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Chapter 51
Outside Konoha Forest
The battle here had already ended. The Cloud ninja reinforcements had completely blocked Kushina's escape route, turning the tide decisively.
"So tired… I've got no chakra left."
Kushina propped herself up with one hand on a tree stump, her body swaying. She bit her lower lip hard, staring at the surrounding Cloud ninja with eyes full of despair.
Only now did she realize—her earlier resistance had been nothing but a joke in their eyes.
They could have taken her down quickly, but instead they slowly chipped away at her hope, toying with her like a cat with a mouse.
Now that she had no strength left to fight back, they were finally ready to kill her.
"Hahaha, what's wrong? Keep fighting!"
The lead jonin sneered, clearly enjoying Kushina's powerless state.
"Damn it!"
Kushina didn't respond. She glared fiercely at the jonin, biting her lip so hard it left deep tooth marks.
"Captain, we've played enough. If we don't leave soon, Konoha ninja will catch up."
At that moment, one of the Cloud chunin stepped forward and spoke to the leader.
After their reinforcements arrived, the captain had decided to take revenge for the chunin Kushina killed earlier. He turned the fight into a game of cat-and-mouse—slowly draining her stamina, letting her taste despair.
Now that Kushina could no longer resist and time had been sufficiently wasted, the chunin reminded him.
"Hmph. She's getting off easy. If we had more time, I'd make her feel the true pain of death."
The lead jonin snorted coldly, his gaze vicious as he stared at Kushina.
He showed no mercy just because she was a child.
For ninja who had fought in real wars, cruelty toward enemies was a necessary survival rule.
No matter the age—infant, elderly, sick, or weak—if someone stood against them, death was inevitable.
Cut the grass without removing the roots, and you'll regret it for life.
No one could guarantee that the child you spared out of kindness today wouldn't come back for revenge tomorrow.
Shing—
Drawing the ninja sword from his back, the lead jonin stepped toward Kushina one slow step at a time, eyes glinting with chilling intent.
Their superiors had already given the order.
One Uzumaki hostage was enough. Taking a second would only slow them down.
So to honor the fallen Cloud ninja, they would finish her here.
The bright moonlight was obscured by dark clouds. A cold, biting wind swept through the air.
Watching the Cloud ninja approach step by step, Kushina felt—for the first time—death so close.
This was different from when she had witnessed her clan's slaughter. Back then, she had hidden well, never in real danger.
But now it was different. They had locked onto her. There was no hope of survival left.
"Am I… going to die?"
"Will Mikoto and Ling Yu worry about me?"
"…Probably not."
"Maybe they'll be better off without me. I really am just extra, aren't I?"
In that instant, a flood of mixed emotions surged through her. Memories of her time in Konoha flashed by—most of them filled with Ling Yu and Mikoto.
Slowly, her eyes closed. Unable to fight the exhaustion any longer, Kushina let go of the stump and began to fall backward.
In her final moment of consciousness, she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms catch her firmly.
"Is this… heaven? So warm… Grandpa and the others will be waiting for me here, right?"
In her last fading thought, Kushina felt as though she had arrived in paradise—wrapped in comforting warmth, safe at last.
"Phew… good thing I made it in time."
Using Space Power, Ling Yu arrived behind Kushina at the most critical moment.
The second he appeared, he saw her collapsing. He rushed forward and caught her, cradling her gently in his arms.
"Kushina! Kushina!"
Lightly shaking her, Ling Yu called out worriedly. Seeing her covered in dirt and exhaustion, pain filled his eyes.
"What happened?"
He quickly activated Mystical Palm Technique to scan her condition.
"She just passed out from exhaustion." Realizing she was otherwise unharmed, the tension in his heart eased.
"Who are you?!"
A shout drew Ling Yu's attention.
A tall, masked ninja gripped his sword, glaring at him murderously.
"Hahaha! Don't tell me you're here to play hero and save the little girl? A brat like you thinks he can pull off a rescue?"
When the man got a clear look at Ling Yu, he pointed his blade and laughed mockingly.
Behind him, the rest of the Cloud ninja wore similar sneering expressions.
"Cloud ninja?"
In an instant, Ling Yu understood who they were. A cold light flashed in his eyes.
Ignoring their mockery, he decided to give them an entrance they would never forget.
"Heh… so you're the ones who bullied Kushina."
Holding Kushina tightly in his arms, Ling Yu slowly walked toward the group of Cloud ninja—his Rinnegan activated.
With every step, his aura grew heavier. The pressure on the Cloud ninja intensified.
"Huh?"
In that moment, every Cloud ninja felt the change in the air. The mocking smiles on their faces slowly froze.
When Ling Yu stopped in front of the lead jonin, he had fully unleashed his quasi-Kage aura.
Combined with tenfold gravity and the overwhelming presence of a quasi-Kage, most of the Cloud ninja were already struggling to breathe.
Crack! Crack!
Even the branches on the ground couldn't withstand the pressure and snapped.
"You dared bully my Kushina like this… Are you ready to go to hell?"
Like a demon's whisper, Ling Yu's red-glowing eyes swept across every Cloud ninja present.
They're going to die!
They're going to die!
If I don't run now, I'll die!
The lead jonin closest to him felt his hair stand on end. His mind screamed in terror.
He tried to use Body Flicker to escape.
But no matter how hard he tried, his feet felt nailed to the ground—he couldn't lift them, let alone run.
"Heh… still daring to mock me? You were the first to attack, right?"
Holding Kushina with his left arm, Ling Yu slowly raised his right hand, pointing directly at the only ninja still gripping a sword—the lead jonin.
You'll be the perfect example.
"N-No… I… I didn't…"
The lead jonin tried to explain, but his words stumbled incoherently.
"Super Tenfold: Shinra Tensei!"
A terrifying force erupted in an instant, blasting the jonin's body high into the sky—twenty to thirty meters off the ground.
"Explode!"
With a single hand seal, Ling Yu spoke softly.
"AAAHHH—"
In the next moment, a shower of blood rained down from the sky. Except for the area around Ling Yu, every Cloud ninja was splattered with the remains of their leader.
With Ling Yu's current strength, he could fully utilize the Rinnegan's power—especially when combined with tenfold amplification.
The jonin's body was obliterated by the repulsive force, leaving nothing but blood mist.
A Cloud jonin had been effortlessly killed.
If even the strongest in their squad was terrified, how could ordinary Cloud ninja feel anything else?
Fear and disbelief filled their eyes.
They were used to cruelty toward enemies—killing without mercy—but they usually left corpses intact.
Yet Ling Yu's method was a hundred times more brutal!
One move, and their leader was reduced to mist—no body left.
"D-Demon…"
One already pale ninja collapsed to the ground, pointing at Ling Yu with a trembling finger.
They had just mocked… a demon?
In that moment, pure terror consumed them.
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