"No way…"
"This has to be a lie…"
"Monster… he's a monster…"
The white forest had erased a quarter of their manpower in an instant.
Even men like the future heads of Ino–Shika–Chō—veterans hardened by war—were shaken by the sheer violence of it.
Jagged bone spears stabbed the earth like fangs. Blood streamed down pale ribs into the soil. And the boy who made it all watched with the same quiet gaze one might use to observe falling rain.
For Konoha shinobi, the battle of the Valley of the End—where Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha permanently reshaped the Land of Fire—was a story parents told children.
And even with those legends… most still believed such power wasn't human.
If it existed, it belonged to someone like the Hokage.
But now, before their eyes, a Mist boy who looked not even fifteen had unleashed a strike that changed terrain.
How could they not fear?
How could they not panic?
Kushina bit her lip until it hurt, eyes blazing as she stared at Ren.
Too careless.
She had the Mind's Eye of the Kagura—wide-range chakra sensing. If she'd stayed sharp, the ambush wasn't even clever enough to work.
She should have raised her guard the moment she heard Kanayama fell overnight.
But she hadn't.
Was she dulled by too long in the village's relative peace?
That wouldn't do.
She was supposed to stand beside Minato and protect Konoha.
"Shikaku—tactics?" Kushina asked without looking back.
"We pin Ren down with Ino–Shika–Chō and you, Kushina-sama. Create a breakout, then have Shibi lead the chūnin and genin out."
Shikaku's eyes flicked over the forest's uneven shadows, calculating.
"Our analysis says Ren's taijutsu is beyond chūnin and genin. His defense can tank Minato-sama's Rasengan. Keeping the lower ranks here won't help—it'll force us to protect them. They must break out."
"Ino–Shika–Chō is strongest together. You're the main force against Ren. So Shibi leads the breakout—Aburame aren't easily countered by Shikotsumyaku."
"But after they break out, they must stay cautious and retreat fast. This isn't a one-man ambush. There are Kiri hunters waiting to pick off stragglers."
"And don't try to counterattack. If the Boil Release user is still holding the stronghold, Shibi gets hard countered."
"Understood?"
"Roger / Got it / Understood / Then let's go!"
The brief exchange ended.
Kushina surged forward—first among them—straight toward Ren.
Every bone spike she stepped on shattered under her chakra-loaded feet, launching her forward with explosive speed.
Ren didn't even have time to admire it—
Her fist was already in his face.
But before impact—
Ren vanished from her sight.
BOOM!
A massive bone spike snapped in half. Bone dust and smoke erupted.
Kushina didn't hesitate. Hands clapped together—
"Kongō Fūsa!"
Chakra chains burst from her back—solid, roaring—sweeping through the bone forest.
Ren was smashed out of a spike he'd slipped into, launched away like an arrow.
"Now! Chōza!"
"Been ready! Super—Human Boulder!"
Shikaku's shadow solidified, hurling the massive Chōza along a calculated arc.
At the apex, Chōza transformed into a roaring, spinning boulder—
Crashing down toward Ren.
"Bracken Dance: Rending Fang Spear!"
Ren formed seals. The moment his body touched bone, he fused into it—chakra flooding outward.
Nearby spikes converged into an enormous spear that stabbed straight into the sky—
Aimed at Chōza's falling body.
"Not happening… Secret Technique: Insect Tornado."
Shibi unleashed swarms of kikaichū—black storm-wind—devouring the bone spear.
Holes chewed open. Cracks spread.
Chōza's bulk slammed through and shattered the spear completely.
But Ren wasn't there.
"Inoichi—watch it! He may be going for you!" Kushina's voice snapped as she sensed shifts in the fogging chakra. "Everyone—full alert!"
"Water Release: Mist Technique!"
Thick fog blossomed around a bone spike, spreading fast.
Kushina didn't hesitate. She formed wind seals, chest expanding—
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A gale howled outward like a sudden hurricane.
The mist hadn't even finished spreading before it was ripped apart and scattered.
Some weaker Konoha ninja had to cling to comrades just to stay upright.
"Just like that! Kiri's monster is strong, but maybe—"
The praise died.
Because Kushina's chest exploded outward—
A thick bone spike, pierced through, drenched in blood.
She'd twisted at the last instant, barely avoiding her heart.
But her lung was hit.
Her jutsu broke.
And she couldn't cast wind again—at least not now.
"I know you're Uzumaki. I know you're the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki," Ren's voice came cold from behind the retreating mist. "This wound won't kill you."
"But until you recover…"
"Who stops me?"
"Water Release: Mist Technique — Silent Dark Execution."
Fog surged again—heavier, deeper, swallowing the bone forest.
And more than the pain, Kushina's mind seized on one thing:
He knew.
He knew she was the jinchūriki—
How?
She hadn't used the Nine-Tails' chakra.
That secret was known only to a handful at the top—Third Hokage included.
Not even the Sannin had been told.
So why would a Mist shinobi—
Unless—
A face surfaced in her mind.
Old. Shadowed. Sour with rot.
Danzō Shimura.
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