"Whoosh!"
Noticing the commotion behind him, the dark-skinned man turned around. Looking at the woman who had emerged, he barked.
"What took you so long? Next time you're this slow, don't blame me for being impolite."
The woman hung her head low, a flash of anger crossing her face, but she quickly suppressed it, lowering her voice instead.
"...Yes, I'll be more careful next time."
"Alright, alright, just hurry up and come over."
The man waved his hand impatiently, then turned and pointed at two men lying on stretchers, barely clinging to life.
"It's these two. Hurry up."
The woman walked between the two stretchers, pushed up the sleeves on her arms, and tremblingly extended her pale arms, covered in bite marks, to either side.
The two men, who had been on the verge of death moments before, immediately perked up upon seeing the arms presented before them. Gathering all their remaining strength in one place, they aimed at the arms and bit down hard!
"Ugh..."
Instantly, the intense pain shooting through both arms made the woman tremble all over, tears welling up in her eyes.
The two men were like sharks that had smelled blood, clamping down fiercely on the arms before them. Feeling their Chakra and surface wounds begin to recover, they were spurred on, biting down even more viciously.
But even so, the woman dared not move a muscle. Even as she saw blood begin to flow from the wounds, she could only close her eyes in pain, enduring the torment as she waited for it to end.
After what felt like an eternity, the woman finally felt the two mouths release her arms. She opened her eyes, tremblingly withdrew her arms, and looked at the four rows of wounds, still oozing blood but slowly healing. A pained expression crossed her face.
"Alright, alright, it's just a bit of your Chakra."
The man waved dismissively at the woman, somewhat impatiently.
"Go back. Someone will bring you food later."
"...Yes."
The woman acknowledged and then turned to quickly walk back into the partitioned room.
"Heh heh heh."
One of the men on the stretchers, tall and thin, sat up. Watching the woman's retreating figure, he chuckled oddly.
"This tool is really useful, isn't it, Brother Kurosumi?"
"Yeah, yeah."
His companion immediately chimed in.
Ever since this woman arrived, they no longer had to worry about injuries. As long as it wasn't a severed limb, even if you were mortally wounded and on the brink of death, one bite from her could bring you back from the dead.
"Shut up."
The dark-skinned man, however, remained stern-faced and reprimanded them softly.
"Members of the Uzumaki Clan aren't easy to find. It'll be a few more years before that kid grows up.
Go out and tell the others. Until then, everyone needs to be careful."
"Yes..."
After being scolded, the two didn't dare linger. They gave awkward laughs and prepared to leave.
But before they could step out of the tent, the door flap was pushed aside. Three figures clad in black cloaks and wearing masks entered one after another.
Seeing the sudden appearance of these individuals, the tall, thin man and his companion were stunned. The former rubbed the back of his head, puzzled.
"Who are you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the leading figure suddenly extended both hands from within the cloak towards the two men. In the blink of an eye, they were at their throats, fists clenched, and struck out violently.
"Ugh..."
The next moment, both men's eyes widened. They clutched their throats simultaneously before collapsing to the ground, motionless.
"Huh?"
The man who had turned away quickly noticed the commotion behind him. He whirled around just in time to see a black shadow rushing towards him, throwing a punch.
Caught off guard, he could only raise his arms hastily to block. The moment they collided, the man's expression changed drastically.
The opponent's strength far exceeded his expectations. His arms resisted for a moment before being forced down onto his chest, the sound of bone cracking clearly audible.
Just as he thought to kick out to repel the attacker, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. It felt as if his head had been struck with a club, and his vision went blank in an instant.
The next moment, an intense pain snapped him back to reality. He tried to open his eyes, but a strong sensation of a foreign object and pain made it impossible. The discomfort was so severe he even felt like gouging his own eyes out.
Before he could act on that impulse, a sudden chill spread across his neck. Something cool and liquid began to slowly trickle down from there.
"Urk..."
He struggled, trying to reach for his waist to activate an Exploding Tag and alert the others outside. Unfortunately, his hand had just touched his waist when it was kicked away.
Depleted of all strength, he could only fall unwillingly. His body trembled slightly for a moment before falling still, life fading away.
"Done."
Number One clapped his hands lightly, then looked behind him and nodded.
"Let's hurry, main body."
"Alright."
Ren removed his mask, glanced around briefly, and then fixed his gaze on the partitioned room not far away.
"Who's there?"
A nervous voice came from inside. Within the partitioned room, the woman stood before a crib, watching the entrance with a tense expression.
As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, she wasn't skilled in combat, but she possessed an extraordinary talent for sensory perception.
Having mastered the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, she could normally monitor the entire Grass Ninja Village at will. However, the prolonged effort of healing those Grass Ninja had taken a severe toll on her physical condition. Now, she could only maintain her sensory field over this district, both to reduce Chakra consumption and to ensure her own safety.
The fight outside the partitioned room had ended quickly, but she had simultaneously detected that the Chakra signatures of the three men had vanished completely—meaning they were dead—replaced by three entirely new Chakra signatures.
Uncertain whether the newcomers were friend or foe, she could only pull out a Kunai she had secretly hidden away earlier. Holding it, she positioned herself in front of her daughter, watching the doorway warily.
Under her watchful gaze, a figure pushed aside the curtain and entered. Seeing the woman holding the Kunai, he paused briefly, then lowered his hood. Revealing his face and showing his empty hands, he spoke.
"Please, don't be alarmed. I mean no harm."
"Huh?"
Seeing Ren's youthful face, the woman was taken aback for a moment before asking warily.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
She knew the man guarding outside was a Jonin. For this youth to have dealt with him so swiftly, he was definitely not ordinary.
"I am a Konoha Ninja."
Ren didn't waste time and stated it directly. Then, without waiting for her to fully process it, he continued.
"I've come here under my sister's orders to take you back."
"Huh?"
A look of confusion appeared on the woman's face, followed by surprise as she asked.
"Who is your sister? And why should I go with you Konoha Ninja?"
"My sister is..."
Ren gave a slight bow forward, smiling as he paid his respects.
"Uzumaki Kushina!"