Chapter 83: Under the Moonlight
"Keep following me."
"Let's see who runs out of stamina first."
On the back of the Black Iron Giant Eagle, Li Yao glanced behind him and let out a cold smile. He took a soldier pill from his bag and swallowed it.
Including the one he just took, he still had ten left.
One soldier pill a day—ten pills would allow him to continue flying for ten days and nights without needing food.
As for water… with the Water Release chakra attribute gifted to him by the Third Hokage, he could simply use a water-style jutsu whenever he was thirsty. Pure and clean—no pollution, no concerns.
He had no worries about food or drink, and sleep wasn't a problem either.
He could swap places with a shadow clone inside the eagle's belly, rest there, and recover his stamina.
Additionally, the backlash from a dispelled shadow clone's memory surge could be filtered out through his precise chakra control, so it had no effect on him.
Li Yao could fly continuously in the sky for ten days and nights without stopping. He didn't believe that Kunoichi could keep up with him for that long.
Her chakra levels were only equivalent to a standard jonin—not much higher than his.
Li Yao could sleep and rest while still maintaining chakra flow.
But the female ninja and the other three from Konoha—
Once their chakra ran low, they would have to stop and concentrate to recover. Without focused effort, natural recovery was too slow. It would take at least a full night to replenish their reserves.
This was an advantage unique to Li Yao—the ability to stay in a constant state of focused chakra generation. No one else in the ninja world could match it.
So his chakra recovery speed was extremely fast.
His only weakness was his mental stamina—not as durable as those veterans hardened by long campaigns.
After just one sleepless night, Li Yao's mental state would begin to deteriorate, and he would need rest.
In contrast, those four Konoha ninjas could maintain combat alertness for three days and nights straight without sleep.
That was something Li Yao couldn't match.
However, he could rest whenever needed. The question was—could they?
Soon—
Night deepened.
The moon hung high like a white disk, about to vanish beyond the horizon.
At the northern border of the Land of Fire—
"Hurry up."
Along a narrow forest path, a Kumogakure ninja walking in the middle suddenly yanked the rope in his hand and barked threateningly at the red-haired girl bound at the other end.
Ever since they neared the Fire Country's border, out of fear of Konoha's chakra sensory barrier, they had restrained their chakra and traveled on foot.
Otherwise, fast movement would cause natural chakra leakage from the feet, potentially triggering the barrier.
Walking normally meant there was no need to infuse chakra into their steps, no need to circulate chakra—nothing that could reveal their presence.
It also reduced the chance of leaving chakra residue on branches or the ground—something perceptive ninja could sense.
This way, the odds of being tracked were much lower.
The only downside was how slow it was—risking pursuit from Konoha ninja.
"Will anyone come save me?"
"Probably not… everyone says I'm an outsider, after all. Heh."
The red-haired girl mocked herself silently.
She was Uzumaki Kushina, kidnapped by Kumogakure. She hadn't slept for three days and nights and had only drunk small amounts of water each day.
Her body was severely weakened. She couldn't even hear the Kumogakure ninja's threats clearly. She just staggered forward whenever the rope was pulled.
At this point, Kushina had nearly given up hope. But her survival instinct drove her to keep breaking strands of her red hair and letting them fall behind her as a trail.
Maybe someone would notice, maybe someone would recognize her hair.
"Yawn…"
The Kumogakure ninja in the lead suddenly yawned. After three sleepless days, they were all exhausted.
But seeing how smoothly things had gone, and that they were about to cross the border, he felt more at ease. He even chuckled, "We're almost through the northern border of the Land of Fire. Haven't seen a single Konoha ninja. Looks like the intel was right—this area isn't well-guarded."
"Especially this route—practically deserted."
"Yeah," the one in the middle said with a tired grin. "Once we cross the border and meet up with our comrades, this mission's a complete success."
"Don't let your—urk!"
The one in the back was about to warn them not to relax, but before he could finish, he felt a sharp pain in his back. All his strength drained from his body like air from a punctured balloon.
He wanted to call out, but after three sleepless days, he didn't have the energy. He only managed a faint grunt before his consciousness was swallowed by darkness.
That grunt was enough to alert the others.
The two in front turned back at once.
"Hey, what's wrong?" they called out.
The moon was already low, and the trees allowed very little light to reach the forest floor. Visibility was poor. And since the fatal blow had pierced the back of the last man's heart, there was no visible wound from the front.
So the two hadn't realized their comrade was already dead.
But then, the faint scent of blood drifted into their noses.
Their pupils shrank as they immediately sensed an enemy presence.
Tap tap…
Just then, before they could react, a small figure slowly emerged from the trees behind their fallen comrade.
Instinctively, their eyes locked onto the footsteps and silhouette.
As the golden-haired boy stepped into a patch of moonlight, his face became visible, and the two fixed their attention on him.
And then—whoosh!
Another small blond figure shot out from the nearby underbrush and slashed past the frontmost Kumogakure ninja in an instant.
Along with the boy came a glinting kunai.
Slice!
Blood sprayed from the ninja's neck, and the darkness quickly swallowed him—he didn't even get the chance to react.
The one in the middle, still holding the rope attached to Kushina, turned to look after hearing the noise.
Splurt!
The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out, and he felt a devouring force from his chest. The next second, darkness engulfed him too.
Thud! Thud!
Both bodies collapsed in succession.
Kushina, still with her head down, stumbled forward. She hadn't even noticed what had happened.
Not until she heard a voice she both hated and knew all too well—
"You're not hurt, right?"
"I'm here to save you."
Her dull expression slowly regained vitality. She looked up, swaying slightly.
There, under the moonlight, stood Minato, the blond boy she used to find insufferable, smiling that same fake smile.
Kushina's lips curved into a faint smile—the same kind of smile she used to hate on him.
But this time, she didn't hate it anymore.
Under the moonlight—
Between the trees—
Minato, carrying the girl who had stolen his heart, leapt from branch to branch, returning to Konoha.
At the same time—
Under the moonlight—
High in the trees—
Li Yao, dressed in black with hair as dark as ink, sat atop his Black Iron Giant Eagle, heading north. He looked out at the forest ahead, where the moonlight turned the foliage into glistening silver dew.
His expression was calm and serene.
Even though Konoha's ninjas were still following behind—
In that moment, under that night sky, Li Yao's heart felt quiet.
So quiet… it was almost lonely.
(END CHAPTER)
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