In the blink of an eye, the Jōnin attacking her froze in place, allowing her to narrowly dodge the kunai aimed at her throat.
This was a genjutsu hastily cast by Yūhi Shinku.
However, to cast this genjutsu, Yūhi Shinku had to pay a price, he couldn't defend himself from the Sand Ninja attacking from behind. Though he barely avoided a fatal blow, his shoulder was still slashed by a kunai.
"Run!" Yūhi Shinku gritted his teeth through the pain in his shoulder and shouted at Yūhi Kurenai and the others.
Having just escaped a life-or-death situation, Yūhi Kurenai quickly regained her senses. She immediately understood what had happened, her face paling. Her momentary lapse had led to Yūhi Shinku's injury!
No.
It wasn't entirely like that.
The Sand Jōnin had initially used an Earth Clone technique, fooling Yūhi Shinku, and wasn't affected by the genjutsu. His real body had launched a surprise attack, and unfortunately, Kurenai's momentary distraction made it all the more effective.
otherwise, she would've suffered a minor injury, barely avoiding the attack. Now, however, Yūhi Shinku was the one wounded because of her mistake, and the situation was becoming critical.
"Such similar eyes, so you two are father and daughter, huh?"
"Now, neither of you will escape."
The Sand Jōnin who had injured Yūhi Shinku sneered, his voice dripping with malice.
If Yūhi Shinku hadn't been injured, killing either of them would've been difficult for the two Sand Ninjas. Yūhi Kurenai and her comrades were only liabilities, and their deaths or injuries wouldn't change much.
But now that Yūhi Shinku was wounded, his ability to perform hand seals would be slower, and there was hope that they could eliminate this strong Konoha Jōnin.
Killing a few low-level ninjas was meaningless. Eliminating a Konoha Jōnin would make the mission worthwhile, even if they didn't bring back any intelligence.
"Move!"
Yūhi Shinku gritted his teeth, clutching his wounded shoulder, and glared coldly at the two Sand Ninjas. He continued shouting at Kurenai and the others.
Kurenai bit her lip, feeling an overwhelming sense of concern. Yet, she knew that staying behind would only slow Yūhi Shinku down. She immediately signaled for her team to retreat.
But the Sand Ninjas had no intention of letting them go.
While killing Yūhi Shinku was their ultimate goal, attacking these small fries would force him to reveal even more vulnerabilities.
Whoosh!!
one of the Sand Jōnin charged at Yūhi Kurenai.
He had already deduced that Kurenai and Yūhi Shinku were closely related, likely father and daughter. Attacking her was the most effective tactic!
"Those who step onto the battlefield must always be ready to die, little girl!" the Sand Jōnin sneered maliciously. He relished the opportunity to instill fear, knowing that these lower-ranking ninjas were easily frightened and would soon show their weakness.
As expected.
Kurenai's gaze wavered as fear flashed in her eyes. After all, she was just a ten-year-old ninja.
Seeing this, her comrades rushed to her aid, throwing kunai and shuriken toward the Sand Jōnin. But strangely, the Sand Jōnin didn't even attempt to dodge.
Shh! Shh!!
The kunai and shuriken hit, and the Sand Jōnin froze, transforming into an Earth Clone and crumbling to the ground.
"...An Earth Clone?!" Kurenai froze in place, her body stiffening. A chill ran down her spine as she turned her head, realizing that the real Sand Jōnin had somehow appeared right behind her.
Yūhi Shinku, who was already injured, saw the situation unfolding but, due to his injury, was unable to offer any assistance.
At that moment...
Time seemed to slow down.
Kurenai could see the kunai in the Sand Jōnin's hand inching closer to her back, but she couldn't evade it. Her body lagged behind her racing thoughts, helplessly watching as the weapon approached.
Is this it? Is this how I die?
A voice suddenly rang out.
"Kurenai!!"
The voice of Yūhi Shinku was filled with desperation.
Everyone else in the vicinity also gritted their teeth, staring in shock, but what happened next left them stunned and speechless.
A flash of silver light, too fast for the eye to follow, streaked across the battlefield. Kurenai's figure disappeared without a sound.
The Sand Jōnin's pupils contracted sharply.
He turned frantically, only to see a figure standing atop a distant treetop, bathed in silver light. The Kurenai who had vanished was now being held in the arms of the silver-haired figure.
Kurenai stood there in a daze, staring at the figure before her, barely able to recognize that it was likely Kaede, her mind slow to process the situation.
"Am I dead?" she wondered aloud.
"Not yet."
Kaede gave her a gentle smile, adding, "But I won't let you die."
He had been passing through the area, sensing the battle and coming to investigate. He hadn't expected to stumble upon Kurenai in such a dangerous situation.
Logically, Kurenai shouldn't have been caught in a life-or-death scenario. If Kaede hadn't been there, Kurenai would have been dead by now.
Has my presence started altering the timeline? Kaede wondered, his mind racing as he gently set Kurenai down.
Turning to face the two Sand Ninjas, he watched as their expressions shifted from confidence to fear.
The moment they locked eyes with Kaede, both of them instinctively felt a tremendous sense of danger. It was as though they were staring death in the face.
"Leave."
Without hesitation, one of the Sand Jōnin made the call.
Kaede's speed in saving Kurenai had been so fast that it was barely perceptible. The chakra fluctuations emanating from him were terrifying, certainly not something they could handle.
"Can you escape?" Kaede whispered to himself. He formed a seal with his left hand and extended his right, a brilliant lightning arc flashing from his palm as the sound of Chidori echoed in the air.
With a burst of speed, he charged forward.
In an instant, silver light swept across the battlefield.
The two Sand Jōnin froze in place, their chests and hearts vanishing as though erased by an unseen force.
Both men's eyes widened with disbelief, struggling to look toward Kaede, trying to catch a glimpse of the figure bathed in silver light. But soon, everything went dark, and their consciousness faded away.
Thud! Thud!
The two bodies hit the ground.
Kaede landed nearby, his silver glow and Chidori's lightning fading as he turned around.
Everyone, including Kurenai and Inuzuka Kiba, stood in stunned silence, eyes wide in disbelief, staring at Kaede.
What... was that?!
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