Battle Against the Cloud Ninja

Swish.

A kunai tore through the air, but Yueshu was unable to strike back while holding Kushina.

He forced his body to twist in mid-air, barely managing to dodge the projectile, though it still grazed his thigh.

Gritting his teeth, Yueshu knew exactly what kind of situation he was in.

Konoha was still some distance away, and he was the only combatant on his side. His opponents were experienced ninja—not the heavily wounded genin he had faced before, but genuine chunin-level threats or higher.

Mission Triggered: Survive this rescue mission. Mission Completion Reward: One lucky draw.

The system's voice echoed in his mind. Yueshu landed on the ground and ducked behind a tree, narrowly avoiding a barrage of kunai, but the maneuver allowed his pursuers to close the distance.

This mission... isn't this just forcing my hand? Are you trying to goad me with a lucky draw?

Yueshu offered a bitter smile while listening to the movements around him.

"Hey, kid, you've got nowhere left to run. Hand the girl over peacefully, or we'll just take her by force. Be good, and we might even make it quick for you."

The adult male's voice rang out from behind the trees. Yueshu and Kushina had been cornered; he couldn't outrun them, so he had no choice but to face them head-on.

He gently set Kushina down, leaning her against a tree, and gave her a smile.

"Be a good girl and stay here. I'll be back in a moment."

"What are you trying to do!"

Thwack.

The familiar sensation returned. A wave of weakness flooded her mind, and Kushina felt her vision go black, her sight slowly blurring.

"Don't..."

"I will definitely bring you back to Konoha. We're going home together."

Kushina looked at Yueshu's blurred face, her small hand reaching out, but the next moment, she lost consciousness.

Yueshu took a deep breath and stepped out into the view of the two Cloud Ninja.

"Interesting, you've come out, have you? Little mouse."

They chuckled, licking their lips.

"To be able to take down one of our men when we weren't looking—not bad. A genius from Konoha, are you?"

Both men gripped their kunai in one hand, their eyes filled with cold indifference.

"I love nothing more than dragging geniuses like you down to hell!"

Without any shame about outnumbering him, both Cloud Ninja charged at once.

Here it comes!

Yueshu's heart gave a violent jolt. A flash of red crossed his eyes, and the movements of the two Cloud Ninja became clear to him.

He didn't choose the safe path of retreating; Kushina was right behind him, and he had nowhere to go.

Yueshu held his breath, his body narrowly grazing the incoming kunai, and he seized the opening to strike back at both of them.

"Earth Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

His hands immediately formed the seals, and Yueshu pressed his advantage.

"Earth Style: Earth Style Wall!"

The Cloud Ninja's voice rang out, and a wall of earth erupted from the ground, blocking the scattered fireballs.

"Interesting. Those eyes of yours—are you from the Uchiha clan?"

The two Cloud Ninja stared at Yueshu, having immediately noticed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes.

"Fire Style—"

"Your seals are too slow!"

Yueshu didn't respond, continuing his assault, but one of the Cloud Ninja used the Body Flicker Technique to appear right beside him.

The kunai thrust forward. Yueshu's Three-Tomoe Sharingan tracked the ninja before him, his blood-red eyes filled with absolute calm.

With a slight shift of his feet, Yueshu's body slid past the kunai, dodging the strike while his hands never stopped weaving seals.

"Great Fireball Technique!"

Yueshu puffed out his cheeks and unleashed a Great Fireball point-blank at his opponent.

In the night, the fireball was exceptionally bright, illuminating the surroundings in an instant.

"Too green."

A voice came from behind him, and a piece of wood fell before Yueshu's eyes.

Body Replacement Technique!

The kunai in the ninja's hand glowed with a white-blue light as he channeled chakra into it to maximize its lethality.

"I'm returning those words to you!"

The moment the kunai pierced Yueshu's back, a puff of smoke rose, and he, too, transformed into a block of wood.

"Rasengan."

"Wind Style: Wind Blade."

A wind blade flew past from the side. Yueshu ignored the Cloud Ninja, his eyes fixed solely on the man before him who had left himself wide open due to his own arrogance.

Squelch.

