Chat Group Escanor 20 (Patreon)

On the other side, Kushina had long since resembled a lioness protecting her cub. Taking advantage of the brief window while Escanor blocked all attacks and intimidated the entire field, she rushed to the edge of the stone platform with astonishing speed.

"Naruto! Don't be afraid! Mom is here!"

Her hands burst forth with Chakra, easily shattering those specially-made Chakra metal chains into pieces. She ripped the block out of Naruto's mouth and pulled her terrified son tightly into her embrace.

Naruto had suffered many grievances, but he rarely cried. Today, upon seeing Kushina, he couldn't help but cry.

Listening to her son's crying and feeling his body tremble, Kushina felt as though her heart was being carved by knives.

She had just experienced the birth of little Naruto in another world and was currently in a period where her maternal love was most overflowing and she was most sensitive to "loss".

If she and Minato had truly sacrificed themselves back then, her Naruto might have suffered a similar or even more terrifying plight in Konoha.

Thunking of this, boundless fury burned in her chest, almost scorching away her reason.

This was not just a rescue, it was a prevention against that terrifying "what if" future.

She hugged Naruto tightly, patting his back, and comforted him in a soft voice, "Don't be afraid, mom is here. MOM will never let anyone hurt you again."

Her eyes swept past those fallen Root Ninjas, and finally locked onto that one-eyed old man.

Within the sealing space inside Kushina's body.

Nine-Tails, which had been slapped into having a bald spot by Escanor earlier, was curled up cautiously.

Through Kushina's vision, it could clearly see that blonde fiend outside. Ever since it had its head shaved by him, that patch of fur simply refused to grow back. It was clearly made of Chakra—was this scientific?!

Inside the sealing space of five-year-old Naruto's body.

Another Nine-Tails was peering through the bars of the cage, watching everything happening outside in utter astonishment.

When it saw Kushina—that familiar yet annoying previous Jinchuriki—it was stunned.

How could she be here? She was supposed to be dead.

When it felt the Chakra fluctuations coming from inside Kushina, belonging to that "other self" which was acting like a total coward, it became even more dumbfounded.

And it could vaguely sense that the "other self" seemed to... have a bald spot? And was especially terrified of the blonde man outside?

This was just a small interlude within the hearts of Nine-Tails, and no one knew about it.

Right now, the focal point of the scene was entirely on Danzo.

Danzo lowered his head, his single eye tightly closed, as if as long as he didn't look, didn't speak, and didn't move, everything in front of him like a nightmare would just be an illusion and would vanish.

However, Escanor's footsteps stopped right in front of him.

Following closely was Kushina's footstep after soothing Naruto.

Kushina shielded Naruto behind her, walking toward Danzo step by step.

Danzo felt that approaching aura of death. He wanted to resist, wanted to use the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing to perish together, but his remaining reason told him that in front of that blonde man, any struggle might be futile and could even invite an even more terrifying consequence.

He opened his single eye by a slit, wanting to check the situation and happened to meet Escanor's gaze.

Escanor was standing not far away, his hands shoved into his trouser pockets. Seeing him peeking, he raised his right index finger and placed it upright against his lips.

"Shh."

Danzo felt as though he heard the death knell ringing in his ears. In his eyes, that finger seemed to transform into sharp claws that tore his arm apart. He did not doubt for a second that if he dared to make any reckless move, he would turn into a puddle of charred ash in the next second.

Just at the moment when his composure slipped—

Bang!

Kushina's fist smashed into his face. Danzo's nasal bone emitted a clear cracking sound, and blood spurted out. His entire body flew off the ground, and he slammed onto the floor.

"This punch is for the fright my son suffered!"

Before Danzo could let out a scream, the second punch followed right behind.

Bang!

"This punch is still for my son!"

Bang!

"This punch remains for my son!"

"I've known for a long time that you're no good, but I don't care if you mess with others! Touch my Naruto, and I'll make you pay!"

Punch after punch landed on Danzo, muffled thuds echoing continuously. He was beaten with zero ability to fight back, rolling around on the ground. His screams quickly grew faint, and soon he was covered in bruises and at his last breath.

After Kushina had vented more or less enough, Escanor spoke indifferently, "Do you need me to finish him off?"

Kushina panted heavily, her chest rising and falling.

She glanced at Naruto—who was holding her hand, hiding behind her, and watching everything—and then looked at Danzo on the ground.

She shook her head, her voice cold. "No. Matters aren't over yet."

"I refuse to believe that the Third Hokage—that old bastard—had no part in Naruto's situation today, and knew nothing about it at all."

Her tone was filled with disappointment and absolute resolve. "Let's go, we're going to find him. I want to ask him clearly face to face."

At this moment, Naruto gripped Kushina's hand tightly. He was afraid that this suddenly appearing mother, warm like the sun, would suddenly vanish like a dream. The only thing he could do was to hold onto her hand with all his might and follow her closely without leaving her side.

Feeling her son's reliance and fear, Kushina's heart softened, and she squeezed his hand tightly.

"Let's go."

With that said, holding Naruto's hand, she walked toward the exit of the containment room with firm steps.

Escanor glanced at Danzo, who was slumped on the ground with only weak groans remaining, and then looked at Itachi in the corner, who was still kneeling on the ground, covering his eyes and breathing painfully, as well as the Root Ninjas scattered all over the ground whose lives or deaths were unknown.

He walked up to Danzo and hooked his tattered collar with the tip of his shoe, and then easily dragged him up.

Dragging the half-dead Danzo just like that, Escanor followed behind Kushina and Naruto, walking out of this room.

The group of four walked out of the dark and oppressive Root underground passage and returned to Konoha's surface.

Kushina held Naruto's hand, holding her head high and walking with large strides in the middle of the street. The undisguised Chakra fluctuations belonging to a powerful ninja around her body caused the dust on the roadside to lift slightly.

Naruto, being held by her, still had tear stains on his face, and his blue eyes were somewhat red and swollen. But at this moment, tightly grasped by Kushina's warm hand, the fear in his heart was gradually replaced by a strange sense of security.

Meanwhile, Escanor, walking a step behind and to the side of Kushina, maintained a calm posture that was completely out of tune with the heavy atmosphere. His right hand hung casually by his side, while his left hand dragged a "thing".

That was Danzo, Konoha's high-level Advisor, the leader of Root.

At this moment, this big figure was hooked by the back collar of his neck by Escanor, effortlessly dragged along the uneven street. His face was covered in blood and dirt, bruised and battered.

This combination and the destination being obviously the Hokage Office made it difficult not to attract attention.

The first to notice them were a few ordinary Chunin patrolling nearby. First, they looked doubtfully at the menacing woman with red hair, finding her somewhat familiar, and then their gazes fell upon the blond boy she was holding.

Wasn't that Uzumaki Naruto, the village's notorious "demon fox kid"?

Then, their lines of sight shifted backward to the tall blonde man and the lump of... thing he was dragging.

"Th-That is..." A Chunin rubbed his eyes, his voice trembling.

"Dan-Danzo-sama?!!"

Finally, someone recognized the identity of that lump of "thing" and cried out in shock.

"Are we going to stop them?"

"Are you out of your mind? Why risk your life for a few hundred ryo a month? Danzo-sama is already like that. In front of that person, you're like an any.."

The exclamations were like pebbles thrown into a calm surface of water, spreading rapidly. In the shops on both sides of the street, passing villagers, and ninjas executing missions all stopped in their tracks, casting uncertain and astonished gazes at this bizarre group of people.

Shock, bewilderment, fear, curiosity... various emotions spread among the crowd.

Some recognized Kushina and were so shocked they almost passed out.