That was why, recently, he had been using his night watch shifts to guard the area around Uzumaki Kushina every day.
Today, his patience had finally paid off!
However, Uchiha Yuzuru didn't rush to rescue Kushina immediately. Instead, he followed the group in secret.
In the original story, this incident was full of suspicious points; many details simply didn't hold up to scrutiny.
As long as he pointed out these inconsistencies to Uzumaki Kushina afterward, Yuzuru believed she would lose all faith in the Konoha higher-ups!
The moon hung high in the night sky, emitting a faint, eerie glow.
Several figures moved rapidly through the dense forest.
Not long after chasing them out of the village, Uchiha Yuzuru spotted strands of red hair scattered on the ground.
He picked up a few strands and tucked them into his robe, then looked at the messy footprints on the ground with a cold sneer.
Even a Genin fresh out of the Academy knew how to conceal their true intentions to prevent tracking.
Yet these ninja, who had abducted the future Jinchuriki from Konoha Village, hadn't taken even the slightest measure to hide their tracks.
truly clumsy acting.
Uchiha Yuzuru didn't collect all the hair. Instead, he gathered the strands on the ground into a pile to make them even more conspicuous.
For the plan to be flawless, Namikaze Minato had to be able to track Kushina down just like in the original story.
He tailed them all the way. Soon, it was the latter half of the night, and they were dozens of miles away from Konoha.
Sensing the time was right, Uchiha Yuzuru stopped hiding his presence and sped forward.
Moments after he revealed himself, three masked ninja blocked his path.
"Halt. No passage ahead!"
The lead ninja stared coldly at Uchiha Yuzuru, a flicker of shock and suspicion in his eyes. "Uchiha Yuzuru, what are you doing here?"
Before Yuzuru could answer, the man spoke again in a frigid tone, "You left the village late at night. Do you have a secret order from Lord Hokage?"
Hearing this, the corners of Yuzuru's mouth curled up. He smiled. "What makes you think you discovered me?"
As his voice fell, his pitch-black eyes transformed into the crimson Mangekyo Sharingan.
The ANBU squad leader paused for a second, then his expression changed drastically. He shouted urgently, "Don't look into his eyes!"
Although he didn't know why Uchiha Yuzuru's eyes weren't the standard Tomoe Sharingan, it didn't stop him from making the most appropriate judgment.
"Useless. It's already too late."
Just as Yuzuru finished speaking, the squad leader watched as his two subordinates behind him drove their long swords into each other's chests.
"Damn it. Genjutsu?"
"When did he..."
Seeing his two subordinates die instantly, the ANBU leader immediately leaped back, simultaneously reaching into his robe to pull out a signal flare.
At the same time, Uchiha Yuzuru was already in front of him.
The ANBU ninja had to temporarily abandon his attempt to signal, swinging his sword to slash at Yuzuru.
But in the next second, his eyes went wide.
The Uchiha Yuzuru before him seemed like a phantom; the attack passed straight through his body.
The ANBU ninja was terrified. He swung his long sword frantically, hacking again and again at Yuzuru's approaching form.
But without exception, every strike hit nothing but air.
"Are you just button-mashing, little bro?"
Uchiha Yuzuru stepped right up to the ANBU ninja and raised a hand to clamp around his throat.
The ANBU ninja's eyes bulged in horror. "Solid?! How is that possible?!"
His attacks had passed through Uchiha Yuzuru's body as if it were an illusion just moments ago!
Uchiha Yuzuru didn't answer. He simply applied a slight pressure with his right hand. "Night has fallen. Disappear quietly."
With a crisp crack, the ANBU ninja's neck was snapped by Yuzuru.
"Too easy..."
Yuzuru nodded with satisfaction.
Without intelligence on his abilities, Kamui was simply too useful.
ANBU were elite ninja. A squad leader capable of leading a team would have at least the strength of a Special Jonin.
Yet even with such qualifications, in front of him, the man couldn't even manage to fire a signal flare for help.
"No wonder the stronger an Uchiha gets, the more fanatical they become. This terrifying power... Even I, knowing the plot, am starting to feel like I can do whatever I want."
Yuzuru calmed his emotions and diligently transferred the corpses of the three ANBU ninja into the Kamui dimension.
To gain a firm foothold in the shinobi world, he needed the Eternal Mangekyo at the very least.
Otherwise, no matter how strong "Double Kamui" was, there would come a day when his ocular power ran dry.
His main goal right now was still to develop the clan; he absolutely couldn't get careless.
After a brief thought, Uchiha Yuzuru's figure vanished once again.
Thud!
Uzumaki Kushina's legs gave out, and she fell to the ground.
