Re-abusing Shukaku!

Yo ducked into a secluded corner, dispelled the Transformation Jutsu, then appeared at Kakashi's side, who was still locked in combat with Baki.

Seeing him return safely, Kakashi's tense nerves visibly relaxed.

"Yo! That Sunagakure Jinchuriki has completely lost control—things are bad! Go help Naruto and Sasuke!"

"Got it!"

Yo nodded, sensing the Flying Thunder God Mark he'd left on Sasuke.

Whoosh!

The next moment, Yo appeared in the dense forest of the rear mountain.

The scene before him was a wreck—trees toppled, the ground littered with sand pits and claw marks.

Sasuke was pinned to the trunk of a giant tree by a swollen mass of heavy yellow sand, unable to move.

"Yo!"

Seeing Yo suddenly appear, a flash of surprise lit up Sasuke's eyes.

After leaving the Root Base earlier, Sasuke had been worried about Yo.

Now that he saw him back safe, his heart relaxed.

Yo raised a hand and swept it down. A wind blade of condensed Chakra sliced through.

The sand binding Sasuke shattered with a crack, sand pattering to the ground.

"You're back? Those Root guys..." Sasuke started.

"What could they do to me?"

Yo waved a hand, then looked toward Naruto and Gaara. "You recover a bit—I'll go check over there!"

Before Sasuke could ask more, Yo vanished. When he reappeared, he was standing atop a surviving tree crown.

Not far ahead.

Gamabunta swung his short blade, clashing fiercely with the equally massive One-Tail Shukaku.

Naruto stood on Gamabunta's head, shouting directions anxiously.

"Naruto, need a hand?" Yo's voice came.

"Yo?!"

Naruto jerked his head up, and when he saw Yo, his face lit up with wild joy. "You came just in time!"

"Help me hold down that fat tanuki! He's gone crazy!"

"Yeah."

Yo nodded, shifting his gaze to the roaring sand beast. "Hey, fat tanuki, see who I am?"

Shukaku, mid-charge on a Void Ball, froze. His blood-red beast eyes locked onto Yo.

Seeing him, Shukaku erupted in fury. "Damn brat with Wood Release!! You again!!!"

"Die for me!!!"

Old grudges and new hatreds surged up. Shukaku even let the Void Ball at his mouth dissipate.

He threw his head back, wild Chakra condensing violently in his maw. A pitch-black Tailed Beast Ball took shape in an instant.

"Refuse a toast only to drink the forfeit!"

Yo snorted coldly, clapped his hands together in front of his chest, and shouted:

"Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique!"

Rumble!

The earth shook violently.

Giant tree roots burst from the ground, twisting and growing wildly.

In the blink of an eye, a massive wooden golem rose up.

Its face was ancient, its body clad in wooden armor, radiating immense life force and a heavy pressure.

"Die!"

The Tailed Beast Ball shot forward like a cannonball, blasting toward them.

"Hmph!"

Yo snorted, immediately commanding the golem. Its five fingers spread wide and snatched the Tailed Beast Ball, gripping it firmly in its palm.

Then—

Under Shukaku's stunned gaze and Gamabunta's wide-eyed shock—

The golem's arm swung in a full arc, stuffing the Tailed Beast Ball back into Shukaku's mouth.

"Wuh?!!"

BOOM!!!!

The Tailed Beast Ball exploded with a thunderous roar!

Blinding black-red light burst from Shukaku's teeth, nostrils, and even its eyes and ears, bleaching half the forest a stark white.

Moments later, the aftershocks faded, and the dust slowly settled.

Nearly half of Shukaku's head had been blown clean off, scattering into drifting sand in the air.

The remaining parts were riddled with cracks, looking utterly battered.

It shook its head, letting out a roar of pain and fury:

"You damn brat!!"

"How dare you... how dare you hurt your Shukaku like this! I'll never forgive you!!!"

Shukaku's single eye was fixed dead on Yao, who stood on the Wood Golem's shoulder, the hatred in its gaze nearly turning solid.

As the One-Tail, Shukaku was practically an incarnation of sand; of course, it wouldn't die from tanking its own Tailed Beast Ball.

From the spot where half its head had been blown away, countless grains of sand gathered from the ground.

In the blink of an eye, it reformed perfectly, good as new.

"You damn Wood Release brat! I'll tear you apart!!"

The moment Shukaku recovered, it roared again, swinging its massive claws, trying to gather Chakra once more.

"Haven't you had enough?"

Yao stood on the Wood Golem's shoulder, casting a cold glance at Shukaku. With a thought, the Golem beneath him moved instantly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Golem charged up to Shukaku in a few steps, its giant wooden fist wrapped in gale-force winds, smashing into Shukaku's face.

Thud!

