"Teacher, Kushina is gone."
Minato instantly appeared at the Hatake family's place. Kawaki was greatly shocked upon hearing this news.
After he came back from the battlefield, how could he have forgotten about this?
He still remembered it clearly when he made Minato confess his love.
He had advanced the fateful bond between the two by several years, but he couldn't avoid this kidnapping incident.
It was too late to regret now. Fortunately, Kawaki knew who had taken her.
Even if they couldn't catch up, there was still a place to look for her.
"She might have been kidnapped by the ninjas sent from Kumogakure."
Kawaki put down the magazine in his hand without going into details.
Minato didn't suspect him. In the presence of an elder, he wasn't as assertive.
"Which way should we chase?"
At this moment, he didn't even bother to ask how his teacher knew.
"Out of the village. Let's head to the border. Whether we can find them or not depends on luck."
Kawaki wasn't confident either. After all, he didn't know when Kushina had been kidnapped.
Now he had no idea where the Cloud Ninjas were.
"We'll go too."
Nagato and the other two were extremely frightened after listening on the side and wanted to do their part.
"No need. You guys stay at home."
"Inform your Uncle. I'm leaving first."
Kawaki rejected the three kids. Their current strength wasn't strong enough.
They wouldn't be of much help if they went. If it were Deva Path of Pain, then Kawaki would dare to take them directly to Kumogakure to demand her back.
If they didn't give her back, he'd raze Kumogakure to the ground. Unfortunately, they hadn't grown to that level yet.
After saying that, he put his hand on Minato's shoulder, and the two disappeared from the spot.
When they reappeared, they were outside Konoha Village.
"Let's split up."
Kawaki told Minato. Then the two separated and went in different directions.
"Kushina, wait for me."
Minato shouted in his heart and quickened his pace.
...
As soon as Tsunade got the news, she went to see Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Kushina had been brought to Konoha to be trained as the next Jinchūriki, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was well aware of this.
So he definitely wouldn't ignore Kushina's life or death.
As Tsunade had expected, after Hiruzen Sarutobi heard the news, he immediately sent out a large number of people to search.
The whole of Konoha was turned upside down.
Soon, all the spies who had had contact with the three Cloud Ninjas were found out.
The fruit shopkeeper was also involved in this.
Before the Konoha Ninjas arrived, he offed himself, leaving no information behind.
The Konoha Ninjas could only search around like headless flies.
And the unconscious Kushina couldn't leave her red hair as a guide like in the original plot.
Minato couldn't stage a hero-saves-the-damsel act either.
At this moment, she was being carried on the waist of a Cloud Ninja and had just left the area of Konoha Village.
"Don't let your guard down. It's not safe yet."
The leading Cloud Ninja warned. The three of them maintained high speed and continued on their way.
They didn't opt for the shortest route. Instead, they made a big detour.
It was to prevent being easily found by the Konoha Ninjas.
Kawaki and Minato continued on their way but didn't even spot a single Cloud Ninja.
Minato's anxiety grew with each passing moment. Horrifying images flashed through his mind, pushing him to the brink of collapse.
If Kushina were to die, he didn't know how he could face the days ahead.
The Konoha Ninjas searched the village but found nothing. They then expanded their search.
Starting from Konoha Village, they chased along all the paths from the Land of Fire to the Land of Lightning.
Since the identity of the spy had been confirmed, the Cloud Ninjas would surely head back to the Land of Lightning.
...
The three Cloud Ninjas had a safe journey and didn't encounter any Konoha Ninjas.
Now they couldn't help but feel proud.
"We really picked a great route."
"It looks like this mission is going to end perfectly."
The Cloud Ninja carrying Kushina even burst into laughter.
"They probably never thought we wouldn't go back to the Land of Lightning."
The leading Cloud Ninja also let down his guard. They were getting farther and farther away from Konoha Village.
"Haha, we'll go back after things calm down."
"I'm sure the Raikage-sama won't blame us."
Another Cloud Ninja chimed in. Their disdain for Konoha was obvious in their conversation.
In Konoha Village, they had managed to abduct a living person. It was something any ninja would brag about.
Their plan was well thought out. They decided to go to the Land of Tea, which was in the opposite direction of the Land of Lightning, to lie low.
After the storm passed, they would return to the Land of Lightning.
No wonder they were carefully selected by Burubi!
...
As they walked, they complimented each other.
But they didn't notice a pair of snake-like eyes in the darkness that had been keeping an eye on them for who knows how long.
The man with the snake eyes muttered to himself.
"Kushina?"
After he spoke, the man with the snake eyes disappeared behind the tree. No one knew where he went.
After a long and bumpy journey, the aftereffects of the blows began to wear off.
Kushina slowly regained consciousness. She didn't start struggling right away.
She secretly opened her eyes and found herself being carried around the waist, speeding through the forest.
All she could see were big trees. Kushina had no idea where she was.
An image of a blond - haired man flashed through her mind. How she wished Minato could be by her side now.
