Naruto: The Shadow Lord of the Nara Clan

The fruit stand was overturned.

Fresh red fruits are everywhere.

A muscular ape pounded its chest and roared.

After scaring away the Konoha civilians around it, it picked up the delicious food on the ground and began to devour it with gusto.

Inside the fruit shop in front of it, two girls were huddled together in a corner, embracing tightly.

They suppressed their breathing and trembled, trying to avoid being attacked by the apes by hiding behind the counter.

But watching their hard-earned fruits and vegetables being snatched away like this was unbearable.

The fruit shop owner's daughter clenched her fists in frustration and bit her lower lip.

This movement attracted the attention of the apes.

In an instant, the beast, which had been engrossed in enjoying its meal, became like a startled bird, and went berserk with excitement.

He picked up nearby objects and smashed them inside the shop.

A series of crackling sounds accompanied by piercing roars rang out.

Knowing that her hiding place had been exposed, Ayame mustered her courage, took a deep breath, and picked up her scissors to smash at the monkey.

At the same time, she immediately stood up, grabbed her best friend's hand tightly, and ran outside.

"Hurry up and leave, we can't stay here!"

Although her best friend was reluctant to part ways, she knew her limits.

Staying here, let alone whether you can protect your family property, it's hard to say whether you can even save your life.

The two ordinary girls were completely powerless against the monstrous strength of the ape.

Fortunately, although they were girls, they were not the kind of defenseless vases that noblewomen were.

Years of hard work have given them strong physiques, preventing them from experiencing bizarre incidents like falling on flat ground.

While the ape was still angrily pounding its chest after being stabbed by the sudden pair of scissors, they took advantage of the moment.

Changpu had already dragged her best friend and run dozens of meters away.

However, the brief moment of speeding up the ape itself is not very meaningful.

Because when it came to its senses and ran wildly towards Changpu and the other person on all fours, the distance between them was rapidly decreasing.

Seeing that the tall figure was about to engulf her home, despite her fear, Changpu kept racking her brains to think of a way to survive.

Perhaps because she was too engrossed in her thoughts, Ayame didn't notice that the monkey following closely behind had thrown a piece of broken wood at them.

The broken piece of wood, carried by the wind, swept through the air and was about to hit the back of the cattail's head with pinpoint accuracy.

"Sweet flag, watch out!"

The best friend, whose left hand was being held by Changpu, was pounding her heart.

Without a second thought, she instinctively lunged forward, successfully guiding the calamus away from the falling broken wood.

However, she twisted her ankle as a result.

She tried to force herself to get up, but the intense pain made it impossible for her to control the muscles in her lower body.

"Hiss... Hah..."

Seeing her best friend grimacing in pain, Changpu knew that if she wanted to escape, she would have to abandon her friend there.

But, no!

She cannot accept this approach!

Picking up a broken piece of wood, Changpu shielded her best friend behind her, gritting her teeth as she prepared to fight the monkey.

Seeing that the weak human in front of him actually wanted to resist, the monstrous ape revealed a mocking expression on its face.

It clenched its fists and slammed them into the ground, the loud thuds seeming to hit Ayam's chest, making her gasp for breath.

Seeing that its prey was intimidated by its powerful presence, the monstrous ape opened its mouth wide, revealing four sharp teeth.

It uses both hands and feet to run forward, imagining the wonderful scene of tearing its prey into countless pieces of flesh and blood, and excitedly whimpering.

However, the ugly roar abruptly stopped the next second.

The headless ape corpse lay heavily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He placed one foot on the corpse and looked down at the trembling Ayame and her companion.

"Are you all alright?"

The midday sun was a bit dazzling, but when it shone on the deer's face, it appeared exceptionally sacred.

For a moment, Changpu and the other person were completely mesmerized.

Lu Ying was already used to their reactions.

He jumped down from the bodies and carefully helped the two people up.

My gaze lingered for a moment on Changpu's best friend's ankle.

"It's a sprained ankle, but not serious."

"But it's best to go to the hospital for a check-up to prevent the condition from worsening."

"While there aren't many patients in the hospital right now, you can still get timely treatment if you go there."

"Don't worry, it will protect your safety on the road."

Lu Ying turned to the side, and a shadow soldier silently walked up.

The shadow blocked the sunlight, and only then did Ayame and the other person come to their senses and nod blankly.

After dealing with the wild beasts and birds of prey here, Shika-kage wasted no time and quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to run back and forth within Konoha Village.

After Lu Ying left, Changpu's best friend blushed and whispered:

"Sweet flag, he's so handsome~"

Changpu rolled her eyes at her, solemnly put her best friend's arm on her shoulder, and planned to go to Konoha Hospital as arranged by Luying.

"I almost died just now."

"You actually have the mood to get horny now, huh?"

Although her words were full of helplessness and "disdain," at the end of her sentence, Ayame still looked away, her ears turning slightly red.

"He is indeed very handsome..."

Perhaps fearing that her best friend would cause trouble, Changpu quickly changed the subject before her friend could speak.

She looked at the silent shadow soldier beside her, her heart filled with curiosity and fear.

Because the shadow soldier's appearance is a shadowy mass whose specific features are indistinct, only the outline of its body can reveal that it may be "human".

The purple hues that occasionally peeked out from the shadows added a touch of mystery and the unknown to it.

After hesitating for a moment, Changpu spoke up:

"Thank you for your help."

The shadow soldiers remained silent, unable to comprehend anything except the monarch's commands.

Although she was "ignored," the shadow soldier's aloofness did not make Ayame feel uncomfortable or disgusted; on the contrary, it filled her with a sense of security.

"Hey, Changpu, isn't that your father?"

Following her best friend's pointing finger, Changpu saw a middle-aged man frantically calling her name.

Seeing that her father was also safe and sound, Changpu's last worry vanished at that moment.

She was not born during the war, and her understanding of war was limited to what her parents had told her.

But today's events have given her some understanding of the cruelty of war.

This also made Ayame cherish the hard-won peace in Konoha Village even more.

At the same time, she was even more grateful to Nara Shikakage for saving her and her best friend.

……

The experiences of Ayame and her companion were not uncommon in Konoha at this time.

With the help of the shadow soldiers, Shikakage's support speed was far beyond that of ordinary ninjas.

Thanks to the rescue efforts of Shikakage and some free ninjas, 99% of Konoha civilians were not seriously injured.

Most of them are abrasions or sprains.

The buildings and houses on the streets were actually the ones that suffered the most damage.

Those who escaped the wild animal attack, along with the civilians who were rescued from it, felt incredibly lucky and moved.

The ninjas who saved the civilians felt proud of their actions.

But not everyone thinks that way.

At least Shikakage and Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't think that way.

In different places, at different times, I see different ruins and buildings.

The two of them reached a consensus without prior arrangement.

This is a farce!