Saving Kushina

The Azure Edge Sword flashed from its sheath, intercepting a shuriken hurtling toward Qingyun. The shuriken struck the blade with a clear clang, then fell to the ground.

After blocking the shuriken, Qingyun narrowed his eyes and looked toward the attacker. A masked, black-haired Ninja stood there, roughly 1.7 meters tall, holding a Tachi in his right hand and a little girl under his left arm. The girl was Kushina.

A flash of delight crossed Kushina's eyes when she saw Qingyun coming to save her. But the masked Ninja seemed to have drugged her, leaving her temporarily unable to speak.

"Who are you? Why did you lure me here?"

Qingyun watched the masked Ninja's indifferent eyes and questioned him warily.

"It seems this little girl means quite a lot to you. You knew someone was using her to lure you here, yet you still dared to come alone?"

The masked Ninja watched Qingyun with interest, his voice raspy.

Qingyun saw mockery in the Ninja's eyes, as though he were playing cat and mouse.

Qingyun's gaze flickered. Seeing Kushina looking at him, he glanced at her, then casually turned his eyes away and said flatly, "You're overthinking it. This girl is just a classmate. I barely know her.

"I only came because I was curious who would dare cause trouble deep inside Konoha."

Despair flashed through Kushina's eyes at his words. Huge tears kept rolling down her cheeks as she stared at Qingyun's indifferent face, her eyes lifeless.

She could not understand why Qingyun was acting this way. They were friends, so why did he seem utterly unconcerned about her safety? Why would he say something so cold and heartless?

The masked Ninja chuckled softly at Qingyun's words. "If that's what you say, then this girl is no longer useful. Carrying her around would only be a burden. I might as well kill her now."

As he spoke, he raised his Tachi and slowly brought it toward Kushina's neck.

Kushina closed her eyes, seemingly resigned to her fate.

Watching the Tachi descend toward Kushina, Qingyun's heart clenched. His right hand gripped the Azure Edge Sword tightly.

Damn it! I can't save Kushina instantly from this far away. Who is this man? What is he after?

Qingyun wrestled with those thoughts in frustration. As the Tachi was about to pass across Kushina's neck, he could no longer hold back and shouted, "Wait! You win. She's my friend. Tell me, what do you want?"

The masked Ninja stopped, then slowly drew back his Tachi. He looked at Qingyun and chuckled. "Heh. You want me to let this girl go? Fine. Cut your own throat, and I guarantee I'll return her to the Ninja Academy without a scratch."

"No!"

Kushina's eyes flew open when she heard Qingyun's admission. So he had not said those things because he did not care about her, but to lull this mysterious Ninja into lowering his guard. At the masked Ninja's demand, she mustered all her strength and cried out.

Neither Qingyun nor the masked Ninja paid any attention to Kushina's cry. Their eyes remained locked, each watching the other's every move.

"Impossible. I don't trust you. If I cut my own throat and you refuse to release Kushina, what could I do about it?"

Qingyun only wanted to buy time. Once Minato Namikaze spread the news of Kushina's disappearance, Hiruzen Sarutobi would certainly send large numbers of Ninja to search for her, given her importance to Konoha.

The masked Ninja seemed to understand Qingyun's plan. He said coldly, "You have no choice. Either you die, or she does."

He raised his Tachi again and slowly brought it toward Kushina, forcing Qingyun to make his choice quickly.

Qingyun's heart tightened at the sight. He stared at the masked Ninja. "Wait. Neither of us trusts the other. Why don't we both compromise?"

"Oh? Let's hear it."

The masked Ninja stopped, watching Qingyun with interest.

"Release Kushina and let her leave alone. I'll stay here. I won't run.

"With your strength, surely you aren't afraid of a child like me! Besides, you've drugged Kushina. She's too weak to move quickly, and reinforcements won't arrive that soon. What do you say?"

Qingyun laid out his proposal and looked at the masked Ninja expectantly.

The masked Ninja paused, then the corners of his mouth lifted beneath the black cloth, creasing it. "Heh. A good proposal. But I refuse."

