"Ah... those three bastards suddenly appeared at the window, and they were smiling so scarily. I was so scared by them at that moment, my mind went completely blank. All I could do was run away and shout for help..." Kushina hurriedly explained.
"Next time you encounter this kind of situation, use the Shadow Clone Technique with all your strength. The clones can attack or stall the enemy, giving your real body time to escape..." Ryun said seriously, teaching the child.
"Oh, oh... I'll know what to do next time..."
"Forget it, there won't be a next time. With me here, I won't let you experience this kind of thing again!" Ryun said, hugging her tightly once more.
Hearing these words, Kushina pouted and was instantly moved to tears again.
"Ryun..." Kushina called softly.
"Hmm?" Ryun responded with a hum, indicating he was listening.
"I love you..." Kushina confessed boldly and directly.
"!!!"
Ryun was clearly surprised for a moment upon hearing this. But the next instant, he gazed at Kushina and then solemnly declared, "I love you too... Kushina!"
"Mmm... hmph..." Kushina whimpered and threw herself into Ryun's embrace again, her face filled with happiness and joy.
"I love Ryun the most..."
"Mmm, I love Kushina the most, most, most, most..."
Just as the two were pouring out their affection for each other, the Kumo-nin chunin nearby collapsed to the ground due to severe mental trauma. His head landed right beside Ryun's feet, very close.
Ryun glanced down briefly, then decisively raised his foot and stomped the Kumo-nin's head deep into the ground.
Hearing the strange noise, Kushina, still immersed in happiness, instinctively turned her head to look.
But Ryun gently turned her head away, not letting her see the twitching, dying man on the ground.
However, this movement made Kushina catch sight of the bisected body not far away, severed by the Lightning Blade, and the terrifying severed head rolling on the ground.
"!!!!!"
When Ryun had dramatically rescued her and slain the enemy earlier, she hadn't felt any fear—her heart had been filled only with excitement and gratitude. But now, seeing the bloody, dismembered remains, Kushina's face turned pale, and her body felt weak, as if all strength had left her.
She hadn't eaten dinner yet and had suffered repeated extreme frights, so she staggered and nearly collapsed.
Ryun swiftly supported her and then carried her on his back.
"I'll take you home," Ryun said, turning his head to smile at her.
"Mmm... mmm..." Kushina quickly recovered. She nuzzled her head against his cheek affectionately, docile as a kitten.
Ryun took a few steps forward, then seemed to remember something. He briefly placed his hands together in front of his chest and formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
With a dull poof, a shadow clone appeared to handle the cleanup.
Though the Forest of Death was teeming with wild animals that would soon devour the corpses, Ryun wanted to be thorough and leave no traces behind.
His thinking wasn't wrong—he acted swiftly, decisively, and with enough caution. Unfortunately, what had transpired here had already been witnessed by two pairs of eyes lurking in the shadows.
"Give this to your superior and have him come to the scene. Then, just wait for him to raise hell in Konoha..."
"Also, instruct the White Zetsu impersonating the Root member to say they tailed Uchiha Ryun tonight and personally witnessed this. No need to hide anything—just report the truth to Danzo..."
An old man handed a few strands of red hair to a "Kumo-nin."
"Heh... understood, Lord Madara!"
This so-called old man was none other than Uchiha Madara, and the Kumo-nin who took the hair was a White Zetsu hidden within the Kumo envoy group!
If Ryun's secret killing of three Kumo-nin were exposed... no matter how justified he was, he wouldn't be able to escape consequences...
In the original story, when Namikaze Minato rescued Kushina, he patiently followed the Kumo-nin all the way to the border before acting—and even then, he only knocked them out, never daring to kill them outright.
His approach was far calmer than Ryun's. Not only did he save Kushina without any risk, but he also earned praise from Konoha's leadership...
But now, Ryun had impatiently slaughtered the Kumo-nin the moment they left the village. If this remained unknown, it wouldn't be an issue—Kumo would likely swallow the insult and not make a fuss...
But if a "Kumo-nin" claimed to have witnessed Ryun murder their comrades, knew the location of the bodies, and even had physical evidence...
The Kumo envoy group, still in Konoha and drawing the attention of the village's leaders, would absolutely not let this slide.
They would raise hell over their three poor comrades who died in a foreign land!
"Ryun, you're going back to the battlefield tomorrow... I don't want you to go..." Kushina rested her head on Ryun's shoulder, her face full of reluctance.
"I don't want to leave you either... but with the war, there's no choice..."
"But don't worry, I'll do everything I can to end the war quickly and come back." Ryun smiled gently to comfort her.
"The battlefield is dangerous. You have to be careful and protect yourself." Kushina stroked his face and spoke earnestly.
"Mmm, I understand..."
Ryun carried Kushina back to Konoha, then prepared food for both of them at the Senju compound. After eating, he handed Kushina over to Mito Uzumaki.
"Grandma Mito, the Kumo envoy group is up to no good and has set their sights on Kushina. Please protect her these next few days..."
Ryun looked solemnly at Mito Uzumaki. He was about to head to the battlefield, so Kushina's safety would have to be entrusted to her.
After all, Ryun didn't know when the Kumo envoy would leave or if they might try to target Kushina again.
Though this old woman seemed frail, if the Kumo-nin threatened Kushina, she alone could wipe out the entire envoy group.
A starved camel is still bigger than a horse—Mito Uzumaki still had a few years left to live and wasn't so old she couldn't fight.
Though Ryun had never actually seen her in action, as the Princess of Uzushio, the wife of the First Hokage, and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, his instincts told him she could protect Kushina.
Hearing Ryun recount the Kumo-nin's actions, Mito Uzumaki shuddered in fear, her heart filled with dread.
Kushina had nearly been kidnapped right under her nose—she bore heavy responsibility for this.
Thankfully, Ryun had still been in the village and hadn't left for the war yet. If Kushina had been taken to Kumo, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Faced with Ryun's grave warning, Mito Uzumaki immediately promised to take good care of Kushina and assured him such a thing would never happen again.
Not long after Ryun left the Senju compound, a group of elite Kumo-nin ignored the protests of Konoha-nin and, led by a Kumo-nin, rushed to the crime scene in the Forest of Death.
A great storm was about to erupt in the peaceful Village Hidden in the Leaves!
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