Chapter 21

"Fire Fist!" Asahi's voice reverberated through the forest.

the flame erupted from the palm of the Asahi, unleashing a blazing fire upon the Kiri ninja with the heat engulfing him as a scorching tide tore through his stomach.

"AHH!" As the flames consumed him, the Kiri ninja's scream pierced the air before he collapsed to the ground.

The sudden turn of events shocks the hiding members of the Uzumaki nearby.

'He's...dangerous!' Kanna noted before signaling to her group to lay low and hide.

She is only a chunin-level ninja and the strongest in her group.

Kanna wasn't dumb to attack the child before them who had just killed a shinobi of her caliber seemingly without difficulty.

Now, they could only hope that Asahi will leave as they continue observing his every action with varying emotions;

Some among them tremble with fear after witnessing his devastating power, while some feel a twinge of envy at his formidable strength, their eyes filled with a mixture of admiration and jealousy.

But there was one individual whose gaze lingered on Asahi with eyes that bore a keen interest. The individual wore a sly grin curling at the corners of his lips.

Whatever they thought, Asahi had no idea as he was about to continue on his way when all of a sudden he heard a faint voice nearby.

"Let me go! I will help sister Kanna!" cried out a girlish voice, as she struggled to break free against the hands of the other children.

This girl is Kushina who was worried sick about their family member as her words echoed with urgency, deeply concerned about the safety of Kanna and the others.

But despite her protests, the other children held firm in restraining her to prevent her from acting rashly.

However, Kushina's shouting had drawn the attention of a certain boy as he spotted the cave and ventured inside, witnessing the scene before him.

"...what's happening here?" He inquired slowly, a little confused as he watched the little kids trying to stop Kushina.

'They are Uzumakis...' Asahi remarked quietly to himself as he observed the children in front of him. His gaze lingered in curiosity, it was his first time meeting a member of the clan in his two lives.

The vibrant, fiery red hair makes it easy for the members of the Uzumaki clan to be recognized.

With the appearance of Asahi, the kids paused as they all diverted their eyes at him with a deadpan face.

"Uhm...who are you?" Kushina greets the newcomer with an awkward tone, as she is currently pinned to the ground with the other children on top of her. 

Because of Asahi's young appearance, Kushina and the other young children regarded him with a sense of ease assumpting that he was just another child like them.

'SHIT!'

However, the case might not be the same for Kanna and the others who witnessed Asahi's prowess as they all rushed to the cave.

'Huh, there's more' Asahi remained relaxed as he noticed the rushing members of the Uzumaki clan.

The newly arrived four red-haired people stood between Asahi and the children, taking a fighting stance ready to fight Asahi if needed.

"Uhm...yo?"

**********

"Cowabunga, baby!" Udon exclaimed with enthusiasm after destroying the two puppets of Chiyo.

Not everyone could achieve such a feat after all, and most importantly, he did it by using a newly-created technique.

"You're...not an ordinary ninja, boy." Chiyo herself commend his strength.

Even without her puppets, Chiyo didn't panic and remained calm as she once took out another scroll from her hidden pocket.

"Summoning Jutsu: Mukade!" 

A cloud of smoke erupted from the scroll as a long shadow appeared, wrapping around Chiyo,

Mukade is a centipede puppet with a redhead and long brown body, one of Chiyo's masterpieces.

With a swift gesture of Chiyo's hand, Mukade dived into the ground and vanished into the earth,

Underground, Mukade maneuvered effortlessly using his many tiny legs as he traveled with astonishing speed that belied his size.

The centipede is fast as it quickly emerges from the ground in front of Udon, its body springs forward, propelling its head with two sharp blades at astonishing speed towards its target.

Udon barely had time to react to Mukade's attack as he twisted his body, dodging the attack by the hair but Mukade wasn't done as it unleashed another attack from the side using its sharp tail.

 As Chiyo's masterpiece, Mukade possesses the ability to stretch its body up to approximately fifty meters But it wasn't merely its immense size that made Mukade a fearsome weapon in Chiyo's hands. What set Mukade apart is its lightning speed and the razor-sharp blades smothered in deadly poison concocted by Chiyo herself.

Udon's heart raced as he clasped Mukade's deadly tail using both of his hands, blocking the attack with brute strength.

However, Mukade is a beast as it swings its tail, propelling Udon hurtling in the air like a ragdoll.

As Chiyo's hand danced through the air, Mukade flung straight into Udon revealing his rows of serrated blades installed inside his mouth.

"Mukade's Fatal Execution!"

Chiyo watched with a smile as the puppet monster swallowed Udon whole.

'What a troublesome lad' The puppet master silently thought thinking the fight was over when all of a sudden, he heard a soft muffled voice.

"Earth Style: Rock Substitution Technique..."