Capítulo 49: Chapter 49 - Returning to Konoha
Akira appeared without wasting time on words. His gaze fell on the red-haired woman, whose face showed fear and shock. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and slashed through the chains holding her.
With a loud clatter, the chains broke apart.
Finally freed, the red-haired woman sprang forward and grabbed a kunai from a Kusagakure ninja's pouch. She plunged the kunai into the neck of the fallen Kusagakure ninja, stabbing repeatedly with a fierce look in her eyes.
"Die, die, die…" she muttered, her face twisted with grim satisfaction as she drove the kunai into the unconscious Kusagakure ninjas one by one, their blood pooling around her.
Akira looked at her, his voice steady. "Are you done venting? We need to move. Staying here could get us surrounded by Kusagakure shinobi, and getting out with someone in tow would be… troublesome."
The woman took a deep breath, tossing the blood-stained kunai aside. She looked at him, a hint of apology in her eyes.
"Forgive me… the anger took over. I'm Uzumaki Rika. Did Konoha send you to rescue me?"
"We'll talk once we're out of Kusagakure," Akira replied, lifting her effortlessly and then vanishing in a flash of lightning with his Lightning Body Flicker Technique.
(T/N: The user simply flows lightning release chakra in their muscles in order to give them the energy to move at a very rapid speed.)
Kusagakure had already sounded the alarm. Shinobi were converging on their location, but Akira tore through their ranks with Rika in tow, moving with blinding speed. With his Sharingan enhancing his perception, and the stimulation of Lightning Release augmenting his speed and strength, he left a trail of chaos in his wake. Within moments, they broke free of Kusagakure's perimeter.
After about ten kilometers, he set Rika down.
"Thank you," Rika said immediately, still catching her breath, but grateful.
"No need. Can you keep going? Do you have enough chakra to move?"
Rika nodded resolutely. "Yes, I can manage."
As they traveled, Rika glanced over at him and repeated her earlier question. "Did Konoha send you to rescue me?"
"No." Akira shook his head. "This was my own choice."
She paused, a faint look of disappointment crossing her face. After a moment, she asked quietly,
"Are we going to Konoha?"
"That's right." Akira nodded. "The Uzumaki Clan and Konoha have deep ties. Once you're there, you'll have a new life—no one will see you as just a tool for healing."
"Will Konoha really accept me?" Rika's face showed concern. She lowered her voice, hesitant. "Your actions go against the typical conduct of a Konoha shinobi. Won't the Hokage punish you for this? It could even create conflict with Kusagakure."
Akira shrugged, unconcerned. "Who's going to know I rescued you from Kusagakure?"
Seeing her lingering worry, Akira added, "Don't worry. The Uchiha Clan can handle this."
Rika still looked uneasy, though touched by his reassurances.
"I hope so… I'd hate to bring trouble to you because of me." She felt deeply grateful to Akira. Without him, Kusagakure would have drained her life force before long. Despite everything she'd been through, she remained gentle at heart.
"You can relax," Akira assured her. "The wife of the Hokage is also an Uzumaki, just like you. She's from an important lineage of the Uzumaki Clan."
"Really?" Rika's eyes lit up with hope. "When did the Third Hokage remarry?"
Akira's expression tightened. "Actually, we're under the Fourth Hokage now. The Third has stepped down."
"Oh, I didn't mean to offend your Hokage," Rika said, lowering her head apologetically.
Her life in Kusagakure had been sheltered; she only knew what her captor allowed her to know, which wasn't much.
"No offense taken," Akira said with a shrug. "In fact, I think the Hokage will be pleased to meet another Uzumaki."
"Is that… really true?" Rika's expression softened with hope.
The journey back to Konoha took them two days, given Rika's weakened state. Once they arrived, Akira didn't immediately inform Minato. Instead, he took Rika to ShinTen Biotech for a thorough examination, making sure she was in good health. Quietly, he also had some of her cellular material collected for potential cloning, fulfilling one part of his goal.
Finally, he sent a discreet message to Minato.
The Hokage quickly arrived at the research center, and as planned, Akira and Rika had coordinated their story: she was discovered in a remote Konoha outpost, not taken from Kusagakure.
Minato listened without question, showing no hint of skepticism. Rika's presence was valuable to Konoha, both sentimentally and strategically, potentially as a future Jinchūriki candidate. Akira's actions were viewed as a significant gain for Konoha.
Later that same day, Rika was granted permanent residency, officially becoming a part of Konoha.
With Rika settled, Akira let the matter rest, trusting Minato to manage the details. His own reasons for rescuing her, rooted in his research interests, had already been quietly advanced. During her exam at ShinTen, he'd secured her tissue samples for potential future cloning experiments.
Not long after, Uchiha Mikoto appeared with a scroll in hand, her slight baby bump visible as she approached.
"Good to see you, Mikoto-san," Akira greeted warmly.
Mikoto nodded, smiling softly. "Kushina heard you were interested in Fūinjutsu, so she sent over her notes for you. It's her way of thanking you for bringing her kin back to Konoha."
Akira accepted the scroll with a respectful nod. "Please thank Kushina for me. This is exactly what I need right now."
"Of course." Mikoto nodded.
Just then, they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps—staff from the Konoha Police Force had arrived to speak with them.
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