Chapter 41: The Rearguard
Yuu glanced at the young girl beside him. At first, he was puzzled, then it clicked.
Given their ages and the current era, Kurenai, Guy, and Asuma were all from the same graduating class.
Because the war kept escalating, Konoha was no longer sending only newly graduated ninja. Even academy students who had not officially graduated yet were being pushed onto the battlefield.
As far as Yuu knew, even the Third Hokage's own son, Asuma Sarutobi, a future member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, had been sent to the front lines at this very moment.
When even the Hokage's son could not escape that fate, there was no need to mention Kurenai and the others.
"What are you looking at?"
The girl's voice snapped him back.
Noticing Yuu's gaze, Kurenai frowned, clearly displeased.
"Ah, sorry."
Yuu smiled. "Miss Kurenai is simply too beautiful. I couldn't help looking a little longer."
"I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble."
He apologized with sincere regret.
Seeing him act like that, Kurenai was the one who felt embarrassed instead.
Normally, no girl dislikes being praised, especially when the praise comes from a child who looks so young.
In that instant, Kurenai could not help developing a bit of goodwill toward him.
"For this mission, I'll have to ask you two to look after me."
Since his teammates were not saying much, Yuu took the initiative, speaking sincerely. "I know some medical ninjutsu, but I'm really not good at fighting. I only hope I won't hold you back."
"Don't worry."
Hyuga Fu, standing to the side, turned his head and spoke coolly. "When we run into combat later, you just hide behind us and focus on healing."
"As for everything else, I'm enough on my own."
Pride sat plainly on his face. He was clearly confident in his strength.
Kurenai nodded as well, her gaze toward Yuu calm and gentle.
"Alright."
The jōnin leading them spoke flatly. "Enough small talk."
"Move out."
With that, the brief conversation ended.
Following the jōnin, the squad advanced at speed.
Their mission this time was to infiltrate an Iwagakure stronghold under cover of night, then clear out traps and arrangements the enemy had left behind.
At the beginning, everything went smoothly.
The overall quality of the squad was high. Aside from Yuu, even Kurenai, who was theoretically the weakest, had chūnin level strength and a decent grasp of genjutsu.
On top of that, they had a jōnin, an elite medical ninja, and a Hyuga Branch member with the Byakugan.
With a lineup like that, it was genuinely hard to imagine anything going wrong.
Unfortunately, when nothing goes wrong, something eventually does.
During the surprise assault, they fell into an enemy trap.
Shinobi were vigilant by nature.
While you planned how to kill the enemy, the enemy planned how to lure you into a snare and wipe you out.
The Iwa ninja had done exactly that.
They had deliberately set traps at specific locations, waiting for Konoha's people to charge straight in.
Some squads were lucky enough to avoid them. Others stepped into them.
Yuu's squad was one of the unlucky ones.
To improve their odds of escape, they split into two routes.
The jōnin leader drew most of the enemy's attention and broke out in another direction.
Fu's trio fled down a separate path.
During the breakout, Fu took a kunai through the chest.
The strike was frighteningly precise, stopping a hair's breadth from his heart, nearly killing him on the spot.
Even now, he was barely hanging on.
His breathing grew ragged. He was on the verge of losing consciousness, clinging to life by sheer will.
"Put me down."
Fu struggled and spoke with difficulty. "If you keep carrying me, you'll both die."
"Put me down. I'll cover your escape."
As a Hyuga, Fu's pride ran deep.
He could not accept becoming a burden, and he fought to stand.
But the injury was too severe. He did not even have the strength to force himself upright.
"Your condition is not good."
Yuu spoke softly. "It's better if you don't move."
As he spoke, he placed a hand over Fu's chest and brushed lightly.
Warm chakra flowed into Fu's body, temporarily stabilizing his wounds and dulling the pain.
"Thank you, Yuu."
Fu drew a shaky breath. "But in this situation, it's already impossible for all three of us to leave."
"Yuu, you and Kurenai are still young. There's no need for you to die here."
"Let me stay behind."
Among the three, Fu's value was the greatest.
If he acted as bait, it would be enough to draw Iwagakure's attention and buy time for his teammates to escape.
It was the best option available right now.
But Yuu only smiled, then applied a little pressure with his hand.
A thin wisp of chakra slipped into Fu's body, and Fu's eyes rolled back as he fainted on the spot.
After doing that, Yuu finally turned toward Kurenai.
"Kurenai, you two go first."
"Yuu?"
Kurenai's eyes widened. "What are you planning to do?"
"Whether it's you or Senior Fu, you're both excellent shinobi."
Yuu met her gaze, his voice gentle. "I'm different from you."
"I don't have outstanding talent as a shinobi. I'm just an ordinary person."
"Instead of surviving alone, I'd rather trade this life to buy you time."
As his words fell, he tossed Fu's unconscious body toward Kurenai and sprinted in the opposite direction.
"Yuu!"
Kurenai's eyes went wide. She wanted to shout, to stop him.
But she did not.
They were still being hunted, and enemy ninja could appear from anywhere.
If she made noise, they would be discovered immediately.
And if that happened, Yuu's resolve would be wasted.
She stood there for a heartbeat, staring at his back.
Then she made her choice and left, carrying Fu.
Even as she ran, tears threatened to spill. Her heart felt heavy in a way she could not explain.
Yuu continued forward.
Since he was acting as bait, he did not bother hiding at all. He moved ahead as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.
It only took a moment for him to be discovered.
Several Iwa ninja closed in from all directions, forming a tight circle around him.
"Is it just a kid?"
.....
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