When Ishiki Kujo arrived,
the first thing he saw was Konoha's support squads locked in fierce battle with Kumogakure's ninjas.
The situation looked intense —
but to Ishiki's slight surprise,
it was actually Konoha holding the advantage.
Kumo had about eight fighters left,
just as Ishiki had guessed —
but many of them were wounded.
Though individually strong,
the relentless pursuit had drained their stamina.
Now, facing seven Konoha ninjas,
they had been forced into a defensive posture.
But after watching for a few moments,
Ishiki realized something:
these Kumo-nin weren't unable to fight back —
they were deliberately stalling.
Waiting.
For something.
Or someone.
It didn't take a genius to guess who:
Troy and Yugito Nii.
Too bad for them — Troy was already dealt with.
As for Yugito... who knew when she'd return?
In hindsight,
Troy had made a fatal error in targeting Ishiki.
Had Troy focused elsewhere,
Kumo might have seized overwhelming dominance already.
Given all that,
Ishiki decided not to expose himself prematurely.
With so many eyes around,
he couldn't unleash his full strength freely anyway.
Better to conserve his chakra and wait for the right opening.
Just as Ishiki was making this decision,
a distant rumble echoed across the forest.
His eyes sharpened —
he recognized that sound immediately.
The massive thud of an Earth Release: Headhunter Trap.
He'd heard it dozens of times before when training with Kawahara Shunji.
Which meant —
Shunji's squad had clashed with Yugito Nii!
Ishiki didn't hesitate.
Though he wasn't overly concerned about most others,
he couldn't just sit by if something happened to Yamashiro Aoba —
a long-standing ally of the Kujo household.
Even if, according to the manga's original timeline,
Aoba wasn't supposed to die here...
Ishiki's existence was already a butterfly flapping its wings.
He couldn't take that chance.
At full speed,
Ishiki raced toward the lakeshore.
But by the time he arrived,
Yugito's chakra was long gone.
All that remained were scorched craters,
shattered trees,
and floating atop the bloodstained lake —
two battered figures.
Aoba and Kawahara Shunji.
Ishiki's face darkened.
Without wasting a second,
he darted across the water's surface,
scooping both men out of the lake.
Blood dyed his gloves crimson.
Still —
both had faint pulses.
Good.
As long as they lived, he could save them.
Channeling the Ripple energy through his fingertips,
Ishiki stabilized their critical conditions.
The golden life force seeped into their wounds, halting the worst of the bleeding.
A rapid medical examination revealed:
Both had suffered major burns and blast trauma.
Their internal organs were ruptured.
Without swift, expert intervention, both would die.
But Ishiki noticed something else.
He hadn't yet spotted Reitou or Hyūga Heiichi.
A knot tightened in his gut.
Either Heiichi had escaped —
or worse.
Dragging the two survivors ashore,
Ishiki continued searching.
Soon he found Reitou, crumpled against a broken tree trunk.
Unconscious.
His body was riddled with fractures —
worse even than Aoba and Kawahara combined.
One of Reitou's arms was bent at an unnatural angle.
No major burns, though.
Just blunt trauma from a devastating blow.
Lining the three wounded side-by-side,
Ishiki still couldn't find Heiichi.
He figured —
maybe the Hyūga had broken off and fled,
while the others stayed behind to cover his retreat.
That would also explain Yugito abandoning the chase.
There was no time to waste.
Kneeling,
Ishiki placed a hand on Aoba's chest.
Medical Ninjutsu: Healing Palm Technique.
Ripple energy and Healing Chakra surged together.
He activated his Yang Release Ripple Chakra Mode,
golden light cloaking him once more.
Only in this enhanced state could he heal three critically injured comrades simultaneously.
Even so,
it was a massive strain.
Performing healing surgery required fine chakra scalpels —
something Ishiki was still perfecting.
Every incision, every weave of chakra,
drained his reserves like a hole in a leaking dam.
It was all Ishiki could do to stabilize them enough for transport.
Complete recovery would have to wait until they returned to camp —
or better yet, Konoha Hospital.
Besides,
this battlefield was far from secure.
He needed to conserve chakra for defense.
Unexpectedly,
the first to regain consciousness wasn't Aoba —
but Kawahara Shunji.
When Shunji's bleary eyes opened and saw Ishiki,
he visibly flinched.
Especially seeing Ishiki wrapped in that dazzling, radiant aura.
An involuntary sense of shame crawled over him.
He knew why.
He had betrayed Ishiki.
He had filed those cold reports to the Hokage —
and they hadn't been entirely fair.
Driven by personal ambition,
Shunji had twisted his observations,
exaggerating Ishiki's flaws.
Because he had wanted to replace Ishiki with Heiichi.
Because he had wanted promotion.
Because, deep down,
he had judged Ishiki without ever giving him a real chance.
Now, seeing the boy saving his life,
his guilt weighed heavier than his wounds.
Ishiki, for his part,
had no interest in Shunji's inner turmoil.
If he cared about anything,
it was how the Third Hokage would view him based on Shunji's reports.
Promotions, battlefield prestige —
those were meaningless compared to true survival.
As Ishiki shifted to treat Reitou,
a sudden, ominous chill ran down his spine.
Danger.
Before he could even react fully—
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
Shunji, despite his injuries,
threw up a massive mud wall between them and the incoming threat.
Boom!
The earth wall shattered almost instantly.
A shadow streaked through the dust —
barreling straight at them.
Ishiki leapt forward, arms crossed to shield his vitals.
WHAM!
It felt like getting hit by a freight train.
The sheer force sent Ishiki flying through the air like a broken doll.