Chapter 77: Kannabi Bridge, Red-Haired Girl!

Sitting on top of the large mushroom cap, Hoshita Shūichi glanced at Uchiha Shisui's three-tomoe Sharingan.

Uchiha Shisui had a gentle smile on his face, but there was a hint of sadness in his voice. "These are cursed, ominous eyes."

Hoshita Shūichi shook his head. "To me, these are eyes that can turn grief into strength."

Uchiha Shisui was taken aback.

Shūichi continued, "Everyone dies eventually, whether it's from war, illness, or old age."

"When a person dies, their light goes out, but the grief remains with those who survive."

"The living are always more important than the dead. To transform grief into strength to protect those who are still alive—how could that be considered ominous?"

Though his words might seem like mere platitudes, they were not without merit.

To Uchiha Shisui, these words were like a bolt of lightning, piercing through the gloom in his heart.

His character was indeed gentle and sunny, but that didn't mean he had no sorrow within him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have awakened his Sharingan with three tomoe immediately after the death of Sanyō.

He just hid his sorrow beneath his gentle demeanor.

Since his eyes were already considered cursed, he felt that he shouldn't let this curse affect others. Instead, he believed he should use his warmth and kindness to counteract the curse and sadness.

This was his ninja way!

But after hearing Shūichi's perspective, Uchiha Shisui felt enlightened, as if a guiding light had illuminated the path before him.

From this moment on, he felt he was no longer walking in darkness!

"Shūichi, you're right!"

Uchiha Shisui smiled with newfound clarity and warmth. "Turning grief into strength to protect the living—this is the true purpose of the Sharingan!"

...

After their conversation, Shūichi had not only convinced himself but also managed to change Shisui's mindset.

With the blisters in his mouth now healed, Shūichi asked, "Shisui, this jutsu of mine generates such high temperatures. Is there any way to avoid burning my mouth?"

Shisui responded, "Shūichi, your chakra control is exceptional. I've never seen anyone better at manipulating Fire Release, both in terms of nature and form, not even the leader of my clan."

"So you don't necessarily have to release it through your mouth."

"Ordinary shinobi often use their mouths because the throat and mouth are better suited for chakra gathering."

Hoshita Shūichi nodded in agreement.

Uchiha Shisui continued, "But your abilities aren't bound by those limitations."

"For instance, you could use your hands. While there would still be a risk of burns, you could create an internal and external layering."

Hoshita Shūichi had a flash of insight, recalling Pakura's Scorch Release fireballs.

Scorch Release fireballs were orange-red on the outside, with a searing white core.

With that in mind…

Just as Hoshita Shūichi was about to experiment, Minato Namikaze suddenly appeared beside them.

"Minato Sensei!"

Hoshita Shūichi and Uchiha Shisui immediately stood up.

Minato Namikaze breathed a quiet sigh of relief seeing them unharmed, then said, "I've sealed away Sanyō's body in a scroll."

"The leader of Kusagakure did indeed die at the hands of Iwa-nin."

"However, given today's attack, there might be a traitor within Kusagakure."

Uchiha Shisui pondered, "If there's a traitor within Kusagakure, that's an internal matter. We can't intervene directly, or it could spark conflict between our villages."

"Even though the Kusagakure leader was killed by Iwa-nin, those Iwa-nin weren't wearing any identifying symbols."

"Kusagakure might choose not to pursue the matter to ensure their survival."

Hoshita Shūichi scoffed, "The next leader of Kusagakure could very well be pro-Iwa."

Minato Namikaze nodded. "Exactly."

He had considered that possibility as well.

After a brief pause, Hoshita Shūichi asked, "Minato Sensei, are we going to continue pursuing the Iwa-nin?"

Minato Namikaze nodded. "I've already forced Kusagakure to issue us a mission to hunt down the attackers."

"Although using jutsu commonly associated with Iwa-nin doesn't necessarily mean they were Iwa-nin, whoever the culprits are, they must be held accountable."

"So…"

"Let's go!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Minato Namikaze, Hoshita Shūichi, and Uchiha Shisui vanished from their spots, using the Body Flicker Technique.

The three of them tracked the Iwa-nin all the way to the borders of the Land of Grass, where they finally caught up to them.

Or rather, the Iwa-nin had regrouped here, waiting for their rear guard.

At this moment, five figures, now back in their Iwa-nin attire, were waiting at the bridge.

Kannabi Bridge!

To Hoshita Shūichi, this bridge was legendary.

After a quick observation, he finally understood why the Third Shinobi World War would leave such a mark here.

This massive bridge spanned a wide, fast-flowing river, with mountains on either side.

That was likely the reason for the river's rapid current.

Such a fast-moving river wasn't something just any shinobi could cross, especially not while transporting supplies.

As for using scrolls to seal and transport kunai or other supplies, creating such scrolls wasn't easy. They were expensive, had limited space, and weren't practical for large-scale material transport.

Squinting at Kannabi Bridge, Hoshita Shūichi felt an urge to destroy it.

But he knew that if he did, both Iwa-nin and Kusagakure would likely confront Konoha together!

In the worst-case scenario, it could trigger an international incident.

...

"Minato Sensei, these guys have resumed their Iwa-nin identities. Should we attack?" Uchiha Shisui asked.

Minato Namikaze nodded. "They're still on this side of the bridge, meaning they're still in the Land of Grass."

