Uzumaki Yuka was severely injured, but she had managed to restrain the Cloud Ninja squad leader.
Purple Cat, however, remained fixated on their Anbu mission. Her primary objective was to prevent their sealing jutsu from leaking.
Killing Uzumaki Yuka would certainly accomplish that goal.
But what good was completing the mission if it got them killed right after?
Sometimes, Yako really couldn't understand the thought processes of these Hidden Leaf ninjas.
Every day in the Anbu, aside from training, consisted of listening to various captains lecture them, deeply brainwashing them into believing that ninjas were merely tools for executing missions.
The mission was paramount. In the Anbu, that principle was enforced without compromise.
Chasing closely behind Purple Cat, Yako used her back to shield his hands, hiding the fact that he was forming hand seals.
Purple Cat's kunai stopped a mere ten centimeters from Uzumaki Yuka's throat.
Just like the Cloud Ninja captain, her body went totally rigid, her joints locked completely tight by a cursed seal.Purple Cat was horrified. Uzumaki Yuka had taken two sword wounds, yet she still possessed this kind of combat power?
Uzumaki Yuka was just as surprised, because she wasn't the one who had cast the Self-Cursing Binding Seal!
Shifting her gaze to Fox behind Purple Cat, something clicked in Uzumaki Yuka's mind.
No wonder Fox had taken such good care of her along the way. He was actually from the Senju Clan!
This kind of Uzumaki secret technique was never taught to outsiders, only to disciples or those implicitly trusted.
To think that Fox also possessed the Uzumaki clan's Sealing Jutsu. He was one of their own—what an unexpected surprise.
That was why, when she was in danger, Fox hadn't thought to kill her, but had instead prioritized restraining Purple Cat.
Yako charged toward the Cloud Ninja squad leader.
He thrust his kunai viciously at the man's heart.
The Cloud Ninja captain was incredibly strong. He managed to break free of the seal the heavily injured Uzumaki Yuka had placed on him just in time.
Raising his ninja sword, he slashed upward at Yako's wrist.
Facing an expert like the Cloud Ninja captain, whose strength started at the Elite Chunin level, Yako felt as though he would die in the very next second.
He had already used his resurrection for this month. If he died now, he'd be dead for good.
Feigning that his legs had gone soft, Yako deliberately collapsed his posture, coincidentally dodging the ninja sword's upward slash.
His kunai missed the Cloud Ninja captain's heart, sinking into his abdomen instead.
Having landed a successful hit, Yako dropped flat to the ground and scrambled rapidly away on his hands and knees.
He couldn't involve himself in whatever came next. He had already pushed himself to his absolute limit.
Yako's chakra reserves were merely average, and the sealing bindings on Purple Cat were dispelled.
With the Cloud Ninja captain looming right in front of her, Purple Cat was forced to deal with him first.
Terrified of being hit by another sealing jutsu, the captain quickly retreated, and Purple Cat gave chase.
Yako, meanwhile, crawled over to Uzumaki Yuka's side. He immediately set to work staunching her bleeding and administering medicine.
Following this basic first aid, Uzumaki Yuka's condition improved significantly.
Grabbing Fox's hand, she guided it down toward her own thigh with a trembling yet resolute grip.
Yako was bewildered. At a time like this, wasn't that a little inappropriate?
Slipping his hand under her skirt, his fingers brushed against her thigh a few times before feeling a scroll strapped to her leg.
"Throw it!" she gasped. "Throw it at the Cloud Ninja! This is what they're after! It's our secret weapon!"
Yako felt a surge of quiet joy. Saving this Uzumaki ninja had indeed been the right move. He even got an unexpected bonus out of it.
Gripping the scroll, he hurled it with all his might toward the Cloud Ninja squad leader.
It was only then that Yako noticed Purple Cat was dead. The Cloud Ninja squad leader had just cut her down.
The scroll unfurled in the wind, bursting with a brilliant golden light.
The heavy clanking of iron rings filled the air as dozens of chains tipped with spiked darts shot outward, spreading like a massive net.
Yako hastily threw himself flat against the ground.
