Naruto :I will survive

Those few bright red hairs lying serenely on the ground seemed like a ray of light in the pitch darkness, which incredibly attracted his attention. Seeing them, Kano softened his angry gaze and quickly lifted the hair. After examining it, he confirmed that it belonged to Kushina, and the bloodlust in his eyes became even sharper.

Without a moment's hesitation, he put his hair back, fortunately he had the habit of always carrying a ninja bag with him. Taking out a kunai from it, he stuck it into the ground next to his hair, and then rushed off to chase after the enemy ninjas who had kidnapped Kushina.

He wasn't so arrogant as to think that he could save Kushina alone. His luck would be if he could delay the enemy. So the hair had to be left behind to guide the pursuing Konoha-nin. He could leave them a kunai to make the mark more visible, but he couldn't leave marks all along the way, as that would slow him down.

Who exactly is Kushina...?

After spending over a year with her, Kano could not understand why enemy ninja would risk infiltrating Konoha to kidnap a girl who had just graduated from the Academy. It should be taken into account that the war had only just died down, and any spark could reignite it.

He could only be sure of one thing: Kushina had something that made the enemy take such a desperate step.

It took a long time to find the hair, but luckily Kushina had bright red hair instead of black, which was easy to spot even after dark. However, even after hours of pursuit, Kano still hadn't seen anyone. If this continued, once the enemy crossed the border, all would be lost.

Meanwhile, the Kumogakure ninja who had kidnapped Kushina had been moving at full speed from the start. However, Kushina did not have the same stamina, and as she approached the border, she was completely exhausted.

"Useless." The ninja who was dragging Kushina said coldly, and looking at the tall man in front of him, asked, "Mr. Kyuko, we're getting close. The Konoha ninja won't catch up anyway. Should we slow down?"

The ninja named Kyuko had rough features, dark skin, and a sinister cross-shaped scar on his right eye. His expression was as cold as ice, giving him a stern look. After listening to his subordinate's question, he thought for a moment and, deciding that the opponents really would be unlikely to reach this place, and his three subordinates were clearly tired after a long journey at full speed, he agreed to the proposal.

He glanced at Kushina, who was walking with her head down and seemed about to fall, and said coldly, "Let's slow down. The border is already close, but don't let your guard down."

"Yes!" The three ninja sighed with relief. The fast pace had really worn them out, not to mention Kushina, whose stamina was much lower. If it weren't for the Uzumaki clan's peculiarities, anyone else in her place would have died from such a pace long ago. However, when they made this decision, they had no idea that a lone wolf was following their trail...

Half an hour later, the Kumogakure ninja were walking as if they were taking a stroll, as if they had already seen the end of such a difficult mission. Their vigilance had significantly weakened, and only Kyuko's eyes were still wary.

Unlike the relaxed Kumogakure ninja, Kushina, whose consciousness was already beginning to cloud over, was in complete despair.

"Someone... save me." In her blurred vision, only a dark road flickered, and suddenly a blurry figure appeared among the shadows.

Black hair, black eyes, merging with the darkness of the night, clear, but at the same time blurred. This figure trembling in the darkness, this face that appeared and disappeared, seemed so close, and still so impassive.

"Kano…" A spark of hope suddenly flared up in Kushina's dim eyes, and her weak voice trembled.

"Kano?" The Kumogakure ninja who was leading Kushina turned around after hearing her indistinct whisper.

"Stop!" - at that moment, Kyuko, who was walking in front, stopped abruptly, put his hand on the hilt of his sword and quickly turned around.

Seeing Kyuko's violent reaction, the other three immediately realized that someone was following them. Their hearts skipped a beat, and they looked warily into the night. They saw someone's figure, in a few leaps, descend from the trees to the ground not far from them.

"Alone? And a boy at that?" Seeing that their pursuer was just a kid from Konoha, the three ninja relaxed a little. They thought that a whole squad was chasing them.

"I got it." Kano, out of breath, looked at the familiar figure in front of him and shouted loudly, "Kushina, are you okay?"

In contrast to his previous indifference, anxiety and concern were clearly heard in his voice.

Hearing a familiar voice, Kushina, deciding that she was imagining things, slowly turned her head and saw Kano.

"Kano, it's really you!" It seemed like her comrade's mere appearance meant salvation. Her eyes widened, and a smile flashed across her dirty face.

