"That should be her."
Kiyohara lowered his voice, his gaze fixed on the red‑haired woman. Her crimson hair under the dim oil lamp glowed with a dark, blood‑like hue, the ends dry and split from long neglect. Yet even in such a bleak environment, that streak of red remained vivid and piercing, impossible to ignore.
Tsunade kept her eyes closed, partly to avoid the sight of blood and partly to sharpen her perception. After a brief moment she nodded, her golden ponytail swaying lightly with the motion. She shared the same thought as Kiyohara.
"Prepare to move."
Tsunade frowned. These Grass shinobi were for now only exploiting the healing abilities of the Uzumaki clan, but ambition grows step by step. It was said that Kusagakure once had a glorious past, divided into the Grass Fruit and the Grass Flower factions, inheriting the Sage of Six Paths' tools, much like the Six Paths shinobi tools within Kumogakure.
Yet that was legend and myth. The Land of Grass was now only a minor nation, and Kusagakure was not even counted among the Five Great Villages. Only the Castle Gozu Tenno, a prison, still held some significance.
"Rescue her first, avoid harming the wounded as much as possible," Tsunade instructed.
"Understood."
Kiyohara felt his clothing lightly grasped by Tsunade's hand, then released as she let go. There were more than ten Grass shinobi present. Closest was a jonin standing beside the red‑haired woman, hand resting lazily on his sword hilt, eyes scanning the area with indifference as he watched the patients passing by.
Among those patients were civilians and shinobi alike. Several chunin guarded the doorway, speaking in low voices with careless smiles.
Occasionally they glanced at the red‑haired woman, their eyes devoid of caution, filled only with the natural arrogance of ownership. They likely believed she had already resigned herself to fate, and even if she wished to escape, where could a lone Uzumaki without her clan flee to in the desolate borderlands of the Land of Grass?
"Red, you cast the genjutsu first, then Kiyohara will use long‑range ninjutsu to eliminate a few of them."
Tsunade whispered as she crouched with Kiyohara, Shizune, and Kurenai in a shadowed corner nearby. The crowd moved back and forth, but no one paid them any attention.
Once past the outer guards, the interior was far more relaxed. Two shinobi inside were even counting supplies in a corner, their backs turned to the doorway. The best strategy was to eliminate the jonin first, then the two at the entrance.
"Understood."
Kurenai immediately formed the Dog seal before her chest, one of the most discreet hand signs used in genjutsu.
"Demonic Illusion: Flower Mist."
Silent waves of genjutsu spread like a thin fog. It was not a powerful offensive illusion, but it dulled the senses of its targets for a second or two, slowing their reactions.
Now was the moment.
Kiyohara's dark pupils shifted, two tomoe forming. From the black gourd, iron sand gathered swiftly, condensing under his magnetic release into several spindle‑shaped projectiles.
With a sharp whistle, the iron sand bullets broke the sound barrier, streaking outward at supersonic speed.
The jonin beside the red‑haired woman jerked his head back violently. His skull burst like a watermelon, red and white matter splattering against the earthen wall behind him. His body remained standing, fingers still on the sword hilt, as if unaware of death. Only the momentum of the iron sand bullet pushed him slowly backward.
"Enem—"
The second Grass shinobi managed only a single syllable before the next bullet pierced his throat. His voice died instantly. He staggered back, clutching at the gaping wound, blood spraying between his fingers until he collapsed lifeless from blood loss.
The third bullet struck another shinobi, but by chance he had turned at that moment. The shot tore through his shoulder instead of a vital point. Screaming in agony, he cried out, "Enemy attack! We are under attack!"
The entire outpost erupted into chaos.
"Water Style: Water Dragon!"
A jonin reacted fastest, rushing from the largest earthen hut with completed hand seals. Chakra stirred the underground water veins, splitting the ground as a massive water dragon roared forth. Half a meter thick, filled with mud and stone, it opened its maw and surged toward Kiyohara's position.
Experienced, the jonin had not seen the enemy clearly, but judged their location from the direction of fallen comrades and the cries of pain.
Kiyohara formed seals, raising his left hand as lightning danced between his fingers.
"Lightning Style: Furious Thunder Arrow."
