Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu."
Yueshu spat out a fireball from his mouth, and the fireball flew towards Minato Namikaze.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
Minato Namikaze was not to be outdone; he quickly formed hand seals and then exhaled a strong gust of wind.
The wind and the fireball collided, but neither gained the upper hand; instead, they canceled each other out.
Moving his feet, Yueshu drew the short blade from behind his waist and charged straight at Minato Namikaze.
Minato Namikaze reacted quickly, immediately gripping his Kunai in defense.
However, Yueshu's swordsmanship was exquisite; with just one move, he broke through Minato Namikaze's defense, and the next strike of his blade was mere centimeters from Minato Namikaze's eyes.
In this match, Minato Namikaze was defeated.
"I won again."
"I'll definitely win next time!"
Yueshu smiled, looking at the Fourth Hokage's slightly unwilling expression.
Even the most famous genius in this Hokage World could have such an expression. Minato Namikaze, hailed as the purest genius, was now being suppressed by him. Yueshu couldn't describe how thrilled he felt.
Both sides extended their hands to form the Seal of Reconciliation, and today's training session concluded.
This time, Minato Namikaze had something to do and didn't go home with Kushina and Yueshu. Only Yueshu and Kushina were left strolling the streets of Konoha.
"Speaking of which, I don't know what your dream is, Yueshu. You're so amazing; do you also want to be Hokage?"
As they walked, Kushina suddenly asked.
It was dusk, the blue sky had turned red, and fire-like clouds drifted leisurely.
"Me?"
Yueshu was stunned, not expecting someone to suddenly ask him such a question.
"Yes, Hokage?"
Yueshu looked at Kushina's somewhat round face and then smiled.
"I have no intention of competing with you for Hokage, don't worry."
"Even if you did, I wouldn't lose to you!"
Kushina puffed out her cheeks, making her small, round face appear even rounder.
Yueshu glanced at Kushina, then looked towards Hokage Rock, where the three Hokage heads were exceptionally striking. They represented the three Hokage in Konoha's history.
"Hokage? It's indeed good, powerful, responsible, just like a hero."
"Right?!"
"But…"
"I'm not the kind of person who wants to be a hero."
Yueshu looked at Kushina.
"My dream, I suppose, is to open a small shop and live a good life. Isn't that wonderful?"
Kushina looked at Yueshu, her small face drooping, appearing a little unhappy.
"I'm going back first."
Kushina's voice reached him. Yueshu looked at her, and her red hair, which had flashed past his eyes, disappeared, leaving only her back for Yueshu to see.
Kushina ignored Yueshu and ran off directly.
Yueshu sighed. He understood why. Children, it's normal to feel emotional when their most revered ideal isn't taken seriously by others.
In this situation, it would be troublesome for Yueshu to chase after her. It would be better to wait until school tomorrow to smooth things over.
Thinking this, Yueshu also walked towards his home.
"What do you mean, you don't want to be a hero?!"
"Idiot, idiot!"
Kushina jogged, thinking of Yueshu's face, continuously muttering "idiot" at him.
Everyone wants to be understood. As the first person to approach and help her after she arrived in Konoha, Yueshu held a very important place in Kushina's heart, like a very good friend. But now, her best friend couldn't understand her and even thought the opposite of what she did, which instantly gave Kushina a sense of disparity.
A strange feeling between friends suddenly appeared, leaving Kushina, who had always been alone, unsure how to handle it.
"Idiot!"
Perhaps tired from running, Kushina started walking.
Step by step, the red-haired figure slowly walked home under the twilight.
"Hmph, the Hokage is the strongest and most amazing person in the village, Yueshu, you idiot."
As if venting, Kushina shouted at the gate.
"Not necessarily."
A mature male voice sounded from the side, and Kushina immediately became alert.
"At least the strongest person in the village didn't notice us."
As soon as the words fell, Kushina only saw a few dark figures flash past, followed by a feeling of powerlessness entering her mind, and her vision slowly darkened.
"Good, target secured. Let's evacuate immediately before Konoha reacts."
As night fell, dark figures emerged. They removed their disguises and put on their headbands representing the Hidden Cloud Village.
Their purpose in Konoha was simple: they merely wanted to find a suitable Jinchuriki vessel, and Kushina was their ideal vessel.
"Mission triggered: Rescue Uzumaki Kushina, who was kidnapped by the Hidden Cloud Village. Mission completion reward: one lottery draw."
Yueshu had just arrived home and was about to start cooking when an electronic voice sounded.
Without hesitation, he stood up directly and rushed out.
Why now, of all times? It's been too peaceful lately; I completely forgot about this!
