Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

As Uzumaki Karin's words fell, a slight silence settled over the scene.

The wind blew through the woods, rustling the leaves, and the chirping of insects had stopped at some unknown point.

It was the Konoha ANBU squad who spoke first to break the silence.

The person wearing a cat-face mask stepped half a pace forward. His voice came from behind the mask, sounding very solemn.

"Please step aside, Your Excellency. We are only here to bring back our village's ninjas. This has nothing to do with Kusagakure, and we have no intention of making enemies of you."

His tone was polite, but beneath that politeness lay an unquestionable certainty.

Uzumaki Karin nodded, her red ponytail swaying behind her head.

"That makes sense."

She paused, glancing back at Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji, who were surrounded behind her, before withdrawing her gaze and looking back at the Konoha ninjas.

"But these two guys are currently prisoners belonging to Kusagakure, so I can't hand them over to you."

She said this very casually, but anyone could hear the absolute refusal in her words.

Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji didn't look too pleased upon hearing this.

Being called prisoners in front of so many people stung their pride, but given the current situation, the two could only remain silent and offer no objections.

Naturally, they had no desire to return with their pursuers.

Especially now, when they were so close to meeting their target. If they went back now, all their previous efforts would be completely wasted.

Truth be told, they had left Konoha, traveled for days, fought a battle, been tied up once, and finally made it here with great difficulty. If they turned back now, wouldn't all their previous suffering be for nothing?

Hearing her response, the three Konoha squads obviously didn't plan to just let the matter drop.

The four members of the Hyuga clan made the first move.

Their figures flashed simultaneously, disappearing from their spots. When they reappeared, they were already right in front of Uzumaki Karin.

Their white robes cut through the air, stirring up a gust of wind.

The four surrounded Karin from four directions—east, south, west, and north. One person stood in each direction, their positioning precise, completely sealing off all her escape routes.

The two standing on Karin's left and right attacked simultaneously.

The one on the left formed a palm with his right hand, striking toward Uzumaki Karin's shoulder.

The one on the right formed a palm with his left hand, striking toward Karin's waist.

The palm strikes were fast and the wind they generated was strong, carrying the unique power of the Gentle Fist—seemingly soft but actually fierce.

The other two didn't stop; their bodies bypassed Karin from both sides, charging straight toward Hyuga Neji.

Their white robes looked bright under the moonlight, their footsteps swift, making almost no sound as they dashed across the ground.

Uzumaki Karin stood in place without moving. A smile played on her lips as she watched the two palms striking toward her, showing no intention of dodging, not even raising a hand to block.

The next moment, a person abruptly appeared in front of her.

His figure seemed to materialize out of thin air, though no one actually saw him move. His speed was so fast it resembled teleportation; one moment he was a few steps away, and the next he was already standing in front of Uzumaki Karin.

It was the tall man.

Facing the two Hyuga ninjas before him, he reached out both hands simultaneously. His left hand grabbed the wrist of the left Hyuga ninja, and his right hand grabbed the wrist of the right Hyuga ninja. His fingers locked onto their pulses, his fingertips digging into their skin, his nails pressing directly against their blood vessels.

Smack!

A soft sound echoed.

It was the sound of palms and wrists colliding.

The bodies of the two Hyuga ninjas were simultaneously lifted by a clever application of force, as if they had been thrown by an invisible power. Their bodies flipped a full circle in mid-air, feet pointing up and heads pointing down.

Then, their backs slammed heavily onto the ground.

Thud!

The ground vibrated slightly, and dead leaves bounced up from the impact.

The two Hyuga ninjas opened their mouths and spat out a mouthful of blood with a gasp. The blood splattered across their white robes, looking particularly glaring under the moonlight.

The tall man didn't even look at them. His body flickered again, disappearing from in front of Uzumaki Karin and reappearing behind her. His speed was so fast it was like a gust of wind blowing past.

He stood behind Uzumaki Karin, facing the two Hyuga ninjas who were charging toward Hyuga Neji.

Those two Hyuga ninjas had already run several meters past Karin, now only a few steps away from Neji.

The tall man reached out his hands, spreading his ten fingers, and shot two chakra threads from his fingertips.

The threads were incredibly thin, so thin they were almost invisible, glowing with a faint blue light under the moon.

The threads cut through the air like two invisible snakes, wrapping tightly around the waists of the two Hyuga ninjas.

