Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the dense forest, Ren Kurogane and Minato's bodies turned into blurred afterimages as they leaped through the canopy.
"This way!"
Minato picked up yet another strand of red hair, confirming Kushina's direction.
This guy doesn't even have a Sharingan, yet he can spot a single hair on the forest floor? Ren grumbled internally while struggling to keep pace with Minato's frantic speed.
They sprinted through the wilderness. Minato's eyes seemed to function like a heat-seeking missile for red pigments, unerringly identifying the trail Kushina had left behind and leading Ren down the correct path.
As the sky grew darker, their vision became obstructed. Even Minato, the human "red-hair tracker," was beginning to find it difficult to locate the strands in the fading light.
"The direction is roughly toward the Land of Lightning. That means the kidnappers are likely Hidden Cloud ninja!" Minato whispered, his voice tense.
Ren yawned beside him, glancing at Minato. "Why don't we split up to search? It'd be faster."
"No!" Minato refused immediately. "My chakra is already running low. If the enemy has too many people, I might not be a match for them alone! I'll need your assistance, Ren!"
Hearing this, Ren didn't press the issue and began to pay closer attention to the clues Kushina had left.
Time ticked by. The bright moon rose high, draping the world in a silver coat. Under the moonlight, Kushina's red hair became more visible, easing the pressure on the duo.
"Found them!" Minato's gaze sharpened. Through his relentless effort, he finally spotted the kidnapped Kushina ahead, along with three ninja guarding her.
"Ren!"
"I'll take the two on the left," Ren said.
"Go!"
As a thick cloud drifted over the moon, the forest was plunged into total darkness. In that void, two small shadows flickered with lethal speed.
Thump!Thud! Thud!
Three muffled sounds echoed abruptly in the silent night. Kushina, who had become somewhat numb from despair, didn't react at first, continuing her wooden, mechanical steps forward.
It wasn't until the thick cloud drifted away and the moonlight spilled back onto the earth—and onto the boy standing directly in her path—that she stopped.
"Minato? Great... I'm hallucinating now," Kushina muttered to herself. "But Minato should have noticed I was gone by now, right?"
Oof—
As she stepped forward, she walked straight into Minato. Only then did she realize that the Minato in front of her wasn't a genjutsu, but a real, solid person.
"Minato!" Kushina's eyes instantly lit up, practically sparkling with relief.
Minato untied her ropes, offering a gentle, warm smile. "Sorry. I'm late."
"Mm-mm! Not late at all!" Kushina shook her head, the gratitude in her eyes threatening to overflow.
Suddenly, Minato felt his legs turn to jelly. An overwhelming wave of weakness swept through his entire body.
He had already wasted a massive amount of chakra earlier showing off his new jutsu to Ren; following that with several hours of high-intensity tracking had pushed his body to its absolute limit. Now that he knew Kushina was safe, the accumulated fatigue hit him all at once. His body tilted forward, falling uncontrollably!
Kushina caught the collapsing Minato, her face pale with worry. "Minato! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?! It's all my fault! If I wasn't so useless, you wouldn't have had to come save me and get hurt!"
Seeing that she was on the verge of tears, Minato forced himself to stay conscious. "I'm not hurt... just a bit tired."
"Yeah, yeah. Those three weaklings couldn't possibly hurt Minato," Ren interrupted, finally speaking up after being forced to watch the public display of affection. He just wanted to go home and sleep; he really didn't want to play the role of the third wheel to their blossoming romance. He wasn't a dog, after all!
At the sound of Ren's voice, Kushina instinctively wanted to push Minato away in embarrassment. However, seeing how weak he was, she realized if she let go, he'd drop straight to the dirt. That would be too pitiful (and her heart couldn't take it).
Ultimately, she stayed where she was, draping Minato's arm over her shoulder. She turned to look at the relaxed Ren. "Is it just the two of you?"
"Who else?" Ren shrugged with a grin. "Once Minato knew you were in trouble, he didn't hesitate for a second to chase you. There was no time to tell the higher-ups."
Kushina's face flushed pink, her heart sweet with the realization. I really didn't choose the wrong guy!
Still, she scolded him. "Minato, that was too dangerous! What if the enemies were extremely powerful? You two would have been throwing your lives away!"
"Hehe, sorry. I wasn't thinking much back then," Minato laughed weakly. "Besides, with Ren here, I figured nothing would go wrong."
Ren's strength was easily several times his own, and since this was a kidnapping mission, the enemy wouldn't be numerous. That was why Minato hadn't reported it and had charged out immediately with Ren!
Ren didn't comment. He turned around, tied the unconscious Cloud ninja to a tree, and began walking back toward Konoha without a backward glance. He had no intention of carrying those guys back; if they tried to pin a crime on him later, he'd never be able to clear his name.
Behind him, Kushina supported Minato, and the three of them moved at a leisurely pace toward the village.
Shortly after they left, a group of masked ninja appeared at the scene.
"Release them." "Understood!"
They cut the ropes binding the Cloud ninja. Once they confirmed the captives weren't in life-threatening danger, the ANBU disappeared as quickly as they had arrived, as if they had never been there.
A short while later, in the Hokage's office.
"They didn't deal a killing blow; those Cloud ninja are still alive. We have loosened their restraints. They should leave on their own once they wake up."
Listening to the ANBU report, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, deeply dissatisfied with how the situation had been handled.
What if they didn't leave after waking up, but committed suicide on the spot instead? If Cloud ninja died within the Land of Fire, Kumogakure could use that as a pretext for war.
With Konoha already fighting the Stone and the Sand, adding the Cloud to the mix would cause Hiruzen's pressure to skyrocket.
"Go and bring them back. Ensure you don't harm them!" "Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Once the ANBU left, Hiruzen massaged his temples to soothe a growing headache.
Earlier that afternoon, the Nine-Tails inside Mito Uzumaki had attempted to break the seal again. Although it hadn't caused a major disturbance, the Third had ordered Mito to be moved to a more secure, hidden location for safety. That was why her estate had been empty.
He hadn't expected that in such a short window of time, Kushina would be targeted.
"Sigh. It's thanks to Minato and Ren, otherwise Konoha's loss would have been catastrophic..."
After a long session of heavy smoking, Hiruzen looked up as Ren's group returned to the village and headed straight for the Hokage's office.