A shadow suddenly shot out from the bushes—only to be kicked flying by Might Duy. The dark figure slammed hard into a thick tree trunk, the impact leaving a deep dent in the bark.
That kick carried terrifying force—if it had been an ordinary person, they'd be crippled for sure!
"Duy…" Leo looked at Might Duy helplessly.
Duy scratched his head with an embarrassed grin. "Leo-kun, I thought it was another assassin. Didn't hold back in time."
"Judging by his outfit, he's from the Konoha ANBU," Leo said calmly.
"What!" Duy's eyes widened in shock, completely dumbfounded.
Leo walked over. The black-clad figure was sprawled on the ground, face hidden, breathing shallow and weak—his heartbeat was slowing, like an oil lamp about to burn out.
Leo flipped the body over. The man wore a mask bearing the symbol of the Boar from the Twelve Zodiac masks. There might be more than one Boar in the ANBU, but Leo recognized his aura with his Observation Haki—this was the very same ANBU operative he'd once fought!
"So he really is ANBU… I'm done for. I kicked him that hard… does that count as murder?" Duy said, deeply remorseful.
"Even if you hadn't kicked him, he wouldn't have survived," Leo replied flatly, pointing to the man's chest.
There, faint lightning chakra flickered—the wound was deep, his chest slick with blood, the flesh scorched and torn.
He'd been run through the heart by a lightning-style blade technique.
The only reason he hadn't died instantly was probably because his body had so much fat—it had slowed the penetration and bought him a few more moments of life.
"Cough… cough…"
The dying ANBU operative stirred, coughing weakly. He slumped against the tree, voice barely audible.
"You're… Konoha shinobi? Did I… make it back to the village?"
"No. We're on an outside mission. What happened?" Leo asked, not revealing his own ANBU identity.
The man looked disappointed. "Please… take off my mask."
Leo hesitated for a moment, then carefully removed it.
Beneath was a surprisingly young face, round and soft, his cheeks a little pudgy—not fat, exactly, but almost endearingly so.
His eyes dimmed, breath weakening, as he murmured to himself:
"Death is the shinobi's fate. From the moment I joined ANBU, I've lived in darkness and shadow. To kill or be killed—it's only ever a matter of a single moment. But to see the light again before I die… I have no regrets."
Might Duy fell silent. Leo said nothing either, just listened quietly to the final words of a man who'd lived and died in the shadows.
From the day one becomes a shinobi, death is inevitable—only the timing differs.
"What exactly happened?" Leo asked again.
An ANBU dying inside Konoha's borders couldn't be a trivial matter.
"Cloud shinobi… infiltrated Konoha… and took our Jinchūriki," the man rasped. "ANBU was ordered to pursue them, but we walked into their ambush. The losses… were heavy."
"What? Did they take her back to the Cloud Village?" Leo's heart clenched.
At present, Konoha has only one Jinchūriki—Kushina Uzumaki.
Could this be that incident from the original timeline?
"No… only one ANBU squad was sent. The higher-ups didn't want this to spread. You understand?" the man whispered.
The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was the foundation of Konoha's power. If word got out that something had happened to her, it would cause panic.
Besides, Kushina hadn't even become the Nine-Tails' vessel yet!
The Cloud's objective wasn't the Nine-Tails—they wanted to study the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts and bloodline.
To suppress the scandal, Konoha could only send a small covert team. If they succeeded, fine; if they failed… well, the higher-ups would simply stay silent.
Leo's fists tightened. Humanity was frail when tested by politics.
If things went poorly… Kushina might be discarded as a sacrifice.
And right now, the Cloud Village's strength was nothing to scoff at—especially under the Third Raikage, a man fierce enough to wrestle the Eight-Tails into submission!
The ANBU operative fell silent. His breathing stopped, eEXPression calm, as if he had fulfilled his final duty.
"What's going on? What's a Jinchūriki?" Might Duy asked, utterly lost.
"...Hah."
Leo took a deep breath. "Duy, I have to go rescue someone. But you can't come."
"Why not? Two are stronger than one, Leo-kun!" Duy protested.
