Chapter 7: The Cloud Village Kidnapping Incident [Part 2]
"Speed up! We have to get the target back before anyone in Konoha notices!"
The leader of the Cloud Village delegation, a man carrying a cloth sack on his back, spoke sternly, quickening his pace. If the Hyūga clan discovered their young lady was missing, and the Byakugan was activated, there would be no escape.
"Yes…"
Three subordinates nodded in unison, rushing to keep up. They had accepted this mission knowing the risks—even the possibility of death. But if survival was an option, who wanted to die in vain?
They were close. The Konoha barrier was right ahead—once they crossed it, Konoha wouldn't be able to chase them.
As Izumi Saburō, the leader, fantasized about completing the mission, returning the Hyūga heiress to the Cloud Village, and earning the admiration of the villagers and praise from the Raikage, a voice suddenly pierced the air like ice.
"Hey, if it's not too much trouble, could you please put her down? Such an adorable little girl, and you've got her stuffed in a sack like cargo. You really have no sense of mercy."
Sakura stood on her magic sword, holding a paper umbrella in her left hand, expressionless as she looked at the kidnappers. When she sensed the figure inside the sack on Izumi's back was the unconscious Hyūga Hinata, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"So it's just a child…"
Izumi Saburō's gaze sharpened as he realized who she was. He, too, exhaled deeply, recalling how startled he had been moments ago. Yet, an unmistakable murderous intent flared within him.
"What a pity. Such a cute little girl should be at home sleeping peacefully at night, not wandering around. I almost feel sorry for having to kill you. But since you caught me in the act, you leave me no choice…"
Afraid of losing time and being discovered, Izumi tossed the sack onto one of his men, then drew a kunai from his ninja pouch. In a flash, he charged at Sakura like lightning.
As a seasoned jonin warrior, Izumi had no room for sympathy. A child was just another kill. He'd taken many lives before—another wouldn't trouble his conscience at all.
"What a nuisance…"
Sakura sighed softly as Izumi barreled toward her. With a thought, her magic sword surged forward, aimed directly at Izumi. But her goal wasn't to confront him head-on—it was to rescue Hinata first.
"Oh? A flying Kekkei Genkai? Or one that controls metal? Doesn't matter. Time to die…"
Izumi's eyes glinted with cruelty. The thought of killing Sakura filled him with a twisted sense of satisfaction.
At the instant their clash was about to happen, a sudden streak of blue light flashed briefly in Sakura's eyes. The glow vanished in a blink, unnoticed by anyone—but Izumi Saburō's face betrayed his surprise.
"It missed?!"
The kunai passed right through Sakura's body. Izumi's years of battle experience told him that what he had struck was not real—it was a mere afterimage, an illusion.
"Hurry and get the target out of here. Her goal is to rescue the hostage..."
Seeing Sakura riding her magic sword swiftly flying toward his back, Izumi immediately understood her plan. He shouted orders to his three subordinates and spun around to charge at Sakura again. This time, his kunai was enveloped in lightning chakra. After what just happened, he no longer underestimated her.
The three subordinates who had come with Izumi were all chūnin. Hearing his command, they reacted swiftly: one grabbed the sack and prepared to flee, while the other two stayed behind, ready to help Izumi take down Sakura. No matter the opponent, vigilance was their rule—a lesson hard learned through countless deaths in the ninja wars. Even if the enemy was a little girl, underestimating her was a deadly mistake.
"You're really troublesome…"
Sakura frowned slightly as she faced the three who had surrounded her in a triangle. If they managed to hold her off, Hinata would be taken away. Ninja speed was impressive, especially here near Konoha's border—just a moment's delay, and the kidnapper could slip beyond the barrier's reach.
"But although your plan is clever, you forgot one thing..."
Sakura suddenly smiled. Under the moonlight, her pink hair shone brilliantly.
"I can fly!"
Her words stunned Izumi and his men. Ninjas could do many incredible things, but flying was unheard of—except for the two legendary shinobi from Iwagakure. No one else in the ninja world was known to take to the skies.
Despair was the only word to describe their feelings—like warriors on a cold weapons battlefield, all swinging swords, suddenly facing an enemy who puts down their blade and pulls out a laser cannon. Faced with such an unfair advantage, there was nothing left but hopelessness and perhaps a few harsh curses muttered deep inside.
"Damn it! Full speed—get the target out of Konoha's barrier! Once we're outside, we win!"
Izumi shouted, turning his head. The crucial point now was whether his subordinates could escape with the target before reinforcements arrived outside.
"Trying to run? You really think flying is all I can do?!"
Sakura raised her eyebrow. Holding her umbrella in her left hand, she extended her right toward the fleeing Cloud Village ninja. A red glow flashed in her pupils.
"Reality..."
Beneath the Cloud Village chūnin's feet, the ground trembled. Suddenly, a slab of rock burst from the earth, trapping the ninja's feet tightly in place in the blink of an eye.
"Damn it, who the hell is she?"
Izumi and his men rushed over, joining the trapped ninja, their eyes burning with rage. Their well-laid plan had been shattered—and now Konoha probably already knew the Hyūga heiress was missing.
"Hand her over quietly, and I might let you go. Otherwise, you all stay right here."
Sakura stepped in front of them again, her jade-green eyes unreadable and emotionless. It was this cold, detached gaze that chilled Izumi and his men to the bone.
"Damn it. Since the plan failed, it's time for Plan B..."
Izumi's expression hardened. Inside Konoha, commotion had already begun—clearly their actions had been discovered. With Sakura blocking them, escaping was impossible for now. A determined look appeared in their eyes as Izumi drew his kunai, aiming to stab the sack containing Hinata.
Plan B was designed for situations like this—if the mission failed and the hostage couldn't be extracted, the target would be killed instead. Killing the Hyūga heiress would surely bring trouble to Konoha.
"You bastard! You're asking for death! Eight Trigrams—Sky Palm..."