"For A Better Future"

The Yagami family finished their meal and casually boarded the caravan for the rest of their journey.

They are now only one hour short of their destination. After passing the Subaku town, one has to go through a narrow path surrounded by tall pine trees, and that is the only path through which one would be able to see the gates of the fabled Konoha village.

It was around early midnight and the carriage entered the pathway.

The magnificence of the moon was at its finest hour as it illuminated the entire road.

The road was awfully quiet and only the exasperated clattering between the caravan's wheel and the road could be heard.

Inside the carriage, Karna as usual was busy with his chakra rotation. Kazuya was tired, so she was taking a little nap beside Kyo.

From the moment they entered this narrow path, Karna's battle-driven instincts were wreaking havoc in his mind, but since there was no danger he intentionally ignored it.

All of a sudden, Kyo's eyes quivered as he instantly frowned; he rose from his sitting position and called out to the driver.

The driver was managing the horse at the front while drowsing at the same time, so when Kyo called him, he got quite disturbed.

He stopped the carriage and went behind—towards the passenger seat—and asked why he was summoned.

"Listen! Head back towards the way we've come with my child and wife. I'll be catching up with you in a bit. And, don't look behind."

Kyo ignored the confused faces within the carriage and quickly exited it.

He went ahead a good amount of area and stood there as if he was waiting for someone.

He looked back towards the carriage and urged the driver to hurry.

"Move, driver-san!"

Kyo unfolded his White shirt and revealed two sealing formulas attached to his forearms, and with a poof sound, two giant Fuma shurikens appeared in both of his hands.

Seeing Kyo acting out of the place, Karna was quite unnerved.

From Kyo's actions he realized that they were being tailed by an enemy, but what he couldn't understand was why his father was urging them to flee.

Even though his mother wasn't a field ninja, she was a well-trained seal master, a skill she picked up while being with Uzumaki clan; His father's taijutsu was the best in the clan and his overall prowess was that of a elite jonin and not to mention, Karna himself can take out elite chunins if he goes all out.

"Dad, what do—"

Karna was about to call out to Kyo but a hand stopped him from uttering a single word by grabbing his mouth.

Kazuya—who was taking a nap minute ago—was now completely aware of the situation.

She was looking in a specific direction from the carriage while holding Karna's mouth.

Karna nudged her hand away and looked at her while his eyes were enlarged as he seemed distressed.

"Mother, what are you doing?"

"Shhh, feel it Karna-kun."

Kazuya used her index finger to tap at the side of her forehead.

Karna, understanding Kazuya's gesture, closed his eyes and focused on his mind to search for the enemy with the sensory techniques of the Yagami clan.

For the first second or two he found nothing, but right when he took his third breath, he found the perpetrator and god knows he was terrified.

Nine enormous chakra signatures, each almost as powerful as his father was sitting atop the trees, where Kazuya was looking.

They most probably were preparing for an ambush, but fortunately, Kyo sensed them before they could attack.

All of the nine shinobis except for one were emanating emotionless chakra signatures. Their chakra nature was pure black, devoid of any emotion.

It meant that they were from some type of a secret organization that focused primarily on controlling its members by any cause.

Their overall prowess was enough to take down a kage and Kyo was no kage. Hence, his survival chances were looking even less than before.

Karna moved his sight to his mother, but there was no change within her expression as if she was already accustomed to such situations.

"But we can't leave father like this."

"We have no other choice, Karna kun."

Throughout the years since they fled from the Uzushiogakure, there have been many instances where Kyo and Kazuya had to go in separate directions to save their lives.

There were times when Kyo had to fight several shinobi pursuing them to protect Kazuya as she was bad when it came to in-field clashes. But she still helped however she could.

So, they were very much aware of the harsh decision they need to make in the face of such situations.

The only difference between the past and the present event was that now, they had a child to protect.

So, Kazuya when reprimanding Karna had an extremely cold voice. She wanted to take no chances with Karna's life, and she was ready at any moment to sacrifice the lives of her own and Kyo's to save her son's.

"It seems that our plan to ambush them has failed."

One of the figures at the very top of a pine tree spoke from behind his mask. He looked beneath him where two Anbu were standing at the branch of that tree.

"Cat and fox, follow the carriage and get rid of the woman. She isn't very strong according to our intel, but be careful not to harm the child in any way. The lord needs him alive."

He ordered as two of them ran towards the carriage, which was now going back on its tracks.

Suddenly, the two figures inadvertently stopped in their tracks as numerous pillars made up of flames, created an indestructible wall in front of them.

"Anbu of Konoha? Why are you doing this? We were supposed to be allies."

Kyo furiously said as he crouched down to the ground while injecting chakra into a sealing scroll beside him. It was a scroll made by Kazuya which can seal opponents within a barrier made up of flames.

As the two figures stopped at their tracks, the next target of their assault was naturally Kyo.

One of them tried to use [barrier breaking jutsu] to break off the barrier but it was of no use.

When the other anbu member saw his ally failing, he rushed towards Kyo with a tanto, which was infused with lightning chakra.

Kyo used the Fuma shuriken in his right hand to aggressively block the incoming stab.

The sheer force behind Kyo's counter was enough to send the Anbu member a couple of steps back and before he could attack again loud tearing sound reverberated throughout the area which seem to enliven the already sinister night.

RIP! SLIK! THUD!

Kyo, after countering the Anbu member, infused chakra in his fuma shuriken and ferociously slashed at the Anbu, which tore apart his entire body into two.

The ground beneath Kyo's feet was dyed red by the overflowing blood coming from the deceased Anbu and the scent of thick blood permeated the surrounding area.

"One down. Eight more to go."

Kyo muttered as he glared at the other Anbu with his eyes, which were now glowing blue.

The happy face that he always puts on in front of his family was nowhere to be seen, and only an extremely apathetic face, devoid of any care for human life, glared at the Anbus.

He moved with a speed invisible to the naked eye and rushed towards the Anbu while the ground beneath his feet broke apart because of the sudden acceleration.

His glowing eyes left a trail of a blue hue in the dark night as he advanced towards the Anbu.

It was a hunt, a hunt where the prey already knew he was being hunted, yet too fragile to deny the natural selection.