The Eight-Tails' chakra gradually dissipated. The massive form shrank, tailed beast energy withdrawing until it revealed an unconscious Killer B collapsed on the ground.
"Yes! We caught the Eight-Tails jinchūriki!" Dōtō looked excitedly at the figure lying in the dirt.
"Don't celebrate yet. They escaped." Minato leaped down from the slowly crumbling wooden golem and walked over to where B lay.
"Idiot, didn't you notice A and the other Kumo ninjas are gone?" Enma asked helplessly, his gaze sweeping across the empty battlefield. Aside from their group and B on the ground, not a single other figure remained.
"Huh? You're right!" Dōtō's smile froze.
Kenji walked over to the fallen jinchūriki.
"They must have used a substitution before we could completely immobilize them. It's one of the Eight-Tails' unique abilities. It can relocate its main consciousness by severing one of its tentacles. We were so focused on suppressing the beast that we didn't notice the switch."
As he spoke, he channeled chakra into his palm and pressed it against the jinchūriki's body.
Poof!
White smoke exploded outward. The B on the ground instantly transformed into a thick severed tentacle from the Eight-Tails, still twitching slightly.
He wasn't surprised. He'd half-expected this outcome. The Eight-Tails was known for this trick. He pulled a storage scroll from his pouch and sealed the tentacle inside.
The others watched but didn't ask why he wanted it. They'd learned by now that he collected samples for his research. Whatever he planned to do with tailed beast tissue was his business.
"At least it's not a complete loss," Enma said as he deactivated his Sharingan. "The Kumo ninjas probably won't be sending more squads to this border zone for a while."
"You're right. Things should be easier for us now," Minato agreed. Then his face fell slightly. "Come on, time to head back and write the mission report. This one's going to take forever."
Kenji couldn't help but laugh. "That's what you get for being competent."
He knew the village was grooming Minato for the position. This border deployment with him as captain was specifically designed to build his credentials and give him command experience. Naturally, all the tedious paperwork fell on his shoulders too. The group chatted and laughed as they left the battlefield, the tension from the fight gradually fading.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, A was sprinting toward the Land of Lightning with the unconscious B on his back. His muscles burned, but he didn't slow down until they'd put significant distance between themselves and the Konoha ninjas.
"Raiga," he called to one of the sensory ninjas running beside him. "Have they caught up?"
"No. There's no trace of enemy chakra within my sensing range," the ninja replied.
A finally slowed down, then stopped entirely in a concealed cave system they'd scouted earlier as an emergency fallback point. He set B down against the cave wall and checked his vital signs.
"Rest for a bit," A ordered the squad. "We need to recover some chakra before making the final push back to the village."
He sat down heavily, his mind still replaying the battle.
"Konoha has regained the power of Wood Release," he said quietly, more to himself than his squad.
The thought made his jaw clench. Right now, he was nowhere near strong enough to fight a Wood Release user of that caliber. Not even close. He'd need to train harder.
The Third Great Ninja War was coming. And if Konoha had Wood Release on their side again, the balance of power had just shifted.
---
Several days later, Kenji found himself walking through Konoha's administrative district toward the Hokage Building. The summons had come quickly after Minato submitted the mission report. No surprise there. The mention of Wood Release puppets would have sent shockwaves through the command structure.
He climbed the stairs to the Hokage's office and knocked lightly on the door.
"Hokage-sama, Jonin Yamanaka Kenji reporting as ordered."
"Come in," Hiruzen's voice called from inside.
Kenji pushed opened the door and stepped into the office. The Third Hokage sat behind his desk, the familiar pipe in hand, though it wasn't currently lit.
"Hokage-sama." Kenji bowed respectfully.
"Kenji, I've read Minato's report." Hiruzen got straight to business, leaning forward slightly. "You encountered A, and the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, correct?"
"Yes. We defeated the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, though A managed to escape with him using a special substitution technique."
"The report says your puppet can use Wood Release ninjutsu. Is that accurate?" Hiruzen's eyes locked onto him. This was clearly the question he cared about most.
"It's accurate," Kenji confirmed calmly. "I've developed a Wood Release puppet. Though it still has limitations. It can defeat an Eight-Tails jinchūriki with effort, but it's nowhere near the level of the First Hokage. Hashirama-sama could suppress tailed beasts effortlessly. Mine requires sustained combat and support."
He was being honest, but he also had an ulterior motive. He hoped this conversation might lead to information about Hashirama's Sage Mode. From what he knew, the First Hokage's senjutsu hadn't come from any of the three great sage regions. There had to be another source, and that was exactly what he needed to advance his own abilities.
