CHAPTER 150: CHAPTER 150

"This is outrageous!"

The moment Kusagakure’s leader, Morimoto Shin, heard the young ninja relay Kitazawa’s words, his face twisted in fury.

Kusagakure might not rival Konoha in power, but it was still a hidden village with its own pride. For some nameless ninja to speak so arrogantly—this could only be Hiruzen’s doing. The Third Hokage must have sent him to provoke them.

It was nothing less than an insult to Kusagakure.

"Leader, we can’t possibly yield to such demands!" the young ninja barked.

"Of course not," Shin snapped back without hesitation.

Others might fear Konoha, but if he showed weakness as Kusagakure’s leader, his authority wouldn’t last the week.

He snatched up the letter and scanned it. After just one glance, his expression hardened.

"How were you guarding them?" he demanded, eyes narrowing at the middle-aged man across the room. "You couldn’t even keep watch over two unarmed women?"

"Konoha’s target... is Rina and Karin?"

The deep, rumbling voice belonged to a masked figure—Ushioni, a Kusagakure elder, his ox mask glinting under the lamplight.

"But how would they even know of their existence?" asked another elder—Uma, wearing a horse mask.

(In the original tale, he and Hōzuki Mui would later open the infamous Box of Ultimate Bliss.)

"This is impossible!" the middle-aged man protested quickly, shaking his head. "I’ve been guarding them without pause. They’ve never once left their quarters!"

"Set this aside for the moment," Ushioni cut in sharply. His eyes turned to Shin. "The Konoha shinobi is already at our gates. Leader, how do you intend to answer?"

Shin exhaled slowly, then spoke with resolve. "Karin and her mother will not be handed over."

Kusagakure was starving for medical support. And the Uzumaki—able to heal others with a single bite—was an asset far too valuable to surrender.

"Hide them," he ordered coldly. "So long as there’s no proof, Konoha won’t dare ignite a war."

In his mind, Konoha was overly cautious—weak, even. After all, hadn’t they sacrificed Hyūga Hizashi, brother of the Hyūga clan head, just to appease Kumogakure?

"That’s true," Ushioni agreed, his tone low. "And Konoha was the one who acted rudely first."

Kusagakure had survived all these years by playing both sides. The Five Great Villages distrusted one another too deeply to ever unite. If Konoha overreached, the others would inevitably interfere—especially Kumogakure. The Fourth Raikage’s temper was infamous, and he never missed a chance to seize advantage.

"Come with me," Shin said at last, clenching his fists. "I want to see if this Konoha brat truly has the courage to back up his words."

With a retinue of Kusagakure shinobi at his back, Shin strode toward the village gates.

"Kid, you’re finished now!" The middle-aged ninja jeered, emboldened by his leader’s presence.

"You’re the one who spoke so boldly?" Shin demanded coldly, his eyes fixed on Kitazawa.

"Who are you?" Kitazawa asked evenly. He already had a guess but had never met the man face-to-face.

"I am Morimoto Shin, leader of Kusagakure!" Morimoto declared. "Kneel and apologize, or you will never leave this village alive!"

"So... Kusagakure refuses to hand over the Uzumaki?" Kitazawa asked, voice calm.

"The Uzumaki Clan is long annihilated," Morimoto shot back. "Why would Kusagakure harbor any of them?"

"Then things are simple."

Kitazawa clasped his hands behind his back, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!

The air warped as the temperature surged, three blazing fire dragons roaring forth in an instant.

"You dare attack?!" Morimoto roared, both stunned and enraged.

"...What?" Shizune’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected Kitazawa to strike first—without even waiting for Lady Tsunade’s command.

But Ushioni and Uma reacted immediately.

Water Release: Water Wall!

Twin barriers of water surged up, colliding with the fire dragons. Steam hissed violently, shrouding the battlefield.

"Seize them!" Morimoto bellowed.

Kitazawa had already thrown the first strike—if Kusagakure didn’t retaliate, his own shinobi would question his strength.

Shizune rolled up her sleeve. Hidden Weapon: Senbon Launcher! Five poisoned needles shot out in a perfect line.

Earth Release: Earth Wall!

Shin slammed his hands together, raising a wall of stone to block.

But the next second—

Crash!

The wall shattered beneath a single fist. A pale, powerful arm broke through, followed by the figure of none other than Senju Tsunade.

"You—! You’re—!" Morimoto staggered back, recognition dawning too late.

