Naruto: Flash Reborn — Minato’s Second Life

Kato Eirei turned her head slightly, disbelief etched across her face. The girl she had raised with her own hands was now holding a blade to her throat.

Why?

At that moment, she felt no other emotion—only confusion.

"Lennanee, have you lost your mind? Put the knife down right now!"

Kato Miyone also couldn't accept what she was seeing, her gaze locked on Oshima Reina. Seeing this, Sosuke Sasaki quickly darted sideways.

"Hehe, there's no need to look at me like that."

Oshima Reina's tone, however, was extremely cold, her pale yellow eyes filled with indifference.

"Why?" Kato Eirei's voice trembled; she had long regarded Oshima Reina as her own daughter.

Yet now, it was Reina pointing a sharp blade at her.

Furrowing her brows, Kato Miyone asked, "You're not after the so-called immortal body too, are you?"

"Haha." Upon hearing this, Oshima Reina let out a mocking laugh. "Who would want such a thing?"

"Then what exactly do you want?" Kato Eirei pressed.

Reina pulled her closer and whispered into Eirei's ear, "Don't you have something you should tell me about my parents' death?"

As her words fell, Kato Eirei's pupils sharply constricted. "Could it be… you already know about that incident? Who told you?"

Before Oshima Reina could reply, Eirei's gaze suddenly snapped toward Sosuke Sasaki beside them—"It was you!"

That event from over a decade ago was even unknown to Fuu Akimoto, the current leader of the Hidden Hot Spring Village.

But Sosuke Sasaki had always been one of the village elders—he knew everything about that incident.

"Now, do you still need to ask why I did this?" Oshima Reina's voice grew colder.

Kato Eirei hurriedly said, "Reina, please hear me out—this isn't how it looks…"

Before she could finish speaking, Oshima Reina cut her off. "Relax, I'll make sure you explain everything clearly to me. But first, you're coming with me outside."

Then Reina shifted her gaze toward Kato Miyone, who stood gripping her katana tightly with one hand, ready to strike at any second.

"Kato Miyone, you're no match for me in strength. And you really intend to fight me like this?"

The blade in Oshima Reina's hand hovered less than three inches from Kato Eirei's throat. At this distance, Miyone could do nothing—not just because Reina was stronger, but also because they'd known each other since childhood. They understood each other's techniques far too well.

With no choice, Kato Miyone lowered her stance, dashed to Sosuke Sasaki's side, and prepared to use him as leverage against Oshima Reina.

"That old man's useless now—off him here. He has no value left anyway."

But Oshima Reina simply smiled indifferently. As a spy, once Sosuke's identity had been exposed, he was already worthless. Besides, during the next steps she planned to take—carrying away Kato Eirei—bringing along someone so physically weak would only slow things down.

Miyone Kato finally realized this, but she was powerless to act at this moment.

"Come with me!" shouted Reina Oshima as she dragged Kato Eirei hostage toward the exit of the Shelter. Sosuke Sasaki had indeed been discarded like trash right there.

At this point, even the foolish civilians of the Hidden Hot Spring Village would have understood the situation. Immediately they surrounded Sosuke Sasaki, and some angrily wanted to follow them out to rescue Miyone Kato.

However, Miyone Kato raised a hand and halted all such attempts. They weren't ninja; going outside would only mean certain death.

Miyone Kato quickly followed closely behind.

...

Before Tachiyama Shinsaburo lay a field of corpses. Within just one minute, dozens of Evil Cultists had already been slain by Sakumo and more than a dozen Hot Spring Ninjas.

Half of them were instantly killed in single strikes from Sakumo.

At this rate, the cultists around Tachiyama Shinsaburo would be completely eliminated within another minute or so.

Yet this guy showed not the slightest panic on his face.

Just as Sakumo and the other Hot Spring Ninjas continued harvesting the lives of the enemy, Tachiyama Shinsaburo noticed two figures appear and immediately cracked a grin.

Seeing this, Sakumo slowly turned his head and ceased what he was doing.

Reina Oshima, holding Kato Eirei hostage, stepped out from the Shelter and slowly approached where Sakumo and the others stood.

When Sakumo turned, some of the other Hot Spring Ninjas followed his gaze — their attention completely caught.

"Wife..."

The Hot Spring Ninjas couldn't believe their eyes. And at that moment, their backs wide open to the enemy, they never saw it coming.

Right when a Hot Spring Ninja was about to be stabbed through the heart by a tanto wielded by an Evil Cultist from behind, a white flash cut across, and a severed arm dropped limply to the ground.

"Ahh!"

Along with it came the piercing scream from the Evil Cultist.

"Everyone, step back!"

Though Sakumo hadn't yet clearly grasped the current situation, he could feel it — something was deeply off about the Hidden Hot Spring Village.

Moreover, the traitor actually turned out to be Reina Oshima herself — the same person who days ago had come together with two other Hot Spring Ninjas to seek him out.

With Kato Eirei being held hostage, the minds of many Hot Spring Ninjas inevitably would wander. Therefore, Sakumo issued this order — forcing everyone to scatter outward and avoid becoming easy targets for the Evil Cultists.

As Reina Oshima approached here holding Kato Eirei hostage, Miyone Kato also arrived shortly after.

The Hot Spring Ninjas scattered outward in confusion and spoke among themselves in disbelief.

"Captain Oshima, what exactly are you doing?"

"Do you understand what you're doing?"

Reina Oshima possessed considerable strength. Normally, she served as squad captain of the Hidden Hot Spring forces, a rank even higher than that of a Konoha Anbu division commander.

Yet such an influential figure, deeply trusted by the village leader, had now taken Kato Eirei hostage.

Kato Eirei wasn't simply the mother of the Hidden Hot Spring Village's leader — she also was a high-ranking official within the Hidden Hot Spring Village and, furthermore, the daughter of its founding leader. Her status was extremely respected and exalted.

Tachiyama Shinsaburo wore a fierce grin, and Sakumo finally understood the reason for his strange behavior.

He hadn't come to attack the Shelter at all — he'd been planning to work with Oshima Reina from within.

Sakumo's gaze hardened as the sun glinted off the edge of his Chakra Blade.

"Sakumo Hatake, I know your skills," Oshima Reina laughed. "But if you dare lay a hand on me, she won't make it out alive."

Sakumo's pupils contracted. A fuse dangled from Oshima Reina's chest, its other end tied around Kato Eirei's waist. Hidden beneath Oshima Reina's wide robe were rows of Explosive Tags.

Even with his incredible speed, there was no way he could sever the fuse in time — it spanned less than twenty centimeters between them.

If he attacked Oshima Reina, even the smallest movement could yank the fuse — setting off the Explosive Tags wrapped tightly around Kato Eirei's waist.

She wouldn't survive!

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