"Teacher Kurenai, if we don't leave this time, I'm afraid we won't have another chance!"
Inuzuka Kiba leaned in close to Kurenai Yuhi, lowering his voice urgently, his eyes full of anxiety.
"As long as we're careful and don't attract the attention of that Wolf King, it should be fine!"
Kurenai Yuhi glanced at him, then swept her gaze over Hyuga Hinata and Shino Aburame.
Hinata's small face still showed signs of the strain from using the Byakugan, but she pressed her lips together tightly, trying hard to make herself look less exhausted.
Shino's sunglasses reflected the light from outside the cave, making his expression unreadable, but his fingers were clenched slightly—a sign of his nervousness.
A few seconds later, Kurenai Yuhi nodded heavily.
"Okay."
Her voice was kept extremely low, yet it carried an unquestionable firmness.
"In a moment, I will use genjutsu to control those guard Ninja Wolves."
"You three, be careful and find an opportunity to leave."
"Remember—"
She stared into Inuzuka Kiba's eyes.
"Do not look back."
Kurenai Yuhi took a deep breath, went to the cave entrance, looked at the four Ninja Wolves outside, and quietly formed hand seals.
Genjutsu: Temple of Nirvana Technique.
She dared not use too much Chakra—that Wolf King was right there in Wolf Valley, and any significant fluctuation in Chakra could alert it.
She could only use the gentlest method to lull those Ninja Wolves into a light sleep.
Invisible feathers drifted toward the cave entrance with the breeze, landing gently on the four Ninja Wolves.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
The four Ninja Wolves began to yawn; one of them simply lay down, resting its head on its front paws.
"Stay alert." One Ninja Wolves whined softly, though its voice was a few degrees softer than usual.
The Ninja Wolves struggled to lift their heads, but the drowsiness surged like a tide, wave after wave, impossible to resist.
A moment later, all four Ninja Wolves fell into a deep sleep.
"Go!"
Kurenai Yuhi whispered sharply, her figure floating out of the cave entrance like a phantom.
The three children followed closely behind.
They pressed against the cave wall, holding their breath, inching toward the exit of Wolf Valley step by step.
Ten meters. Twenty meters.
In Wolf Valley, there were also many old and young Ninja Wolves basking in the sun or wolf pups playing around.
Kurenai Yuhi's heart pounded like a drum; she cast the Temple of Nirvana Technique again to lull them into a deep sleep.
Thirty meters. Fifty meters.
The Wolf Valley exit was just twenty meters ahead.
Inuzuka Kiba's eyes were startlingly bright, his pace involuntarily quickening until he was almost running.
Akamaru poked its head out from his embrace, barking silently in excitement—freedom was right before their eyes!
Kurenai Yuhi pulled Hinata along, Shino Aburame followed closely behind, and the four of them felt their heart rates accelerate.
Twenty meters. Fifteen meters. Ten meters—
Just then—
A calm yet dignified voice exploded in everyone's ears like a thunderclap.
"You—"
"Where do you think you're going?"
Boom!!!
A thick blue lightning pillar descended from the sky, slamming hard into the ground five meters in front of them!
Gravel splattered, dust billowed, and the scent of scorching air rushed toward them. The earth trembled, and cracks spread from the impact point of the lightning pillar in all directions, dense like a spiderweb.
Kurenai Yuhi slammed on the brakes, her pupils constricting to pinpricks.
The three children also froze in place, their faces pale.
The dust slowly dissipated.
A silver-white figure walked slowly out of the lightning glow.
Blue arcs of electricity leaped and coiled around its massive body, crackling.
Golden pupils were looking down at them from above.
Yang Jiu.
He stood before the scorched deep pit blasted out by the lightning pillar, his massive body blocking the entire Wolf Valley exit.
Sunlight spilled from behind him, casting a huge shadow on the ground that completely engulfed the four of them.
Deathly silence.
No one dared to move.
Kurenai Yuhi's body was trembling slightly, but she did not take a single step back—the three children were behind her, and she could not retreat.
Inuzuka Kiba's legs were as soft as noodles, and he only managed to stand by holding Akamaru. Akamaru buried its head in his embrace, trembling even more violently than its master.
Behind Shino Aburame's sunglasses, his eyes finally revealed undisguised fear; all his insects had retreated back into their pouches, refusing to come out no matter how he urged them.
Hinata's small face was as pale as paper, her white pupils reflecting the silver-white giant wolf, and she was shivering like a leaf in the wind.
But she bit her lip, stubbornly refusing to make a single sound.
Yang Jiu's gaze swept over their faces one by one.
Finally, it landed on Kurenai Yuhi, who was at the front.
"Not bad genjutsu."
He spoke, his voice still calm, yet it made everyone's scalp tingle.
He stepped forward, his massive body slowly closing in.
Kurenai Yuhi instinctively took a step back, but immediately stopped—the children were behind her; she could not retreat any further.
Yang Jiu stopped one meter in front of her.
He lowered his head, his golden eyes meeting hers at eye level.
"Did you think—"
"That I would really let you run away so easily?"
Kurenai Yuhi gripped her Kunai tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"If you want to kill or torture someone, come at me."
Her voice was hoarse, yet she spoke every word clearly.
"Let the three children go."
Yang Jiu looked at her.
Looking at this woman who was clearly afraid yet still stood in front of her students, looking at those red eyes burning with determination.
He suddenly chuckled.
The smile was faint, yet it made Kurenai Yuhi's heart tighten.
"Don't worry."
Yang Jiu straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the three shivering children.
"I won't kill you."
"However, as I said before, if you try to run away… it will be miserable!"
Having said that, he slowly raised his front paw and tapped it lightly toward them.
A dazzling blue light bloomed from the tip of his claw!
"Zzz—!!!"
Violent lightning instantly poured out, completely engulfing the four of them!
Blue arcs of electricity leaped, coiled, and ravaged their bodies! Every inch of skin was enduring the impact of the electrical current, and every nerve was screaming!
"Ah—!!!"
Four screams rang out almost simultaneously.
Kurenai Yuhi's body convulsed violently, and she collapsed to the ground. She gritted her teeth, desperately trying not to scream, but the electrical current was completely uncontrollable, and the heart-wrenching pain forced her to scream out.
Inuzuka Kiba rolled to the ground holding Akamaru, both human and dog convulsing simultaneously. Screams rose and fell one after another; Akamaru's cries were especially shrill, like a puppy whose tail had been stepped on.
Shino Aburame fell to the ground, trembling all over, his sunglasses thrown far away, his face twisted by the electricity.
The most miserable one was Hinata.
Her small body curled into a ball, trembling violently all over. Her screams were choked with sobs, tears uncontrollably welling up and streaming down mixed with sweat, her small face as pale as paper.
Three seconds later, the lightning dissipated.
The four of them lay paralyzed on the ground, gasping for breath, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. The air was filled with a scorched scent and a faint, lingering aroma of burnt flesh.
Yang Jiu retracted his claw, looking down at them from above.
"This is the first time."
His voice remained calm.
"And it will be the last time."
"If you run again next time—it won't be just three seconds."
This time, he didn't go too hard; given the physique of these physically fragile Ninjas, if he had used too much force, they wouldn't have been able to withstand it at all.
So this time, he only made them feel pain and intense paralysis.
Hmm... at most they'll be bedridden for a few days, and they might even have trouble controlling their bodies for a while.
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