Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Flirting Under the Moon?

Under the moonlight, a few figures strolled leisurely through the forest, seemingly unhurried. Uzumaki Kushina, her hands bound behind her with ropes, looked terrified as she was led forward. Glancing at the Cloud Shinobi in front of her, she seemed to be in a daze.

Her hands bound, Kushina secretly thanked her long hair for hiding her actions, as she repeatedly broke off strands, letting red hairs fall to the ground.

"Will anyone come to save an outsider like me?"

Kushina thought, feeling an odd sense of foreboding that snapped her back to reality.

“No! Something's wrong!”

Feigning exhaustion, Kushina’s eyes hid a glint of shock.

“This is the Land of Fire. How did three Cloud Shinobi infiltrate the Senju clan’s territory? The Intelligence Department, Police Force, the ANBU, and even the Senju elite didn’t notice. And these three Cloud Shinobi aren't even rushing!”

Realizing this, Kushina, though a bit groggy, felt a surge of panic.

"One of the Cloud Shinobi is even behind me, yet they haven’t noticed my broken hair. And I've only just realized this myself!"

Even low-ranking shinobi have sharp observation skills; for Cloud Shinobi spies to overlook something so obvious seemed impossible.

The dropped red hairs and strange occurrences, combined with her groggy mind, exhausted her.

Remembering Tsunade’s advice to always stay alert, she suddenly understood what was happening. This had to be a form of special interrogation drug—one that clouded her senses and lowered her guard.

Without Tsunade’s reminder, she might have fallen victim like these Cloud Shinobi.

“Keep moving!” one of the Cloud Shinobi snapped, tugging on her rope. Kushina winced but caught a clear look at the large pupils of her captors.

The Cloud Shinobi seemed entranced, as if in a genjutsu, leaving them less alert than usual.

In the dark forest, a small black insect appeared, landing on an extended finger in the shadows.

“My insects will continue to release hallucinogenic powder,” whispered an ANBU shinobi, while his comrades observed the Cloud Shinobi's movements.

“So far, the target hasn’t shown any signs of betrayal. Increase the dosage; the reinforcements are closing in.”

The village had ordered this, and the stage was almost set.

Suddenly, Namikaze Minato, moving quickly, spotted figures ahead and felt a surge of excitement.

In the dark forest, the three Cloud Shinobi proceeded in formation, unaware of the blond figure approaching behind them.

With a swift movement, Minato teleported behind the last Cloud Shinobi, hitting the back of his neck, snapping it with a loud crack.

“Alert!” The two remaining Cloud Shinobi turned, but Minato had already teleported again, landing behind them. A quick kick sent another Cloud Shinobi flying, leaving the last one to flee in terror.

Watching from the ground, exhausted but calm, Kushina observed the performance with an expressionless gaze.

Just as Minato continued his attack, dozens of blood-red Sharingan eyes appeared under the moonlight, causing his hair to stand on end.

Around them, Uchiha shinobi appeared in the trees, their Sharingan blazing as they spotted the Cloud Shinobi headbands and the bound Leaf kunoichi.

"Uchiha Yosuke!" At the forefront, Uchiha Yosuke grinned as he and his squad arrived, while ANBU operatives around them looked stunned.

“What’s going on?”

“Captain, we can’t stop them! There are dozens of Police Force shinobi behind us!”

“What the…?”

The ANBU operatives were dumbfounded. This was supposed to be a solo mission, so why had so many others shown up?

“Yosuke!” shouted Uchiha Fugaku, his face turning green with surprise as he took in the scene.

Under the moonlight, Uchiha Yosuke wore a white kimono with black pants, his chest partially exposed, showcasing defined muscles, and the Grass Sword strapped to his back. Standing atop the treetops, Yosuke’s Sharingan glinted as he gazed at the fallen Kushina below, a slight smile forming.

“Stop!” As Yosuke darted toward Kushina, an ANBU operative shouted in alarm, echoed by Fugaku, who desperately tried to halt his clan members.

But it was too late. Dozens of Sharingan-wielding Uchiha glared at the ANBU operative, trapping him in a genjutsu.

Not even one ANBU operative could stand against this many Sharingan eyes!

Yosuke leaped down, smiling as he approached the disheveled Kushina.

“I came to rescue you.”

A flash of cold light appeared as Yosuke sheathed his Grass Sword, having sliced through her ropes. Kushina was stunned—she hadn’t expected Uchiha Yosuke to be her rescuer.

Before she could speak, Yosuke had lifted her into a princess carry, leaping onto a treetop with her. As he moved through the air, the bright moon silhouetted them both.

A "Rescue in the Moonlight."

Down below, Minato, having just arrived on the branches, was stunned as he watched Kushina being saved. Relieved she was safe, he relaxed slightly. But in that moonlit night, with Yosuke’s handsome face and Kushina’s red hair glistening, she gasped.

“Why are you here?”

Smiling, Yosuke teasingly replied, “So, how’s my acting?”

Kushina glared at him fiercely. “You call this acting?”

Carrying her through the treetops, Yosuke chuckled. “A ‘rescue under the moon’ is such a romantic story. Few hearts could resist such a scene—it’s a fascinating stage, isn’t it?”

As Yosuke descended, the Uchiha Police Force encircled the remaining Cloud Shinobi, leaving the bewildered ANBU and Fugaku unsure what to do.

“What now?”

Fugaku looked around in disbelief as the Uchiha forces eyed the surrounding ANBU suspiciously, realizing something was amiss.