Chapter 44: Rescued
"Still, I've already gained plenty of immediate benefits."
Yuu stood where he was and watched the other man's figure vanish into the distance. He shook his head lightly.
"At least I won't be lacking ninjutsu for my future training."
It had been a while since his rebirth, but because he was stationed as a medical ninja, he had never had many chances to properly learn ninjutsu. Up to now, he had been forced to rely on taijutsu whenever he faced enemies.
There was no real way around it.
Legitimate ninjutsu rarely circulated outside official channels. Even within Konoha, buying jutsu through internal routes cost an absurd amount. At the very least, it was not something Yuu could afford with his current, outwardly visible wealth.
But after taking Yamame Chōshin under control, those problems were essentially solved.
The man was a jōnin, after all. The number of ninjutsu he knew was not small.
Most were Earth Release due to his Iwagakure background, and the remainder were largely common techniques, but even that was more than enough to patch Yuu's thin arsenal.
With these added tools, Yuu's methods against enemies could finally improve. He would no longer need to rely entirely on taijutsu the way he had before.
Of course, while the gains were significant, the losses were just as real.
After that encounter, most of Yuu's stored chakra reserves had been depleted.
That chakra had been accumulated slowly, over a long period of time, by absorbing on the front lines. This time, a large portion of it had been burned to activate Karma's power.
It could not be helped.
Yuu's current body was still too fragile. Forcing Karma's release in that physical state placed an enormous burden on him.
To reduce the strain on his body, he could only consume a massive amount of chakra to ease the pressure.
That was also why Yuu disliked going all out against anyone.
The price was simply too high.
"Judging by the time… it's about time to leave."
Yuu lifted his gaze and looked outward, toward the direction Kurenai had fled. Thoughts flickered through his mind.
…
In the dim forest, Kurenai's figure darted rapidly between the trees.
Hyuga Fu was slung over her back as she weaved through the wilderness, and her exhaustion had already reached a terrifying level.
After several straight days of forced marching, her body was drained to the bone. Tonight's pursuit had pushed her even harder, that feeling of constantly teetering on the edge of life and death lingering in her veins.
Even as a shinobi, Kurenai could feel herself hitting her limit.
At this point, she was moving on willpower alone.
"I have to break through…"
Her legs trembled, her lungs burned, but she still grit her teeth and forced herself forward.
"At the very least, I have to get the message out…"
To her, this surprise assault operation had already failed.
But if the news was not delivered, more Konoha shinobi would walk straight into the same trap and be slaughtered by Iwagakure.
No matter what, she had to escape and report everything back to headquarters.
Unfortunately, events did not bend to human will.
Just as she was about to leave the forest, a voice suddenly rang out ahead.
"So there's another one here…"
It came from the side, a man's voice.
A moment later, an Iwagakure shinobi stepped out of the trees, his forehead protector visible.
The instant he appeared, he launched a surprise attack on Kurenai and immediately seized the advantage.
His strength was formidable. He was not a jōnin, but among the elite chūnin.
If Kurenai were at her peak, she might have been able to fight him head on, with the outcome uncertain.
But now, her strength was spent to the point of emptiness. Her remaining chakra was pitifully low.
She quickly fell into a losing position, barely holding on.
If the enemy had not been reluctant to kill her, wanting to capture her alive and extract information, she would have already died.
"I can't fall into their hands…"
A chill ran through Kurenai as that thought struck her.
Both she and Fu were elite Konoha shinobi who carried sensitive intelligence.
Especially Fu.
Even if he was only from the Hyuga Branch House, he was still a Hyuga. If he was captured alive, the consequences would be catastrophic.
If things went wrong, Konoha could suffer enormous losses.
Even if she died here, she could not allow herself to be taken alive.
With that resolve, Kurenai endured the enemy's pressure and suddenly lunged toward Fu, intending to end both herself and her companion before the enemy could act.
But she was too late.
"Trying to destroy the intel because the mission failed?"
The Iwagakure shinobi sneered. He had already anticipated her move.
Under Kurenai's despairing gaze, he knocked aside the kunai she threw and then struck cleanly, rendering her unconscious in an instant.
"This is a huge haul."
Afterward, he let out a long breath, then stared at the unconscious Fu with open excitement.
"A living Hyuga."
Konoha guarded the Byakugan tightly. From past to present, it had almost never leaked.
But if a living Hyuga fell into their hands, there were countless ways to exploit that.
Just bringing him back would be a tremendous achievement.
Unfortunately, his wish was destined to fail.
The moment he took a step forward, an inexplicable aura locked onto him.
He looked up.
At some point, a boy of eight or nine was standing before him.
"It looks like I made it in time."
Yuu glanced down at Kurenai and Fu, then turned to the Iwagakure shinobi with a faint smile.
"It's a bit presumptuous, but I'd still like to say something."
"For the sake of your life, would you mind leaving?"
As his words fell, a ninja sword flashed forward.
The Iwagakure shinobi's eyes sharpened. Seeing Yuu appear without warning, he chose to strike first.
He lunged in, blade cutting down hard.
"So it won't work after all."
Yuu sighed.
In the next instant, his figure vanished.
He reappeared behind the man in a blur.
A kunai thrust forward and pierced cleanly through the opponent's chest.
"Wh… when?"
The man stared blankly down.
The kunai had already buried itself deep. Crimson blood spilled out in quick, heavy drops.
"That speed…"
That was the last thought that crossed his mind.
His body went limp, and he collapsed, dead.
"Wouldn't it have been better to just leave quietly?"
Yuu shook his head at the corpse, then straightened.
He lifted Kurenai and Fu without wasting another breath and carried them away from the area.
Night passed in silence.
When the morning sun finally rose and spilled light across the earth, Kurenai slowly woke.
The moment her consciousness returned, she instinctively reached for a kunai and scanned her surroundings, tense and alert.
"It's alright now."
Yuu's voice came from beside her.
.....
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