After the swirling water around them finally dispersed, Tsunami and Inari stood frozen in shock.
Both of them looked down at their hands, utterly bewildered that they were still alive.
"We—we're not dead? What… what's going on here?"
Tsunami glanced around at their surroundings. They seemed to be standing in the middle of a massive crater; all around them, the earth was scorched black.
Steam still rose from the charred soil, carrying with it a pungent, burnt smell.
But the fact that they were alive made them forget everything else.
Inari's mind replayed the words Tazuna had told him earlier.
"It was him. It must have been him. He's the one who saved us."
The moment the thought came, Inari immediately thought of Yoruha. Before, he hadn't believed Tazuna's words.
He didn't believe that Yoruha and the others could possibly defeat the ninja hired by Gatō.
After he and his mother were captured, that disbelief hardened further — he had even mocked Naruto's words that day, finding them laughable.
But now he was alive — saved by Yoruha.
Yoruha truly had the power to protect them.
They were about the same age as Naruto… so why was Yoruha so strong?
If his own father had been as powerful as Yoruha back then, would he still be alive today?
As countless thoughts spun in his head, Inari suddenly realized that Yoruha was nowhere to be seen.
He looked around but couldn't find any sign of him.
In the distance, Raiga Kurosuki was raging, thrashing about furiously.
"Mom, was it him who saved us?"
Inari turned toward his mother.
Tsunami nodded softly. "Who else could it have been?"
Elsewhere, Sakura scanned the area, her voice trembling. "Yoruha! Where are you?"
Her words cracked with tears.
She was terrified that Yoruha had been caught in the explosion.
Even knowing the risk, he had thrown himself in harm's way to save her.
No one could remain unmoved by such a thing — especially when the two of them had no blood ties, not even a close bond.
In her darkest moment, Yoruha had appeared — risking his life without hesitation.
But now there was no response, no sign of him at all.
Sakura's strength gave out; she sank to her knees, murmuring, "It's all my fault… you got hurt because of me…"
Before she could finish, her vision blurred — and then she heard a familiar voice.
"What are you crying for? I'm not dead yet."
Sakura froze, then looked up sharply.
A figure stood before her, the silhouette unmistakably Yoruha's.
"Y-Yoruha! You're alive!"
"You—you really didn't die!" Tsunami and Inari cried out, stunned.
They couldn't believe it — Yoruha had survived that terrifying explosion.
Relief and awe washed over them.
Sakura leapt up and threw herself toward him, but Yoruha steadied her with a hand on her shoulder.
"That's enough. Stay here and protect Aunt Tsunami and Inari."
"I've been training for a long time… and now I want to test the results of that training."
"That guy's a jōnin. I'm not confident I can beat him, but I'll try to hold out until Kakashi-sensei gets here."
There was a flicker of uncertainty in Yoruha's tone.
Sakura's excitement dimmed, but she quickly composed herself and nodded, standing protectively in front of Tsunami and Inari.
"Don't worry. I'll keep them safe," she said seriously.
Yoruha didn't comment further.
He knew Sakura was still too weak; asking her to protect them was mostly to keep her from getting in the way.
Otherwise, he'd have to split his focus — and against someone like Raiga Kurosuki, that could mean death.
But Tsunami and Inari now looked at Yoruha with unshakable faith.
He had shielded them from that massive explosion — how could they believe he would lose now?
Especially Inari, whose eyes shone with admiration.
"Brother Yoruha! You can do it! I'll protect Mom — I won't be a burden!"
"Good," Yoruha replied, nodding slightly.
Though he hadn't spent much time with Inari, such determination deserved acknowledgment.
Sakura gazed at Yoruha's back — it radiated an overwhelming sense of safety.
"Yoruha… be careful. I'll protect them. You just focus on the fight," she said earnestly.
He nodded.
Then, reaching into his pouch, he drew a kunai.
Crackle—
In an instant, golden lightning arced along the blade.
"Lightning?! That's so cool!" Inari's eyes widened in astonishment. "Brother Yoruha, that's amazing!"
Sakura knew better than anyone how powerful that technique was.
"To release lightning chakra without hand seals… Yoruha's already far stronger than us."
Among the five chakra natures, lightning was one of the most destructive — and one of the hardest to control.
Yet Yoruha could form it effortlessly.
His level was beyond comparison.
Tsunami watched in awe. "So this is what a ninja is like… he seems even stronger than that man Zabuza!"
She had seen ninjas fight before, but never like this. Those others had relied on blades — none had summoned lightning itself.
To a normal person, what Yoruha had just done was nothing short of divine.
Meanwhile, Raiga Kurosuki, still searching frantically, finally spotted Yoruha standing calmly at the bottom of the crater.
His eyes narrowed. "You brat… so you're still alive after all."
"I used so many explosive tags and you still didn't die. You're really starting to piss me off."
"But since you refuse to die quickly, I'll make sure you die slowly — I'll make you wish you were dead."
"My Thunderswords are hungry for blood… this time, you won't escape."
"Both of you," he barked at the two chūnin beside him, "use the Hidden Mist Technique. Cover this entire area."
The two glanced down at Yoruha, who stood there calm and composed — yet the pressure radiating from him was suffocating.
They felt it deep in their bones, a chilling aura that froze their very souls.
"He's just a genin… just a kid. How can his killing intent match Raiga-sama's? What kind of monster is he?"
"It feels like his power isn't any weaker than Raiga-sama's…" one whispered.
Their hands moved rapidly through hand signs.
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"
In an instant, a dense fog spread over the battlefield, blanketing everything within a hundred meters.
The air grew thick with murderous intent — and in that mist, death itself seemed to breathe.
---
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