"Underestimated Cloud Village…"
After hearing Tsunade's explanation, Shinji realized his oversight.
It turned out that when he summoned Yugito to the Land of Fire, her whereabouts had already been exposed, and he had been completely unaware.
If he had been with Yugito today, he might have been cornered by Cloud Village's forces.
After rescuing Yugito, instead of making a big scene, Cloud Village planned to use her as bait to lure Shinji out and ambush him.
However, wary of the Akatsuki's strength and wanting to play it safe, they contacted the nearest Hidden Leaf Village, requesting their support.
Thus, Shinji's current mission came about.
Reining in his thoughts, Shinji began devising a response strategy.
Since he had considered the possibility of Yugito breaking free from his genjutsu, he had deliberately kept her away from sensitive operations. So, although Yugito had regained her senses, she knew very little.
After all, most of the time, she had been under Shinji's control, hiding in the Land of Hot Water.
After repeatedly confirming that Yugito had no access to his core secrets, Shinji breathed a sigh of relief.
For him, controlling Yugito was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision. She wasn't integral to his 'Rinnegan Plan' or 'Tenseigan Plan,' so losing her as a Jinchuriki wasn't a significant loss.
Most importantly, Yugito had already escaped and was cooperating with Cloud Village to set a trap. With Hidden Leaf Village sending forces, any action Shinji took now could lead to unpredictable consequences. It was better to stay still. After all, Yugito was a bonus he had picked up and used for quite a while—letting her go free wasn't a big deal.
Soon, the Hidden Leaf forces arrived at the outskirts of the cave.
"It's this place?"
"So close to the village!"
"Damn it, the Akatsuki has been operating right under our noses!"
Realizing the mission location was so close to the village, the Hidden Leaf shinobi were outraged.
Yakumo and Sasuke, however, were visibly preoccupied.
Their greatest worry now was that their leader might fall into the ambush. If that happened, they weren't sure whether to help the leader or the village.
Moments later, the Fourth Raikage led a group of Cloud Village shinobi to meet them.
Jiraiya and Tsunade stepped forward to inquire about the situation.
The Fourth Raikage, looking displeased, questioned, "The Akatsuki's base is so close to your Hidden Leaf Village, and you didn't notice anything?"
Jiraiya replied, "We truly didn't detect anything."
Tsunade took over, "What's the situation inside the cave? Have you found any Akatsuki members?"
Knowing their Raikage's temper could be volatile and that they were currently requesting help, Cloud Village's jonin, Xi, quickly stepped in, "When we found this place, only Yugito was in the cave. According to her, she's been controlled by the Akatsuki's 'A' this whole time, wandering in the Land of Hot Water, and was only recently summoned to the Land of Fire."
Jiraiya asked, "Do you know why?"
Xi shook his head, "The Akatsuki operates with extreme secrecy. Even with Yugito under genjutsu control, they revealed no information. She only knows that last night, the Akatsuki's 'A' used some kind of ninjutsu to extract a large amount of her chakra."
"Extracting chakra?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged glances.
"She had her chakra extracted by the leader too?"
On the outskirts, Yakumo and Sasuke's expressions shifted slightly upon hearing Xi's words, as they too had nearly all their chakra extracted by the leader last night.
After grasping the general situation, Jiraiya scanned the surroundings, shedding his usual carefree demeanor and saying seriously, "This place is remote, but the terrain isn't complex. It's not ideal for setting an ambush!"
Tsunade agreed, "Exactly. Rescuing Yugito from the Akatsuki's grasp is already a stroke of luck. There's no need to hastily set up an ambush against the Akatsuki."
Surprisingly, the hot-tempered Fourth Raikage didn't argue this time.
Cloud Village's Xi said helplessly, "We know the chances of a successful ambush are low, but…"
Jiraiya asked, "But what?"
"I can't swallow this humiliation!"
An angry roar echoed from the cave, and Yugito, her face full of rage, emerged.
She had been treated like a dog by the Akatsuki for one or two years. With her pride, how could she endure such an experience? It was precisely because of her insistence that Cloud Village had planned this ambush.
Approaching the group, Yugito's gaze swept over the Hidden Leaf shinobi, lingering on Sasuke and Shinji, her eyes brimming with hostility.
It was the Uchiha clan, with their Sharingan, who had controlled her with genjutsu. Seeing Sasuke and Shinji in the Hidden Leaf group, her feelings were understandable.
Sasuke, feeling a bit guilty, avoided meeting Yugito's gaze.
Shinji, however, boldly met her eyes.
It wasn't that he was trying to provoke her; he just wanted to confirm whether Yugito could recognize him.
Sensing Yugito's hostility, Tsunade cautioned, "We deeply regret your ordeal, but this was the Akatsuki's doing, not Hidden Leaf's."
"Hmph!"
Yugito let out a cold snort.
Tsunade then asked, "Who's the target of your ambush?"
Yugito blurted out, "Of course, it's the Akatsuki's 'A.' I want to tear that bastard apart with my own hands!"
Jiraiya said, "Are you sure he'll show up?"
"Well… he'll definitely come!"
Yugito wasn't entirely certain, as the Akatsuki's 'A' had a record of leaving her in the Land of Hot Water for over half a year.
In his mind, Shinji quipped, "I'm already here!"
The Fourth Raikage declared, "Regardless, this is an opportunity. If we can successfully capture the Akatsuki's 'A,' it'll play a key role in countering the Akatsuki!"
Though the ambush planned by Cloud Village seemed rushed, after confirming that only the Akatsuki's 'A' had interacted with Yugito, Jiraiya and Tsunade followed Cloud Village's lead, directing the Hidden Leaf forces to join the ambush.
Hiding in the canopy of a large tree, Sasuke glanced around, contemplating how to send a message to the leader.
Meanwhile, concealed in a patch of bushes, Yakumo considered whether to find an opportunity to release Ido and warn the leader to avoid the ambush.
While Sasuke and Yakumo were both thinking of ways to alert their leader, Shinji, their leader, was hiding in the bushes alongside them, waiting to ambush… himself.