The tall ninja behind her immediately kicked her. "Don't play dead. Get up."
"If it weren't for your special chakra giving you some value, I'd kill you right now!"
After speaking, he grabbed the rope binding Kushina's hands behind her back and hauled her up.
Kushina looked at the three tall ninja sticking close to her and silently dropped some of her broken hair onto the ground.
Please, someone has to find it!
Just as Kushina was praying in her heart, the three kidnappers suddenly stopped.
Looking up into the moonlight, she saw a long-haired youth standing straight on a tree branch ahead, his pitch-black eyes meeting hers.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Seeing that face with its faint smile, Kushina's eyes instantly turned red. "Yuzuru..."
Although they were the same age, the moment she saw Uchiha Yuzuru, an inexplicable sense of security filled her heart.
Her long-held tension and defensiveness suddenly collapsed.
"Kill the brat!"
The three ninja wearing Kumogakure forehead protectors immediately charged at Uchiha Yuzuru.
Yuzuru drew his long sword. His crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan took on an eerie hue in the night.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A fireball several meters in diameter crashed into a massive earthen wall. The three Kumo ninja hid behind the wall, silently waiting for the smoke to clear.
But just then, one of the Kumo ninja let out a terrified scream.
The other two looked over to see their companion clutching the back of his neck, eyes full of horror, blood spurting uncontrollably between his fingers.
"Did he use the collision of the Fire Release and Earth Release to mask the sound of a shuriken?"
"But even so, that angle... How on earth did he do it?!"
They were clearly hiding behind the Earth-Style Wall. How could a shuriken fly from behind them through a blind spot?
"End this quickly."
Having lost a companion upon first contact, the remaining two Kumo ninja felt a massive crisis looming.
They exchanged a glance and charged at Uchiha Yuzuru simultaneously.
"Useless."
Uchiha Yuzuru didn't dodge or evade. He rushed forward at breakneck speed.
These Kumo ninja weren't particularly strong. Even without using the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, Yuzuru could handle them with ease.
He was like a dancing butterfly, elegantly dodging again and again under the siege of the two Kumo ninja.
The dynamic vision provided by the Three-Tomoe Sharingan allowed him to see through their attacks effortlessly.
Every time Uchiha Yuzuru struck, he brought forth a mist of blood.
He had no intention of leaving anyone alive. If this matter really was Sarutobi Hiruzen's scheme, he certainly wouldn't be able to get any useful information out of these three Kumo ninja anyway.
And if it wasn't Hiruzen's arrangement, then these three ninja definitely couldn't be spared.
Because he intended to use this incident to make Kushina lose all faith in the Konoha higher-ups.
Moments later.
Uchiha Yuzuru flicked the beads of blood from his blade, sheathed it, and walked over to Uzumaki Kushina.
"Kushina, are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. Thank you for saving me, Yuzuru."
Taking a deep breath, Uzumaki Kushina exclaimed with heartfelt emotion, "Yuzuru, you're so amazing. You defeated the enemies so easily."
The battle just now had been incredible. Those three Kumo ninja, who had made her feel utter despair, were so fragile in front of Uchiha Yuzuru.
They were classmates from the same year.
Yuzuru... just when had he become so strong?
"I told you, I would become very strong."
Uchiha Yuzuru spoke calmly. "If trash like this could hinder me, then I wouldn't amount to much."
"And I will absolutely not stop here!"
Sensing the confidence in Yuzuru's tone, Uzumaki Kushina stood dazed for a moment.
Her mind unconsciously replayed the words Uchiha Yuzuru had once said to her...
Strange, why does my heart feel like it's beating faster?
While Kushina was in a daze, Yuzuru untied the ropes on her body. "Can you walk?"
But after just two steps, Kushina stumbled.
If Yuzuru hadn't caught her arm in time, she probably would have fallen hard to the ground.
Seeing Yuzuru's gaze, Kushina blushed and lowered her head to explain, "I'm just a little drained, that's all."
Hearing this, Yuzuru sighed helplessly. "My, my~ What a stubborn girl."
"But in this state, you won't be able to make it back to Konoha before dawn."
With that, he scooped Uzumaki Kushina up in a princess carry.
"Eep! Yuzuru, you..."
"Hush!"
Seeing Kushina fall silent, Yuzuru continued, "Be quiet. I'm taking you back."
Kushina bit her lip, eventually resting her head silently against Yuzuru's chest.
Just then, a boy with spiky blond hair flashed into view.
Looking at Uzumaki Kushina in Uchiha Yuzuru's arms, Namikaze Minato paused. "Am I too late?"