Boom!
The entire forest seemed to come alive, restless and wild under the cover of night, unleashing a series of deafening roars!
Such a scene would send chills down the spine of not just ordinary people but even seasoned jonin.
Caught in the midst of it, Sasori was silently suffering.
Even as a child, he'd heard tales of "Wood Release," a unique Bloodline Limit exclusive to Hidden Leaf.
As he grew older, his strength and horizons expanded, and he began to resent the near-omnipotent portrayal of "Wood Release" from those childhood stories.
So when the organization tasked someone to investigate Hidden Leaf's resurgence of "Wood Release," he volunteered.
He wanted to see for himself if "Wood Release" truly lived up to the despair-inducing legend from his youth.
Now, he finally understood!
Clang!
At that moment, the blades on the tail of his puppet, Hiruko, dulled and snapped from cutting through too many trees.
His expression darkened.
The puppets he crafted were made from the finest materials, especially the blades—forged from meticulously tempered steel. Yet, in just a short while, they were ruined.
"This is bad!"
Without the tail's blades, Hiruko had no way to fight while retreating through the tree sea. Soon, it was completely ensnared by countless vines.
In the air.
Watching Sasori get swallowed by the tree sea, Deidara, lounging cross-legged on his clay bird, looked surprised. "No way, Sasori-kun got taken out just like that?"
Farther off.
Hidden in the canopy of a large tree, Shizune watched from a distance, her face full of disbelief.
She couldn't fathom that Yakumo, a mere eight- or nine-year-old, was not only holding her own against Akatsuki members but even seemed to have the upper hand.
Whoosh.
Just then, Tsunade arrived in a hurry, landing beside Shizune. Glancing at the battlefield, she asked, "What's going on?"
Shizune quickly relayed what she knew.
Upon learning Yakumo was facing two Akatsuki members, Tsunade's expression shifted dramatically.
The Akatsuki's every move brought bloodshed and chaos—even someone as mighty as the Raikage had suffered at their hands.
Tsunade asked, "Has the distress signal been sent?"
"Mm!"
Shizune nodded firmly.
Confirming the signal was out, Tsunade flashed forward, charging toward the battlefield.
On the battlefield.
Yakumo darted through the tree sea, leaping from vine to vine, steadily closing in on Sasori, trapped by the forest.
Thanks to her Koryugan, she could see clearly: though Sasori was bound by countless vines, Hiruko's durability kept the branches from doing any real damage.
Soon, she reached the entangled Hiruko. With a high leap, she swung a fist down at it.
As her punch descended, the vines binding Hiruko parted as if alive, exposing the puppet within.
Boom!
In an instant, with a thunderous crash, Sasori's Hiruko was shattered into pieces by Yakumo's punch.
Sasori escaped from the wreckage, landing on a tree, his face twisted in frustration.
Yakumo glared at him from below, panting as she demanded, "You traitors—hand over my parents now!"
Forced into such a corner by an eight- or nine-year-old girl, Sasori seethed. "Hmph, looks like I've been underestimated!"
With that, he pulled a scroll from his ninja pouch and unfurled it. As it opened, the bold "Three" character came into view.
No doubt about it—this was Sasori's prized possession!
A human puppet crafted from the corpse of the Third Kazekage, whom he'd assassinated!
Poof.
In a puff of white smoke, the Third Kazekage puppet appeared.
Instantly, vast clouds of black iron sand rose into the air, hovering like dark clouds over the forest.
Sasori leapt onto the floating Third Kazekage puppet's back, staring coldly at Yakumo below. "I've decided—I'll turn you into a puppet too!"
From the sky, Deidara called out, "Sasori-kun, need a hand?"
Sasori hesitated, then replied, "Let's take her down together! We're too close to Hidden Leaf—drag this out, and we might have trouble."
"Got it—"
Before Deidara could finish, whoosh—a massive tree trunk shot from the forest, smashing him and his clay bird down to the ground.
Then Tsunade's figure landed beside Yakumo.
Seeing Tsunade appear, Sasori's face darkened.
Tsunade eyed Sasori, sizing up the Third Kazekage puppet beneath him, then said to Yakumo, "Fall back—I'll handle this!"
Yakumo protested, "Tsunade-sama, I can fight!"
Tsunade snapped, "Don't be reckless! These are Akatsuki members—enemies you can't handle yet!"
Yakumo glared fiercely at Sasori. "They're just a bunch of traitors!"
Tsunade's tone grew stern. "Obey me! Go—Shizune will cover you!"
Yakumo reluctantly nodded, feigning a retreat from the battlefield.
She had no intention of giving up—not when she still hadn't uncovered her parents' whereabouts. She needed a way to capture Sasori or Deidara.
As she withdrew, Yakumo muttered inwardly, "Ido, I'm counting on you this time!"
Ido, long fed up, grumbled, "Enough talk—let me out already! I'll kill them all!"
Yakumo warned, "Don't go overboard. Leader said you and 'Koryu' can't be exposed lightly!"
Ido frowned. "Then what do you want me to do?"
"Father and Mother are likely being held nearby by the enemy. You're a spirit—go search for them!" Pausing, Yakumo added, "And disguise yourself!"
"Got it!"
With a quick reply, Ido flew out of Yakumo's body in spirit form, taking on the appearance of an Akatsuki member—hooded red-cloud robe and masked—modeled after the uniform Yakumo had worn privately, given to her by Uchiha Shinji.
Moments later, Yakumo left the battlefield, distancing herself from the forest.
As she pondered an excuse to return, a figure descended from the sky, blocking her path.
"Orochimaru!"
Yakumo recognized him instantly.
Orochimaru stared at her, his tongue flicking out in excitement. "No wonder Tsunade's so worked up—she's found herself a real treasure!"
From a distance, a pair of eyes watched the chaotic skirmish unfold.
The observer was none other than Uchiha Shinji.
Yakumo, now a prize fought over by all sides, was an unintended creation of his. He wasn't in a rush to intervene, instead watching silently, curious to see just how far she could go.