Shadows streaked through the forest. Shane Mountain and Minato Namikaze moved like flickering afterimages, their figures darting and vanishing between the trees with the speed of seasoned hunters.
"This way!" Minato called, his sharp eyes catching a single crimson thread glinting on the ground. He bent down, lifting the lock of red hair in his hand. It was unmistakably Kushina's.
Shane raised a brow, his thoughts dripping with sarcasm. Seriously? He doesn't even have the Sharingan, yet he's still managing to spot every strand of hair on the forest floor. Is this guy secretly part Hyūga?
He didn't say it aloud. Instead, he adjusted his pace and followed Minato closely, letting the future Fourth Hokage lead the way.
As dusk fell, the darkness grew thicker, swallowing the path ahead. Even Minato's uncanny eye for detail began to falter. The fading light made the crimson trail Kushina had left harder to find.
"The direction leads toward the Land of Lightning," Minato muttered, his tone low and grim. "If I'm not mistaken, her captors must be shinobi from Kumogakure."
Shane stifled a yawn, glancing sideways. "So what, then? Should we split up? That'd speed things up."
Minato shook his head firmly. "No. I've already burned through most of my chakra. If we run into too many opponents, I can't handle them alone. I'll need you at my back."
Hearing the absolute conviction in Minato's voice, Shane didn't argue further. He nodded and started scanning for signs himself, focusing on stray hair and broken branches that pointed the way.
The moon climbed higher into the night sky, draping the world in pale silver. The beams filtered through the canopy, and under that glow, Kushina's hair stood out vividly against the forest floor. The two young shinobi's pace quickened.
"There!" Minato's eyes sharpened.
Up ahead, Kushina was bound and being led by three masked ninja.
"Shane!"
"The two in the front are mine," Shane said, already stepping forward.
Minato nodded. "Go!"
A thick cloud rolled across the moon, plunging the forest into sudden, suffocating darkness. The silence was shattered only by the faint rustle of leaves and the dull thuds of fists and bodies colliding.
Thud!
Thud! Thud!
Three muffled impacts echoed like stones dropping into still water. Kushina didn't even flinch. Her eyes were vacant, dulled from exhaustion and despair. She simply trudged forward, unaware of the danger that had already been handled around her.
Then, the moonlight returned, breaking free of the cloud's shroud. It illuminated the forest once more and revealed Minato, standing before her.
Her breath caught. "Minato? No… I must be hallucinating." Her voice was barely above a whisper, laced with disbelief. "But… by now, he should have noticed I was gone, right?"
She stumbled forward and crashed directly into him.
Thump!
The warmth of his body shattered the illusion. Kushina's eyes widened, and the light returned to them in an instant.
"Minato!" Her voice cracked, overflowing with joy. Tears glittered at the edges of her eyes as she stared at him like a beacon in the dark.
Kneeling down, Minato untied the rough bindings on her wrists. His usual calm smile softened his expression. "Sorry. I'm late."
Kushina shook her head quickly, eyes bright with gratitude. "No… you're not late at all. You're right on time!" Her voice trembled, but her relief was so genuine it nearly overwhelmed her.
But just as she relaxed, Minato's knees buckled. A crushing wave of fatigue swept over him. He swayed, the last of his strength draining away.
The truth was, he had already pushed himself beyond his limit. Earlier, he had wasted chakra showing off his new sealing technique to Shane. Then came hours of pursuit through the forest, pushing his body harder and harder. Now that Kushina was safe, the weight of exhaustion came crashing down. His body gave out, tilting forward.
"Minato!" Kushina caught him in her arms, panic flashing in her eyes. She held him tightly, her voice shaking. "Where are you hurt? Did they do this to you? It's my fault! If I hadn't been so weak, you wouldn't have had to come after me, and you wouldn't be like this!"
Minato struggled to keep his voice steady, forcing a faint smile. "I'm fine. Just… tired, that's all."
Shane, standing off to the side with his arms crossed, rolled his eyes at the overly sweet scene. "Yeah, exactly. It was only a handful of scrubs. Like those guys could ever lay a finger on Minato. Honestly, you two are killing me here. I'm not a dog, so quit throwing food in my face with all this romance."
Kushina flushed, her cheeks warming. For a second, she thought about pushing Minato away in embarrassment. But when she felt the weight of his limp body, she couldn't bring herself to let go. If she moved, he'd collapse to the ground, and the thought made her heart ache.
So instead, she looped his arm around her shoulder, supporting him carefully. She glanced at Shane, who looked completely unfazed, as if this entire rescue mission had been nothing more than a minor errand.
"Just you two?" she asked softly.
"Who else?" Shane chuckled. "The second Minato realized you were missing, he bolted. No hesitation. No time to alert anyone else."
Kushina's heart swelled. She tried to scold Minato, but her voice wavered with affection. "You idiot… you could've been walking into a trap! What if they were stronger? You could've been throwing your life away!"
Minato gave a sheepish grin. "Maybe. But with Shane here, I figured we'd be fine."
Shane didn't bother answering. Instead, he methodically tied up the unconscious Kumo shinobi to the nearest tree and dusted off his hands. "I'm done here. Let's get moving. I've got better things to do than babysit tied-up captives."
The three began making their way back toward Konoha, Kushina supporting Minato every step of the way. Behind them, the captured Cloud-nin hung in silence, their fates uncertain.
Moments later, a squad of masked ANBU operatives emerged from the shadows.
"Release them," one ordered.
"Yes, sir."
They cut the ropes and checked the captives. Confirming they were still alive, the ANBU vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving no trace.
Later that night, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi listened grimly as his ANBU reported in.
"They didn't strike to kill. The Kumo shinobi are still alive. We released them, but…"
Hiruzen's brow furrowed, irritation flashing in his eyes. "And what if they wake up and take their own lives on Fire Country soil? What if their deaths are pinned on us?"
The Third Hokage exhaled heavily. Konoha was already embroiled in conflict with Iwagakure and Sunagakure. If Kumogakure joined the fray, it could spell disaster.
"Bring them back alive," he ordered firmly. "Do not harm them. No mistakes."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Once they departed, Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. That afternoon, Mito Uzumaki had suffered another surge from the Nine-Tails within her. The seal had held, but as a precaution, he'd ordered her moved to a secluded safehouse. Her absence had left her estate empty and in that window of vulnerability, Kushina had been taken.
He sighed, smoke curling from his pipe. "Thank goodness for Minato and Shane. If not for them… the village could have suffered dearly."
By the time Shane, Minato, and Kushina returned to the village gates, the weight of the night had begun to sink in. The mission wasn't official, but the danger had been all too real. And for Shane, who walked ahead with his hands behind his head, one thing was clear: this was only the beginning.
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