An arrow of electricity shot forth, racing past the water dragon almost simultaneously. Between water and lightning, the answer was obvious. The electric arrow struck the jonin's hand, shattering his gauntlet.
"Argh!"
The jonin convulsed violently. Without the armor his hands would have been ruined entirely. Even with protection, the shock left his fingers twitching uncontrollably, his hands paralyzed. The mighty water dragon collapsed midair, dispersing into a torrential downpour that soaked the ground into mud.
Kiyohara's foot slammed down, cracking the earth. His figure blurred through the falling water, blade drawn without anyone noticing. A flash of steel, and blood sprayed from a chunin's neck as his head rolled into the mud. Another tried to retreat and form seals, but Kiyohara's left fist struck first.
Steel Release.
Earth Style: Earth Spear.
His chakra‑coated punch slammed into the chunin's chest, piercing through his torso. His back burst open, spine protruding grotesquely as his body flew backward, smashing half a wall.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
Kurenai's voice rang from the side. She had circled behind the hut, hands locked in seals. Yin chakra spread silently. The two shinobi counting supplies froze.
In their minds the ground split, thick roots burst forth, coiling around their limbs, torsos, and necks. The suffocating pressure felt real, bones crushed in agony. Though their bodies stood motionless in reality, their minds believed they were being strangled. Kurenai hurled two shuriken, ending them swiftly. With each battle her skill and understanding of ninjutsu grew rapidly.
"Shinobi Art: Poison Mist!"
Shizune appeared from another side, exhaling purple poison. The mist spread, engulfing more Grass shinobi. Blood mixed with water, staining the mud a glaring red.
Together they quickly eliminated the guards around the red‑haired woman. These minor village shinobi were weaker than those of the great villages, their ninjutsu reserves far smaller.
Kiyohara sheathed his blade, flicking blood from its edge. His two‑tomoe Sharingan scanned the area, confirming no hidden enemies. Rain continued to fall, washing blood into the soil, the air heavy with the metallic stench of iron and water.
The wounded nearby finally realized what had happened. Screams of terror, frantic running, shoving, and stumbling filled the air. The crowd scattered like frightened beasts, no one sparing a glance for the red‑haired woman or the dead guards. Survival instinct overrode everything.
"Fire Release: Demon Lantern!"
A low growl came from the side.
Around Ryumei Taishi a grass jonin, dozens of ghostly lanterns condensed from flames suddenly appeared. Each one was the size of a fist, and within the fire twisted the distorted faces of hannya demons, writhing and grimacing as if alive.
TN: I can't find this guy.
"Go!"
The ghost face lanterns surged toward Kiyohara like a swarm of bees.
This was not an ordinary Fire Release technique. Yin Release chakra had been mixed into the flames, capable of disturbing the mind and inducing hallucinations.
Yet Kiyohara only glanced at them coldly.
The Sharingan feared illusion type interference the least.
The two tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly, instantly perceiving the chakra flow trajectory within every single ghost lantern.
Some were real, some were false. Only seven carried true killing power. The rest were mere phantoms.
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode."
A faint blue arc of electricity appeared over Kiyohara's body, his hair lifting slightly from static.
He did not attempt to dodge every lantern. Instead, he charged directly through the gaps between the seven real ones.
His speed exploded once more, leaving only an afterimage where he had stood.
Ryumei Taishi's pupils shrank sharply.
So fast.
He had never seen a shinobi this fast.
Could it be that Namikaze Minato?
The thought flashed through Ryumei Taishi's mind in that split second.
No, impossible.
He immediately rejected the guess.
Although he had never fought Namikaze Minato, he had heard that Minato possessed a head of golden hair.
Ryumei Taishi instinctively drew the katana at his waist.
This weapon had been custom forged at great expense in the Land of Iron, crafted from a special alloy. The blade was light yet resilient and had helped him block countless attacks in the past.
Kiyohara's shinobi blade slashed down head on.
Ryumei Taishi raised his sword horizontally to block. At the instant the two blades collided, he was horrified to see a layer of deep black metallic luster rapidly coat Kiyohara's blade.
Steel Release.
Crack.
The specially forged alloy katana snapped in two.
The broken tip spun through the air and embedded itself into a nearby earthen wall.
Ryumei Taishi stood frozen, gripping the half broken blade, disbelief written across his face.
How could this be?
