In the forest, Kurenai Yuhi was moving slowly toward the west with the three children, every step cautious.
Thirty meters behind them, eight Ninja Wolves followed unhurriedly, like a group of silent guards, or perhaps a group of patient hunters.
"Teacher Kurenai..." Inuzuka Kiba's voice was extremely low, and tiny beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead. "They are still following us."
"I know." Kurenai Yuhi did not look back, her hand resting constantly on her Kunai. "Keep your pace. Do not run."
They couldn't outrun them.
She was a Special Jonin; if she really had to fight for her life, she could break out. But the three children couldn't.
She had glanced at the speed of those wolves just now—it was absurdly fast.
"What exactly do they want?" Shino's voice remained calm, but the motion of him pushing up his sunglasses was a bit faster than usual.
"If they wanted to attack, they could have done so when they surrounded us earlier. If they wanted to let us go, why are they still following?"
Kurenai Yuhi had no answer.
She was wondering the same thing.
Hinata had her Byakugan activated the entire time, staring intently at the wolves behind them.
Suddenly, she let out a soft "Huh."
"What is it?" Kurenai Yuhi asked immediately.
"The one leading them..." Hinata whispered, "It just looked back."
Kurenai Yuhi's heart tightened, and she looked in the direction Hinata was gazing.
Scar had indeed looked back.
But it wasn't looking at them.
It was looking deep into the forest.
—
Deep in the forest.
A silvery-white stream of light was speeding along.
Wherever it passed, the night wind was torn apart, and a faint, crackling sound lingered in the air.
The Ninja Wolves along the way lowered their heads one after another; it was an instinctive submission to their king.
Yang Jiu's speed was too fast.
The journey that would have originally taken twenty minutes took him less than two.
Up ahead, several figures were vaguely visible.
He slowed down, landing lightly on the crown of an ancient tree, using the dense branches and leaves to conceal his figure.
His golden pupils pierced through the darkness, falling upon that small team three hundred meters away.
A woman, three children.
The woman had black hair, red eyes, and wore a Konoha Jonin vest; she was currently tensed, her hand resting on her Kunai—Kurenai Yuhi, no doubt.
The three children—
One with short brown hair, red markings on his face, holding a shivering white dog in his arms—Inuzuka Kiba.
One wearing sunglasses, wrapped up tightly, with an unreadable expression—Shino.
And one more—
Yang Jiu's gaze fell upon the blue-haired girl.
She was shorter than the other two, wearing a pink training outfit with a slightly oversized vest over it.
At this moment, she was staring with her white eyes, nervously watching the pack of wolves behind them.
Hinata.
Small, timid, like a frightened rabbit.
The corners of Yang Jiu's mouth curled up slightly.
In the original story, this girl later became the Hokage's wife, gentle and resilient, capable of standing on her own.
But for now, she was just a newly graduated Genin.
—
Scar sensed something.
It raised its head and looked toward the ancient tree three hundred meters away.
In the sunlight, a silvery-white figure slowly emerged from the tree crown.
A four-meter-long body, silvery-white fur, blue electric arcs dancing around its body, and those eyes glowing with golden light in the darkness.
Scar lowered its head and bent its front limbs slightly—it was a posture of submission.
The other seven Ninja Wolves performed the same action in unison.
—
"Teacher Kurenai!" Hinata exclaimed, "They... they knelt down!"
Kurenai Yuhi turned her head sharply.
She saw the posture of those eight Ninja Wolves with their heads lowered, and she also saw—
Three hundred meters away.
On that ancient tree.
A giant silvery-white wolf was standing there quietly.
Sunlight spilled onto it, its silvery-white fur shimmering with a dreamlike luster, and blue electric arcs danced around it, illuminating the surrounding air.
It was too large.
Its four-meter-long body was several sizes larger than those Ninja Wolves.
It stood on the tree crown just like that, looking down at them from above, its golden pupils carrying a kind of indescribable... playfulness?
Kurenai Yuhi's pupils contracted violently.
That Chakra—
It was too strong.
