Whoosh.
A Kunai pierced through the air, and Yueshu, holding Kushina, couldn't attack.
He twisted his body in mid-air, and Yueshu barely dodged it, though the Kunai still lightly grazed his thigh.
Gritting his teeth, Yueshu was well aware of his current predicament.
Konoha Village was still some distance away, and he was the only combatant on his side. Opposite him were experienced Ninja, unlike the heavily injured Genin he had dealt with before; these were genuine Chunin or higher-ranked Ninja.
"Mission triggered: Survive this rescue. Reward for mission completion: one lottery draw."
The system's voice echoed in his mind as Yueshu landed and hid behind a tree, just managing to dodge a barrage of Kunai, but this allowed the people behind him to catch up.
This mission, isn't this unavoidable? Are you trying to motivate me with a lottery draw?
Yueshu gave a wry smile, listening to the sounds around him.
"Hey, brat, there's nowhere left to run, is there? Either hand her over obediently or we'll take her ourselves. Be good, and we might give you a quick death."
An adult male's voice rang out from behind the tree. Yueshu and Kushina had been caught. They couldn't outrun them, so they only had one option: a head-on confrontation.
Gently placing Kushina on the ground, letting her lean against the tree, Yueshu smiled at her.
"Be a good girl, I'll be right back."
"What do you want to do!"
Slap.
It was that familiar sensation again; a feeling of powerlessness flooded her mind. Kushina felt her vision go dark, slowly blurring.
"Don't…"
"I will definitely bring you back to Konoha. We'll go home together."
Kushina looked at Yueshu's blurry face, her small hand reaching out, but the next moment, she fainted.
Yueshu took a deep breath, revealing himself to the two Kumogakure Ninja.
"Interesting, so you've come out? Little mouse."
They smiled, licking their lips.
"You managed to take down one of ours when we weren't paying attention. Not bad, a Konoha genius, are you?"
Both held a Kunai in one hand, their eyes filled with cold indifference.
"What I love most is dragging you geniuses down to hell!"
Without any shame of outnumbering, the two Kumogakure Ninja attacked together immediately.
They're here!
Yueshu's heart gave a violent lurch, and a red glint flashed in his eyes. He clearly saw the movements of the two Kumogakure Ninja.
He didn't choose the safer option of retreating; Kushina was behind him, so he had nowhere to retreat to.
Yueshu held his breath, his body just barely grazing the incoming Kunai, then seized the opportunity to directly repel the two Kumogakure Ninja.
"Fire Release, Phoenix Flower Jutsu."
He quickly formed hand seals, and Yueshu pressed his advantage during this opening.
"Earth Release, Earth Wall."
The Kumogakure Ninja's voice came, and a wall of earth rose from the ground, blocking the scattered fireballs.
"Interesting, those eyes of yours, are you from the Uchiha Clan?"
The two Kumogakure Ninja looked at Yueshu, noticing his Three-Tomoe Sharingan immediately.
"Fire Release—"
"Your hand seals are too slow!"
Yueshu didn't respond, continuing his attack, but one of the opposing Kumogakure Ninja instantly used Instant Body Technique to appear beside Yueshu.
A Kunai stabbed directly towards him. Yueshu's Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared at the Kumogakure Ninja in front of him, his blood-red eyes filled with calm.
With a slight movement of his feet, Yueshu's body brushed past the Kunai, dodging it, while the hand seals he was forming did not stop.
"Great Fireball Jutsu."
Yueshu puffed out his cheeks, giving the opponent a Great Fireball at point-blank range.
In the night, the Great Fireball was exceptionally conspicuous, illuminating the surroundings in an instant.
"Too naive."
A sound came from behind him, and a piece of wood fell in front of Yueshu.
It's a Substitution Technique!
The Kunai in his hand glowed with a white-blue light as the Kumogakure Ninja channeled Chakra into the Kunai, causing greater destructive power.
"I'll return that phrase to you!"
The moment the Kunai plunged into Yueshu's back, a puff of smoke rose, and he too transformed into a piece of wood.
"Rasengan."
"Wind Release, Wind Blade."
A Wind Blade flew past from the side. Yueshu ignored that Kumogakure Ninja, his eyes solely focused on the opponent in front of him who had revealed a weakness due to underestimation.
Pfft.
