Not far away.
Karin's expression suddenly changed. "Leader's chakra signature has vanished!"
Haku frowned slightly. "Vanished suddenly?"
"Yes!"
Karin nodded lightly, focusing intently with her Kagura Shingan to repeatedly sense the surroundings.
Even she was uncertain, not just Haku.
A chakra signature is almost equivalent to a shinobi's life force. If it completely disappears, it means the shinobi has either entered a barrier that blocks sensory detection or is confirmed dead.
In the wilderness, a sensory-blocking barrier was unlikely, leaving only the other possibility.
If this had happened to anyone else, Karin wouldn't have doubted her senses. But when it came to the Leader, she could only suspect something was wrong with her perception, as she couldn't believe anyone could kill such a powerful shinobi as the Leader in an instant.
Yet, after multiple attempts, Karin still couldn't detect the Leader's chakra signature.
Worse still, even the Jikibi connection she had maintained with the Leader seemed to have been severed for some reason.
Haku asked urgently, "What's going on?"
Karin shook her head, nervously saying, "I still can't sense Leader's chakra signature! Oh no, the chakra that was approaching him is rapidly retreating!"
"Let's go!"
Without wasting words, Haku's figure shot forward.
Karin hurriedly followed.
In the forest.
Chirp chirp.
A small sparrow landed on Jūgo's shoulder, flapping its wings and chirping noisily.
Kabuto and Guren's expressions tightened, both turning to Jūgo.
After listening carefully for a moment, Jūgo said, "Strange figures have appeared outside the forest!"
"Strange?" Kabuto furrowed his brow, pressing, "Is it A?"
Jūgo shook his head. "They're dressed similarly to A, but it's not the A who just left."
Guren's face darkened. "It must be Akatsuki members sent to monitor us! Damn, do they take us for fools?"
Kabuto's expression wasn't much better.
He could accept cooperation, but being blatantly monitored was intolerable. Moreover, Orochimaru had once betrayed the Akatsuki, so Kabuto worried that if their movements were constantly watched, even if they rescued Orochimaru, the Akatsuki might double-cross them and wipe them out!
Kabuto said, "Let's go confront that guy!"
Jūgo didn't hesitate, flashing forward to lead the way for Kabuto and Guren.
The trio moved swiftly, soon arriving at the tree where Obito had ambushed Shinji. However, instead of Obito, who had already left, they found Haku and Karin, who had just arrived.
"Hidden Leaf shinobi?"
The three were taken aback.
Haku and Karin, inspecting traces on the tree, were dressed in Hidden Leaf Police Force uniforms, which caught the trio off guard.
"Kabuto Yakushi?"
Haku recognized Kabuto at a glance.
After joining the Hidden Leaf Police Force with Shinji, the meticulous Haku had reviewed all the profiles of individuals wanted by Hidden Leaf.
Guren was furious. "Damn it, why are Hidden Leaf shinobi here? Is this the Akatsuki's doing?"
Jūgo sensed the surroundings and said quietly, "It seems it's just the two of them!"
"We can't let Hidden Leaf know our whereabouts. Attack!"
Kabuto made a snap decision.
Before Kabuto's words fully landed, Guren and Jūgo launched an assault on Haku and Karin.
Dealing with two young-looking Hidden Leaf shinobi didn't seem like a challenge to them. Without complications, they expected to wrap it up in minutes.
Seeing the aggressive approach, Haku and Karin had no choice but to engage.
Guren targeted Haku. Leaping into the air, she quickly formed hand seals and shouted, "Crystal Release: Crystal Pentagonal Path!"
Boom boom boom.
In an instant, pale pink crystals sprouted from the ground, rapidly extending toward Haku's position.
Swish.
Haku, activating his Mark, vanished from the spot.
In the next moment, he appeared behind Guren, thrusting a kunai forward. Unsure of her identity, he deliberately avoided vital points.
"!?"
Guren was startled. With her strength, she couldn't track Haku's movements. By the time she noticed him behind her, it was too late to defend. She barely managed to activate Crystal Release, forming a layer of crystal on her back.
Clang.
A sharp ring echoed, followed by a crack as the crystal shattered.
Guren crashed to the ground, staring at the broken crystals behind her. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. The opponent's strength far exceeded her expectations—if she hadn't acted decisively, she'd be severely injured by now.
Elsewhere.
Jūgo targeted Karin.
To end the fight quickly, Jūgo didn't hold back. He immediately activated his Cursed Seal and entered Gear Two. Then, he swung a fist at the seemingly frail Karin.
As he threw the punch, several jets appeared at his elbow, spewing a mix of chakra-infused gas like a shockwave, causing his fist to accelerate dramatically!
In Gear Two of the Cursed Seal, his ordinary punch was already immensely powerful. With the jet propulsion from his elbow, his fist was like a cannonball, capable of easily smashing through a mountain wall!
Facing Jūgo's incoming punch, Karin neither dodged nor flinched. Instead, she threw a punch of her own to meet it.
Boom.
The two fists collided, unleashing a deafening roar that stung the ears!
Then, something shocking happened. The one sent flying wasn't the frail-looking Karin but Jūgo, who, in his sage-enhanced, burly form, was hurled far back, crashing into a tree before stopping.
Guren, watching Jūgo fly through the air, was stunned. "How… how is that possible?"
Kabuto was equally shocked, his gaze toward Karin now carrying a hint of gravity.
Karin shook her arm, easing the soreness in her muscles.
Having fully developed her Uzumaki clan's sage body and gained the Senju clan's sage body through transplantation, her physique was now very close to that of the First Hokage.
For Tsunade, Monster Strength was an active skill, but for the First Hokage, it was merely a passive trait. Thus, with a physique nearing the First's, Karin naturally possessed similar terrifying strength—a direct manifestation of her robust constitution.
Guren and Jūgo, who had just gotten up, looked to Kabuto.
They had thought these were just small fries, but after clashing, they realized their opponents were ridiculously strong, leaving them uncertain about what to do next.