Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for only $7 to get early access to upcoming chapters!
> > Patreon.com/inkshield <<
----------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 49
"Hehe, Captain, another Uzumaki! Looks like we'll exceed our mission quota this time."
"Yeah, nice. If we capture two Uzumaki, we'll earn major credit. Promotion and riches are basically guaranteed."
"Heh, when that happens, I'm hitting the casino hard—gonna have some real fun."
"Casino? Nah, those places can't compare to those shops. Better to book a few nights there—you'll be flying high."
The masked ninja completely ignored Kushina's question, chatting among themselves as if she weren't even worth their attention.
A few of them even looked at her with greedy, gleaming eyes, like she was some priceless treasure.
"Damn it! You dare ignore this lady's question and still plan to capture me? Keep dreaming!"
"Today this lady will show you my true power—beat every single one of you flat!"
Kushina's brows furrowed tightly. She gritted her teeth, glaring at them.
They'd dared to kidnap someone right in front of her—she decided right then: she'd beat these arrogant thieves senseless.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Kushina formed hand seals. In the next instant, dozens of golden chains erupted from her back.
She opened with her most familiar technique, aiming to end the fight as quickly as possible.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Each chain moved like it had a tracking system, precisely targeting the enemies' vital points.
"Fall back! This kid's not simple!"
The lead jonin shouted urgently. His body quickly retreated.
The other ninja reacted fast, scattering backward to dodge the incoming chains.
Boom!
The chains slammed into the ground, leaving several deep craters.
Though they hadn't hit anyone, the sheer destructive power of the attack proved how dangerous Kushina's technique really was.
"That chakra volume… jonin level?"
Standing on a tree branch, the lead jonin analyzed the chakra Kushina had just unleashed. Beneath his mask, his face showed shock.
"Has Konoha gotten this strong already? Even a little kid has jonin-level power."
He set the sack containing Rina down on the ground, narrowed his eyes at Kushina, and felt a heavy sense of caution.
"Looks like we have to go all out. If we drag this out, none of us might make it."
After making up his mind, the lead jonin quickly barked orders to his men:
"Don't hold back! This kid's strong. If necessary—kill her."
He now treated Kushina as a real threat—no longer underestimating her.
Jonin-level battles weren't like street fights. One mistake could mean death.
Though Kushina's attacks weren't yet precise enough to target vital points perfectly, the overwhelming power of her earlier technique was enough—if it hit, they might not even be able to stand.
"Move!"
Spotting the brief opening as Kushina retracted her chains, the lead jonin roared and charged forward with his ninja sword drawn.
"Water Style: Mist Shadow Technique!"
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
"Lightning Style: Lightning Snake!"
"Lightning Style: Earth Walk!"
At the same moment, the four subordinates unleashed their squad's highest-coordination combo.
On Kushina's side—
The moment the enemy techniques activated, her vision was completely blocked by thick mist. At her feet, a small pool of water had formed.
Through the haze, she faintly saw several streaks of blue lightning racing toward her.
"They said Konoha had no jonin left—how are there already two in front of me?!"
Relying on instinct, Kushina quickly backed away. Her eyes were filled with confusion.
This was completely different from what she'd been told!
"What do I do?!"
Panic rising, Kushina regretted not telling Ling Yu before following along.
At that moment—"Zzzzt!"
Through her blurry vision, more blue lightning streaks shot toward her at high speed.
"Crystal Release: Crystalline Pentagonal Path!"
Sensing danger, Kushina reacted instantly. A massive pink crystal pillar rose in front of her, blocking the incoming attacks.
She quickly leaped onto the pillar, raising it higher until she broke through the mist layer.
Once her vision cleared, Kushina let out a breath of relief.
But in the next second—
"Super Sonic Thunder Blade!"
A furious roar came from below. The lead jonin unleashed his attack.
BOOM!
The sonic-based strike shattered the crystal pillar beneath Kushina's feet.
"Are you kidding me?! Not even a moment to counter!"
Kushina shouted in frustration, then hurriedly jumped down.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Snake!"
Back inside the mist, before she could stabilize herself, another attack came flying.
"Lunar Step!"
In desperation, Kushina suddenly remembered a technique. Using Rokushiki, she kicked off the air and soared upward, dodging the strike.
"Hmph! Now you can't touch me!"
Hovering in the sky, Kushina thought quickly.
"First, I need to clear this mist."
Confidence returning to her eyes, she formed hand seals while standing mid-air.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Golden chains burst from her back, spinning rapidly in the air. In moments, they whipped through the thick fog, scattering it completely.
Once the mist cleared, Kushina's vision opened wide. Every ninja's position was now clearly visible.
"Hehe, now it's my turn."
Looking down at the shocked ninja below, Kushina gave an evil grin.
"Crystal Release: Hexagonal Shuriken Barrage!"
A storm of crystal shuriken rained down from all directions toward the ninja on the ground.
"Fall back!"
With a shout, everyone scattered for cover, trying to block the incoming barrage.
"Ahhh!"
But one ninja wasn't so lucky. With no cover around him, he was pierced full of holes by the crystal shuriken before he could move far.
"One down!"
Hovering in the air, Kushina celebrated with a laugh.
"Now there are only four left."
Her gaze swept toward the remaining four. She wore a demonic smile.
"Damn it! She's flying—how do we hit her?!"
The lead jonin looked sadly at his fallen subordinate, hiding behind a tree, face filled with despair as he stared up at Kushina.
Their earlier combo had already used most of their chakra. Now, facing a flying Kushina, they were out of options.
Just when everyone felt hopeless, several heavenly voices reached their ears.
"Hurry! This way! The third squad's chakra signatures are here!"
"They were supposed to have completed the mission already—why are they so slow? They haven't even left the Land of Fire yet."
"Good thing we got the intel and stalled Konoha's top fighters before leaving. Otherwise, if that group arrived, we'd be in trouble."
Soon, more than a dozen ninja appeared on the ground, joining the original squad.
"Ling Yu, where are you… this lady can't hold on much longer…"
Looking at the ninja who now completely surrounded her on the ground, plus a few who had summoned beasts to seal off the sky, Kushina's heart sank.
Sensing that only about one-third of her chakra remained, she realized this time—she might not make it out alive.
…
Meanwhile—
Having finished training, Ling Yu had taken a bath and was now lounging on the sofa, sipping juice and watching TV.
At that moment, the system suddenly issued a new task.
Ding! Mission issued: Rescue Kushina, who is surrounded by Cloud ninja. Reward: Exquisite Chest ×2, Exchange Points +200.
"Pffft…!"
"What?! Kushina's in danger? Surrounded by Cloud ninja?!"
Unable to hold back, Ling Yu spat out his juice in shock.
Bang!
He smashed the glass cup onto the floor. Rage burned in his eyes.
"Damn it… daring to touch Kushina. When I get there—you're all dead."
Without hesitation, he opened a teleportation gate, set the destination to the marker on Kushina, and leaped inside.
Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for only $7 to get early access to upcoming chapters!
> > Patreon.com/inkshield <<
----------------------------------------------------------