A scream rang out. Without the wall’s protection, Shizune’s senbon struck true. Three Kusagakure shinobi collapsed instantly, poison racing through their veins.

Tsunade’s gaze shifted briefly to Kitazawa. "Well done," she said with a faint smile. In truth, he had drawn the heat away from her—but Tsunade would never let her people take the fall in her place.

She gave a sharp wave of her hand. Six masked ANBU materialized, squaring off against the Kusagakure shinobi.

Then, without hesitation, Tsunade flickered forward, appearing before Shin.

"What—?!" He panicked at her speed, fumbling through hand seals.

Earth Release: Stone Spikes!

Jagged spears of rock erupted upward, lunging toward her.

But Tsunade did not dodge. She clenched her fist, shattering the stone to rubble, and drove her punch straight into Morimoto’s chest.

Boom!

He flew back like a ragdoll, blood spraying into the air.

"Miromoto-sama!" cries of panic rippled through the Kusagakure ranks.

Tsunade stepped back quickly, her breath trembling. Though she hadn’t looked directly at the blood, the stench alone made her body seize with old fear.

"Die!" A Kusagakure shinobi, enraged, lunged at her with a blade.

But before the strike could land—

A spinning shuriken, wrapped in wind chakra, sliced clean through the attacker. A gale swept the battlefield, carrying away the blood’s scent.

"Tsunade-sama!" Kitazawa’s voice called from behind her.

She exhaled shakily and steadied herself.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Kitazawa’s jutsu roared forth, blasting the front line off their feet. When an earth wall rose in defense, he surged forward, Rasengan swirling in his palm.

Crash! The jutsu tore through stone, hurling its caster aside in a blast of chakra.

The Kusagakure shinobi rallied, unleashing a wave of ninjutsu and weapons toward him.

But Kitazawa flickered back, landing before Tsunade once more.

"Do you need me to step in?" Tsunade asked, uncertainty in her eyes.

"No need," Kitazawa said firmly. "Hold on. Once Kakashi and Itachi return, it’ll be over."

He clapped his hands together.

Nirvana Temple Jutsu!

Feathers drifted down from the sky, lulling many Kusagakure shinobi into sudden drowsiness. Some shook free, but others collapsed too late—only to be consumed by another wave of fire dragons.

The battlefield screamed with chaos.

"What terrifying Fire Release...!" A calm voice cut through the smoke.

Kitazawa turned. At last, Uchiha Itachi had arrived, with Kakashi at his side. Behind them stood two bewildered figures—Rina and Karin Uzumaki, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Kitazawa-senpai," Itachi said solemnly, "your mastery of Fire Release surpasses even most of the Uchiha clan."

For the first time, Itachi understood his brother’s rapid growth. Sasuke’s fire techniques hadn’t flourished by talent alone.

He had simply been taught by the right man.

"Since the objective is complete, this battle ends here."

Tsunade’s voice was calm, her eyes still shut. "Tell them all to stop fighting."

Their mission had never been to slaughter Kusagakure. The goal was to secure Karin and Rina Uzumaki—mother and daughter—not leave a field of corpses behind.

Tsunade wasn’t bloodthirsty. A little venting was enough. Besides, they were deep in enemy territory and outnumbered. Dragging the fight out would only mean needless casualties.

"I’ll handle it."

In a blur, Itachi vanished with the Body Flicker, reappearing before the Kusagakure shinobi.

Sharingan: Genjutsu.

A ripple of unseen force pulsed outward. In an instant, more than a dozen enemy ninja froze, their wills shackled. The battlefield fell silent.

"Anyone who values their life—stop fighting!"

Kitazawa raised one hand, a seal forming with casual precision. Three roaring fire dragons erupted skyward, casting their blazing glow across the stunned enemy. His words, under that fiery backdrop, carried an undeniable weight.

"Stand down!"

Ushi and Uma finally stepped forward, forced to take command with Shin incapacitated.

Tsunade’s gaze turned to the red-haired woman and child at her side. Her tone was cold, sharp as a kunai. "Kusagakure claims it has no Uzumaki clan members. Then... who are they?"

The question struck like a hammer. Silence followed. Ushi and Uma had no answer. The moment Karin and Rina were exposed, Shin’s lies unraveled.

For Kusagakure, this was more than just humiliation. Deceiving one of the Five Great Villages was provocation—serious, dangerous provocation. And after losing the battle on top of it? Continuing to fight would only invite disaster.

