The forest east of Konoha reeked of death. Trees, blackened by poorly controlled Katon, stretched their branches like charred bones. Naruto ran at the front, his Hokage cloak whipping in the wind, followed by Kaida and Reina. Reports had been clear: the raiders, more numerous than anticipated, had set up a fortified camp, plundering supply convoys bound for Konoha. Naruto clenched his teeth, rage boiling in his veins. These bastards were feeding off the chaos left by war—and he was going to make them pay.
Kaida, on his left, threw murderous glances at Reina, who moved with fluid grace, her katana glinting in the pale moonlight.
"Keep your distance, siren," Kaida spat, her voice low but venomous. "I see the way you look at the Hokage."
Reina raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile curling her lips.
"Jealous? Focus on the mission, deserter. Unless you'd rather settle this right now."
"Shut the fuck up, both of you!" Naruto growled, halting at the edge of a clearing. Before them: a fortified camp—wooden barricades, flickering torches, and about thirty rogue ninjas, armed to the teeth. Mercenaries, judging by their slashed headbands and mismatched weapons. Naruto felt Kurama rumble inside him, ready to be unleashed.
"Kaida, left flank. Reina, right. We strike fast and hard," he ordered, eyes scanning the shadows. "No mercy."
Kaida chuckled, kunai already in hand. "Finally, a plan I can get behind."
Without a word, Reina summoned a swirl of water, spinning around her like a razor-sharp veil.
The battle erupted like a storm. Naruto dove straight into the center, a Rasengan in each hand, shattering a barricade and two raiders in a blast of wood and blood. Screams tore through the night as the rogues counterattacked, hurling flaming Shuriken and chains of iron. Naruto dodged a blade that grazed his cheek, blood trickling down his jaw.
"You bastards!" he roared, summoning a clone to smash another enemy with a chakra-charged punch.
On the left, Kaida was a whirlwind. Her cursed seal flared, black markings crawling across her skin, her eyes glowing with feral light. She slit one raider's throat, then hurled another against a tree with a wave of raw energy. But her power betrayed her: a violent spasm wracked her body, blood dripping from her nose. A rogue seized the chance, hurling a poisoned spear her way.
Naruto reacted on instinct. He leapt, catching the spear with his forearm, the tip piercing deep into his flesh. Pain seared through him like lightning, but he gritted his teeth and snapped the weapon in half.
"Kaida, move!" he shouted.
She staggered upright, locking eyes with him—rage mixed with something else, deeper.
"You idiot! You almost died for me!"
"Shut up and finish them!" Naruto barked, charging another raider, his Rasengan bursting through armor with a sickening crack of bone.
Reina danced through the chaos, her Suiton techniques slicing like razor blades. She decapitated a foe with a precise jet of water, but her gaze never left Naruto and Kaida, measuring, calculating.
"Not bad, Hokage," she murmured with a smirk, sidestepping an axe swing.
The battle ended in a blood-soaked ruin. Raiders lay strewn across the ground, dead or groaning, the camp reduced to smoldering wreckage. Naruto, panting, wiped blood from his face, his injured arm throbbing. Kaida staggered closer, her seal still burning on her skin, her body trembling from the strain. Reina, unscathed, watched from the shadows, her katana dripping water and blood.
"You're hurt, dumbass," Kaida muttered, grabbing Naruto's arm to inspect the wound. Her fingers were warm, too close, and Naruto felt his pulse quicken. The clearing was silent but for the crackle of dying flames and the groans of the wounded.
"I'm fine," he mumbled, but didn't push her hand away. His eyes drifted over her face, the sweat on her skin, the scar slashing across her cheek. Damn it—she was too close.
Kaida held his gaze, her green eyes burning with an intensity that pinned him in place.
"You took a hit for me, Uzumaki. Why?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but she didn't give him the chance. She grabbed his collar, yanking him forward, their lips colliding in a blaze of heat. The kiss was brutal, desperate, fueled by all the tension of battle. Naruto growled, his hands finding her hips, pulling her against him. Her torn clothes revealed the curve of her waist, and he felt his blood surge, desire mingling with pain.
Kaida bit his lip, a muffled moan escaping her as her hand slipped under his cloak, nails raking across his chest.
"You're such a fucking bastard," she breathed against his mouth before kissing him again, harder, their bodies colliding amidst the smoking wreckage of the clearing.
Naruto shoved her against a shattered tree, his breath ragged. His hands slid under her tunic, finding fever-hot skin marked by the cursed seal. She arched her back, a guttural sound escaping her as he pressed her body tighter against his, their movements frantic, almost violent. The clearing, the blood, the war—it all vanished, leaving only heat, rage, and desire entwined.
But a throat cleared.
Reina stood a few meters away, one eyebrow arched, her smile as cold as ice.
"Charming," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But we've got a problem, Hokage."
Naruto tore himself from Kaida, chest heaving, frustration twisting his gut. Kaida cursed, adjusting her tunic, cheeks flushed, her glare daggers at Reina.
"You really know how to ruin a mood, siren."
Reina ignored the jab, pointing at a wounded raider still alive.
"That one talked. Kael is preparing a massive strike. He has an army, and his target is Konoha."
Naruto clenched his fists, the truth hitting him like a hammer. The heat of Kaida, the smirk of Reina—all of it would have to wait. Kael was out there, and he meant to destroy everything.
"Bind him," Naruto ordered, his voice hard. "We're taking him back. And you two—cut the crap. We have a war to win."
Kaida chuckled darkly, but her eyes lingered on Naruto. Reina, however, inclined her head, her smile promising nothing but trouble. The night thickened around them, and Konoha was far from saved.