Chapter 26 — Instant Kill: Chūnin
Kushina recalled the white hawk. The sound of the window rod falling had only been meant to make her look up—the true genjutsu had been cast through the hawk's eyes.
"So that's when it happened…"
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. But if you don't behave, I wouldn't mind letting you taste a little suffering," Iruwa Yoshi said coldly.
"What exactly do you want? Why are you capturing me? You already destroyed the Land of Whirlpool—why are you still coming after me?!"
Kushina shouted angrily, her eyes filled with hatred. Kumogakure had played a major role in the destruction of Uzushiogakure.
Despair welled up in her heart. She had only just found companions who accepted her—and now someone had come to tear it all away again.
Like a parasite clinging to bone, it would never let her go.
She wanted to cry—but forced herself to endure it.
"You don't need to know. Just sleep peacefully. Once you arrive in Kumo, you'll understand," Iruwa Yoshi said as he formed hand seals.
An overwhelming wave of drowsiness surged over her. Kushina couldn't resist it. Her body went limp as she collapsed to the ground.
The empty street shifted instantly. The scenery changed—crowds bustled about as if nothing had happened. Only Kushina lay unconscious, lifted up by Iruwa Yoshi as he vanished with her. Two others followed closely behind.
Kushina struggled to keep herself from fully losing consciousness. Her will to survive burned fiercely—she believed her companions would come to save her.
But unlike in the original story, she did not tear out strands of her hair to leave a trail. The current Kushina cherished her hair deeply. She would rather die than damage it.
The three moved cautiously and smoothly exited Konoha. Not a single person stopped or questioned them.
Iruwa Yoshi was overjoyed.
"It seems Konoha has already decayed—blinded by a false peace."
Once outside the village, the three heightened their vigilance and sped toward the border of the Land of Fire. As long as they crossed into the Land of Hot Water, they would truly be safe.
What he didn't know was that everything was being displayed clearly within the crystal ball inside the Hokage's office.
...
Elsewhere.
Kinoshita Hikaru led the squad, sprinting across treetops under Daiju's guidance.
The forest was lush and vibrant, alive with birdsong and the rustling of small animals playing among the greenery.
"Meow~ The scent's getting stronger," Daiju sniffed, perched on Hikaru's shoulder as it directed him.
"Hiashi!"
"Byakugan… activate!"
Hyuga Hiashi opened his Byakugan. His vision extended up to two thousand meters, carefully scanning for enemies.
Moments later—
"Found them. Four chakra signatures. One is very weak—that should be Kushina. Of the other three, one has extremely strong chakra—likely a jōnin. The remaining two are chūnin."
One jōnin. Two chūnin.
It was undeniably a powerful lineup.
And on their side?
Nine children, driven purely by burning resolve. The disparity between the two sides was enormous.
Kinoshita Hikaru bared his teeth in a grin, flashing a chilling smile as he continued running.
"Everyone, the enemy has one jōnin and two chūnin. Are you afraid?"
They exchanged glances, falling silent.
Afraid?
To say they weren't would be a lie.
Chūnin were already the backbone of every great ninja village—let alone a jōnin.
What was a jōnin?
Someone who had mastered secret techniques and at least two nature transformations.
Someone who could break enemy formations on the battlefield and make foes tremble—someone capable of unleashing powerful ninjutsu that could shake the very air.
But what good was fear?
They had already come this far. They couldn't just slink back in defeat.
At this moment, aside from Kinoshita Hikaru and Namikaze Minato, everyone else was forcing themselves to stay strong, unwilling to fall behind.
The difference was—
Hikaru was eager for battle.
Minato, on the other hand, was driven by love.
At this point, Hikaru stopped asking for opinions and took command decisively.
"Execute Plan A. We'll startle the snake in the grass—then cut off one of its arms."
"Got it."
Hikaru drew in a deep breath, his abdomen swelling as he roared:
"Put her down—PUT DOWN KUSHINA!"
The sound carried for a thousand meters, piercing through the sky like a blade and drilling straight into the ears of the Kumo ninja.
…
"Captain, the enemy is catching up. What do we do?"
Iruwa Yoshi remained calm as he spoke, "This girl is extremely important to the village. We cannot fail."
"You two go on ahead. I'll hold them off."
"Irujie, you—"
"Enough. Everything is for the village. Remember to take care of my wife for me," Irujie said.
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of my sister-in-law. I won't let you down."
"Good. Now go."
Irujie stopped, taking out explosive tags and setting up simple traps.
…
"They've split up. One stayed behind to cover the rear. He's setting traps."
Hiashi reported quickly. Nothing had escaped the Byakugan's surveillance.
"As expected of Hiashi. Everyone, be careful. Follow the plan."
"Got it!"
...
After setting his traps, Irujie used an invisibility technique and concealed himself within a large tree.
At this moment, many thoughts ran through his mind. He reflected on his life, and in the end, smiled in relief.
From the moment he chose to stay behind, he had never expected to return alive.
Moments later—
His pupils shrank in disbelief.
"Children?"
Kinoshita Hikaru's eyes were filled with sorrow and helplessness. He staggered forward, crying out loudly,
"Kushina! Kushina, where are you?!"
His voice was filled with misery and despair—like a child who had lost his playmate.
Irujie observed carefully. His perception confirmed that Hikaru was not using a Transformation Technique.
His expression stiffened.
"He's really just a child… about the same age as that girl."
And yet, something felt off. What was it?
A moment later, inspiration struck.
Time.
That's right—time.
Based on the earlier shout, the enemy had been at least a thousand meters away. Yet now they had arrived so quickly.
This brat was definitely not an ordinary child.
Realizing this, Irujie's face changed drastically. Everything about this felt too strange.
He was just about to retreat—
...
"Noticed it, huh? Too bad it's too late."
Hikaru's gaze turned icy.
"Move."
With the assistance of the Byakugan, Irujie's every movement was completely exposed to them.
Namikaze Minato leapt into the air, his legs tightly together mid-jump.
"Gomu Gomu Push."
Kinoshita Hikaru stretched both arms backward, then thrust them forward, striking the soles of Minato's feet.
The tremendous force caused Minato's speed to skyrocket. While still airborne, chakra gathered in his right hand.
At the same time—
"Mind Body Switch Technique!" Yamanaka Inoichi activated his secret technique, seizing control of Irujie.
Irujie was shocked. His chakra surged violently, forcing Inoichi out.
Total control: one second.
One second might be brief—but on the battlefield, it was fatal.
"Demonic Illusion: Binding Technique x2!"
Uchiha Shigeru and Uchiha Mikoto activated their Sharingan simultaneously, casting the binding genjutsu and immobilizing him for another second.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
Nara Shikaku followed immediately, his shadow stretching out and locking onto Irujie.
Another second.
Three consecutive restraints.
Total control time: three seconds.
On the battlefield, being controlled by the enemy for three seconds was enough to report to the God of Death.
At that instant, Minato arrived.
A killing intent flashed through his eyes. There was no hesitation—anyone who dared harm his comrade was an enemy.
"Rasengan!"
His right hand slammed violently into Irujie's chest.
With a sharp crack, ribs shattered—
And Irujie was sent flying backward.