This was a valley located in the southern part of the Land of Lightning.
Snap! In an instant, Yugito froze mid-step, her entire body tensing.
The figure standing on the tree branch was a kunoichi.
She had long, chestnut hair flowing smoothly in a braid behind her back.
On her head rested a forehead protector bearing the symbol of Kumogakure.
She looked barely a teenager but carried herself with confidence and pride—a rising star among ninjas.
She was Yugito, the Two-Tails jinchuriki of Kumogakure. Recently promoted to jonin, she now qualified for independent missions outside the village.
This mission marked her first time leaving the village entirely alone.
Chosen as the Two-Tails jinchuriki at merely two years old, she had always been protected by other ninjas throughout her childhood.
Although jinchuriki enjoyed higher status in Kumogakure than in other villages, they were still treated differently—prohibited from leaving the village without permission among other restrictions.
To Yugito, such treatment felt extremely suffocating.
Long ago, she had made a promise with the late Third Raikage: that upon becoming a jonin, she would gain complete freedom to leave the village and carry out solo missions.
Now under the Fourth Raikage's leadership, she finally achieved that long-sought goal.
As soon as she passed the jonin exam, Yugito jumped at the chance to request her first solo mission outside the village.
This particular assignment was simply escorting a minister from the Land of Lightning back to Kokuto, nothing dangerous—a B-rank mission. Thus, A, the Fourth Raikage, happily let Yugito take some time off.
"Huff, being alone really feels free!"
Standing on the tree branch, Yugito wiped the sweat from her forehead after traveling nonstop.
The minister had already reached Kokuto safely, and she was heading back to the village.
However, instead of rushing straight back, she moved leisurely, pausing frequently to enjoy herself along the way.
Though not her first time beyond the village walls, this was the first occasion where she journeyed entirely alone. Embracing this newfound freedom, she decided to play around a bit before returning.
After resting briefly, Yugito made her way forward again.
She recalled passing through this forest would lead to a small town ahead. Perhaps she could eat there and soak in a nice bath until she practically cried out in delight.
Thinking about it excitedly, Yugito stepped lighter and quickened her pace.
Creak!
In a blink, Yugito halted abruptly, every muscle tensing.
And just as suddenly, she noticed—the entire forest had fallen eerily silent, devoid of any sound whatsoever!
Matatabi, the Two-Tails, was a wary cat spirit, and as its jinchuriki, Yugito shared that same cautious nature.
The moment she sensed danger, she crouched low defensively.
A layer of blue chakra flared across her skin like burning flames.
Her eyes turned white, and her previously braided hair loosened, floating upward like a waving tail.
"Yugito, the Two-Tails jinchuriki?"
A muffled sound rang out, not far from Yugito's position.
She whipped her head toward the source.
The sunlight was hazy, and several shadowy figures stood against the light in that direction.
Their features weren't clear, but the speaker was a tall, fat man—bald, yet with several spike-like attachments on his head.
"Heh heh!"
A guttural hiss slid from her throat as she mimicked the sound of a feline predator readying itself for an attack. Yugito's expression tensed. The enemies had appeared without any warning, as if they'd teleported into existence.
She sensed chakra from them—equal to her own in strength.
Glug! A blue flame-shaped chakra surged upward, bubbling like liquid.
From behind Yugito, a blue tail covered in black talisman patterns emerged, stirring the air as it swayed.
"That settles it!" The voice rang out again. Yugito narrowed her eyes when she spotted a smoke-trailing projectile shaped like a spiral flying directly at her.
Boom! A violent explosion erupted, leaving behind a massive crater and blowing nearby trees in all directions.
Swish! From within the blast zone, a blue figure leaped out, landing on all fours with a wide grin revealing two sharp tiger-like fangs peeking through.
"Black cloak with red clouds... six of them. Who are they?" Yugito couldn't calm her thoughts. Their entire posture signaled this was an ambush specifically aimed at her.
At a time like this, who would dare provoke her Kumogakure? Even Konoha, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, had compromised with Kumogakure years ago over certain events.
Who were these strangely looking individuals?
Before she could finish pondering, another attack arrived. Again, it was that same smoke-trailing hidden weapon—an explosive ninja tool capable of detonation similar to an explosive tag, but even more powerful.
She pressed her limbs into the ground and launched herself away just in time.
[Deva Path] stood at the forefront of Pain's Six Paths, with [Asura Path] by his side—the one responsible for the last attack.
Ripples of pale blue light swirled inside his eyes. [Deva Path] observed how the Two-Tails jinchūriki had dodged his strike and now bared her teeth toward them.
He showed no emotion whatsoever, maintaining his usual icy demeanor.
"Initiate Operation: Capture of the Two-Tails."
In a flash, the six figures scattered and landed before Yugito.
At that moment, Pain radiated overwhelming presence—as if background music were playing itself.
Grrr! Grrr! She snarled low in her throat, arching her spine while swinging her single tail behind her.
Ten razor-sharp nails extended from her fingers, carving neat grooves across the ground where she stood.
...
Elsewhere, having shaken off his pursuers, Saitama made his way toward the prearranged meeting point with Sasori.
It was a vast canyon located at the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.
After fighting all night, Saitama felt a bit tired—but nothing he couldn't handle.
As for Sasori and his group, they should have already arrived and started waiting for Saitama.
With no one chasing or blocking him anymore, Saitama reached the location before dawn.
From afar, Saitama sensed the strange chakra fluctuations of Sasori, along with the significantly weakened chakra of Yura.
"[Hiruko] raised his head. 'You look pretty roughed up, Saitama!' Hidden behind black cloth, his face showed no expression, but a strange light flickered in his dark eyes."
Who knew how Sasori managed to make puppets express emotion?
Saitama paid no attention to the mockery in Sasori's tone. His gaze fell onto Gaara, who was wrapped by Sasori's tail and carried on his back.
"Is this kid alright? Why is he still spitting bubbles?"
Saitama looked at Gaara with some confusion because what he saw was a purple-faced Gaara continuously exhaling white foam from his mouth, like a crab left out in the sun too long.
"Oh, he just woke up and tried to run off, so I gave him a little shot—don't worry, he won't die! Based on a jinchuriki's physical tolerance, he should make it through a few days."
Sasori spoke calmly, his voice barely changing.
Yura stood silently behind Sasori the whole time, never speaking, her head bowed low.
"Oh, then let's go! Pain already sent me a signal!"
Saitama nodded, asking nothing further. There was no way around it—Gaara's fate was sealed.
Once a tailed beast is removed, a jinchuriki rarely survives. Unless Chiyo was willing to offer her own life, there was no hope for Gaara.
But that was nearly impossible. At this point, Gaara wasn't worth enough to Chiyo to justify using the [Forbidden Technique: Samsara of Heavenly Life].
They set off again, heading toward Amegakure Village. They were already near the border; they would be back within just a few hours.
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