With that, his Tachi slashed toward Kushina at lightning speed.

At the sight, Qingyun rapidly circulated his Internal Force and looked behind the masked Ninja with delight. "Grandpa Hokage, you're here! Hurry and cut this Ninja down! He's taken Kushina hostage!"

Hearing Qingyun's words and seeing the delight in his eyes as he looked behind him, the masked Ninja could not help glancing back. But there was nothing there. Realizing he had been tricked, he hurriedly turned back to attack.

The moment the masked Ninja turned his head, the Internal Force racing through Qingyun's body erupted. He unleashed the Golden Wild Goose Technique at full power and rushed toward him.

Closing in, Qingyun slashed the Azure Edge Sword viciously at the masked Ninja's left hand. At the same time, he formed hand seals with his left hand alone. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Realizing he had been fooled, the masked Ninja spun back around, only to see an enormous fireball hurtling toward him. He quickly channeled his Chakra, a keen aura appearing along his Tachi, and split the fireball in two with a single slash.

The two halves of the great fireball scattered to either side and fell to the ground.

But by then, Qingyun had already reached the masked Ninja, the Azure Edge Sword slashing toward his left hand.

After splitting the great fireball, the masked Ninja caught sight of Qingyun, and his pupils contracted. He now had only two choices. The first was to kill Qingyun at the cost of a severe injury to his left hand, perhaps even losing it entirely.

The second was to release Kushina and evade Qingyun's attack.

The masked Ninja quickly made his decision. He released Kushina and retreated, slashing his Tachi at Qingyun with his right hand.

The moment the masked Ninja let go of Kushina, Qingyun pushed the Golden Wild Goose Technique to its limit and caught her, gathering her into his arms. At the same time, he changed his sword move, sweeping the Azure Edge Sword across his front.

Clang!

The Tachi struck the Azure Edge Sword, and Qingyun used the force of the impact to propel himself backward.

But the masked Ninja had no intention of letting Qingyun escape. In a flash, he appeared beside him and slashed his Tachi at Kushina in his arms again.

Qingyun saw a blur, and the masked Ninja was already in front of him, his Tachi cutting toward Kushina. Qingyun's sword move was fully committed, leaving no time to change it. With no other choice, he strained to shift his body aside.

Slash!

A jet of blood shot into the air.

Despite Qingyun's desperate attempt to shift his body, the masked Ninja's attack was too fast. He could not evade it completely and could only use his own body to shield her from the blow.

After moving clear of the attack, Qingyun rapidly retreated. Once outside the masked Ninja's range, he watched him warily.

Seeing Qingyun wounded, Kushina could not stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. Yet she could do nothing. For the first time, she understood how important strength was.

"Kushina, can you still walk?"

Qingyun kept his eyes fixed on the masked Ninja as he questioned Kushina.

"Yes."

Kushina answered weakly.

Qingyun slowly nodded and released Kushina from his arms, then instructed her, "I'll keep him occupied. Get out of here as quickly as you can and find help. Understand?"

"But..."

Kushina did not want to leave and tried to say something, but Qingyun interrupted her. "Kushina, listen to me. You can't do anything here. You'll only become a target for his attacks. Leave and find help. That's the only way we can both survive."

Kushina bitterly resented her own weakness, but the situation was critical. She could not become a burden to Qingyun. She nodded firmly.

Relieved that Kushina had agreed to his plan, Qingyun slowly stepped in front of her and circulated his Internal Force. Then he shouted, "Go!"

Without waiting for Kushina's answer, he used the Golden Wild Goose Technique and charged at the masked ninja again.

Watching Qingyun throw himself into attacking the masked ninja, Kushina held back her tears and ran away. But her body was too weak. After only a few steps, she fell to the ground. Ignoring the cuts the gravel left on her body, she struggled to her feet and began running again!

She knew Qingyun would only have a chance to survive if she found help as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Qingyun used the Golden Wild Goose Technique to evade his opponent's attacks while employing Quanzhen Swordsmanship to keep the masked ninja occupied.