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Chapter 54
Leaving Minato and the others behind, Ling Yu—carrying the unconscious Kushina—was on his way back to Konoha.
"Mmm…"
Still cradled in Ling Yu's arms like a princess, Kushina slowly stirred from her deep sleep.
"Mmm… why is everything so bumpy? Not comfortable at all…"
As soon as she woke, Kushina frowned, twisting slightly in his hold and muttering drowsily.
The corner of Ling Yu's mouth twitched. His steady sprint across the treetops faltered for a moment—he nearly lost his footing.
She's still half-asleep? Thinks she's in bed?
"Mmm… Ling… Ling Yu?"
After another jolt from his movement, Kushina finally opened her eyes.
"Huh?! Why are you here? Isn't this heaven? Did you die too?"
Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the familiar face right in front of her.
Hearing that as her very first sentence upon waking, Ling Yu felt both exasperated and amused.
Without a word, he lowered his head and lightly bonked his chin against her forehead.
Thonk!
A crisp sound echoed from Kushina's head.
"Ow! It hurts! Why did you hit me, Ling Yu?!"
Clutching her now-red forehead, Kushina looked up at him with teary eyes.
"What heaven? Who curses someone to death like that?"
Ling Yu was genuinely annoyed. How could she just casually say something like that?
"And you don't even remember what just happened?"
"Huh? I'm… not dead? You saved me, Ling Yu?"
Kushina hurriedly patted herself down. Realizing she was fine, she looked up at him again, face full of confusion.
"What do you think? Who else could appear next to you in an instant?"
Ling Yu sighed helplessly, giving her a deadpan look.
"Hehe… I was just a little slow to process it, okay?"
Kushina scratched her head, looking a bit embarrassed.
A quiet moment followed. Ling Yu continued leaping through the forest with Kushina in his arms.
The dark clouds had cleared. Pure moonlight poured down, bathing the trees in soft, bright silver.
Lying in Ling Yu's embrace, Kushina quietly listened to his heartbeat.
Feeling the warmth of his chest, all the earlier despair and fear melted away—replaced by the complete sense of safety he gave her.
In that moment, she finally understood why her heart had ached so sharply when Ling Yu joked about being with Mikoto.
She didn't want to let go. She wanted him too.
"How did you know I was in danger?"
A sweet, tiny smile curved her lips. Still nestled against him, she asked the question out of nowhere.
"Intuition."
"Liar. Why didn't you show up the moment I got into trouble?"
"Didn't feel like it. Wanted them to teach you a little lesson for not listening to me."
"Jerk! I'm ignoring you now."
A while later—
"Huh? Wait—Rina! Wasn't I trying to save her?"
Kushina suddenly remembered why she had chased the Cloud ninja. She grabbed Ling Yu's collar tightly, asking anxiously.
"Rina? I handed her over to Minato. She should be back in the village with him by now."
"Wait—you said you were ignoring me!"
"You're the one who decides when you're ignoring me? This lady does whatever she wants!"
"Ugh, you never keep your word."
"Ah! How dare you say that—I'll bite you to death!"
"Stop squirming! We're gonna fall!!!"
…
Konoha – Hokage Tower
All of Konoha's top leadership was gathered here, along with several ANBU and members of the Uchiha clan.
"How is it? Have you located the Cloud ninja who kidnapped the Uzumaki girl?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, face heavy with concern as he questioned his subordinates.
"We've already tracked the Cloud ninja's movements, but we haven't located the hostage yet."
An ANBU ninja replied with his head bowed, voice steady but honest.
"Damn it! This is all because of the Uchiha clan! If their police force had done their job properly, how could an Uzumaki have been kidnapped right inside Konoha?"
Danzo immediately spoke up, pointing accusingly at the Uchiha clan head with a dark expression.
He had secretly planned to kidnap one of the Uzumaki survivors for himself later.
There were two Uzumaki orphans anyway—what was one missing?
But before he could act, Cloud ninja had taken her. Now how was he supposed to get his hands on an Uzumaki?
In an instant, he turned all the blame toward the Uchiha, who were responsible for guarding the village.
"That's unfair! We concentrated most of our police force around the jonin meeting as ordered."
"Konoha is huge. With the remaining numbers, it's impossible to monitor every corner perfectly."
"And the enemy was led by a jonin—experienced and skilled. Even we might not have noticed in time."
"If Lord Hokage would allow us to increase the size of the police force, incidents like this wouldn't happen."
Uchiha Tomiyama stood up quickly to defend himself when he felt everyone's eyes on him.
But his defense quickly shifted to pleading for more manpower—an obvious attempt to expand the Uchiha's authority.
"Hmph. Can't even handle this properly. Might as well disband the entire police force."
Danzo knew exactly what he was doing and immediately suggested abolishing the position.
"Lord Danzo, how could you—!" Tomiyama's face darkened as he tried to argue.
At that moment, an ANBU rushed into the room.
"Report to Lord Hokage: Senju Ling Yu requests an audience."
Senju Ling Yu—Tsunade's little brother? What does he want at a time like this?
"Tell him to come back later. I'm busy right now! He can return when I have time."
Hiruzen was in a terrible mood. He had no patience to deal with a child right now.
Even if he was Hashirama's descendant, it didn't matter!
"Sarutobi, this isn't the time to argue about who failed their duties. Since we've already located the Cloud ninja's trail, the priority is to pursue them."
Koharu stepped forward, speaking to Hiruzen in a calm, advisory tone.
Though he had accidentally come under suspicion of being a Cloud spy earlier, he had managed to prove his loyalty.
Now, by being the first to offer a plan, he could redeem himself and completely clear his name.
"Hm. You're right."
Hiruzen nodded, then turned to give orders:
"Listen carefully. Send our best trackers to follow the Cloud ninja's trail."
"Make sure we recover the Uzumaki hostage before they leave the Land of Fire."
"Sarutobi, let me handle it. Several of my Root ninja are highly skilled in pursuit—they'll locate the Cloud ninja in time."
At the same moment, Danzo volunteered, standing up.
His motives were clear: even if he couldn't obtain an Uzumaki anymore, capturing live Cloud ninja could yield valuable intelligence.
"Hm. Make sure the hostage is brought back unharmed."
Hiruzen and Danzo were old comrades—he trusted Danzo.
Besides, Root ninja were indeed capable. He immediately approved the request.
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