out of Yueshu's abdomen, and the boy's small body dropped to its knees.

Yueshu's vision blurred. He could feel his heart pounding frantically.

Is this my last heartbeat?

Yueshu collapsed to the ground, his vision hazy.

"Those are Uchiha eyes, huh? Whatever. Konoha's pursuers should be here soon. If we get the chance, we'll dig them out without a second thought."

Yueshu looked ahead. The Cloud Ninja slowly walked away, then hoisted a red-haired figure over his shoulder.

Kushina!

Yueshu gasped for breath, weakness coursing through his body. He felt awful—he could barely move a finger.

"Don't even think about it!"

Yueshu shouted. Somehow, a last burst of strength surged through him and propelled him forward.

I don't want to lose you!

"Rasengan!"

Yueshu charged forward, but the Cloud Ninja kicked him aside with a spinning kick.

The Cloud Ninja glanced at Yueshu, then toward Konoha. He ignored the boy and started moving.

"Wood Release!"

Yueshu leaned against a tree, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes strikingly clear.

"Wood Binding Technique!"

"What?!"

The Cloud Ninja cried out as a branch wrapped around his foot.

"It's Wood Release! The First's Kekkei Genkai!"

More branches kept winding around him. The Cloud Ninja stared at Yueshu in shock.

"I can't let you live!"

"Lightning Style: Lightning Armor!"

"Lightning Style: Heavy Flow Violence!"

The Cloud Ninja threw Kushina aside again, murderous intent in his eyes. Lightning Armor covered his body as he charged at Yueshu, who was leaning against the tree, electricity crackling around his hand.

"Die!"

The Cloud Ninja knew what this boy represented. The Sharingan or Wood Release alone would be bad enough, but together, they were something else entirely. He couldn't let a threat like this grow up, or it would bring disaster!

Yueshu could barely see anything, but when he saw the red-haired figure no longer being carried over someone's shoulder, a smile crossed his face.

As for the man charging toward him, Yueshu had no strength left. Even moving a finger was difficult.

"What do you think you're doing to my little brother?"

A familiar, melodious voice reached his ears. Yueshu relaxed and fainted.

Back in the present, the Cloud Ninja had charged in to deliver the finishing blow. Just as he was about to strike Yueshu, he was sent flying.

An angry voice rang out. Dust billowed through the nearby forest, and several trees were knocked down.

One strike!

In a split second, the Jonin-level Cloud Ninja had been sent flying.

"Kushina!"

Another figure arrived. She was an elderly woman with her hair tied up in Chinese-style buns. Though she was old, she still looked as captivating as ever.

The old woman lifted Kushina into her arms, and it was clear that she had finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just seconds later, figures emerged from all around them.

They all wore the same symbol.

The Forehead Protector of Konoha, worn either on their foreheads or tied around their arms.

They were all Konoha ninja—Genin, Chunin, and Jonin alike. They had all come together. It was clear Konoha had spared no effort to save Kushina.

Sakumo Hatake, who had been something of a swordsmanship mentor to Yueshu, was the first to step forward. His signature white hair stood out among the crowd of shinobi.

Even more conspicuous was Tsunade, her face contorted with anger. She clenched her delicate hands, and no one dared come near her.

"Lady Tsunade, leave this to me for now. You're in no condition to handle it. Besides, Yueshu's injuries are severe. You're the only one who can save him."

Sakumo Hatake spoke to Tsunade from beside her, and some of her anger ebbed away.

The next moment, Sakumo Hatake vanished from the spot, while Tsunade ran toward Yueshu, who was leaning against a nearby surface.

"Don't even think about killing yourself."

Sakumo Hatake was extraordinarily powerful, on par even with the Hokage. When he saw his opponent trying to kill himself, he used the Body Flicker Technique to stop him in time.

Meanwhile, Tsunade looked at Yueshu, whose body was soaked in blood on one side. Gritting her teeth, she trembled as she began treating him.

"Search the area!"

Sakumo Hatake dealt with his opponent in no time and captured him alive. Then he immediately began issuing orders.

And so, with Konoha's forces mobilized, the incident of Kushina's abduction came to an end.

Yueshu was the only one who suffered serious injuries in the whole ordeal. Everyone else was safe and sound.