The wind blade grazed Yueshu's back, but he endured the pain and slammed the Rasengan into the Cloud Ninja's back.

Was it any wonder this was the most renowned sphere in the world of Hokage? Yueshu's strike sent the man flying instantly.

With a thud, Yueshu's body hit the ground. The fresh injury caused a wave of weakness to wash over his small frame.

"You brat!"

Seeing another comrade taken down by a child, the final Cloud Ninja roared in fury.

"Wind Style: Great Whirlwind."

Strong winds whipped up around them, causing the trees to sway violently.

Swish. Yueshu's arm was nicked, a small wound appearing instantly.

His blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan scanned the area, but the Cloud Ninja had already vanished.

Not good!

Sensing danger, Yueshu leaped into the air.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

The next second, the ground where Yueshu had been standing collapsed, and simultaneously, a kunai shot from the earth toward him in mid-air.

Yueshu intended to deflect the incoming kunai with his own, but he realized the truth just in time.

That was no ordinary kunai; it had an object tied to its tail.

It was an Explosive Kunai!

Yueshu refocused and formed hand seals.

"Wind Style: Wind Blade."

He puffed out his cheeks and spat out several blades of wind, knocking the Explosive Kunai aside.

Bang!

The Explosive Tag flared and detonated instantly.

Flames erupted from the side, illuminating the area in a sudden flash.

Yueshu landed steadily, but the sound of wind being torn apart reached his ears.

He turned to see three shuriken flying toward him.

As Yueshu watched the shuriken, the world in his eyes seemed to slow down, moving in extreme slow motion.

Something's wrong!

Yueshu narrowed his eyes. He noticed that the middle shuriken clearly carried a fluctuation of chakra.

That wasn't a shuriken—it was a Transformation Jutsu!

Yueshu would not miss this opportunity; he immediately gathered a Rasengan in his hand.

As a ninjutsu requiring no hand seals, the Rasengan was extremely fast to execute, and in a split second, a sphere formed in his palm.

"Rasengan!"

Yueshu thrust the Rasengan forward. He was willing to risk being struck by the other two shuriken, choosing to trade injury for this opening.

He was no genius; if he had split his focus to deal with all three shuriken, he would have lost his chance to attack, and letting the enemy close the distance would have played right into their hands.

Squelch. Two shuriken embedded themselves into Yueshu's body.

A puff of smoke rose, and the middle shuriken transformed into a person—the final Cloud Ninja who had just vanished. His face was filled with terror, clearly not expecting this brat to be so reckless.

The Rasengan, glowing with a pale blue light, slammed into the Cloud Ninja's body under Yueshu's gaze.

Wait!

Yueshu's pupils constricted. He didn't feel the resistance of a human body like he had the previous two times; it felt as if he had struck empty air.

Another puff of smoke rose, and in the next instant, the Rasengan struck a log hidden within the smoke.

Body Replacement Technique!

The Rasengan tore the log to shreds.

"An ordinary ninja really would have been taken down by you. Not bad, Konoha brat."

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

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

The voice was eerie, neither too loud nor too soft, sounding like the final pronouncement of a death sentence.

"Lightning Style: Heavy Flow Violence."

Yueshu heard a crackling sound in his ears; it was the sound of electricity.

His body finally reacted, and Yueshu immediately turned around, but it was already too late.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared straight ahead, capturing the image of a ninja dragging a trail of lightning as he charged over at high speed.

Step by step—it all happened in an instant—the Cloud Ninja was already right in front of him before Yueshu could make a move.

Squelch!

Yueshu only had time to dodge his vital organs before the Cloud Ninja's hand pierced through his abdomen.

Electric current surged into his body, sending a wave of numbness to his brain, followed by an overwhelming sensation of pain.

"Not bad."

The Cloud Ninja's voice reached his ears. As the hand was withdrawn from his abdomen, Yueshu's small body collapsed directly onto the ground.

His vision grew increasingly blurry, and Yueshu could feel his heart beating rapidly.

Is this my final heartbeat?

Yueshu fell flat on the ground, his eyes already unfocused.

"An Uchiha's eyes, huh? Forget it. Konoha's reinforcements should be arriving soon. If I get the chance, I'll definitely dig your eyes out without hesitation."