Yueshu gritted his teeth, clenched his hands, and walked with all his might towards the Konoha main gate.
On the other side, a bumpy sensation spread through her body, and Kushina slowly woke up.
As soon as she woke up, she found her mouth gagged and her arms bound, with no strength left in her body.
Watching Konoha Village slowly recede in the distance, still glowing with light, and realizing she was being taken away, Kushina's heart inexplicably panicked.
After a moment, Kushina gritted her teeth, suppressed her panicked feelings, and then forced her weak and limp arms to lift.
There wasn't much she could do, but luckily, her hair was long enough to reach her arms. Kushina didn't need much effort to reach it.
Chakra slowly flowed out with her thoughts. Kushina cut off strands of her bright red hair and let them scatter on the ground.
The Ninja who had abducted her seemed to be in a hurry and paid no attention to Kushina, giving her an opportunity.
Tears welled in her eyes, but Kushina suppressed her fear, cutting off bits of her hair and scattering them on the ground every so often.
I'm going to be the first female Hokage!
Kushina thought this, watching Konoha Village grow more distant and the light dimming.
For some reason, at this moment, she thought of someone who didn't want to be a hero, the first person who stood up for her and became her friend.
"I'm not the kind of person who wants to be a hero."
Yueshu's words echoed in her ears, and Kushina's eyes darkened considerably.
"What?! Kushina was kidnapped! What are you doing? I only left for a moment, what exactly were you doing?!"
At this moment, in the Hokage Office, the elderly Uzumaki Mito looked furious.
"Immediately dispatch all personnel! If anything happens to Kushina, no matter who it is, I will personally go!"
Uzumaki Mito roared in fury, and the Hokage Office fell silent; even the Third Hokage didn't utter a word.
Uzumaki Mito was a veteran Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki and could use some of the Nine-Tailed's power. If Mito were to act forcefully, the Third Shinobi World War would be on the verge of breaking out. With the Second Shinobi World War having just ended, no one could bear that responsibility.
"Who is it?! Who dares to do such a thing right after the Second Shinobi World War ended?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also somewhat enraged, but he calmed down, immediately dispatching all Ninja to search for Kushina. Simultaneously, the main gate of Konoha was completely sealed off.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Konoha Village had already disappeared from sight, surrounded by a dark forest. Kushina, almost out of the Land of Fire, had little light left in her eyes. All along the way, she had been continuously dropping strands of hair for help, but it seemed no hero would emerge this time.
"They shouldn't be able to catch up here. I thought it would be harder, but it was so easy to succeed."
The three Hidden Cloud Village Ninja exchanged smiles, preparing to cross the border, when a dark shadow flashed past from the side.
"Who?!"
The Hidden Cloud Village Ninja immediately became alert. A white-blue light flashed, and a figure rushed towards them.
"Rasengan!"
As the words fell, one of the Hidden Cloud Village Ninja was directly hit and sent flying.
"Damn it!"
The other two Ninja immediately reacted and counterattacked, completely disregarding Kushina.
Yueshu seized this opportunity, not even bothering to defend, and rushed directly towards Kushina.
A Kunai fell, blood splattered, and Yueshu gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and carried Kushina horizontally, fleeing to the side.
"Not good, the target was snatched. Chase them."
In just a second, the remaining two Hidden Cloud Village Ninja began to chase Yueshu.
Heavy breathing filled her ears, and the light in Kushina's eyes rekindled. Looking up, she saw the handsome, youthful face streaming with sweat, his gaze fixed intently on the path ahead.
"Are you an idiot?"
Yueshu glanced at Kushina, freeing one hand to gently untie the gag from her mouth and the bindings from her hands.
"You're quite a mess, Blood Red Habanero."
Yueshu carried Kushina horizontally, leaping through the forest step by step.
"Why did you…?"
Kushina's voice was weak; her body hadn't recovered yet.
Yueshu revealed a smile as the wind whistled past his ears, with two figures constantly following behind him.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to lose you."
"And you were hoping for a hero to appear, so I came."
After Yueshu finished speaking, his eyes became serious. The Hidden Cloud Village Ninja behind him were about to catch up; Yueshu wasn't fast enough for them.
If they caught up, Yueshu alone would be no match for them, especially since he was injured and had unexpectedly snatched Kushina back from them.
He couldn't possibly face them head-on. No matter what, those who could act as spies in Konoha and capture a Jinchuriki were at least top-tier Chunin. A child like Yueshu could only unleash Chunin-level combat power at best. There was no chance of victory in a direct confrontation, especially since their experience was something Yueshu couldn't contend with.