Chapter 20

"Sister Kanna...I'm scared..." 

"Don't worry, sister is here" Kanna reassures with a big smile as the group continues on their journey.

Where they are going, they don't know.

After all, Udon never told them where the hidden tunnel was, all they know is to head in the direction where he pointed.

"I'm tired," One of the children said as she fell to the ground.

"Here, take my hand, I'll help you!" Another child approached the little girl and offered her arm.

"Are you sure Kushina-san?" 

"Of course!, Dattebane!" The girl answered with energy as she assisted the tired girl by wrapping her arms around her shoulder.

A young girl named Kushina, around the age of 7 or 8, assisted the tired child with a bright smile, trying to spread positivity to the poor children.

She must remain brave because if she didn't who will?

"Hang in there, we'll survive, okay?" Kushina said with a gentle voice, reassuring the poor girl beside her.

"Uhm!" The tired girl nodded firmly.

Kushina's action influenced the other members of the Uzumaki with her, offering help to the others who could no longer run.

Fortunately, with their familiarity and Kanna's sensory ability, the group was able to avoid the patrolling ninjas as they headed to a small cave under the guidance of one of the Uzumaki members.

It was a small cave but enough to accommodate the group.

"Okay, settle down everyone, rest for now."

"Hide inside and don't come out while Ao and I look for the hidden tunnel, understood?"

As the person in charge and the oldest among the group, Kanna possesses authority over her peers as they all listen obediently to her.

"Yes, sister Kanna!" The Uzumaki kids all answer in unison,

"AH!" A shrieking scream sounded outside the cave, alerting the group as they all raised their guards and observed the surroundings.

"Who is it, Kushina-san?" The tired girl from earlier asked the girl named Kushina who had just put her on the ground.

"I don't know," Kushina shook her head,

After all, she was still a meager genin-level ninja at the moment and hadn't learned yet the rare ability that the sensory technique that their clan is known for.

"What do you see, sister Kanna?" The teenage boy named Ao asked Kanna who was using their clan's sensory technique, 'Chakra Detection Jutsu'. 

(A/N: Basically a downgrade version of Karin's Eye of Kagura)

"Two people are heading this way!" Kanna assesses perceiving two chakra that are heading to them.

"I have never seen their chakra, they must be enemies!" 

"Prepare everyone!"

Kanna was quick and assertive at her commands as those who could fight were with her, hiding in the tall trees around the cave while those who couldn't stay behind.

She continues observing the two upcoming individuals who are getting nearer and nearer to their location with a composed posture as she realizes something;

'Why...does it seem like the one behind is chasing the other?' Kanna thought while observing the movement of the two.

"Damn!" 

Just like what Kanna thought, the one in the front was running away from his pursuer as he cursed, unable to lose the tail of the ninja chasing after him.

"FUCK!" The person in front soon reaches the entrance of the cave as he once again curses seeing the towering cliff in front of him.

It was a dead end and escape was no longer an option.

'This...' Kanna who was hiding in one of the three, was confused seeing the Kirigakure uniform worn by the person who had just arrived at their hideout.

Not just her but also the other Uzumaki hiding in the shadows, 

After all, the person they expected that be being pursued is a Uzumaki.

"This is the end." The other person had also arrived at this point all of the hiding Uzumaki members were surprised as their eyes fell on him. 

The person chasing the Kiri ninja is a black-haired boy who looks to be around 12 to 14 years old wearing a long single-sleeved blue kimono with a short-sleeved white top underneath.

 However, the most eye-catching is his striking red eyes that accentuate his determined face, ready to kill the shinobi in front of him.

This is Shinji Asahi, who has just arrived on the island.

"Hmph! Arrogant brat! Without your beast, do you think you can kill me?!"

The Kiri ninja angrily said as he was angry at Asahi's arrogance, after all, if it was not for the powerful octopus, his teammates would still be alive.

"I've killed thousands of brats like you!" He added.

However, Asahi was unaffected by the Kiri ninja's threat as he continued walking in a leisurely manner, which just added fuel to his opponent's anger.

 'I wonder where are Usamu and the others' Asahi thought as he watched every movement of the opponent in front of him.

Asahi isn't arrogant or immature to take his opponents lightly.

After all, the Kiri ninja in front of him is still a chunin-level ninja.

'Let's end this quickly!' 

Without hesitation, Asahi's muscles tensed as he launched forward, his feet pounded against the ground, charging head-on to the Kiri ninja.

With excellent reflexes honed by experience, the Kiri ninja reacted with lightning speed, hurling deadly shurikens toward Asahi.

However, Asahi himself is also an experienced ninja who has experienced countless battles from his past life and from the virtual world.

He evaded the deadly projectiles with graceful movement, weaving his body left and right as the shuriken whistled past him.

Seeing an opportunity, Asahi closed the distance between them with a surge, engaging in a deadly dance of Taijutsu against the Kiri ninja.

The two exchange blows as Asahi overpowers his opponent with his arm-to-arm combat skills. 

His punch was deliberate, and possessed a solid defensive capability, blocking and dodging the attack sent by the Kiri ninja while countering.

Asahi launched forward, sending a punch attacking the head of his opponent.

But the Kiri ninja was prepared, he intercepted the attack with his arms and countered with an upward kick aimed directly at Asahi's chin.

Under the shocked eyes of the Kiri ninja and the watching Uzumaki members,

Asahi, with reflexes that seemed to transcend the limits of human capability, evaded the blow by a mere hair's breadth by leaning backward.

With the Kiri ninja's legs up in the sky, this gives Asahi an opportunity,

He unleashed a devastating punch, aiming straight at the unguarded stomach of his opponent.

"I told you, this is the end."

"Fire Fist!"