"Do you think you're saved?" a merciless voice sounded nearby, destroying all her illusions.

Kyuuko, passing by Kushina, looked at Kano with murderous intent in his eyes and said coldly, "Your expression is fitting. Since you dared to pursue us alone, that means you're prepared to die, right?"

With that, he pulled out a short sword and his gaze turned icy, telling his comrades, "You take the target and quickly cross the border. I'll deal with this boy myself. Most likely, reinforcements will arrive soon."

"Yes!" - Although they didn't understand why Kyuko decided to stay behind to fight the child, they still obeyed the order and, grabbing Kushina, quickened their pace.

"Damn!" Kano's expression darkened as he looked at the short sword in the man's hand. His goal was only to delay the enemy, and if they decided to leave someone behind as cover, he could deal with them and move on. However, when he thought about it, he thought that since he was just a child, they would definitely not leave the strongest one as cover. But the enemy commander was left behind as cover!

That short sword, glittering in the moonlight and shining through the trees, seemed like a death scythe to Kano.

All of the Konoha ninja who died were undoubtedly killed by this man. They all died from a single blow to the throat, quickly and cleanly. However, there were many other small wounds on the bodies of the Konoha ninja, so it could be assumed that this man's sword was not so fast that the victims did not have time to react, otherwise he would not have ambushed them.

"There is no chance of winning… no, it is very, very small." Kano's face was still gloomy. Even without taking into account the possibility of his own capture, even surviving against this man would be incredibly difficult. In this situation, there was no way he could stop Kushina from being kidnapped.

Silently taking out a kunai and clutching it tightly in his hand, he gritted his teeth, preparing for battle. He forced himself not to look at the retreating Kushina, but to focus on the man, who was already emitting a chilling wave of murderous aura. This palpable, almost physical thirst for blood made the surrounding air thick and viscous.

Kyuko seemed to have complete confidence in himself. He did not rush to attack, but watched Kano, whose breathing had already evened out. Approval flashed in his eyes. The ability to catch up with him so quickly and still catch his breath proved that this boy was not so simple. As for age, it was never an indicator of strength.

"It's a pity that this potential genius of Konoha is still too young. Such a reckless pursuit will cost him dearly!"

Just as he was about to attack, Kyuko suddenly stopped. And a figure as fast as lightning landed next to Kano. Kano's attention was focused on Kyuko, so he only noticed the approaching figure at the last moment, when it was already close.

Kano's heart began to pound wildly. He was about to attack the stranger, but a voice suddenly rang out and stopped him.

"Where is Kushina?" Minato looked at Kyuuko, who was emitting a murderous aura, and his face instantly became as serious as Kano's. At first glance, he knew that this man was very, very strong!

"Another boy," Kyuko frowned. He had expected the Konoha ninja pursuing him to be at least Jonin level, but certainly not two boys.

Kano was overjoyed when he saw Minato. He pointed in the direction where the girl was taken and said firmly, "Kushina is being held by three ninja from Kumogakure. Hurry up and pursue them! I will detain this man."

"But…" Minato hesitated. He didn't believe that Kano could handle this man, and he thought that he would most likely die.

"This is no time to get sentimental! Just a little more and Kushina will be taken out of the country. Then it will all be over!" Kano could not stand it, seeing the indecision of his former classmate.

Hearing this, Minato glanced at Kano, and determination appeared on his face. He couldn't let down the man who was risking his life, and he had to save Kushina at all costs!

Having made his decision, Minato, like an arrow shot from a bow, ignored Kyuuko and rushed in the direction where Kushina was taken.

"How dare you ignore me!" Kyuko's face twisted in rage. Surprised by Minato's speed, he instantly moved and appeared at his side, raising his blade for a fatal blow. The blow was precise and merciless.

But Minato didn't even look at the deadly blade. His gaze was fixed only forward. Moreover, just at that moment, Kano appeared between them, and with a clang that lit up the night with a shower of sparks, he blocked the opponent's blow with his kunai. And thanks to that, Minato disappeared into the darkness.

"Good, very good," Kyuuko said through gritted teeth as he watched Minato disappear from sight at incredible speed, seemingly increasing his bloodlust.

Kano's hand trembled under the weight of the blow transmitted through the kunai, and the cold gleam of the blade burned his skin. How strong was his opponent! Against such a foe, even running away seemed like a pipe dream… Why… why am I risking my life to fight such a strong enemy?