"This is different. You haven't fully recovered from opening the Eight Inner Gates, and someone has to take care of these ANBU. They were loyal to Konoha. Handle their remains for me, Duy."
Though reluctant, Duy knew Leo was right—he'd only slow him down. After a moment's pause, he nodded firmly.
"Alright. I'll wait here for your return, Leo-kun."
Leo glanced up at the darkened sky. "If I'm not back before dawn… don't wait for me."
With that, he vanished in a flicker.
Duy stood silently, his eEXPression hardening into resolve.
"Leo-kun… you must come back. If anything happens to you, I swear I'll make the Cloud pay—even if it costs me everything."
Whoosh—
Leo darted through the forest, leaping from branch to branch. Guided by his Observation Haki and the traces of battle left behind, he followed the Cloud ninja's trail.
A tough fight was inevitable.
If it had been anyone else, he might not have risked so much.
But Kushina was different. She was the one who quietly cared for him, who left lunchboxes at his door each morning, who probably cleaned his home while he was away on ANBU missions.
In all of Konoha, she might be the only person who cared for him from the heart.
For that alone, Leo could never abandon her.
By midnight, he was half a mile from Cloud nin's position when his Observation Haki screamed a warning.
He stopped, concealing his presence, moving silently through the shadows.
Under the pale moonlight ahead, he saw a red-haired girl bound to a tree, tears glistening in her eyes—helpless and afraid.
"Kushina…" Leo whispered.
Not far from her, two Cloud shinobi leaned against a tree, dozing lightly.
Chapter 45.1 – One Trick After Another (Please Vote and Add to Favorites)
Night had fallen, the forest silent except for the faint chirping of cicadas and insects.
Kushina was tied to a tree, her little face pale and drained of color, eyes wide with terror, tears shimmering in her eyes as she thought desperately—
Someone… Someone please save me!
But aside from the two vicious-looking ninja standing guard, there was no one else. Ever since Konoha's pursuers had been repelled earlier that day, no reinforcements had appeared. That silence filled her with despair.
It wouldn't be long before they crossed the border of the Land of Fire. If no one came before then, she really would be taken away.
She had heard terrible rumors—children kidnapped and taken to foreign lands never ended well. They were abused, used as eEXPerimental subjects.
The thought of such a future made her small body tremble uncontrollably.
"Shhh—"
A soft whisper drifted to her ear—gentle as moonlight in the darkness, warming her frightened heart. Somehow, it sounded… familiar.
"Who's there?" Kushina's heart leapt. Though excited, her mind stayed clear; she couldn't alert the two enemy ninja nearby.
"It's me."
From behind the massive tree, Leo appeared soundlessly, his eEXPression calm.
"Leo!" Delight lit up Kushina's pale face. He came all this way? Was it… to save me?
Warmth filled her chest for a moment—but as soon as she remembered their situation, her joy turned to worry.
You idiot… What are you doing here? These guys are too strong! You can't fight them!
"Go! Hurry and run!" she whispered, her voice faint as a mosquito's buzz. She couldn't bear to see Leo throw his life away for her.
"Cut the nonsense."
"If we leave, we leave together."
His voice left no room for argument.
Kushina fell silent.
Leo drew a kunai and sliced through the ropes binding her. Once freed, they moved quietly, step by careful step, trying to slip away.
"Going somewhere?"
A mocking male voice echoed through the night.
Leo froze. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed—the two Cloud ninja who had been resting were gone. It was a trap.
A short distance ahead, atop a tall tree branch, stood two dark-skinned shinobi from the Hidden Cloud. From their high perch, they looked down on the pair, eyes gleaming with amusement.
"What do we do now?" Kushina whispered, her heart pounding wildly.
"Stand behind me. I'll protect you."
Leo stepped forward, shielding her as his gaze locked on the Cloud ninja.
"I thought Konoha would at least send someone competent," the taller of the two sneered. "Turns out it's just a brat? Heh… so this is all?"
He was huge—muscular and broad-shouldered, wearing the Cloud Village's distinctive leather armor. His entire body was a mass of power.
