Three figures swiftly moved through the bushes. The scent of blood wafted from their bodies.
Suddenly, the last person stumbled, almost falling to the ground. He quickly knelt, supporting his body.
"Fugaku!"
The yellow-haired ninja in the lead immediately stopped and turned back, crouching beside Fugaku.
Fugaku's face was pale, and fresh red bloomed on the bandages wrapped around his waist. His breathing became rapid, veins bulged on the back of his hands, and the torment of pain caused large beads of cold sweat to cover his forehead.
"I'm fine, Minato." Fugaku gritted his teeth and shook his head at Minato, who was supporting his arm.
Minato's eyes were filled with deep worry as he looked at Fugaku's waist wound.
How could he be fine? He knew how deep that cut was.
If it weren't for his failed jutsu, Fugaku wouldn't have been so severely injured trying to save him.
Kazue, standing beside them with one hand on her hip, stared at Fugaku and said unceremoniously, "Stop pretending to be strong. Even if you don't die at the hands of Iwa ninjas, you'll die on the road from excessive blood loss."
Her tone was sharp, sounding somewhat unfeeling, but Fugaku and Minato understood her personality.
"You two stay here. I'll take care of the item." Kazue said without a doubt.
Minato gave a wry smile; he was extremely bad at dealing with overly assertive women.
Fugaku coldly refused, "No, this is a mission for the three of us. I can't leave it to you alone."
"Hey!"
"What time is it now?"
Kazue frowned and said forcefully, "Can you even move right now? To save time, I must go complete the mission first."
"Even if I can't move, I must." Fugaku borrowed some of Minato's strength and slowly stood up from the ground.
His gaze swept from Kazue to Minato, and he said calmly, "We have no choice now. Iwagakure's pursuers are right behind us. None of us can stop."
Kazue's eyes fell on the increasingly red bandages on Fugaku's waist. Her face was tense as she said, "If I go, at least you two can find a place to hide. In your condition, let alone fighting Iwa ninjas, you'll have fainted long before you reach the mission location."
"Stop dawdling, they're already closing in." Kazue closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them, her expression grave.
She turned sharply, no longer wasting words with Fugaku, and ran into the distance. Soon after, Fugaku and Minato caught up with her.
Seeing their figures, Kazue gritted her teeth. She didn't understand why a mission that could be completed with just her sacrifice had to cost three lives.
Minato's gaze swept over Fugaku's pale face. A deep sense of guilt flashed in his eyes.
If only he could perfectly control Flying Thunder God...
"Wait!"
Kazue's expression changed slightly.
Minato looked at her and asked, "What happened?"
Kazue was a sensory ninja. Her sudden change in expression meant there was a problem ahead.
Could it be Iwa ninjas?
How could they move so fast?
Or was this a trap set for them?
But Iwa ninjas had no reason to go to such lengths for just the three of them.
"There are two people ahead." Kazue's face was slightly pale.
"Are they Iwa ninjas?" A sharp glint flashed in Fugaku's dark eyes.
"No..."
Kazue frowned, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"They don't seem like Iwa ninjas. One of them doesn't even have Chakra."
Kazue's words made Minato's expression turn serious.
"Are they civilians?" Minato glanced behind him.
They wouldn't harm civilians, but it was hard to guarantee that Iwa ninjas wouldn't, especially civilians appearing here.
...
"There are people ahead, they're ninja." Nagato stopped, his Rinnegan staring straight ahead.
"I know." Haruki, beside him, nodded.
He hadn't expected to coincidentally encounter Minato and his two companions who were on a mission.
Crows flew in the vast sky. Their dark pupils locked onto the ninjas below.
"Should we avoid them?" Nagato asked.
"They are Konoha ninjas." Haruki said.
Nagato's pupils constricted. His Rinnegan seemed to pierce through space, falling upon the three Konoha ninjas heading towards them.
Nagato disliked Konoha ninjas, but Jiraiya was an exception. Jiraiya was different from other ninjas.
On the other side.
"Should we save them?" Kazue lowered her gaze, a trace of reluctance flashing in her eyes.
Minato pursed his lips.
"No." Fugaku's voice reached Kazue and Minato's ears.
Fugaku's expression was cold, his refusal without hesitation.
"We can barely protect ourselves, we can't save them."
Facing the gazes from Kazue and Minato, Fugaku's pale lips formed a straight line as he said calmly.
"And it's best not to let them get involved with us. That way, they might still have a chance to live. If they get involved with us, they're as good as dead."
Fugaku frowned tightly, one hand clutching the wound on his lower abdomen, his breathing rhythm changing.
"Fugaku!"
As soon as Minato spoke, Fugaku immediately stopped him. "Don't mind me. Keep going. The mission is the most important thing."
Minato gritted his teeth, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.
He must master Flying Thunder God!
He must protect his comrades!
In front of Minato and his two companions, two dark figures gradually became clear before their eyes. They were two young boys, their faces still bearing traces of youth.
In Konoha, they would likely be fresh graduates from the Academy, still full of youthful innocence.
Kazue and Minato's expressions immediately changed. Even in Fugaku's icy eyes, a hint of emotion appeared.
No one could bear to watch two innocent boys die in a ninja war.
Even ninja with blood-stained hands could not calmly accept two boys being cruelly murdered at such a young age.
Minato closed his eyes, then opened them again, accelerating towards the two boys.
"I'm going to save them!"