"I understand, we'll set off shortly." Hagoromo nodded.
"Yes, I'm more at ease knowing you can escort them back. Asuma will be in charge of the deputy commander of the battlefield from now on."
Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Hagoromo agree.
After all, transporting the Jinchūriki back to the village would be impossible without Hagoromo.
Hearing Kakashi's words, Hagoromo naturally had no objections; Asuma Sarutobi was no pushover.
At such a young age, he became Twelve Guardian Ninja, and his mastery of Wind Release and Fire Style makes him a true Elite Jonin.
Without hesitation, Hagoromo went straight to the location where Roshi was being held.
This trip back will be in small teams at most, as there are no extra ninjas available to be deployed at the front lines.
This is also the best arrangement; a large group will become a target.
He'd have to look after the others then, so it's better for him to just take a small team back to Konoha.
Upon arriving at the place where Roshi was being held, Asuma was smoking outside the tent.
Upon seeing Hagoromo approach, a pair of eyes were fixed on Hagoromo.
"What's wrong?" Hagoromo was taken aback, then looked at herself and found nothing was wrong.
"It's nothing. Just be careful on your way back to the village."
Asuma slowly exhaled a puff of smoke and said.
Hagoromo scratched her head, a little puzzled, but still nodded in response.
Upon entering the tent, they found Roshi, who had already woken up, sitting cross-legged on the ground surrounded by a cage reinforced with seals.
Hearing footsteps, Roshi looked up and asked, "What? Are you taking me to Konoha?"
"Ah, after all, your Third Tsuchikage's army is already pressing in."
Hagoromo said calmly, casually unsealing the outer cage and stepping inside.
With its own Yin Release enhancement, these seals are now merely for the Sealing Squad to report on.
After all, it doesn't matter if Hagoromo is a disciple of the Hokage.
Those who need to be careful should still be careful.
"Let's go." Roshi stood up and said upon seeing this.
"Wait a moment, Yutoshi," Hagoromo called out towards the outside of the tent. Hearing the voice, the Yutoshi slowly walked in.
Upon seeing the handcuffs brought by the Yutoshi, Roshi spoke up.
"Is it necessary? I can't even use a single Chakra right now."
"Just adding some insurance." Hagoromo ignored the other meaning behind Roshi's words and directly had the Yutoshi handcuff the item to Roshi's hands.
In an instant, as the handcuffs were put on, layers of runes spread out.
"You--"
Before he could finish speaking, Roshi fainted.
Muta was not surprised when he saw it as he pulled back the curtain, and put down the huge jar behind him.
This is the plan prepared by Hagoromo; all of the next group of Roshi will stay in Muta's jar.
With everything prepared, Hagoromo said, "Alright, let's get going. Our main task for the rest of the journey is to return to the village."
"Yes!"
Muta and the Yutoshi exchanged a glance and nodded in response.
--
Amegakure
Another Akatsuki meeting was held.
"Ara ara~ The Four-Tails is being taken back to Konoha ~"
The pitcher plant-shaped White Zetsu spoke.
All the Akatsuki members turned to look at Pain's figure.
"Kakuzu, Kisame, go and retrieve them."
Pain, who had kept his eyes closed, finally opened them after a long while and looked in the direction of Kakuzu and Kisame.
"Remember to eliminate any potential threats at the outset; we can't afford to let anyone notice our presence yet."
"Hmph—" Kisame grinned, which could be considered a response.
"No problem, I need to get to the Bounty Exchange as soon as possible." Kakuzu at Kisame and replied, "Let's meet within the Land of Fire."
"Okay, I understand."
Kisame nodded in response.
"Disperse!" Pain said immediately upon seeing this.
--
They traversed the Land of Rivers without incident, and then entered the border of the Land of Fire.
The Yutoshi and Muta's expressions finally calmed down a bit, but—
Snap--
Hagoromo's expression remained serious as she continued to leap and move forward from one giant tree to another.
After crossing the border of the Land of Rivers, he had been feeling uneasy.
With that thought in mind, Hagoromo paused and landed directly above a giant tree.
The Yutoshi and Muta, who were following behind, stopped immediately upon seeing this and looked at Hagoromo with puzzled expressions.
"Let's rest for a bit. We won't linger any longer; we'll get back to Konoha as quickly as possible."
Hagoromo adjusted the bandages on her wrist as she spoke.
"Yes!" Upon seeing this, the Yutoshi and Muta nodded and began to rest on the spot.
Hagoromo's gaze was fixed on the surrounding giant trees, her brows furrowed.
The heavy snow had stopped, leaving only a blanket of white snow, and everything around looked normal.
Only--
"Since you're here, just come out."
Hagoromo suddenly spoke up, and upon hearing this, the Yutoshi and Muta immediately stood up, looking around warily.
There was no response; only the soft rustling of snow falling from the trees provided any sound.
"What? You want me to make the first move?"
Hagoromo spoke, her Chakra instantly condensed, and an invisible shockwave spread outwards.
"So, how did you find out about us?"
A tall figure emerged silently, grinning with a mouthful of shark teeth, carrying a bandaged Samehada on his shoulder.
Hagoromo did not respond, turning her head to look at another spot.
Kakuzu's figure had already appeared there, his eerie green eyes fixed intently on Hagoromo.
No, it should be said that I was looking at Hagoromo's head.
"The bounty is 65 million taels of silver. Kisame, be careful not to damage your body."
Kakuzu spoke, he glanced at Kisame in the distance.
Oh? It's that tall?
Upon hearing Kakuzu's words, Kisame grinned, looking at Hagoromo's figure with great surprise.
"Ah, after all, an additional ten million taels was issued by the same country, so it can be combined."
Kakuzu nodded; as for which country it was, it wasn't hard to guess at all.
"Lord Hagoromo Yi!" the Yutoshi said solemnly. She had never sensed these two people before from any other ninja.
The feeling of unease that ran through her body told her that the two people in front of her were definitely not ordinary.
"Muta, Yutoshi, you two go first, I'll be there shortly."
Hagoromo looked at Kakuzu and Kisame, then gave instructions to the Yutoshi and Muta.
"But--" The Yutoshi was about to say something when Muta patted his shoulder.
"Let's go first." Muta said, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his face, his legs trembling slightly.
His insects were desperately warning him, urging him to leave.
After saying that, Muta grabbed the Yutoshi and quickly left.
The next instant, a figure dressed in black with red clouds appeared in front of Muta, who was about to leave.
"Well, we can't let you leave!"
Kisame grinned, revealing his shark teeth, and spoke to Muta, raising the massive Samehada in his hand before bringing it down directly towards the two of them.
Hagoromo's eyes turned cold, and in the next instant, she appeared directly in front of Kisame, delivering a whirlwind kick to Samehada.
Kisame initially revealed a ferocious smile upon seeing this scene, froze completely the next moment, his body flying backward.