But she quickly abandoned this unrealistic thought. Figuring out how to save herself was the most important thing.
Just as Kushina was about to take a look at the faces of these men, she was discovered.
"This girl seems to be awake."
The Cloud Ninja carrying Kushina noticed that she was awake from her breathing.
"Just knock her out again. It'll save us the trouble."
The leading Cloud Ninja said indifferently.
Hearing this, Kushina finally started to resist violently.
She twisted her body wildly, trying to break free.
"Ha ha, save your energy."
The Cloud Ninja's hand was like steel, holding Kushina tightly.
Just as he was about to raise his hand to strike Kushina again.
"Ah~"
A strong sense of weightlessness hit her. Kushina let out a startled cry.
Then she was caught by a strong arm.
"How did you end up here?"
A gloomy voice sounded above Kushina.
She looked up and was overjoyed.
"Orochimaru."
After saying that, she tightly hugged Orochimaru.
"Good girl, it's okay now."
Orochimaru was stunned for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
He stroked Kushina's head and comforted her in a soft voice.
"Orochimaru, aren't you supposed to be away from Konoha Village?"
"Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?"
Orochimaru looked up. The three Cloud Ninjas above were tightly coiled by three large snakes and hung upside down on the tree, unable to move.
The three snakes were identical, sticking out their tongues and ready to strike at any moment.
The three Jonin couldn't even withstand a single move from Orochimaru when caught off - guard.
"We're unlucky to have run into you."
The leading Cloud Ninja couldn't overcome the physical fear and kept turning his head away from the yawning jaws.
"I'm too lazy to waste my breath on you."
With a glance, Orochimaru signaled, and the three snakes directly swallowed the Cloud Ninjas and then dissipated in a puff of smoke.
"Let's Return to the Village."
Orochimaru pulled Kushina away. With him around, she was safe.
"Okay."
Kushina nodded and meekly followed behind Orochimaru.
"You haven't told me how you got caught here."
"Do you know where this is?"
Orochimaru broke the dull atmosphere.
"I don't know either. I was knocked out by these three on my way home from school."
"I was saved by you not long after I woke up."
Kushina told the truth, and that was all the information she knew.
"Alright."
Orochimaru was a bit helpless. It seemed to be a long - premeditated operation.
There is a problem with the Tailed Beast in the Cloud Ninja Village!
That was Orochimaru's first reaction. Otherwise, he couldn't think of any reason to kidnap Kushina.
Although only the higher - ups in Konoha knew about Kushina's significance, there was a possibility that the information had leaked.
"Can you go a bit faster? The village must be going crazy looking for you."
After Orochimaru figured it out, he didn't ask any more questions. She was just a silly little girl.
"I'll try my best to keep up."
Kushina knew the vast difference between her and Orochimaru was like that between an ant and an elephant, so she could only reluctantly agree.
"Then you have to work hard."
Orochimaru showed a nice smile, and his snake - like pupils seemed a lot gentler in Kushina's eyes.
"Okay."
The big one and the small one accelerated towards Konoha Village.
Finally, when approaching Konoha Village, they met some Konoha Ninjas who were out searching.
"Orochimaru."
"Great, you've saved Kushina."
A Konoha Jonin stepped forward to talk to Orochimaru.
"Yes."
"Take these three back."
Orochimaru summoned the three snakes again. They opened their mouths and spat out the three unconscious Cloud Ninjas.
"Yes."
The Konoha Ninjas quickly escorted the three Cloud Ninjas away, and the news that Kushina had been rescued spread.
Minato and Kawaki were still searching blindly.
Fortunately, Tsunade sent the news to them through Katsuyu Sage.
Otherwise, these two didn't know when they would stop searching.
When Kawaki met Minato, he found that his disciple's eyes were red, obviously having cried more than once.
"Kushina has safely returned to the village. Teacher will avenge you."
Kawaki patted Minato on the shoulder.
"Real men don't shed tears easily, it's just that they haven't reached the point of extreme sorrow yet."
"Yeah."
Minato nodded heavily. All he wanted now was to see Kushina as soon as possible.
"Let's go."
Kawaki put his hand on Minato's shoulder and used the Flying Thunder God[b]Flying Thunder God[/b] to return to Konoha Village. Then they arrived at the Senju mansion.
The moment Minato and Kushina saw each other, Kushina finally couldn't hold back her tears.
The two hugged each other tightly. Even Nawaki quietly squeezed Misaki's hand.
If such a thing happened to Misaki, he probably wouldn't be any better off than Minato.
"Sorry, it's my fault for not keeping an eye on you."
The two separated, and Minato apologized voluntarily.
He had already set up his Flying Thunder God Technique[b]Flying Thunder God Technique[/b].
"It's not your fault. They had planned it for a long time."
Kushina wiped the corners of Minato's eyes.
The moment the two looked at each other, they both let out a soft laugh.
It's good that you're safe!!
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