Everyone standing nearby was either skewered or bound by the chains.
The Uzumaki clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains?
Had the Uzumaki clan actually managed to turn their strongest sealing technique, the Adamantine Sealing Chains, into a single-use ninja tool similar to an Explosive Tag?
The Adamantine Sealing Chains was originally an advanced sealing jutsu that only the most gifted members of the Uzumaki clan could learn, but now, ordinary clan members could use it too.
Yako scrambled to his feet and hurled a barrage of kunai.
The immobilized Cloud Ninja captain fell dead, riddled with the blades a short distance away.
Yako let out a long breath. The danger was finally over.
"Fox! Keep going!"
Captain Antelope's shout jolted Yako back to reality. It was only then he noticed that Captain Antelope had also been sealed by the chains, rendered completely immobile.
What a terrifying sealing jutsu.
Kunai flew through the air one after another, striking every remaining Cloud Ninja precisely in the throat.
The battle was over. All eight Cloud Ninja were dead. Two male Uzumaki ninjas were dead. And Purple Cat was dead.
Yako stood by Purple Cat's corpse, feeling a pang of regret.
Just as they were starting to find a rhythm working together, she had died right here.
Like Yako, Purple Cat was a commoner ninja, nothing more than cannon fodder.
Captain Antelope walked over, speaking with heavy regret. "How did Purple Cat die first? That was a bit unexpected."
Yako and Kakugyu snapped their heads up at the same time.
Excuse me?
Captain, what exactly do you mean by that?
Just what order of death did you have in mind? Who was supposed to die first?
Captain Antelope offered no explanation, walking toward Uzumaki Yuka instead.
"Captain Antelope, please have Fox carry me so we can return to Uzushiogakure as quickly as possible," Uzumaki Yuka pleaded from where she lay on the ground.
Seeing the tension in Captain Antelope's muscles, Yako could tell his squad leader was hesitating.
Wasn't Uzushiogakure an ally of the Hidden Leaf? What kind of mission had the captain actually been given?
Yako could understand the order to ensure Uzumaki ninjas didn't fall into the hands of the Cloud Ninja, but with the Cloud Ninja wiped out, why was he hesitating now?
Only the captain knew the true details of the mission. Squad members like Yako were merely there to carry out specific orders.
Captain Antelope had tucked the Adamantine Attacking Chains Scroll behind his back; he clearly had no intention of handing it to Uzumaki Yuka.
Eventually, Captain Antelope spoke up. "All right. We'll head to Uzushiogakure immediately."
Yako lifted Uzumaki Yuka onto his back and began walking in the direction of Uzushiogakure.
When they stopped to rest on the road, Yako set Uzumaki Yuka down and carefully inspected her wounds.
They were healing nicely.
He glanced down at her thigh; the hidden scroll was no longer there.
The last time he checked her thighs, he had been too distracted by their graceful, athletic curves to notice she had a scroll strapped to the other leg.
Watching Captain Antelope walk away, Uzumaki Yuka leaned against Yako and whispered, "I know you won't admit it, but since you've learned the Uzumaki clan's secret technique, the Self-Cursing Binding Seal, you must be from the Senju Clan.
"I'm going to treat you as one of our own.
"Please, help me. Help me get back to the village safely.
"There have been a lot of rumors circulating in our village lately. One of them claims that ever since the Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama, sacrificed himself, Konohagakure has no intention of honoring the alliance signed between the Senju Clan and Uzumaki Clan.
"The Hokage isn't from the Senju Clan anymore. It's Hiruzen Sarutobi from the Sarutobi Clan.
"The Hidden Leaf's attitude toward us keeps getting worse. Only our in-laws in the Senju Clan are still upholding the pact."
Yako offered a slight nod, feigning his agreement.
In truth, if the captain ordered him to kill Yuka, he would turn and strike her down without a second thought.
He couldn't beat Captain Antelope in a fight, so he would follow Captain Antelope's orders.
Yako was so astounded by the sight of Uzushiogakure that he stood rooted to the spot for a long time.
Uzushiogakure... was it really this powerful?