"The game is over."
Kurenai's voice was just a whisper, but it carried through the mist with absolute finality. A few feet away, Naruto straightened up, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. A tired but genuinely triumphant smile formed on his face. In the muddy ground, the Demon Brothers, Gozu and Meizu, lay out of commission.
"Did you see that, sensei?" Naruto panted, resting his hands on his knees. "Just like I told you! The decoy and surprise attack plan worked!"
"It worked, Naruto," Kurenai conceded, though her eyes never left the lone figure standing at the edge of the clearing. Her posture was tense. "You did a good job. Now stay back and let me finish this."
"But… I can help," he insisted, taking a step forward. "I still have chakra left, believe it."
"No." Her tone was firm without being harsh. "You did your part. And you did it well. What comes next is different. This isn't about plans or tricks. Stay alert and watch the brothers. Do not get closer."
On the other side of the clearing, Kageri felt the damp air of the swamp turn to ice in his lungs. He was alone now. And the full attention of a Konoha jōnin was fixed on him. He knew exactly what that meant.
"Impressive, brat," Kageri hissed. His eyes darted around, calculating, searching for an escape that did not exist. "Truly impressive. You managed to separate the brothers. I didn't think you had the cunning."
"Hey, I'm smarter than I look!" Naruto retorted defensively.
Kurenai raised a hand, silencing him without even a glance. "You've said enough," she told Kageri. "Surrender. I'll make your death quick."
A dry, humorless laugh escaped Kageri. "Surrender? To you? I think I'd rather take my chances."
She gave him no more time. Kurenai launched forward, gliding over the mud with a speed Naruto could barely follow. Kageri reacted on pure instinct, unfurling the chain of his kusarigama. The sickle whistled through the air.
Kurenai did not even break her stride. She leaned, a subtle movement, and the blade passed inches from her face. Without stopping, she threw three kunai that embedded themselves in strategic points around him, limiting the chain's range.
"Damn it," Kageri muttered, yanking the chain and pulling back sharply.
Naruto watched from a safe distance, a shadow clone on either side of him in case the brothers decided to move. Watching Kurenai fight like this was a lesson. There were no wasted movements, no wasted energy. It was pure precision. Every feint Kageri tried, she anticipated, countering with a kick that sent him stumbling back.
"You're fast," Kageri grunted, trying to regain his composure.
"And you're finished," Kurenai replied.
He attempted one last tactic by throwing a smoke bomb, but Kurenai's red eyes seemed to pierce right through the screen. She saw the wire traps and, instead of falling for them, used them as a path, running across them with perfect balance.
Kageri took one last step back, stumbling until his back hit a tree. He looked up. Kurenai had stopped ten meters away, preparing for the final blow.
It was then that the desperation in his eyes was replaced by a spark of madness. A twisted smile formed under his mask.
"You're right, Konoha woman," he said, his voice taking on a chilling calm. "The game is over. For all of us."
Naruto frowned. "What is he talking about?"
Instead of launching his last attack, Kageri reached into his pouch and pulled out two small, dark objects. With a swift motion, he threw them directly at the pile of bodies that were Gozu and Meizu.
"If I'm going down, I'm not going alone!" he yelled. "See you in hell!"
Kurenai's eyes widened as she recognized the explosive tags.
"Naruto, get down!" was all she had time to shout, throwing herself face down into the mud.
Naruto reacted instantly. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Three clones appeared in front of him, forming a human shield just as the tags detonated.
The explosion was deafening. A white flash erased the world for a second, followed by a shockwave that swept the clearing. Naruto's clones were obliterated, absorbing the brunt of the impact. Still, the real Naruto was lifted off his feet and thrown through the air. He landed with a dull thud several meters away.
The battlefield was now a chaos of thick smoke.
"Sensei!" Naruto shouted, struggling to his feet. "Are you okay? Kurenai sensei!"
"I'm fine!" Kurenai's voice reached him from his left, tense. "Stay alert, Naruto! Don't let your guard down! This isn't over!"
A groan of pain and rage from the steaming crater chilled his blood. Through the fog, a silhouette was rising. It was Meizu. His body was horribly burned, but he was getting to his feet, his one good arm gripping his metal claw tightly. Beside him, Gozu was also stirring.
Naruto turned toward the sound, and in that precise moment of distraction, the real threat attacked.
From the smoke, a chain shot out and wrapped itself precisely around his ankle. He felt a brutal tug that dragged him through the mud, straight toward a wire trap crackling with Raiton chakra between two trees.
At the same time, Meizu, in a final act of revenge, lunged at the immobilized Naruto, raising his claw.
Kurenai saw it all. Naruto trapped. The trap about to spring. Meizu about to kill him.
There was no time to think.
She became a blur of motion. Her kunai flashed and steel struck the chain with a shower of sparks. She severed the link a second before Kageri could pull him into the trap.
But saving him came at a cost. It left her exposed.
Meizu, blind with hatred, did not stop his attack. It was a low, dirty strike. Kurenai tried to pivot, but the mud slowed her movement. It was not enough.
The claw found her.
There was no scream. Just a wet, disgusting sound of tearing flesh. The metal sank into her side, carving a deep gash.
A sharp, choked gasp escaped her. She stumbled back, her hand instinctively going to the wound. She felt the soaked fabric and the sticky warmth of her own blood. Her face turned deathly pale.
Naruto's world, which had been chaos, suddenly stopped.