The Wind Blade grazed Yueshu's back. Yueshu endured the pain and struck the Rasengan onto the back of the Kumogakure Ninja in front of him.
Should it be said that it truly lives up to its reputation as the renowned Rasengan in Hokage? This strike from Yueshu directly sent one person flying.
With a thud, Yueshu's body fell to the ground, another injury causing his small frame to feel an increasing sense of powerlessness.
"Brat!"
Another comrade was taken down by a child. The last Kumogakure Ninja roared in anger.
"Wind Release, Great Whirlwind."
Strong winds picked up around them, causing the trees to sway violently.
Whoosh, Yueshu's arm was cut, and a small wound appeared.
His blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan looked towards the Kumogakure Ninja, who had already vanished.
Not good!
Sensing something amiss, Yueshu leaped into the air.
"Earth Release, Headhunter Jutsu."
The next second, the spot where Yueshu had stood suddenly sank, and at the same time, a Kunai flew from underground towards Yueshu in the air.
Yueshu was just about to use his Kunai to deflect the incoming Kunai, but the next moment, he saw it clearly.
That flying Kunai was not just a simple Kunai; its tail had a tag tied to it.
It's an Exploding Tag!
Yueshu composed himself and began forming hand seals.
"Wind Release, Wind Blade"
He puffed out his mouth and spat out several Wind Blades, directly blowing the incoming Exploding Tag Kunai to the side.
Bang!
The Exploding Tag flashed, immediately heating up and exploding.
Flames erupted from the side, instantly illuminating the area.
Yueshu landed steadily, the sound of air breaking assailing his ears.
Looking around, three Shuriken flew towards him.
Yueshu watched the flying Shuriken, the world in his eyes seemingly in slow motion, moving sluggishly.
"No!"
Yueshu squinted. He saw it: the middle Shuriken clearly carried Chakra fluctuations.
This isn't a Shuriken, it's a Transformation Technique!
Yueshu naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity, immediately gathering Rasengan in his hand.
As a Ninjutsu without hand seals, Rasengan is extremely fast to perform; in just an instant, a Rasengan appeared in Yueshu's hand.
"Rasengan!"
Yueshu thrust the Rasengan in his hand forward, risking being stabbed by the other two Shuriken. He intended to trade injury for this opportunity.
He wasn't some incredibly powerful person. If he were to split his attention to deal with the other two Shuriken flying simultaneously, he would have no chance to attack and would instead be drawn into close combat, which was exactly what his enemy wanted.
With a squelch, two Shuriken plunged into Yueshu's body.
A puff of smoke rose, and the middle Shuriken transformed into a person—it was the last Kumogakure Ninja who had just disappeared. At this moment, his face was filled with terror, as if he had completely not expected this brat to be so brave.
The Rasengan glowed with a white-blue light, striking the Kumogakure Ninja in front of him under Yueshu's gaze.
No!
Yueshu's pupils contracted. He didn't feel the presence of the enemy's body like the previous two times; he felt as if he had hit nothing but air.
Another puff of smoke rose, and the Rasengan struck the piece of wood inside the smoke the next moment.
Substitution Technique!
The Rasengan struck the wood, directly shredding it.
"An ordinary Ninja really would have been taken down by you. Well done, Konoha brat."
The voice of the Kumogakure Ninja from before came from behind him. Yueshu heard it, but his body had no time to react.
"Have you ever witnessed the power of a Jonin?"
The voice was faint, neither loud nor soft, just right, as if pronouncing the final verdict of a sentence.
"Lightning Release, Lariat."
Yueshu heard crackling sounds in his ears—the sound of electricity.
His body finally reacted, and Yueshu immediately turned around, but it was already too late.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared straight ahead, seeing a Ninja dragging a bolt of lightning, rushing towards him at high speed.
Step by step, in just an instant, the Kumogakure Ninja had already arrived in front of him, yet Yueshu had no time to make any move.
Pfft!
Yueshu only managed to dodge a vital spot, and the Kumogakure Ninja's hand had already pierced through Yueshu's abdomen.
Current surged through his body, a numbing sensation flooded his mind, accompanied by intense pain.
"Well done."
The Kumogakure Ninja's voice came from his ear, and as his hand was pulled out from Yueshu's abdomen, Yueshu's small body immediately fell to his knees.
