In the president's office at the headquarters of Wedge Real Estate, Yagura, the company's president, was warmly entertaining a guest.
With a smile playing on his lips, Yagura asked, "Those kids are pretty good, aren't they?"
The man before him chuckled, his distinctive hoarse voice unmistakable. "Indeed, they're some fine children!"
Clearly, Yagura's guest was none other than Orochimaru.
From their conversation, it was evident that Orochimaru was a client of Yagura's.
This wasn't surprising. Orochimaru's obsession with human experimentation was well-known, and ordinary bodies no longer satisfied him. He sought something special—bodies with Bloodline Limits.
Yagura, who scoured the shinobi world for children with Bloodline Limits, was undoubtedly one of Orochimaru's best partners.
Yagura asked, "Orochimaru, I heard you were once part of the Akatsuki?"
"Indeed."
Orochimaru nodded.
Yagura clicked his tongue in wonder. "Escaping an organization like that is no small feat!"
Orochimaru, uninterested in discussing his past, brushed it off with a few words before saying, "This time, I need your help with something."
Yagura smiled. "What kind of help?"
"You've heard about what the Hidden Leaf is doing in the Land of Hot Springs, haven't you?" Pausing, Orochimaru added with a playful tone, "I've got my eye on a certain kid, and I need a bit of your assistance."
Yagura's smile widened. "Targeting the Hidden Leaf? That's not an easy deal!"
Orochimaru replied, "Don't worry—it's a trivial matter for you. All I need is for you to set up a bait. I'll handle the rest."
"A bait, huh?"
Yagura fell into thought.
It wasn't that he was deliberately stalling Orochimaru. Rather, he recalled that Shinji had previously given him a similar task—to use his connections in the Land of Hot Springs to lure the rogue shinobi targeted by the Hidden Leaf to a specific cave.
As an order from the Akatsuki leader himself, Yagura didn't dare disobey or question it, so he had followed through without hesitation.
Now, with Orochimaru making a similar request, Yagura felt a twinge of unease, as if a storm was brewing over the Land of Hot Springs.
Outside Star Valley, boom, boom, boom.
A purple skeletal Susanoo rose from the ground, roaring as it tore through the encroaching vines.
The skirmish sparked by Steel Juro was still ongoing.
As the battle escalated, Yakumo unleashed her Wood Release, forcing Sasuke to activate his Susanoo.
In the distance, Kakashi's expression darkened as he saw Sasuke summon Susanoo.
But he knew that against Yakumo's Wood Release, Sasuke had few options. Without Susanoo, his team would be crushed instantly.
Tsunade, nearby, let out a soft chuckle.
Susanoo varied in strength. If it were the hundred-meter-tall complete Susanoo wielded by Akatsuki's 'A' or 'B,' Yakumo's Wood Release might struggle to compete. But a skeletal Susanoo only a few stories tall could, at best, barely defend itself against her Wood Release.
It might not even manage that!
On the battlefield, the fierce clash continued.
Beneath the Susanoo, Sasuke glared darkly at Yakumo, who stood amidst her sea of trees.
Naruto and Sakura, also sheltered by the Susanoo, nervously watched the surging forest around them, their expressions grave.
Without Sasuke's Susanoo, they wouldn't even have a foothold against Yakumo's Wood Release.
Sakura urged, "Sasuke, let's retreat!"
Naruto opened his mouth but said nothing.
He desperately wanted to ease Sasuke's burden by rushing out of the Susanoo to fight Yakumo.
But his training experience told him that Wood Release countered tailed beasts too strongly. During training, his rampages had been subdued by Yakumo's Wood Release multiple times. At this stage, he was no match for her, even if he went into tailed beast mode.
Sasuke weighed his options. The assessment was only halfway through, and fighting Yakumo's team to mutual destruction now would be pointless. He said, "You two, keep up with me!"
With that, he turned to break out.
Seeing Sasuke's team retreat, Yakumo didn't press too hard. She knew Sasuke's strength, and a real fight would cost her team as well. With Steel Juro, their target, already gone, there was no point in clashing with Sasuke's team now.
She manipulated the sea of trees, opening a path for Sasuke's team to withdraw.
As the surging forest receded, Sasuke dispelled his Susanoo, glanced back at Yakumo, and let out a cold snort.
Kakashi sighed in relief. "A wise choice!"
Tsunade commented, "Sasuke's matured compared to before! Naruto's countered by Yakumo's Wood Release, and Sakura's a medical ninja. If he kept fighting, he'd only weaken his team for nothing!"
Kakashi nodded lightly. "Yeah, Sasuke's team doesn't have much chance of winning!"
Even three-on-one, Sasuke's team might not take down Yakumo alone.
Not to mention, Yakumo had Kimimaro and Shion with her—especially Kimimaro, whose true strength even Kakashi couldn't gauge.
Just as Kakashi and Tsunade thought the two teams would disengage, a sharp whistle cut through the air, and a figure lunged at Sasuke.
"!?"
Sasuke froze briefly but quickly reacted, meeting the attack.
Boom, boom, boom.
In an instant, the two engaged in a fierce taijutsu battle!
"Damn it!"
Nearby, Naruto immediately went into tailed beast mode, cloaked in his tailed beast chakra, and joined the fray.
Sakura could only watch anxiously from the sidelines. The sudden attacker was Kimimaro, a genius on Sasuke's level from the academy, and her current strength didn't even qualify her to join the fight.
On the other side, Yakumo and Shion were also surprised but didn't rush to act, instead positioning themselves to support Kimimaro.
In the heat of battle, Sasuke's lips curled into a smirk. "Kimimaro, I've been wanting to settle things with you! Since you've come for me, let's use this assessment to clear up our old grudges!"
Kimimaro, unusually, responded, "You talk too much!"
Sasuke grinned. "That's not like the usual you!"
Naruto interjected, "Sasuke, let's take him down together!"
Sasuke's brow twitched. "Naruto, don't interfere in our—"
Before he could finish, another figure rushed into the fray, kicking the tailed-beast-cloaked Naruto and sending him flying.
It was Shion.
She declared, "One-on-one is fair. Naruto, your opponent is me!"