Chapter 144: Kushi and Yuzu
"Thank you."
After holding on for a long time, the red-haired woman finally calmed down. Blushing, she let go of Li Yao, looked into his eyes, and softly yet firmly said, "Thank you."
"Uncle, why is your hair different from ours?"
The little girl had also settled down. Once she let go of Li Yao and saw his black hair, her curiosity was instantly piqued.
"I see."
Before Li Yao could respond, the red-haired woman looked at his black hair with a look of realization. "So you dyed your red hair black. That way, others wouldn't recognize you as an Uzumaki just by looking at your hair."
Li Yao: "..."
"Ah! Why didn't we think of that? If we had, Kashimoto wouldn't have..."
Thinking of the dwindling number of her clan during their escape and her husband's death in the end, the red-haired woman sighed. Her heart ached — she'd realized it all too late.
"Uncle, I want to dye my hair black too," said the little girl, Yuzu , tilting her head up and looking at Li Yao with bright eyes.
"We'll talk about dyeing hair later," Li Yao chuckled. "Right now, we need to leave this place."
Without giving them a chance to react, he picked up the mother and daughter, leapt into the air, and landed on the back of the black iron eagle, flying toward the Land of Waterfall.
"Phew..."
Only after watching Li Yao fly off did Dan Kato, still in his spiritual form high in the sky, allow himself to relax slightly.
"This guy's sensory ability is exactly as Senior Ayase described — terrifyingly sharp."
"Just a little closer…"
"Just a little, and I would've been discovered."
He thought back to that moment when Li Yao suddenly turned his gaze in Dan's direction — it nearly shattered his composure and exposed him in his spirit form.
Luckily, he managed to suppress all his chakra and stabilize his spirit in time.
"Li Yao… this guy is too dangerous."
Looking down at the blood-soaked corpses below, Dan Kato felt the weight in his chest grow heavier.
Li Yao's danger wasn't just in his strength — it was in his ruthlessness, his way of doing things. Dan Kato's resolve strengthened: even if it cost him his life, Li Yao had to be eliminated.
The reason his emotions spiked earlier was because he had witnessed Li Yao brutally slaughter hundreds of Grass shinobi — people who had no direct enmity with him. That scene had shocked him to the core.
If Li Yao could be this merciless to strangers… what would he do to Konoha?
There was no doubt in Dan's mind — the day Li Yao attacked Konoha, he would treat everyone there as enemies.
"He must not be allowed to live."
With that final thought, Dan Kato resumed his pursuit.
Inside the black iron eagle's belly, moonlight streamed through the opening above, illuminating the small space where the three sat.
"Eat."
Li Yao took a roasted chicken and two boxes of sushi from his black water storage and placed them in the middle, smiling. He knew they must still be starving.
"Thanks, Uncle!"
Yuzu didn't hesitate. She grabbed a chicken leg and began devouring it, quickly getting grease all over her face.
"Thank you."
The red-haired woman gave a slight bow before picking up a piece of sushi. As she ate, tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Wuwu... It's so good..."
Yuzu soon burst into tears mid-bite. She couldn't tell if the moisture on her lips was from drool or from her crying.
Since the beginning of their flight, no meal had ever tasted as warm, as comforting, or as safe as this one.
"If it's good, eat more. I have plenty."
Li Yao smiled, reclining with his hands behind his head. The black iron chains inside the eagle's belly shifted to support him.
He didn't immediately ask about sealing techniques — better to wait until they'd finished eating. After all, knowledge had to be willingly taught, and they would cooperate more readily after this.
"Sir, may I ask your name?"
After a few bites, the red-haired woman glanced at Li Yao and remembered she didn't even know his name.
"Just call me Li Yao."
Before she could ponder whether anyone by that name existed in the Uzumaki clan, Li Yao countered, "And you are?"
The woman straightened her back respectfully. "My name is Kushi . This is—"
"Li Yao-uncle, I'm Yuzu !" the girl cut in, smiling brightly.
"Got it. Yuzu , Yuzu ." Li Yao pointed to his temple, letting her know he'd remember — calling her "Yuzu " to show affection.
Heehee… Yuzu giggled with joy.
To her, Li Yao — the one who rescued them from despair — was now the closest person in the world besides her mother.
To be embraced as kin again, to feel warmth again — that was happiness.
After the meal, Li Yao pulled out a cloth from the black water space to wipe their mouths and conjured a water sphere so they could wash their faces.
Once cleaned, both mother and daughter shed their fatigue and looked refreshed.
Kushi 's tired, dirty face became clear — with soft contours, a smooth oval shape, and delicate features — the face of a true beauty.
Even her figure, though a bit thin, showed a striking curve in her waist and hips. With the maturity of a woman in her mid-thirties, her presence made Li Yao's gaze heat up slightly.
But that was all. He did nothing inappropriate.
"Sir..."
His gaze was so open and direct that Kushi didn't feel offended. In fact, she blushed and looked away bashfully, trying to change the subject. "Where are we headed?"
"Yeah, Uncle, where are we going?"
Yuzu asked curiously — but her heart sank a little as soon as the words left her mouth.
Their home was gone. In a world this vast, where could they go?
"How much do you know about sealing techniques?" Li Yao asked. Where they went didn't matter — what he wanted was their knowledge. If they didn't know enough, they'd be of no use to him.
And if they weren't useful… he'd drop them off somewhere safe and leave them to their own fate.
He sympathized with their suffering, but that was all.
He had no intention of becoming their lifelong savior.
Once he learned what he needed, he would walk away.
Whether they lived or died afterward was none of his concern.
He had no sense of belonging in this world — not to its people, not to its lands. His only purpose was revenge against the Third Hokage and Konoha.
"Uncle, why do you want to learn sealing techniques if you're already so strong?"
Yuzu asked, genuinely puzzled. She assumed correctly that Li Yao wanted to learn the basics — but why would someone so powerful need to?
"I…" Li Yao began.
"I understand," Kushi cut in, wearing a face full of realization. She looked at Li Yao with admiration. "You must be gathering sealing techniques to preserve our Uzumaki legacy."
That had to be it. Of course the one who saved them would be thinking of preserving their clan's knowledge.
While they were still struggling to survive, Lord Li Yao was already working for the good of the whole clan.
Li Yao went silent, looking at her worshipful face.
Fine.
He had no desire to lie, but if this was her conclusion — why correct her?
He'd get the knowledge first. That was all that mattered.
"I see!" Yuzu beamed at him. "So cool, Uncle! I still remember the stuff we were taught in school. Want me to tell you?"
"Enough, Yuzu . Don't make things harder."
Kushi gently stopped her daughter. "You only remember scattered basics. Telling him will just make it harder for him to consolidate and organize them."
"Sir," she turned to Li Yao. "I know the location of a clan archive — a place where the Uzumaki stored generations' worth of sealing and barrier technique knowledge. I don't think it's been discovered by our enemies."
(END CHAPTER)
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