The night wind was like a knife, cutting off the last trace of tenderness in the courtyard.
The moment Senju Chen stepped out of the door, it turned into a shadow that was almost impossible to capture with the naked eye. The stone road under his feet, the eaves next to the street, and the trees in the distance were all rapidly stretched in the field of vision and twisted into blurred blocks of color.
Rin Nohara Something happened.
The Flying Thunder God Formula he left on her clothes was moving towards the southern border of the village at an alarming speed. That was not a speed she could achieve on her own. She was kidnapped!
"Chen! Wait!"
Behind him, the voice belonging to Shisui Uchiha was torn intermittently by the wind, but his Body Flicker Technique was so fast that in a few breaths, a black shadow was already tightly attached to the side of Senju Chen.
Shisui's heart was filled with shock and confusion.
One second, they were drinking tea on the porch and discussing the future of the village. The next second, Senju Chen erupted with a terrifying aura that even made him feel palpitations, and then ran out at a speed that he could hardly keep up with.
There were no alarms, no orders, not even any warning signs.
How on earth did he know that there was an enemy invasion?
"What's going on?" Shisui asked urgently as he followed up. His Sharingan had been turned on, and three Tomoe were slowly rotating in his eye sockets, scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
"Someone kidnapped Rin Nohara."
"Rin Nohara?!" Shisui was shocked.
Although he, Rin Nohara, and Kakashi are not from the same class, they are all peers of Konoha and are familiar with each other. More importantly, how could someone sneak into the hinterland of the village quietly and kidnap a Chunin with precision?
This is simply a fantasy! Konoha's barrier and sentient troops are just decorations?
Unless... there is an inside signal! Or, the other party has unimaginable infiltration capabilities!
What Danzo said to him during the day flashed through Shisui's mind, and his expression became extremely solemn. He stopped asking any more questions, just gathered Chakra under his feet, and his speed increased again, keeping pace with Senju Chen.
He chose to believe in Senju Chen's judgment. That murderous aura without pretense could not deceive anyone.
Two figures, one behind the other, like two sharp arrows shooting through the dark night, flew across the roof of Konoha, chasing the retreating space coordinates!
A dark, damp cave.
Water droplets dripped from the tips of stalactites, making a crisp and monotonous "tick-tock" sound on the ground, echoing in the empty stone chamber.
Rin Nohara's consciousness slowly emerged from the chaos.
The severe pain in the back of her neck made her groan. She opened her eyes with difficulty, and what she saw was an unfamiliar rock wall and a few swaying Kakkō.
She was tied to a cold stone platform, her limbs were firmly fixed by thick chains, and she could not move at all.
"Here is..."
Fragments of memory come in like a flood.
She sent Chen-kun and Kai away, returned to the yard, and tried to say something to Kakashi. But Kakashi just left her with a cold back, and Body Flicker Technique left.
She felt lost and walked home alone, thinking about Chen-kun's last meaningful words, Minato-sensei and Sister Kushina, and thinking about how to knock on the closed door of Kakashi's heart.
Then...
Several black shadows appeared in front of her without warning.
She only had time to see clearly the scratch mark representing Kirigakure on their Forehead Protector, when she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and completely lost consciousness.
"Are you awake?"
A hoarse and cold voice came from the shadows of the cave.
Lin's heart tightened and she looked around.
Kakkō Below, several ninjas wearing Kirigakure uniforms were looking at her coldly.
"You... who are you? What do you want to do?" Lin forced herself to calm down. She was a ninja and could not lose her mind even if she was in a desperate situation.
"What for?" One of them walked forward slowly, with a hint of playful cruelty in his voice, "Of course it's a big gift for Konoha."
He tilted his head to Kirigakure Ninja beside him. "Let's get started, don't waste time."
"Yes!"
Several Kirigakure Ninjas stepped forward in response, their expressions solemn and fanatical, as if they were performing a sacred ritual. One of them formed a complex seal with his hands.
"Water Release·Isobu The art of reincarnation!"
Following his low shout, countless strange black runes instantly lit up on the floor of the entire cave, converging into a huge magic circle that wrapped the stone platform where Lin was in the center.
An indescribable Chakra, full of violence and ominousness, soars into the sky from the magic circle!
"Ho--!!!"
An illusory and huge silhouette loomed behind Lin. It was a giant beast with three tails, covered with an armor-like hard shell, and shaped like a turtle!
Three-Tails, Isobu!
"Ahhhhhhh--!"
Unimaginable pain swept through Lin's body instantly.
That violent Chakra, like red-hot molten iron, rushed into her meridians arbitrarily, tearing at her nerves and washing away her will. Her body seemed to have turned into a container that was forcibly opened, and could be torn apart by this terrifying force at any time.
Her screams echoed in the cave, shrill and desperate.
"No... don't..."
Her consciousness was rising and falling in severe pain, and she could feel that her body was being occupied and assimilated by another completely different will.
"It will be fine soon." The other party's voice was still as calm as if he was stating a trivial matter, "You should feel honored. You will be the key to destroy Konoha and become the sacrifice that opens a new world."
He stretched out his hand, and a ball of ominous purple Chakra condensed in his palm. In the center of the Chakra, a strange rune was slowly taking shape.
"In order to prevent your 'tool' from being damaged by your own will in the middle..."
He slowly pressed the ball of Chakra towards Lin's chest, which was heaving violently in pain.
"Just add another layer of insurance to your heart."
"Confinement Cursed Seal!"
The purple runes were like a branding iron, deeply imprinted into Lin's skin and integrated with her heart.
A cold force, full of restraint and despair, instantly locked her heart.
From this moment on, her life will no longer be controlled by herself.
Suicide, or any form of self-destruction, will become a luxury.
Her fate was left with the only ending that was set - to return to Konoha, and then be detonated like a bomb.
Severe pain and despair, like endless darkness, finally swallowed up Lin's last shred of consciousness.
"Boom--!"
The entrance to the cave exploded with a loud noise!
Rubbles scattered everywhere and smoke filled the air.
Two figures, wrapped in overwhelming anger and murderous intent, fell into this filthy dark place like meteors.
"This is it!"
Senju Chen's eyes were fixed on the figure on the stone platform the moment he entered the cave.
Senju Chen Flying Thunder God and Body Flicker Technique appeared next to Rin Nohara.
The girl lay there quietly, her clothes were messy, her face was as pale as paper, and there were still wet tears under her closed eyes. On her abdomen, a newly formed Sealing Jutsu pattern exuding an ominous atmosphere was slowly disappearing.
And on her chest, there was a hint of purple Cursed Seal, which made Senju Chen's pupils shrink into the most dangerous pinrays!
It's too late...
It's still a step too late!