Kurotsuchi spoke tactfully, but Kakashi immediately understood—the Hidden Stone must have suffered a loss against Moryo and Shinno.
This wasn't surprising. Kakashi had witnessed the demon Moryo's strength firsthand.
Without a Kage-level leader, ordinary jonin stood little chance against a demon like Moryo.
The Hidden Stone's success in pinning Moryo and Shinno within the Land of Earth was already an achievement.
Sorting through this, Kakashi asked, "Have the other villages' reinforcements arrived? What do you need from us?"
Kurotsuchi replied, "You're the first to arrive. The other villages haven't shown up yet. We hope you can help us rescue the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, first!"
"Agreed."
Kakashi nodded, then emphasized that the Leaf's forces, exhausted from their long journey, needed rest before engaging the Akatsuki. They also required real-time intelligence support from the Hidden Stone.
"No problem!"
Kurotsuchi nodded.
Her gaze then shifted to Shinji behind Kakashi, and she winked at him before turning to lead the Leaf forces onward.
"!?"
Shinji froze for a moment.
Yakumo, curious, asked, "You know her?"
Shinji shook his head. "Not really."
Northern Land of Earth.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.
Amid visible sonic waves, massive explosions followed, jarring eardrums. Shockwaves kicked up clouds of dust, engulfing the battlefield in chaos!
From above, the forest's trees all leaned in one direction, and at the explosion's epicenter, nothing remained but a massive crater!
In the distance.
A Hidden Stone ninja, hiding behind a rock, shouted, "Damn it, where's the reinforcement?!"
Only one comrade remained by his side. The others were either gravely injured, unconscious, or dead.
"We're done for! We're done for!"
His surviving companion, face full of despair, seemed on the verge of a breakdown.
He'd known the Akatsuki was tough, but he hadn't expected them to be this terrifying—especially the demon called "Moryo," who could unleash attacks akin to a "Tailed Beast Bomb." Most defensive ninjutsu were useless against such overwhelming energy.
Many of his comrades had died without even seeing the enemy's face, caught in the blast of this map-clearing attack.
Just as the two Hidden Stone ninja faced certain death, the battlefield suddenly fell silent.
"W-What's happening?"
The two poked their heads out from behind the rock, scanning the ravaged battlefield. The Akatsuki members were gone.
"We survived!"
The two exchanged looks, overwhelmed with relief.
Clearly, the enemy had no interest in finishing them off—or rather, didn't care about their lives at all.
While the two survivors stood in a daze, Moryo and Shinno, carrying the unconscious Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han, sped through a narrow valley.
Shinno said helplessly, "Looks like we've really pissed off the Hidden Stone this time!"
Moryo couldn't speak—his current vessel was too damaged and urgently needed replacement.
Suddenly, Zetsu emerged from the ground, blocking their path.
Moryo and Shinno stopped.
Shinno stepped forward. "What took you so long to rendezvous?"
Zetsu grinned awkwardly. "Sorry, got held up."
Shinno asked, "What now? The Hidden Stone ninja are hounding us like mad, and Moryo's vessel is falling apart!"
Zetsu said, "Hand me the Five-Tails Jinchuriki."
Shinno hesitated but ultimately tossed Han to Zetsu.
Zetsu covered Han with spores, which began absorbing the Jinchuriki's chakra.
Moments later, the spores spat Han out and transformed into an exact replica of the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, down to the finest detail.
Moryo and Shinno were stunned.
From appearance to chakra signature—even the scale of the chakra—the spore clone was more convincing than the real Han.
Zetsu smirked. "The path ahead is completely sealed off by the Hidden Stone. The Tsuchikage is heading this way!"
"What?!"
Zetsu continued, "Turn back, head to the valley entrance, then break south. Hiruko will meet you there. I'll take this spore clone to lure away the Tsuchikage, buying you time to escape!"
Shinno asked, "No blockades in that direction?"
"There are, but it's the weakest point in their line!" Zetsu paused, then added, "The Leaf's reinforcements are coming from that direction. If you're not fast enough, you might run into them."
"The Leaf?!" Shinno frowned, then asked, "Who's leading them?"
Zetsu replied, "It's likely the Leaf's Copy Ninja, Kakashi."
"Not a Hokage or one of the Sannin—our luck's not bad!"
Shinno smirked.
As a seasoned international spy, he knew the Leaf's top fighters well. While Kakashi was formidable, he was far easier to handle than a Hokage or one of the Sannin.
Zetsu warned, "Don't get cocky. The Leaf's Kurama Yakumo, who awakened a special dojutsu Bloodline Limit and gained 'Wood Release' through surgery, is with them."
Shinno smiled confidently, unfazed by a mere academy student.
Following Zetsu's advice, Moryo and Shinno, carrying Han, turned back, speeding south along a river from the valley entrance, breaking through several Hidden Stone blockades. Meanwhile, Zetsu, with the chakra-saturated spore clone, diverted the Tsuchikage's main force.
On the other side.
Led by Kurotsuchi, the Leaf forces reached the outer perimeter of the blockade zone.
In a temporary camp, Shinji and the others rested while awaiting the latest intelligence from the Hidden Stone's front lines.
Soon, Kurotsuchi rushed into the Leaf camp and found Kakashi. "The Akatsuki seems to have split into two groups. One's heading our way!"
Kakashi remained calm. "Is your village's Five-Tails Jinchuriki with them?"
Kurotsuchi shook her head. "We can't confirm. Intelligence suggests Han might be with the other group!"