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In the dim alleyway, a wall of ice, shimmering with a pale blue light, blocked the Kumo captain's grasping hand.
The captain stared at the ice wall in surprise.
"You're quite knowledgeable," Shin said with a smirk, his eyes fixed on the three Kumo Shinobi like a predator sizing up its prey.
"Hmph, I'll shatter this ice wall!"
The captain channeled Chakra into his fist and punched the ice wall.
His attack resembled Tsunade's monstrous strength, but it was weaker.
His fist struck the wall, causing barely a tremor.
"Weak!" Shin muttered.
He wasn't trying to be insulting; he genuinely thought the captain was weak.
Enraged, the captain called out to his comrades, and they unleashed a triple Lightning Release attack.
Electricity crackled as they channeled lightning through their hands, using the earth as a conduit to attack Shin.
But the lightning strikes were blocked by the ice wall.
"Lightning Release: Double Lariat!"
The captain focused lightning Chakra into his elbow and slammed it into the ice wall. Cracks spread across the surface.
It was a Nintaijutsu technique, a combination of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, similar to the Chidori, but using the elbow instead of the hand.
"Not bad. You managed to crack the wall. You're quite strong."
Shin looked at the captain with an appreciative smile.
"You're asking for it!"
The captain couldn't stand Shin's patronizing attitude.
"Ice Release: Ice Dragon Bullet Bomb!"
Shin's hands moved in a blur, forming hand seals with incredible speed. Six seals in two seconds.
An ice dragon emerged, roaring towards the captain. It slammed into him, sending him flying, then continued its trajectory towards another Kumo Shinobi.
The ice dragon opened its jaws and swallowed the Shinobi whole, freezing him solid.
The ice dragon shattered, and the frozen Shinobi within crumbled into a pile of ice shards.
"One left. Ice Release: Ice Spear!"
Several ice spears materialized before Shin, then shot towards the last Kumo Shinobi, piercing his heart and limbs.
"Is that one dead too?"
Kushina pointed at the captain, who had been sent flying by the ice dragon.
"Not yet, but he's as good as dead."
An ordinary Shinobi would have been killed by the impact, but this was a Kumo Jōnin, a master of Nintaijutsu.
His body was more durable, so he was still clinging to life. But he was barely alive.
His bones were broken, his internal organs ruptured. He was better off dead.
Nawaki stammered, finally snapping out of his shock. He stared at the scene in horror.
The Shinobi who had been swallowed and frozen by the ice dragon... it was too much for him.
He had seen blood before, but nothing this gruesome.
"As you can see, they were Kumo Shinobi. They attacked us, and we retaliated. Why are you so shocked, Nawaki? Don't you have any guts?"
Shin shook his head at Nawaki.
Nawaki was bewildered. Shin, Kushina, and Mikoto seemed unfazed. Was he really that weak-minded?
Kushina and Mikoto had witnessed far more gruesome scenes. They were somewhat desensitized to violence.
"Let's wait for the Anbu," Shin said, sitting down.
The commotion wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. The Anbu would have noticed.
Besides their main duties, the Anbu were always lurking in the shadows, protecting Konoha.
Unless it was in a remote training ground or the forest, any significant disturbance would attract their attention.
This was practically the center of the village. Attacking here was foolish.
Shin frowned. They had just returned to Konoha, and these Kumo Shinobi had attacked them. It was strange.
"Shin, what are you thinking?" Mikoto asked.
"I'm thinking their real target might not be us."
This wasn't a good place for an attack. It was too close to the Hokage Tower, and the security was tight. Attacking here would attract attention.
Or perhaps that was their goal. To distract Konoha's forces while their accomplices carried out their true objective.
If Shin's guess was correct, their real targets were Kai and Akiko.
He was right. That was their plan. Sacrifice three of their own to distract Konoha while the others captured their targets.
Shin and his team hadn't been part of the original plan. When they formulated their plan, Shin and his team weren't even in Konoha. They had intended to attack Nawaki to draw attention.
Nawaki was the grandson of Hashirama Senju. He was a potential threat, so they wanted to eliminate him. And even if they couldn't kill him, they could use him as a distraction while their accomplices captured Akiko and Kai.
The three Kumo Shinobi had been surprised to see Shin and Kushina.
They had done their research before infiltrating Konoha.
They knew Shin and Kushina weren't in the village. Their targets were Akiko and Kai.
But seeing Shin and Kushina, they decided to capture them as well.
Then... they became test subjects for Shin's new Ice Release Jutsu.
Nawaki had been lucky. If Shin and his team had returned a day later, he might be dead.
Of course, he didn't know how close he had come to death.
"Shin, you think their real goal was to kidnap Akiko and Kai?"
Kushina and Mikoto were surprised by Shin's theory.
"It's just a guess. I'm not sure."
But he was at least eighty percent sure.
"Should we go save them?" Nawaki asked.
"How? If Shin's right, it's too late. They must have already made their move. I hope Akiko's okay," Kushina said.
She didn't care about Kai, but she still hoped Akiko was safe.
Shin also hoped Akiko was fine. The Nine-Tails hadn't been transferred yet. If something happened to Akiko, he and Kushina would be in trouble.
Minato had left with them. Hopefully, he was strong enough to protect them.
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