Even if the opponent was using chakra metal, it should not have been this sharp.
This sword was…
His thoughts ended there.
Kiyohara's left hand clamped around his throat like an iron vise, Lightning nature chakra surging through his palm.
Amid crackling arcs of electricity, Ryumei Taishi convulsed violently. His skin rapidly blackened and carbonized before he collapsed limply to the ground, silent and lifeless.
Less than a minute had passed since the battle began, and the Kusagakure side had already lost one jonin, one elite of the Ryumei clan, and several chunin.
The remaining shinobi finally realized that they were not facing ordinary attackers.
"Run, go report this!"
Someone shouted, and the surviving Grass shinobi scattered in panic.
They were not fools. They knew they were no match for Kiyohara's group.
And when they glanced at the figure of the blonde woman standing with her eyes closed, they vaguely guessed Tsunade's identity.
At the thought of the legendary Sannin, they did not dare linger another second.
"Trying to escape?"
Kiyohara rose directly into the air.
The Sharingan's dynamic vision captured every fleeing figure. He grabbed a handful of shuriken from his shinobi pouch and infused them with magnetic force.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The sounds of slicing air rang out one after another.
The first fleeing chunin was struck in the back of the heart and fell forward onto the ground. The second tried to hide behind a tree, but the shuriken curved midair, arcing around the trunk to pierce the side of his neck.
In an instant, several Grass shinobi were cut down by Kiyohara.
Kurenai and Shizune were also in motion.
Kurenai used genjutsu to immobilize a Grass shinobi attempting to slip away from the side. Shizune immediately followed up with her chakra scalpel, precisely severing his carotid artery.
Another Grass shinobi tried to release a smoke bomb to cover his escape, only to be frozen in place by Kurenai's Tree Binding Death genjutsu before Kiyohara delivered the finishing blow.
Two minutes.
From the moment the first iron sand bullet was fired to the fall of the last fleeing enemy, only two minutes had passed.
The outpost fell silent.
Only lingering dust remained, along with the heavy metallic stench of blood thick in the air.
Most of the wounded huddled in corners, watching in terror, not daring to make a sound.
As for the injured shinobi among them, any who still had the strength to resist were casually eliminated by Kiyohara.
Tsunade still kept her eyes closed, but her hands had already formed the seals for a summoning technique.
White smoke burst outward.
"Lady Katsuyu," Tsunade said.
A slug half the height of a person appeared in the clearing. Her body bore blue and white stripes, covered in moist mucus, two antennae swaying gently as she emitted a soft chakra fluctuation.
"Lady Tsunade."
Katsuyu's voice was gentle.
"What would you like me to do?"
"Treat that red haired woman. She should be nearly out of chakra," Tsunade said.
"Understood."
Katsuyu crawled toward the entrance of the earthen house, approaching the red haired woman who was curled up on the ground.
The sudden turn of events had startled her deeply.
The woman slowly raised her head.
Only now did Kiyohara clearly see her face.
She was slightly older than him, likely around the same age as Kushina.
After all, their children belonged to roughly the same generation.
Kushina's son Naruto and Karin were about the same age.
At this point, Kiyohara was almost certain that this woman was Karin's mother.
Members of the Uzumaki clan were not cabbages growing everywhere.
The red haired woman stared blankly at everything before her.
At the corpses scattered across the ground, at Kiyohara walking toward her, at the blonde woman with closed eyes, at the slug crawling closer.
There was no fear in her expression, nor joy.
Only the numbness of someone pushed beyond her limits for too long, and deep within that numbness, a fragile, disbelieving hope.
"You…" she parted her lips, her voice hoarse and dry, clearly deprived of proper water for a long time.
"You are…"
"We are shinobi from Konoha."
Kiyohara took out a Konoha forehead protector from his pouch, the leaf symbol clearly engraved upon it.
Tsunade stepped forward, still keeping her eyes closed, slightly tilting her head in the woman's direction.
Even without opening her eyes, Tsunade could sense to a certain extent.
"I am Tsunade, of the Senju clan," she said gently.
She rarely mentioned the name Senju in public. The clan had dissolved many years ago and was part of the past.
Saying it now was meant to earn the red haired woman's trust.
Tsunade took out her water flask, unscrewed it, and handed it over.