"This ends now."

Tsunade’s snort was laced with contempt. "If Kusagakure has a problem, let them bring it to Konoha."

She turned away, her tea-green haori sweeping with finality. The air still stank of blood—too much of it. If she lingered, her hemophobia would surface, and she would not risk losing composure here. Only Kitazawa and Shizune knew that weakness. To Kakashi, Itachi, and the others, she was still Tsunade—the unshakable sannin.

"Let’s move."

Kitazawa followed in her wake. Kakashi, Itachi, and the Anbu fell back, alert but unchallenged. Kusagakure’s shinobi had been cowed; not a single one dared raise a hand.

"We should have just handed them over earlier..." Uma muttered bitterly, glancing at the injured littering the ground. To lose so many for two ’living blood bags’ was senseless. And in the end, they hadn’t even kept them.

"Kusagakure gained nothing. Lost everything."

"It’s pointless," Ushi said grimly. "Konoha never intended to negotiate."

"Are we really going to let this go?" Uma pressed.

"We’ll wait for the leader to recover," Ushi replied. "Then we can alert the other Great Villages. If they don’t react... we drop it."

"Kusagakure is simply too weak." Uma’s expression hardened.

"That’s why we must use the Paradise Box." Ushi’s eyes narrowed. "In two days, we’ll seek out Mui."

The forbidden box rested in Hozuki Castle, under Mui’s control. His demands had been too steep before, but humiliation left Ushi and Uma desperate. Now, they would pay any price.

Once they left Kusagakure territory, the Konoha squad finally slowed.

"They’re not pursuing."

Itachi dropped down lightly in front of the group, ever vigilant until the last moment.

Tsunade gave a curt nod before turning to the red-haired pair.

"Please... don’t hurt Karin."

The older woman, trembling, stepped protectively in front of her daughter. "I’ll do anything you ask—just spare her."

Tsunade’s sharp eyes softened slightly. "We are Konoha shinobi."

Her gaze fell on the woman’s body—littered with bite marks. Normally, an Uzumaki’s vitality would heal such wounds swiftly. The fact they remained meant her chakra reserves had been drained to the brink. Rage stirred in Tsunade’s chest. If she hadn’t just humbled Kusagakure already, she might have marched back and reduced them to rubble.

"K-Konoha?" the woman whispered, disbelief clouding her expression. Once, the Uzumaki and Konoha had been bound by alliance. But years of captivity had buried trust beneath scars.

"I am Senju Tsunade."

Green chakra bloomed from her hand as she reached out.

The woman’s eyes widened. She knew that name. She knew that power. Healing warmth spread through her broken body, and tears finally broke free.

"Your body’s been depleted," Tsunade said gently. "Back in Konoha, with proper treatment, you’ll recover. And I swear—no one will harm you or your daughter again."

"Th-thank you... Lady Tsunade."

Her sobs carried the weight of years of suffering.

"What’s your name?" Tsunade asked softly.

"...Rina Uzumaki." She drew her daughter forward. "And this is my daughter, Karin."

"Lady Tsunade!" Karin’s voice was clear, strong.

Tsunade’s eyes lingered on her before asking, carefully, "Do you have anything left unfinished in Kusagakure?" She had wanted to ask about Karin’s father, but one look at Rina’s eyes told her the truth—those treated like livestock had no choice in the matter.

"No." Rina’s voice was firm. She glanced back only once, her tone filled with quiet hatred. "All I want is for my daughter and I never to return there."

"You won’t." Tsunade’s reply carried conviction. "We’re going home."

The journey back was slower with Karin and Rina in tow, but two days later—Friday morning—they reached Konoha.

[Mission Complete: Successfully escort Karin and Rina Uzumaki to Konoha.]

[Reward: Fire Suppression Seal obtained.]

Kitazawa blinked as the glowing text flashed before his eyes. Perfect timing. The moment they stepped into Konoha, the system delivered.

His thoughts drifted briefly to the Academy. He’d taken leave last Friday. This time, unlike the Danzo deception, he hadn’t needed a body double to cover his absence. Iruka would’ve handled his classes.

"You’ll all report to Hiruzen." Tsunade’s tone pulled him back. Then her eyes flicked to him. "You as well, Kitazawa."

"Understood." He nodded. This mission had been a major success—and he was the one who’d discovered Rina and Karin in the first place. Between Hiruzen and Tsunade, recognition and reward were all but guaranteed. The only question was... what form would it take?

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