He had just broken free when he saw it. He saw Kurenai step in. He saw Meizu's shadow and the glint of his claw.
And then, he saw the blood.
A red stain spreading rapidly across his sensei's black uniform. He saw her face twist into a mask of pain. He saw her stagger.
And he saw Meizu. He saw the crooked, triumphant smile on his face.
The sound of the swamp faded. The only sound was a roar that started deep in his ears and grew until it consumed everything.
A searing heat exploded in his stomach. It spread through his veins, burning away every trace of fear, every shred of strategy. His mind went blank. Blank of everything except a single, overwhelming instinct.
PROTECT.
A dense, red chakra erupted from his body. The mist around him recoiled, hissing. The water at his feet began to bubble.
His blue eyes vanished. In their place, a blood red appeared, his pupils contracted into vertical slits. The marks on his cheeks grew darker, wilder.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Only a low, animalistic growl.
Meizu was still savoring his victory. He turned, ready to taunt the boy.
But the boy was no longer there.
Naruto reappeared directly in front of him. He simply moved, vanishing from one spot and materializing in another.
Before Meizu could process it, Naruto's hand slammed into his chest. His nails, now claws, dug into the metal breastplate and pierced through it.
The metal broke with a sickening crunch of pulverized bone. Meizu flew backward, crashing into a tree with a violence that splintered the trunk. He was left there, inert.
For a fraction of a second, time froze. Gozu, who had managed to get to his feet, stopped cold, his eyes wide with terror. Kageri, hidden, held his breath.
That fraction of a second was all Kurenai needed.
The pain was agony, but she pushed it aside. "Pain later," she thought. "Threat now." Her hands flew, weaving seals.
"Magen: Jubaku Satsu!" she whispered, her eyes fixed on Kageri's position.
Kageri felt a violent pull on his mind. A giant tree seemed to sprout from the ground and wrap around him. It was an illusion, but to his brain, it was unbearably real.
As he fought the phantom prison, the real Kurenai appeared behind him. She drove her kunai into the base of his skull. The ninja's body collapsed without a sound.
She pulled her kunai free and turned. Her vision was blurring. "One more," she told herself.
She saw Gozu, shaking off his shock. The giant let out a roar of fury and, dragging his useless leg, charged at Naruto's back.
"You damn brat!"
Kurenai moved again, getting between them. Gozu swung his claw. She ducked, flowing under the attack, and struck. Three times, so fast they seemed like a single motion. A kunai to the elbow, paralyzing the arm. A palm strike to the sternum. A final, clean cut across the jugular.
Gozu staggered, surprised. He brought a hand to his throat, feeling his own blood. His eyes met Kurenai's, then went blank. He collapsed into the water.
Silence.
An absolute silence fell over the swamp. The only sound was the dripping of blood from Kurenai's wound and Naruto's harsh, guttural breathing.
He was still standing, his body tense, the red aura swirling around him. His wild eyes scanned the mist, searching for the next threat.
Kurenai pressed her hand to her wound, and this time a pained whimper escaped through her teeth. The adrenaline was fading. But she ignored it. What she did next was crucial.
She started walking toward him. Slowly. One step, then another, keeping her empty hands in sight.
"Naruto," she said. Her voice was soft, but incredibly firm. "It's over. We won. We're safe."
He spun toward her, the movement sharp. A low growl rumbled in his chest.
She did not stop. She kept walking, each step a battle against the pain. "Naruto… look at me."
His red eyes locked onto her.
"It's me. It's Kurenai," she continued, her voice a soothing murmur. "It's over now. The danger is gone."
She was only an arm's length away. She could feel the unnatural heat radiating from his chakra. With a slow, deliberate motion, she hugged him.
At first, his body was rigid. The tension in his muscles was inhuman. But she did not let go. She rested her head on his shoulder, biting her lip to keep from screaming at the sharp pain the movement caused. With her free hand, she began to stroke his hair in a slow, rhythmic gesture.
"I'm okay, Naruto," she whispered near his ear. "You saved me. Thanks to you, I'm okay. You don't have to worry anymore. Breathe. Just breathe with me."
She began to hum. A simple, soft melody. It was not a jutsu. It was her way of bringing him back.
For Naruto, trapped in the rage, the sensations broke the spell. The warmth of Kurenai's arms, the sound of her voice, the vibration of her humming.
The red chakra receded. It flowed back inside him, leaving an icy void. His muscles relaxed. His red eyes blinked once, twice, and when they opened again, they were blue.
The fury vanished, and exhaustion overwhelmed him.
He realized he was shaking uncontrollably. His gaze dropped and he saw the blood. He saw the huge red stain soaking Kurenai's uniform. The realization of how close he had come to losing her stole his breath.
Tears welled in his eyes. He collapsed against her, his body finally giving out. He buried his face in her chest, and a trembling sigh escaped his lips.
"Sensei..." he whispered, his voice broken. "I thought… I thought…"
"Shhh," she soothed him, holding him tight. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I'm with you." She rubbed his back. "It wasn't your fault, Naruto."
He shook his head against her shoulder. "They almost... they almost killed you. Because of me."
"No," she said, her voice unwavering despite the pain. "They wounded me because I was protecting you. And they didn't kill me because you protected me. Do you understand? We protect each other. That's how it works."
He did not answer, only clung to her tighter, his sobs finally silent.
Wounded but victorious, Kurenai rocked him gently in the middle of the silent, misty battlefield.