Neji and Sasuke's defeat didn't even make the Third Hokage blink, but hearing that Yakumo—wielder of both Wood Release and the Koryugan—was taken down in a single move pushed him to the edge of composure. After all, even against Akatsuki's 'B,' Yakumo could hold her own for a while.
In the Hokage's office, the others reacted variably to the battle report.
Upon learning that Sasuke, Neji, and Yakumo were defeated and Uchiha Shinji had chased the enemy alone, Naruto, who had just calmed down, burst out, "What are we waiting for? Let's go save Neji!"
Jiraiya, for once, didn't bother restraining Naruto.
He was stunned by the news. Even he couldn't defeat the current Yakumo in a single move.
This alone suggested the attacker's strength was absurdly high!
The elder advisors reached the same conclusion.
Danzo remained unfazed, as if the village's crisis had nothing to do with him. Homura's face was dark with worry.
Koharu, meanwhile, furrowed her brow.
She was concerned for both the village and her newly taken disciple. If the enemy could cripple Yakumo in one strike, Shinji's solo pursuit seemed recklessly dangerous.
In that brief moment, the Third had already weighed his options and ordered, "Pursue with full force and rescue Neji Hyuga!"
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone in the office responded in unison.
In the Forest of Death.
The Forest of Death, adjacent to the village and with its complex terrain, was the go-to escape route for anyone fleeing the Hidden Leaf. Otsutsuki Toneri was no exception.
Shinji darted through the forest, his eyes locked on Toneri ahead.
"Hmph, just a puppet?"
Through the Byakugan granted by his mastery of Susanoo Tomoshibi, Shinji had discerned that the Toneri carrying Neji wasn't the real one but a lifelike puppet controlled by Tenseigan chakra.
Of course.
Even as a mere puppet, its combat prowess wasn't far off from Toneri's true self.
The real terror wasn't Toneri himself but the massive Tenseigan on the moon. As long as it could channel the Tenseigan's power, even a puppet was essentially the Tenseigan's spokesperson in the shinobi world.
Yakumo's one-hit defeat was proof of that.
Moreover, the puppet was likely controlled by Toneri's spiritual essence, so calling it Toneri himself wasn't entirely wrong.
If it weren't for Neji being abducted, Shinji wouldn't have bothered.
Neji was integral to his 'Tenseigan Plan,' an indispensable part he couldn't ignore!
At that moment, Toneri glanced back at Shinji, seemingly puzzled why Shinji dared to pursue alone.
Then, he stopped and turned to face Shinji coldly.
Shinji didn't hesitate for a second and lunged forward!
Outside the Forest of Death.
Whoosh.
Sasuke, pushing through his injuries, followed Shinji's trail to the forest's edge.
Upon landing, he found a surprising number of Hidden Leaf shinobi gathered at the perimeter. Haku and Karin, who had arrived earlier, were also stopped here.
Leading the effort to organize the scattered shinobi, form squads, and set up defenses was none other than Sasuke's mentor, Kakashi.
Sasuke approached Kakashi, "What's the situation?"
Noticing Sasuke's wounds, Kakashi said, "Why are you here? We don't need you—go treat your injuries!"
Sasuke waved him off, "I'm fine. Where's Shinji?"
Boom, boom, boom.
Before Kakashi could answer, a series of explosions echoed from deep within the Forest of Death, the night sky flickering with bursts of firelight!
Sasuke looked over, shocked, "That bastard fled into the Forest of Death? Who's fighting him? Shinji?"
Kakashi glanced in the same direction, "Probably."
Aside from Shinji, who had pursued first, the others who arrived later—like Haku and Karin—had all been stopped by Kakashi.
The enemy was overwhelmingly powerful. Scattered pursuit by a few individuals would only lead to pointless casualties, so Kakashi had halted everyone, organizing them into temporary squads based on their strengths and specialties for a coordinated manhunt!
Learning that Shinji was the one battling the formidable enemy in the forest, Sasuke didn't waste words. He turned to rush into the Forest of Death.
Kakashi immediately blocked him, "We know nothing about this mysterious enemy. We can't act recklessly!"
Sasuke snapped, "But Shinji—"
Kakashi shook his head, "Sasuke, this is real combat, not a sparring match at the academy. Sacrifices are inevitable! Shinji's holding the enemy back for us. Our job is to finish forming the squads quickly so every sacrifice has meaning!"
Sasuke scanned the area.
Though there were plenty of Hidden Leaf shinobi, Kakashi was the only Jonin. The rest were mostly Chunin, Genin, and even students like Haku, Karin, and Shion, who hadn't graduated from the academy.
It hit him why Kakashi hadn't rushed in.
With an enemy capable of crushing Yakumo in one blow, ordinary Chunin and Genin chasing recklessly would just be throwing their lives away.
Only an elite squad of Jonin could realistically pursue and rescue the abducted Neji.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Jiraiya, Asuma, Guy, a group of Jonin, Anbu, and Naruto—the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki who had been immediately protected—arrived at the scene.
Seeing the reinforcements, Sasuke was elated and urged, "Let's move!"
Jiraiya assessed the situation and took command, saying, "Hold on a bit longer!"
Sasuke grew frantic, "If we wait any longer, Shinji's as good as dead!"
Jiraiya looked toward the depths of the Forest of Death, where explosions continued. From the firelight and billowing dust, it was clear one of the combatants excelled in Fire Release—most likely Shinji, who had pursued first.
Yet he still didn't give the order to attack.
A short while later, Tsunade arrived and immediately said, "The enemy seems to possess an ability similar to 'Dark Release.' Yakumo's entire chakra was drained instantly, so we need to keep our distance and avoid physical contact with them."
Jiraiya had been waiting for Tsunade's firsthand intel. Without further delay, he issued the pursuit order.
In an instant.
The ready Hidden Leaf shinobi, organized into squads, surged into the Forest of Death.