Hiruzen's eyes lit up at the confirmation. "Can you demonstrate it for me?"
"Here?" Kenji glanced around the office. "That might not be convenient. Wood Release techniques tend to be large-scale. I'd hate to damage the building."
Of course, if Hiruzen actually insisted, he wouldn't mind demolishing the Hokage Building. That would be entertaining in its own way.
"Right, I was too eager." Hiruzen realized the issue and stood up with a slight smile. He reached for his Hokage hat and placed it on his head. "Let's go to the training grounds."
They walked together through the village to one of the larger practice facilities on the outskirts. The training ground was empty, as Hiruzen had likely arranged in advance.
Hiruzen stopped at the edge of the field and gestured broadly. "Here should work. Show me the power of Wood Release."
"Summoning Technique!"
Kenji's hands moved through the familiar seals before he slammed his palm against the ground. White smoke erupted and when it cleared, his Wood Release puppet stood there in full view.
Actually, he had prepared for this the moment he'd received the summons back to Konoha. He'd already activated the Mind Clone Switch Technique to remotely control the puppet, saving himself the trouble of doing it on the spot. The puppet responded to his mental commands as smoothly as if he were controlling it directly.
He stepped aside and issued the mental command.
The Wood Release puppet's hands blurred through seals. Wood Release chakra flowed out from its body.
"Nativity of a World of Trees!"
The ground trembled. Cracks spread across the training field's surface. Then saplings burst upward from the earth. They grew at an impossible rate, expanding from tiny shoots to towering trees. Branches spread, creating a dense forest canopy.
Within moments, the entire training ground was covered in mature forest. The scent of fresh wood and green leaves filled the air.
Hiruzen stood frozen, staring at the transformation. Seeing Wood Release in person after all these years must have brought back memories of his old teacher.
"It truly is Wood Release..."
He took a deep breath, then turned to face Kenji.
"Tell me about this Wood Release puppet. How difficult is it to create? Could you make another one for other ninjas to operate? As long as you're willing to produce them for the village, Konoha will compensate you appropriately."
His tone made it clear this was a serious offer. For Konoha's future, he was willing to overlook concerns about classified information or proprietary techniques. The ability to suppress tailed beasts would be crucial in the coming Third Great Ninja War. Having multiple Wood Release users, even if they were puppet-based, could tip the balance of power.
Kenji had expected this angle. Time to play his cards.
"Hokage-sama, this puppet was created through cooperation with Danzō-sama, using cells derived from the First Hokage." He didn't bother with euphemisms or dancing around the truth. Might as well throw Danzō under the cart immediately. "It took enormous amounts of time and resources to create just two. One is in my possession, and the other is with Danzō-sama, operated by a Root ninja."
Hiruzen's expression didn't change much, but Kenji could see the gears turning behind his eyes. Mention of Danzō and Hashirama cells together would raise all sorts of questions. Questions that would inevitably lead to him confiscating the second puppet from Root.
"Danzō..." He nodded slowly. "How long would it take to create a new puppet?"
"The construction process for a Wood Release puppet isn't particularly long anymore. Maybe a week." Kenji saw his opening and took it. "The real bottleneck is materials. Wood Release chakra is extremely corrosive to standard puppet components. It requires large quantities of rare, chakra-resistant materials to build a frame that won't break down. Otherwise the puppet degrades quickly and becomes useless."
He wasn't about to miss this golden opportunity to acquire resources at the village's expense. Puppet crafting always suffered from material scarcity. This was his chance to solve that problem.
Hiruzen immediately understood what he was asking for, but didn't seem bothered by it. Instead, he moved on to the next question.
"I noticed you weren't controlling it with standard chakra threads like Suna puppeteers use. Your control method, does it have special requirements?"
"I use a technique from the Yamanaka clan," Kenji explained. "Only by controlling the puppet through mental energy can it properly channel bloodline abilities. But there's a drawback. The puppet's upper limit depends entirely on the operator's spiritual strength."
"So only members of the Yamanaka clan can operate these puppets?" Hiruzen immediately grasped the key point. The Yamanaka clan's naturally strong spiritual power made them ideal candidates.
"Exactly," Kenji confirmed. "When I cooperated with Danzō-sama on the initial project, the operator he selected was a Yamanaka clan member named Fū."
Since he'd already sold out Danzō, he might as well be thorough about it. Whether Hiruzen could retrieve that operative from Root's clutches would depend entirely on his political maneuvering skills.
But that was his problem, not Kenji's.