Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!
The shout split the air, and a crack of killing intent followed an instant later.
"Haruto, run!" the red-haired woman barked, whipping around. Her fingers blurred into hand seals, palms slamming into the ground.
Earth Style: Mud Wall!
Stone and dirt erupted in front of her, forming a solid wall just as a sphere of crackling blue lightning smashed into it. The blast sent vibrations up her arms, rattling her teeth.
Behind her, a boy of seven or eight, with the same fiery hair and the same stubborn eyes, stood frozen. Pain twisted his face and he did not move.
"Haruto, I can't fight while protecting you!" she snapped, never taking her eyes off the enemy. She felt his chakra signature still behind her; her son had not moved an inch.
"I—" Haruto's voice trembled, tears welling, but the moment was ripped away.
The attacker burst over the wall in a blur, kunai gleaming in the lightning's afterglow. His intent was obvious: kill them both.
Steel met steel.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sparks danced between them as she parried each strike, stepping in and cutting off his attempts to flank. He was fast, too fast, and she could feel the pressure building. More would be coming.
"Run!" she roared, shoving him back with a desperate slash.
Haruto's eyes burned, but this time he listened. He cast her one last look, a promise unspoken, and bolted down a narrow path, feet pounding against the dirt.
The man did not chase. His grin stretched wider, eyes fixed on the woman who barred his way. He licked his lips like a predator toying with prey, then stepped back just enough to draw and hurl three kunai in quick succession.
Whip-whip-whip!
She swatted them from the air in a blur of motion, her grip on her blade tightening. Determination blazed in her eyes. "You're not getting past me."
"Oh, really?" His tone dripped with mockery as the grin turned feral. "Today's the day the Uzumaki become history."
Lightning began to gather in his hands again.
Lightning Release: Chain Lightning Technique!
Bolts of jagged light tore through the air toward her.
She didn't retreat. Her fingers blurred through seals once more.
Earth Style: Mud Wall!
Stone shot up in front of her, the lightning slamming into it with a deafening crack. Relief flickered across her face for a split second before pain ripped through her cheek.
A kunai had punched clean through, the blade protruding from the front.
Hot blood dripped down her chin. Then a low, mocking whisper brushed her ear.
"Looks like you haven't awakened your sensory abilities… huh?"
The man's smirk faltered. Her face showed no fear, only a smile. Something cold slid down his spine.
Then they appeared.
Chains, gleaming with a faint golden light, burst from her back, wrapping around him like living serpents. The Uzumaki Adamantine Sealing Chains. Rare, even among her clan.
"You—!" he choked, eyes wide.
She dropped to one knee, coughing blood, her breathing ragged.
The grin crept back onto his face. "Looks like you're dying anyway."
Her lips curled in mockery. "Aren't you?"
"I've completed my mission. You'll die here, and my partners will soon kill your son." His tone was flat, confident, unshaken.
Her laughter rang out, sharp and defiant.
"Kill my son? While I and my husband still live?"
"Your man is dead," the attacker replied coldly. "My partners should have finished him by now. Soon they'll be here to finish you too."
Her smile faded for a second. Then she shook her head slowly. "No. He's not dead yet."
The man frowned until the sound hit them both.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Smoke plumed into the sky from the distant ridge. The ground trembled faintly.
His eyes widened. "Damn it!"
Her voice cracked, sadness slipping in. "Now… he's dead." A tear traced her cheek. "He sacrificed himself, but before he went, I'm sure he took your partners with him."
A flash of horror lit the man's face, but it was too late.
The chains tightened.
Bones cracked.
RRRIP!
His left arm tore free in an explosion of crimson spray. He screamed, thrashing, but another limb followed, then the other. His body was being dismantled piece by piece, blood painting the air.
Finally, her chains wrenched his head from his shoulders. It tumbled to the dirt, eyes still frozen in disbelief.
Her voice was a ragged whisper.
"No one who even dreams of hurting my son will live."
The chains dissolved into motes of fading light. Her body swayed. She collapsed onto her back, staring at the endless blue sky.
Pain tore through her chest; she did not have much time left. But her hands kept moving, forming one last seal.
Puff!
A clone materialised beside her, kneeling in silence. Without a word, it reached inside her flak vest, pulling out several sealed scrolls. One by one, the scrolls unfurled, revealing stacks of explosive tags.
The clone worked quickly, setting them in a defensive ring around her body, layering traps in the undergrowth, ensuring no one could approach without paying in blood.
Its task complete, the clone vanished in a swirl of smoke.
Her eyelids grew heavy. Her breaths came slower.
"It seems… the rest of your journey is going to be—"
She never finished.
Her heart gave out, and the world went quiet.
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