"Also, Shisui, later on, capture one of them alive and deliver them to Kusagakure!"

Uchiha Shisui quickly responded, "Understood!"

"Attack!"

Minato Namikaze gave the order, disappearing from his spot before the sound of his voice even faded.

"Enemy attack!"

The Iwa-nin shouted, blocking a barrage of kunai and shuriken. However, under the cover of Hoshita Shūichi and Uchiha Shisui, Minato Namikaze appeared behind them.

Holding the Tostuka Blade, Hoshita Shūichi addressed the five Iwa-nin. "You're surrounded. Surrender your weapons, and you might live!"

"You arrogant brat!"

"Die!"

The Iwa-nin facing Shūichi and Shisui yelled. One threw a shuriken while charging forward with a drawn blade, and the other stayed back to form hand seals. The remaining three attacked Minato.

The battle erupted instantly.

Shūichi snorted, easily deflecting the shuriken with his sword. He then opened his mouth, unleashing a searing white fireline that quickly expanded into a massive white-hot fireball.

The charging Iwa-nin leaped into the air to avoid the fireball and threw several more shuriken from above.

Clang, clang, clang.

Shisui jumped up, deflecting all the shuriken, his eyes transforming into a three-tomoe Sharingan as he locked eyes with the Iwa-nin midair.

In an instant, the Iwa-nin's eyes rolled back, and he plummeted to the ground.

Simultaneously, another Iwa-nin finished his hand seals, unleashing a volley of rock bullets. However, they melted before they could penetrate the fireball due to the intense heat.

Boom, boom, boom!

Burnt craters appeared on the ground as Shūichi moved at high speed. The Iwa-nin who had just performed the jutsu didn't even have time to react before Shūichi decapitated him from the side.

On the other side, Minato finished his fight even faster, defeating all the Iwa-nin.

After tossing the four Iwa-nin corpses into the river, Shūichi, Shisui, and Minato took the Iwa-nin that Shisui had subdued with a genjutsu back to Kusagakure.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Kannabi Bridge, another Iwa-nin watched helplessly as his comrades were wiped out.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but the battle ended before he could even react.

Now, he didn't dare to reveal himself.

Despite having a mission to report back, he didn't dare send out a distress signal to the border patrol unit.

He was sure that before the patrol unit could arrive, those three Konoha shinobi would kill him.

Given the choice between his life and the mission, he chose the former.

...

After handing over the prisoner in Kusagakure, Shūichi, Shisui, and Minato had just finished lunch, arranged by the Kusagakure shinobi, when a Kusagakure Jōnin came to invite Minato to discuss some matters. They also asked Hoshita Shūichi to help treat the wounded.

Although Shūichi harbored some resentment towards Kusagakure, he agreed, remembering Karin's mother.

"Shisui, go with Shūichi," Minato Namikaze instructed.

Uchiha Shisui nodded seriously. "Understood!"

The group split up, with Shūichi and Shisui heading to the chaotic Kusagakure hospital.

Shūichi quickly scanned the area and locked onto a figure with red hair.

It was a girl around sixteen or seventeen years old!

At that moment, the girl was extending her hand to allow a severely injured Kusagakure shinobi to bite it.

"That's her…"

Shūichi looked away but couldn't help thinking, "If we had found her earlier, perhaps we could have saved Sanyō…"

But as soon as the thought arose, Shūichi pushed it aside.

Given Sanyō's severe injuries, no one could say for sure what would happen if the red-haired girl was bitten.

With a silent sigh, Shūichi steadied his mind and began treating the wounded.

Following Shūichi's gaze, Shisui also noticed the red-haired girl. "Could she be from the Uzumaki Clan too?"

...

As evening approached, Shūichi finished treating the wounded and was leaving when he happened to see the red-haired girl walking away, her head down, looking exhausted.

When he returned to their lodging, Minato had already come back. Shūichi immediately spoke up, "Minato Sensei, I want to take someone from Kusagakure with us."

Minato was momentarily surprised, and Uchiha Shisui asked, "Shūichi, is it that red-haired girl?"

"Red-haired girl?"

Minato Namikaze caught on. "Like Kushina?"

Shūichi nodded. "She seems to be from the Uzumaki Clan, just like Kushina-san."

"She has a unique constitution. The Kusagakure shinobi only need to bite her, and their wounds heal rapidly."

"Minato Sensei, whether it's because of her Uzumaki heritage or her abilities, she's worth bringing back to Konoha."

Minato nodded and then gathered more information about the red-haired girl. He quickly grasped the situation.

She seemed to be around Kushina's age, and they might even know each other.

"If Kushina had a childhood friend around, she wouldn't be so lonely when I'm on missions."

"Not to mention her exceptional Yang Release powers…"

Minato immediately made up his mind. "I'll go negotiate right away."

Shūichi added, "Minato Sensei, what if Kusagakure refuses?"

Minato smiled. "Don't worry. Kusagakure has no reason to refuse, especially at a time like this."

"If they do refuse… we'll take her by force!"

Minato wasn't one to stick strictly to the rules!

From what Shūichi described, if that girl stayed in Kusagakure, her fate likely wouldn't be good.

With that, Minato left the room.

After about half an hour, Minato returned, accompanied by a timid red-haired girl.

(End of Chapter)

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I just did a little mass upload on Patreon - Read up to chapter 124+ there!

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