His vision grew increasingly blurry, and Yueshu could feel his heart pounding rapidly.
Is this the last heartbeat?
Yueshu collapsed onto the ground, his vision already hazy.
"Uchiha eyes, huh? Never mind, Konoha's pursuers should be arriving soon. If I get the chance, I definitely won't hesitate to dig out your eyes."
Yueshu looked ahead; the Kumogakure Ninja slowly walked away, then hoisted a red figure onto his shoulder.
Kushina!
Yueshu gasped for breath, a sense of powerlessness washing over his entire body. He felt terrible, unable to even move a finger.
"Don't even think about it!"
Yueshu yelled, and a surge of strength from nowhere propelled him forward.
I don't want to lose you!
"Rasengan!"
Yueshu charged forward but was kicked aside by the Kumogakure Ninja with a spinning kick.
The Kumogakure Ninja glanced at Yueshu, then looked in the direction of Konoha, no longer bothering with Yueshu, and immediately started moving.
"Wood Release!"
Yueshu leaned against a tree, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan exceptionally prominent.
"Wood Restricting Bind."
"What!"
The Kumogakure Ninja exclaimed, his leg entangled by a tree branch.
"It's Wood Release! The First Hokage's Bloodline Limit!"
The surrounding branches continuously wrapped around him, and the Kumogakure Ninja looked at Yueshu with a shocked expression.
"I absolutely cannot let you live!"
"Lightning Release, Lightning Armor."
"Lightning Release, Lariat."
The Kumogakure Ninja threw Kushina aside again, his eyes filled with killing intent. His body was enveloped in Lightning Armor, and with lightning on his hand, he charged towards Yueshu, who was leaning against the tree.
"Die!"
The Kumogakure Ninja knew what this brat represented: Sharingan and Wood Release. Either one alone would be manageable, but combined, they were not ordinary. Such a threat absolutely could not be allowed to grow, or it would bring disaster!
His vision was almost completely gone, but Yueshu saw that the red figure was no longer being carried and instantly smiled.
As for the person charging towards him, Yueshu had no strength left. Even moving a finger felt incredibly difficult.
"What are you trying to do to my brother!"
A familiar beautiful voice entered his ears. Yueshu sighed in relief and then fainted directly.
Back to the present, the Kumogakure Ninja who had rushed forward to deliver the final blow to Yueshu was sent flying just as he was about to strike.
An angry voice rang out, and a cloud of dust was kicked up in the nearby forest. What's more, several trees were even knocked down directly.
Just one blow!
In just an instant, with merely one blow, this Jonin-level Kumogakure Ninja was sent flying to the side.
"Kushina!"
Then another figure arrived, an old woman with a Chinese-style bun. Although she was old, she still looked incredibly charming.
Kushina was embraced by the old woman, and it was clear that the old woman breathed a sigh of relief.
In just a few seconds, figures emerged from all directions.
They all shared a common accessory.
That was the Konoha Village headband, worn either on the forehead or tied around the arm.
These were all Konoha Village Ninja, be they Genin, Chunin, or Jonin, all mixed in. It could be said that Konoha had exerted all its strength for Kushina.
Foremost among them was Sakumo Hatake, who was half of Yueshu's sword instructor, his iconic white hair standing out among the Ninja.
Even more conspicuous than him was Tsunade, her face filled with anger. She clenched her delicate hands, fuming, and no one dared to stand near her.
"Lady Tsunade, please leave this to me now. Your condition isn't suitable, and Yueshu's injuries are severe. Only you can save him."
Sakumo Hatake said beside Tsunade, which somewhat quelled her anger.
The next second, Sakumo Hatake vanished from the spot, and Tsunade also ran towards Yueshu, who was leaning to the side.
"Don't even think about committing suicide."
Sakumo Hatake's skill level was extremely high, even on par with the Hokage. Seeing his opponent attempt suicide, he used Instant Body Technique to stop him just in time.
Meanwhile, Tsunade looked at Yueshu's body, half-soaked in blood, gritted her teeth, and began to tremble as she started treating Yueshu.
"Search the surroundings!"
In just a short while, Sakumo Hatake dealt with his opponent, capturing him alive, and then immediately began issuing orders.
Thus, with Konoha's deployment, the incident of Kushina's abduction came to an end.
In the entire affair, only Yueshu was severely injured; everyone else was safe and sound—