Stronger than her.
Much stronger.
"What is that..." Inuzuka Kiba's voice was trembling, "Akamaru... Akamaru doesn't even dare to move..."
Shino did not speak.
But behind his sunglasses, his eyes showed gravity for the first time.
Hinata's Byakugan was fixed on that giant wolf, her small face pale.
She could see the Chakra inside its body—
It was no longer "Chakra."
It was lightning.
It was moonlight.
It was some kind of existence she couldn't comprehend.
—
Yang Jiu leaped down lightly from the tree crown.
His three-meter-long body landed without making a sound, only a few wisps of electric arcs exploding into tiny sparks on the ground.
He began to walk toward them.
His pace was calm, unhurried, like a king patrolling his own territory.
The eight Ninja Wolves automatically made way, lowering their heads as he passed.
Kurenai Yuhi's palms were full of sweat.
She wanted to run.
But she knew they couldn't escape.
She wanted to fight.
But she knew she couldn't win.
She could only stand in front of the three children, staring intently at the giant wolf getting closer and closer.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
Three meters.
Yang Jiu stopped.
He stood three meters in front of them, lowering his head to look at the woman who was clearly afraid but still blocking the children.
A hint of appreciation flashed in his golden pupils.
Then, he spoke.
"Konoha Ninja?"
His voice was low, deep, with a faint tremor of electricity.
Kurenai Yuhi's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
"Yes." Her voice was steadier than she had imagined.
"I am Kurenai Yuhi, a Special Jonin of Konoha! This is my team—we were just ordered to investigate the edge of the forest and had no intention of offending you."
"Investigate what?"
Kurenai Yuhi paused, then decided to tell the truth. Lying in front of such an existence was meaningless.
"A month ago, a Konoha patrol team went missing in this forest, and we were ordered to come find clues."
Yang Jiu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he spoke indifferently:
"No need to look."
Kurenai Yuhi was taken aback: "What?"
"That team—"
Yang Jiu's gaze fell on her face, his golden pupils devoid of any ripples.
"I killed them."
Kurenai Yuhi's brain exploded with a buzz.
"You... what did you say?"
"Four Ninja." Yang Jiu's tone was as calm as if he were talking about what he had for dinner, "One Elite Chunin, three Genin, died in this forest."
Kurenai Yuhi's hand tightened on her Kunai.
Her breathing became rapid, and rage and shock intertwined in her red pupils.
Those were Konoha Ninja.
They were her comrades.
"You—"
"They trespassed into my territory and attacked my kin." Yang Jiu interrupted her, his voice still flat, "Six of my kin died, and they—paid with their lives."
Kurenai Yuhi opened her mouth, but couldn't speak.
She knew the nature of the patrol team's mission and knew they would indeed venture deep into the border forest.
If what this wolf said was true...
But so what?
The ones who died were, after all, Konoha Ninja.
"Teacher Kurenai..."
Hinata's trembling voice came from behind.
Kurenai Yuhi did not look back, just stared fixedly at the silvery-white giant wolf in front of her.
Her brain was spinning rapidly—
Why would this wolf admit it so directly?
Was it not afraid of retaliation?
Or was it...
Did it never intend to let them leave from the very beginning?
Yang Jiu watched the changes in her expression, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
"Wondering what?"
"Wondering why I told you?"
Kurenai Yuhi's pupils contracted slightly.
Yang Jiu stepped forward, his four-meter-long silvery-white body slowly approaching.
"It's simple."
He lowered his head, his golden eyes level with hers.
"I told you because—you won't be walking out of this forest."
Kurenai Yuhi's heart sank to the bottom.
Her hand tightened on her Kunai.
No.
Someone must go back and inform the Village of everything that happened here.
A group of Ninja Wolves, and a special, powerful Ninja Wolves with extremely high intelligence that was extremely hostile toward Konoha Ninja!!
She took a deep breath, her Chakra surging wildly—
"Shino! I'll hold them off, you guys break through!!!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she performed hand seals!
Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind Death!