"Drink some water first. You need to recover your strength."
After seeing the woman accept the flask, Tsunade continued her questions.
"What is your name?"
The red haired woman drank several mouthfuls in succession.
She froze when she heard the question, hesitated for a moment, then slowly replied,
"Uzumaki… Kyoko."
"The Uzumaki clan were allies of Konoha," Tsunade said.
All Konoha shinobi now wore uniforms bearing the Uzumaki spiral symbol on the back as a sign of friendship.
Moreover, Tsunade's grandmother Mito had once held a position of great authority within the Senju clan.
"But… the Uzumaki clan has already…"
The red haired woman trailed off, but Tsunade understood.
"I know," Tsunade said, a shadow of heaviness crossing her beautiful face.
"Konoha received news of the fall of Uzushiogakure. We arrived too late. I am sorry."
"But now Konoha is willing to take in the surviving members of the Uzumaki clan."
"If you are willing, you can come back with us."
Kyoko shook her head slightly, as if wanting to say something, but in the end she only pressed her lips together.
"Konoha still has members of your clan. You are not alone," Kiyohara added.
"Clan members…"
Kyoko murmured, and for the first time, her eyes showed a ripple of emotion.
She vaguely remembered that once, some clan members had gone to Konoha, and had even lived together with Lady Uzumaki Mito.
"She is called Kushina."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
Karin's pupils widened slightly.
Clearly, she had heard that name before.
Although the Uzumaki clan had been scattered, the names of its core members were mostly passed down within the clan.
As a direct descendant who had been sent to Konoha, Kushina was not an obscure figure among them.
"She… is she still alive?"
Kyoko had not paid attention to the affairs of the shinobi world for a very long time.
She only knew that the war was chaotic and that even Konoha was deeply entangled in it.
"She is alive and well," Tsunade nodded.
"She can be a bit loud, but she is full of spirit. If you come to Konoha, you will be able to see her. She will definitely be very happy."
Kyoko fell silent.
She looked at Tsunade, then at Kiyohara, and then at Kurenai and Shizune standing behind him.
Just as she was about to speak, the sound of footsteps came from outside.
Kiyohara's Sharingan instantly shifted toward the source of the sound, clearly seeing the newcomers.
Seven people.
The man in front appeared to be in his early twenties, with short brown hair, a red band tied around his forehead, and a pair of peculiar diamond shaped sunglasses resembling a sun motif covering his eyes.
His hands were tucked into his sleeves, his steps unhurried and composed.
Six people followed behind him.
Two were obviously guards, broad shouldered and sturdy, dressed in black shinobi attire with iron forehead guards. The symbols on them were not those of any hidden village, but rather the emblem of some private armed force.
The other four wore mismatched clothing and looked like hired shinobi, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
"En Oyashiro," Kiyohara said in a low voice.
He stared at En Oyashiro.
At first glance, Kiyohara had not recognized him.
Because he did not look like the description provided by the black market intelligence broker.
The one who truly recognized him was the ANBU version of Kiyohara.
That shadow like presence seemed to drift behind him, coldly observing En Oyashiro.
...
'I disguised myself, so how did someone recognize me?'
En Oyashiro felt a trace of surprise.
He had clearly changed his hairstyle, his clothing, even his sunglasses.
How had he still been identified?
It seemed someone had recently been investigating his intelligence.
En Oyashiro showed no particular emotional fluctuation.
There were countless people who wanted to kill him and countless who wanted to seek him out.
Originally, he had intended to erase all traces of himself, but after some thought, that would not be beneficial for selling weapons. So he had deliberately left behind certain clues.
This allowed him to filter out weak partners and troublesome enemies.
Anyone who could still find him under such circumstances was naturally a high quality client.
Even without the ANBU Kiyohara's information, he would have recognized this person, or rather, recognized that kind of presence. It was not the temperament of an ordinary shinobi or merchant, but a nearly inhuman indifference that viewed others as collectibles or experimental materials.
"Oh my, it seems my reputation has grown again recently, and today I appear to have arrived a little late."
En Oyashiro adjusted his sunglasses, his voice so gentle that it felt unsettling.
There was a faint undertone of mockery in it.
"I heard that Kusagakure had found an interesting specimen and came specially to take a look. I did not expect someone to have beaten me to it."