The two figures immediately froze.

Their bodies were still leaning forward, their arms still reaching out, their knees still bent, but their entire persons seemed to be pinned in place by some unseen force. They maintained their forward-charging posture but couldn't move forward another inch.

Their bodies froze like two statues.

The eyes of those two Hyuga ninjas widened abruptly, their white pupils filled with sheer disbelief.

They wanted to move, but their bodies wouldn't obey.

They wanted to speak, but their mouths wouldn't open.

They could only stand there, locked in that rushing motion, as if someone had pressed the pause button on them.

The scene fell quiet for a moment.

The other two subordinates stepped forward.

The short-haired woman walked out from Uzumaki Karin's left side. Her pace wasn't fast, but it was very steady, her feet making rustling sounds as they stepped on the dead leaves.

Her hands were stuffed in her pockets, her posture very relaxed, with no expression on her face, but her eyes remained fixed on the four members of the Uchiha squad.

The short man walked out from Karin's right side, his pace equally unhurried.

His hair was very short, his eyes very small, but those small eyes held an uncomfortable, dangerous gleam.

He walked toward the four members of the Konoha ANBU squad. He didn't weave signs, didn't draw a blade; he just walked over, step by step.

Whether it was the Uchiha squad or the Konoha ANBU squad, facing these two people, everyone either wore a solemn expression or tensed their bodies.

The four members of the Uchiha squad tightened their grips on their ninja blades, their knuckles turning slightly white on the hilts.

The four members of the ANBU squad drew kunai from their waists, the edges of the weapons flashing with a cold light under the moon.

They felt the pressure.

That pressure didn't come from the opponents' chakra volume or aura, but from their completely unhurried attitude.

They just walked over like that, showing no signs of being on guard or tense, as if they were merely taking a stroll.

Generally, in the ninja world, anyone who could adopt this kind of posture was invariably a true powerhouse.

Uzumaki Karin crossed her arms, watching all this leisurely. A smiling curve appeared on the corners of her mouth, and the light in her eyes was very bright, as if she were watching a good show.

"You all seem to have misunderstood something."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet woods.

"Coming here, you should follow our rules."

She tilted her head slightly, her red ponytail swaying behind her.

"Did no one explain this to you before you came?"

Her tone was very casual, so casual it was like she was talking about the weather.

Then she slapped her forehead, as if just realizing something.

"Oh, right. Teacher has been quiet for so long, I'm afraid many people have already forgotten what kind of posture they should adopt when facing us."

As she said this, her smile became even more pronounced.

The four members of the Uchiha squad fully drew their ninja blades. The steel flashed with cold light under the moon, the tips pointing directly at the short-haired woman.

Their bodies leaned slightly forward, their weight placed on the balls of their feet, ready to strike at any moment.

The four members of the ANBU squad did the same.

The person with the cat-face mask held a kunai, the person with the dog-face mask held a shuriken, the person with the bird-face mask had already woven hand signs, and the person with the snake-face mask crouched on the ground, fingers pressing against the earth.

Their bodies were tense, having already assumed their attack postures.

The short man stood there, rolling his head, his neck making loud cracking sounds.

Right at this moment, the tall man hooked his fingers. The two chakra threads tightened, and the two controlled Hyuga ninjas were pulled back uncontrollably, as if dragged by an invisible winch, landing right beside the tall man.

The tall man took out two kunai from his waist and handed them to the two Hyuga ninjas.

Their fingers gripped the kunai against their will, then they crouched down and pressed the blades against the throats of their two downed companions. The sharp edges touched the skin, the cold metallic sensation transmitting to the two people's necks. Just one more inch of force, and it would slice open their skin and sever their blood vessels.

The two Hyuga ninjas on the ground lay in the dirt craters, blood still hanging from the corners of their mouths. Their eyes were wide open, staring at the kunai hovering above their throats, completely motionless.

Only after doing all this did the tall man finally speak.

"Lady Karin, we should capture them all first before talking."

His tone was very flat, so flat it was like he was suggesting a very simple, mundane task.

Uzumaki Karin nodded.

"That works too."

Her voice was still just as casual.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

She lowered her arms from her chest, letting them hang by her sides, took two steps back, and stood beside Sasuke and Neji.

"Enjoy the show," she remarked, grinning as an expectant smile spread across her face.

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