The other ninja beside him was leaner but still sharp and wiry—stronger than any ordinary man.
The Cloud Village, warm and humid year-round, bred people with dark skin and robust bodies. With Taijutsu thriving there, most Cloud shinobi looked like walking powerhouses.
When it came to physical strength, the Cloud's average was easily among the highest of the Five Great Nations. They were Konoha's most dangerous rivals.
"To kidnap Konoha's Jinchūriki in broad daylight—you do realize that's an act of war, don't you?" Leo said coldly, eyes wary and alert.
"War? Heh—"
The tall Cloud ninja chuckled. "Kid, strength rules the ninja world. The strong command respect. Konoha's rotting from the inside if they send a child to face Cloud's elite. Where's White Fang? Too scared to come himself?"
"Captain Armani," the leaner one snickered, "maybe White Fang didn't want to die in vain."
"Hahaha! Good one!" Armani burst into laughter.
Leo's eEXPression didn't change. "If Konoha's White Fang were here, your heads would roll like chopped melons."
"Arrogant brat! Since White Fang isn't here, I'll start with you!"
Electric arcs danced across Armani's body, crackling wildly like a living storm. His hair stood on end.
This was Cloud's famed Nintaijutsu—the art that made their name across the world.
Nintaijutsu: the fusion of Taijutsu and chakra, enhancing physical performance to superhuman levels—speed, power, and reflexes beyond imagination.
Pure Taijutsu, at its core, relied only on the body. It lacked chakra.
When Might Duy or Guy opened the Eight Inner Gates, the green and red auras that flared around them weren't chakra flames but steam—the heat of their bodies pushed to their limits.
Only when all Eight Inner Gates were opened and the body's energy network was fully linked did true chakra circulation occur—like a martial artist breaking through all meridians to unleash inner power.
Nintaijutsu, by contrast, was a more balanced evolution of Taijutsu—no self-harm, just terrifying strength.
"He's… a jonin!"
Sensing the vast chakra radiating from Armani, the lightning almost tangible, Leo's eyes narrowed.
No doubt—this was the Cloud jonin who had crushed the "Boar Mask ninja" ninja earlier.
The lean one beside him was likely much weaker—perhaps an elite chūnin at best.
"What's wrong, boy? Lost in thought before me?"
Armani vanished in a flash of light. The speed was blinding.
So fast! Leo activated his Observation Haki—but even then, his body lagged behind his perception.
"Nintaijutsu: Thunderburst Fist!"
"Boom!"
A thunderous blow struck Leo squarely, sending him flying like a cannonball. His body slammed into a tree, leaving a deep, round crater in the trunk.
"Leo!" Kushina screamed.
"Tch. Annoying."
Armani casually flicked his arm, sending another shockwave that knocked Kushina away.
He appeared before Leo's crumpled body, lightning coiling around his arm, shaping into a spear.
"Not long ago, a fool in a boar mask crossed my path. I pierced his heart with this very spear. He crawled away, but he's dead by now." His grin twisted into a sneer. "Now it's your turn."
Leo glared back at him, defiant even in the face of death.
"Don't blame me, kid. The ninja world has never known peace. You kill me, I kill you—it's been that way for centuries. Who could ever change it?"
Armani thrust his arm forward.
"Squelch!"
The lightning spear stabbed through Leo's heart. His pupils dilated, blood spilling from his lips.
"It's over," Armani murmured. For a fleeting moment, even a killer like him felt… something close to guilt.
"Boss!"
A strangled cry rang out. Armani turned—and froze.
The lean ninja beside him stood rigid, eyes wide with pain. A lightning spear had impaled his chest.
"You killed my comrade," a voice came from behind him. "Now I've killed yours. That's reality."
Behind the dying ninja stood Leo—alive, unharmed—wearing a devilish smile.
"Impossible! I just—" Armani looked down at the body he'd skewered.
"Poof!"
The "corpse" dissolved into white smoke.
And not just that—Kushina's fallen body nearby puffed into a log as well.
Substitution Jutsu!
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