His gaze swept across the corpses covering the ground, paused briefly on Kiyohara, and finally settled on Kyoko Uzumaki.
At that moment, Kiyohara could see the eyes hidden behind those sun shaped lenses, and within them was excitement.
Like a collector discovering a rare treasure.
"Red hair, chakra brimming with vitality… indeed a surviving gem of the Uzumaki clan."
En Oyashiro licked his lips.
"Miss, would you be interested in changing your environment? I have many special friends like you. You would certainly get along very well."
"En Oyashiro."
Kiyohara stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Uzumaki Karin and Tsunade.
"A well known black market weapons dealer and collector of bloodline limits. Am I wrong?"
Behind the sunglasses, En Oyashiro's eyes seemed to narrow slightly.
"Oh? Do you have something to say?"
He sized Kiyohara up and down.
"Shinobi of Konoha? Not wearing a forehead protector, afraid of exposing your identity?"
"But those eyes… the Sharingan. What an enviable bloodline limit. It makes one want to possess it."
His tone was that of someone appraising a rare piece of art.
Kiyohara did not respond. He was already calculating how to deal with the situation.
En Oyashiro had brought six people. Judging by their chakra levels, at least four were jonin, and two seemed somewhat stronger than average jonin.
On their side, Tsunade's hemophobia prevented her from fighting directly. Kurenai and Shizune needed to protect Kyoko.
The primary combat force was only himself.
Kiyohara felt no particular anxiety.
The guards En Oyashiro brought this time were not especially strong.
Taking down the guards should not require much effort.
The key problem was En Oyashiro himself.
Kiyohara looked at him.
Many enemies had just died here. There was blood everywhere.
Against En Oyashiro, this could even be considered a terrain advantage.
"Kiyohara."
Tsunade's voice came from behind him.
"You all go first. I will hold them off."
"Sensei, your condition…"
"I may feel some discomfort, but that does not mean I cannot fight."
There was pride in Tsunade's tone, the pride of one of the Sannin.
"Dealing with a few minor fish, even with my eyes closed, is enough."
Kiyohara could almost imagine her raising an eyebrow as she said it. But he shook his head.
"No, Sensei. You take Miss Kyoko and leave first."
He shook his head again.
When Tsunade's hemophobia was triggered, even young Kabuto had managed to suppress her.
Her combat strength fluctuated too drastically in that state.
With her current condition, she would either be overwhelmingly powerful or disastrously ineffective.
"I will handle this place."
"Kiyohara, you…"
"Trust me," Kiyohara interrupted.
He turned around, his Sharingan facing Tsunade, even though he knew her eyes were closed.
"Do not forget that I can fly. I can run much faster than you."
Tsunade fell silent.
As a teacher, she should have ordered her student to obey.
But as a shinobi, she understood that sometimes trust was more important than orders.
"… Ten minutes."
Tsunade finally said.
"Ten minutes. If you do not arrive at the place where we camped before, I will come back to find you. Understood?"
"Understood."
En Oyashiro watched this scene with interest, making no attempt to stop them.
Only after Tsunade supported Kyoko Uzumaki and left through the back of the outpost with Kurenai and Shizune did he slowly begin to clap.
"Touching teacher student affection. But letting your teacher leave first while you remain alone to face the seven of us… should I call it bravery or foolishness?"
En Oyashiro patted his hands lightly.
He had recognized Tsunade and was wary of her.
But he did not understand why she had chosen to leave rather than fight them directly.
Perhaps the Uzumaki clan survivor was too important?
En Oyashiro did not care.
This time, he still had something worthwhile to gain.
Fighting Tsunade did not guarantee victory and might result in nothing.
But leaving Kiyohara behind gave them confidence.
Kiyohara possessed something that interested him greatly.
The Sharingan.
It was said that the more pain the Uchiha experienced, the stronger the Sharingan became.
En Oyashiro was extremely curious about this.
Were Kiyohara's eyes truly as the rumors claimed?
"Heh heh heh…"
En Oyashiro could not help but let out a laugh that sounded disturbingly obsessive.
Kiyohara frowned slightly.
This man was just like Orochimaru, both obsessed with bloodline limits and coveting them.
However, Kiyohara would never allow him to succeed.
He would end that obsession here.
(End of Chapter)