Yueshu looked ahead as the Cloud Ninja slowly walked away, then hoisted a red-haired figure onto his shoulder.

Kushina!

Yueshu gasped for air, a sense of powerlessness washing over his entire body. He felt terrible; he couldn't even move his fingers.

"Don't you dare!"

Yueshu let out a cry, and a surge of strength from somewhere unknown pushed him forward.

I don't want to lose you!

"Rasengan!"

Yueshu charged forward, only to be kicked aside by the Cloud Ninja's roundhouse kick.

The Cloud Ninja glanced at Yueshu, then toward the direction of Konoha. Ignoring Yueshu, he began to move.

"Wood Release!"

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

"Wood Binding Technique."

"What!"

The Cloud Ninja exclaimed in shock as his feet were ensnared by a tree branch.

"It's actually Wood Release! The First Hokage's bloodline limit!"

Branches from the surrounding trees continuously coiled toward him, and the Cloud Ninja stared at Yueshu with a look of utter astonishment.

"I absolutely cannot let you live!"

"Lightning Style, Lightning Armor."

"Lightning Style, Heavy Flow Violence."

The Cloud Ninja tossed Kushina aside, his eyes filled with killing intent. Clad in his Lightning Armor and with his hand wreathed in electricity, he charged toward Yueshu, who was leaning against the tree.

"Die!"

The Cloud Ninja knew what this brat represented. The Sharingan and Wood Release—either one alone would be fine, but the combination of the two was no trivial matter. He could not allow such a threat to grow, or it would surely bring disaster!

His vision was nearly gone, but Yueshu smiled for a fleeting moment when he saw that the red-haired figure was no longer being carried.

As for the person charging at him, Yueshu no longer had any strength left; even moving a finger felt incredibly difficult.

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

A familiar, beautiful voice reached his ears, and Yueshu let out a sigh of relief before passing out.

Back to the present, the Cloud Ninja, who had been about to deliver the final blow to Yueshu, was sent flying the instant he was about to strike.

A voice filled with rage rang out, kicking up a cloud of dust in the nearby forest; several trees were even knocked over by the impact.

Just one strike!

In a single blow, in the blink of an eye, this Jonin-level Cloud Ninja was sent flying aside.

"Kushina!"

Then, another figure appeared—an elderly woman with her hair tied in Chinese-style buns. Though she was old, she still looked full of charm.

Kushina was lifted up by the old woman, who could be seen visibly exhaling in relief.

Within seconds, figures emerged from all around.

They all wore the same uniform.

It was the Konoha Village forehead protector, worn either on their foreheads or tied around their arms.

These were all ninjas from Konoha Village—Genin, Chunin, and Jonin alike were all mixed in. It could be said that Konoha had exhausted all its strength for the sake of Kushina.

The first to take the lead was Sakumo Hatake, who was half a mentor to Yueshu in the art of the blade; his signature white hair was quite conspicuous among the crowd of ninjas.

Even more conspicuous than him was Tsunade, who wore a look of fury. She clenched her fair hands, seething with rage, and no one dared to stand anywhere near her.

"Lady Tsunade, leave this to me. Your current state is not suitable for this, and besides, Yueshu's injuries are severe—you are the only one who can save him."

Sakumo Hatake spoke to Tsunade, which caused her anger to subside significantly.

The next second, Sakumo Hatake vanished from where he stood, while Tsunade ran toward Yueshu, who was leaning against the side.

"Don't even think about killing yourself."

Sakumo Hatake's strength was exceptionally high, not even falling behind the Hokage. Upon seeing the opponent attempt suicide, he used the Body Flicker Technique to stop him just in time.

On the other side, Tsunade looked at the body soaked in blood, gritting her teeth as her body trembled while she began to treat Yueshu.

"Search the perimeter!"

In just a moment, Sakumo Hatake had dealt with the opponent and captured him alive, immediately proceeding to issue orders.

With that, following Konoha's mobilization, the incident regarding Kushina being abducted came to an end.

The entire affair resulted only in Yueshu sustaining heavy injuries, while everyone else remained safe and sound.