"Don't—don't come any closer, or we'll kill ourselves!"
When Yuzuru and Kenfu appeared, Michio spread his arms wide, shielding Kyoko behind him.
Ever since the Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed, he and Kyoko had drifted all over the shinobi world, so he knew all too well how tempting Kyoko's physique was to ninja.
Even the people who had once saved them would end up staring at Kyoko with eyes full of greed.
So when the Grass shinobi locked the two of them up, Michio had already steeled himself for a do-or-die struggle.
He would rather die than let Kyoko become some plaything these bastards raised for their own amusement.
Kyoko clutched tightly at the hem of Michio's clothes, her face streaked with tears.
Why did they have to suffer such a tragic fate when they hadn't done anything wrong?
Seeing the despair on their faces, Kenfu snuck a cautious glance at Yuzuru Uchiha, then showed a gentle smile.
"Michio, Kyoko, you've misunderstood."
"When I locked you up back then, it was only a stopgap measure. I was planning to deal with those greedy subordinates first and then let you out."
"You know very well how much trouble it would cause if word got out about Kyoko."
Hearing that, Michio asked suspiciously, "Really?"
"Of course." Kenfu nodded firmly. "But even if you don't believe me, it doesn't matter. This gentleman is going to take you away from Kusagakure anyway."
Only then did Michio and Kyoko really notice Yuzuru Uchiha standing beside Kenfu.
If he could make Kenfu, the leader of Kusagakure, address him as "gentleman," then this ninja had to be someone incredible.
Kenfu had sold them out!
Thinking of this, Michio snapped, "Kenfu, ever since Kyoko and I arrived in Kusagakure, we've done everything we could for the village. How could you do something like this?!"
Faced with Michio's accusation, Kenfu didn't know how to defend himself for a moment.
Yuzuru stepped forward and said calmly, "From now on, you'll be coming back to Kumogakure with me."
Michio asked coldly, "And who are you?"
"Yuzuru Uchiha."
At those words, Michio and Kyoko both froze where they stood. After a long moment, they muttered, "Uchiha… Yuzuru?!"
"Someone as strong as you… do you also want to turn Kyoko into a blood bag you can drain at will?"
Yuzuru pretended not to understand and frowned. "A blood bag? What do you mean?"
Michio and Kyoko were stunned again and turned in confusion to look at Kenfu.
Kenfu scratched his head, also looking puzzled.
Only then did it belatedly hit him: although Yuzuru had come specifically for Kyoko and Michio, he had never once mentioned his reason.
Maybe… Yuzuru Uchiha didn't actually know about Kyoko's special physique?
With that thought, Kenfu explained, "I've never told anyone outside about you two. I don't know why Lord Yuzuru came looking for you either."
With all three of them now staring at him, Yuzuru Uchiha spoke slowly.
"Before she died, Uzumaki Mito entrusted the Uzumaki clan's legacy to my wife, Kushina Uzumaki."
"While we were passing through the Land of Grass, we heard rumors about people with unusual hair color here, so we decided to come and take a look."
"If you're willing to come back to Kumogakure with me, Kushina will be overjoyed."
After listening to Yuzuru Uchiha, Michio, Kyoko, and Kenfu all finally understood.
So from start to finish, it had all just been them overthinking things.
He didn't know anything about Kyoko at all!
"By the way, it seems like you two have some pretty incredible secret as well, don't you?"
Hearing Yuzuru Uchiha's question, Michio grit his teeth and simply came out with it.
"Kyoko's physique is extremely special. Through her body, she can transfer her own life force to someone else."
"As long as they're not already dead, no matter how serious the injury, they'll recover in an instant."
Since their conversation just now had already aroused Yuzuru's suspicions, he might as well lay everything on the table.
He had already made up his mind—if Yuzuru showed even the slightest improper intention, he and Kyoko would take their own lives on the spot.
What he didn't expect was that after hearing him out, Yuzuru's expression turned cold.
"If that's the reason, then I strongly suggest you come with me. Under my protection, no one will dare covet Kyoko's body."
"If you keep wandering outside, what you fear will eventually become reality, simply because you're too weak."
At that, Kyoko couldn't help asking, "This may be very rude of me, but I still want to ask… are you really not tempted at all by my ability?"
Yuzuru chuckled a few times.
"In this shinobi world, there still isn't anyone who can push me to the brink of death."
Seeing how confident he was, Kyoko and Michio exchanged a look, then said solemnly, "Lord Yuzuru, we're willing to go to Kumogakure with you!"
Yuzuru nodded, turned, and headed outside.
When Kyoko and Michio followed him out, both of their jaws dropped open.
Corpses lay everywhere. Houses had collapsed in heaps. The few dozen Grass shinobi that remained all stood off to one side with their heads lowered, faces full of terror.
Kusagakure…
Had been destroyed?!
Seeing their expressions, Kenfu gave a bitter smile.
"Now do you believe I didn't sell you out?"
"Because of the two of you, Kusagakure almost got erased from the shinobi world."
Hearing Kenfu's complaint, Yuzuru snorted softly.
"A tiny village like this isn't even enough for me to bother with."
At his words, Kenfu immediately forced a fawning smile and nodded.
"Lord Yuzuru, I'm truly sorry we couldn't let you have your fill this time."
The corners of Yuzuru's mouth lifted slightly.
Who said ninja didn't know how to flatter people? This flattery was top-notch.
——
——
Konoha.
Minato Namikaze slowly woke up on the hospital bed, staring blankly up at the stark white ceiling.
He had spent several years traveling and training under Jiraiya-sensei, and he believed he'd gained strength enough. That was why he had taken the initiative to head to the battlefield and help the village stabilize the situation.
At first, things really did go just as he'd imagined. With the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, he practically had no equal.
Even the jōnin of other villages couldn't put up any resistance in front of him.
That feeling had reached its peak when he defeated the elite jōnin squad led by Fugaku.
Minato had even thought he could keep winning forever.
Until Yuzuru appeared…
The man who had once taken Kushina away from Konoha had once again left him utterly crushed.
If not for the fact that his heavy injuries had loosened the Nine-Tails' seal inside his body, allowing the Nine-Tails to use its chakra to heal his fatal wound in the first instant, he'd probably be a corpse by now.
And that final technique Yuzuru had used—Minato had actually envisioned something like it in his mind many times before, but he'd never managed to integrate it into a complete, systematic concept.
Only when he saw Yuzuru unleash it did he finally have a sudden moment of enlightenment.
Especially that name— Spiraling Flash Super Round Dance Howl – Kamui Two!
It matched his tastes perfectly.
Thinking about it carefully, it felt like in every respect, he'd been overshadowed by Yuzuru.
If he had to describe it, Minato felt as if he were living in Yuzuru's shadow.