Sand exploded, and Shukaku's head was knocked to the side.

The Wood Golem pressed its advantage.

Its fists swung in a flurry, unleashing a storm of heavy blows.

Each punch was powerful and heavy, sending Shukaku stumbling back. Its sandy body kept collapsing and reforming, but it could never keep up with the speed of destruction.

For a moment, the forest was filled only with the dull "thud, thud" of impacts and the "whoosh" of flying sand.

"So amazing!"

Naruto stared, wide-eyed.

"Hey! Kid! Just who the hell is that kid? He's got the First Hokage's Wood Release?"

Gamabunta was also freaked out, backing away repeatedly, afraid of being caught in the crossfire and hit by the Wood Golem.

"His name is Uchiha Yao! He's my friend! My best friend!" Naruto immediately answered excitedly.

"Uchiha Yao... a brat from the Uchiha Clan, huh..."

Shukaku was beaten without any chance to fight back, only able to let out angry and frustrated roars: "Damn it! Damn it!!"

This intense shaking and pain finally reached deep within, forcibly waking Gaara's consciousness.

False Sleep Technique... Release!

"Damn it... that brat Gaara woke up..."

Shukaku roared unwillingly, its massive sand body rapidly shrinking, retreating back into Gaara's body.

"Wood Release brat! And the fox's Jinchuriki! You remember this! This isn't over!!"

After throwing out one last threat, Shukaku completely retracted into Gaara's body.

The sky-filling sand and dust fell, revealing Gaara's pale face beneath.

The battle in the forest had settled, and the village was gradually calming down.

The joint attack by Sunagakure and Otogakure, having lost Orochimaru's command and Gaara as their "ultimate weapon," quickly collapsed.

The invaders were either dead or fleeing. The remaining Konoha Ninja began to clean up the battlefield and tend to the wounded.

Yao, Naruto, and Sasuke escorted Gaara back to the village, finding Kakashi, who was directing the aftermath.

"Kakashi-sensei! We caught this guy!"

Naruto shouted, his face still carrying the excitement of battle.

Kakashi nodded and waved his hand. Two Anbu ninjas immediately stepped forward and took Gaara away.

What awaited Gaara next was undoubtedly imprisonment in Konoha.

Only after Sunagakure paid compensation and signed a new treaty with the village would Gaara possibly be ransomed back.

"Kakashi-sensei, the village wasn't too badly affected, was it?"

Naruto wiped the dust off his face and asked with some unease.

Yo and Sasuke also looked at Kakashi. This attack was severe—the village hadn't experienced such chaos in a long time.

Even the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre five years ago couldn't compare.

After all, that time, that filial son Itachi had handled things too well.

Aside from the Uchiha Clan being wiped out, no one else was affected.

Kakashi sighed, his voice low: "The invaders were driven back, but the losses are heavy!"

"Many Chūnin and Genin died, along with quite a few villagers. Thankfully, no Jōnin-level combat power was lost!"

Kakashi paused: "But... the Hokage sacrificed himself to stop Orochimaru!"

"Wh... what?"

The excitement on Naruto's face froze instantly. His eyes shot wide, and he stood as if struck by lightning, utterly lost.

The Third Hokage... dead?

Kakashi reached out and firmly patted Naruto's shoulder:

"Don't be too upset, Naruto. The Hokage died fighting to protect the village. As a shinobi, falling on the battlefield is an honor!"

After consoling Naruto, Kakashi turned to Yo: "Yo, Root... Danzō didn't give you too much trouble, did he?"

"Do you think that's possible?"

Yo shrugged, his tone laced with sarcasm. "That hellhole Root—easy to get in, hard to get out!"

"If my strength weren't decent, I probably wouldn't have made it back today!"

Even though he himself had killed Danzō, he wasn't about to take that blame!

Danzō...

Better to have him "defect"!

From now on, he would nail Danzō to the pillar of shame!

"That old bastard!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, his Sharingan unconsciously surfacing:

"When I get the chance, I'll settle accounts with Danzō!"

"At least you made it back safely!"

Seeing that Yo seemed unharmed, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief, then said gravely:

"Shimura Danzō conspired with the rogue ninja Orochimaru today to assassinate the Third Hokage. The evidence is solid."

"After the high-level meeting, he'll likely be officially declared a rogue ninja, and a kill order will be issued."

"You'll have plenty of chances to settle scores with Danzō in the future!"

Kakashi had dealt with Danzō before. Back then, Danzō had even urged him to assassinate the Third Hokage.

To be honest, Danzō suddenly charging out to assassinate the Third Hokage today struck Kakashi as suspicious.

This style was very unlike Danzō!

But regardless, Danzō assassinating the Third Hokage in broad daylight—that crime couldn't be washed away.