Ranmo extended his finger—a wooden branch sprouted from the tip.
He quickly retracted the Wood Style, then turned toward the cell door just as a guard walked in.
"Hyuga Ranmo, your sister's here to take you home. Let's go."
As he spoke, the guard reached for the cell key and opened the door.
Ranmo frowned slightly and asked, "Wait… someone who's not my real sister can take me out?"
It was far too late at night. There was no way it was Yugao Uzuki—something was definitely off.
As soon as he said that, the Uchiha guards grew alert.
Right then, flames erupted in the back courtyard, and someone shouted, "Fire! Help! It's a fire!"
The police force was thrown into confusion. Of the three on duty, two immediately rushed out to extinguish the blaze.
The last one turned to lock the cells—only to be stabbed straight through the chest and collapsed to the ground.
A girl appeared outside Ranmo's cell. She had long blue hair and looked to be around thirteen or fourteen years old. Smiling sweetly at him, she said:
"Little brother, let's go home."
She reached out, opened the cell, and moved to grab Ranmo.
But Ranmo had never seen this girl before. His instincts flared. He twisted his body, dodged her clawed hand, and with a burst of speed, slipped out of the cell.
Outside, flames raged and chaos spread. Most of the guards were distracted by the fire and hadn't noticed the break-in.
"Come on, little brother," the girl giggled, reaching for him again.
At the same time, Crystal Style spikes shot up from the ground, almost trapping Ranmo where he stood.
Seeing that, Ranmo immediately recognized her—
It was Guren, user of the Crystal Style (Shōton), and one of Orochimaru's potential vessel candidates in her youth.
What was she doing in Konoha?
The village still didn't know that all the missing children had been taken by Orochimaru.
And since Ranmo had killed him two nights ago, and there'd been no movement since, it was likely the injuries had been severe—severe enough that he had sent Guren to capture Ranmo in his place.
"Tch, you actually dodged my Crystal Style: Jade Crystal Prison? Not bad," Guren smirked coldly. "No wonder Lord Orochimaru wants you so badly."
She lunged forward, attacking from multiple angles with more Crystal Style techniques.
To be fair, this version of Guren was still young. Although she possessed a Kekkei Genkai, she wasn't as powerful as the future version of herself.
Ranmo's eyes locked on her as he activated Mirror Replication.
Moments later, her jutsu and combat data appeared in the system interface—along with training instructions for Crystal Style techniques.
He dodged a few more strikes, then dashed into the courtyard.
He originally wanted to counter her with Wood Style, but then he spotted several jōnin and ANBU arriving nearby. If he exposed too much, he'd definitely attract unwanted attention.
So instead, he concealed his power, weaving through the battle with agile evasions.
Then, he spotted someone—and made a beeline toward her.
With a sudden leap, he threw himself into her arms and cried out:
"Big sis, help me!"
The woman he dove into was none other than Shizune, Tsunade's apprentice.
She caught him mid-air and immediately dodged Guren's next strike.
With the ANBU and other shinobi arriving quickly, the tide had turned.
Seeing the situation deteriorating, Guren recalled all her crystals and turned to escape.
The others rushed to pursue her, but strangely—she vanished into thin air.
They searched the entire surrounding area of Konoha, but there was no trace.
Back in the courtyard, Ranmo clutched Shizune and turned to the nearby ninja.
"That woman—she's one of the people stealing children," he said innocently.
"She said Orochimaru wants kids… Does that mean Orochimaru's the one stealing them?
Wait—who's Orochimaru?"
He tilted his head curiously.
If Orochimaru won't let me live in peace… then I won't let him live peacefully in Konoha either.
-------
If you liked this fanfic, please consider give some support like adding it to your library or dropping powerstones! This can help push the book forward and gain more engagement. I will also upload extra chaps as powerstones goes up in exchange.
200 Powerstones - 1 Bonus Chapter
400 Powerstones - 1 Bonus Chapter
600 Powerstones - 1 Bonus Chapter
800 Powerstones - 1 Bonus Chapter
100 Powerstones - 1 Bonus Chapter