Re-abusing Shukaku!

Yo slipped into an empty corner, dispelled his Transformation Jutsu, then appeared beside Kakashi, who was locked in a struggle with Baki.

Seeing that he had returned 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 and sensed the Flying Thunder God Mark he had left on Sasuke.

Whoosh!

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

The area was a mess. Trees had toppled, and the ground was covered in sand craters and claw marks.

Sasuke was pinned against the trunk of a giant tree by a swelling mass of thick yellow sand, unable to move.

"Yo!"

When Yo appeared out of nowhere, a flash of delight crossed Sasuke's eyes.

Ever since leaving Root Base, Sasuke had been worried about Yo.

Now that he saw Yo had returned safely, he immediately felt relieved.

Yo flicked his hand, and a wind blade formed from chakra sliced through the air.

The mass of sand holding Sasuke shattered, and sand pattered to the ground.

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

"What could they do to me?"

Yo waved a hand and looked toward Naruto and Gaara. "Take a moment to recover. I'll go check over there!"

Before Sasuke could ask anything else, Yo vanished. When he appeared again, he was in the canopy of one of the few trees still standing.

A short distance ahead,

Gamabunta was swinging his short sword, fiercely trading blows with the equally enormous One-Tail Shukaku.

Naruto stood atop Gamabunta's head, directing him anxiously.

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

"Yo?!"

Naruto jerked his head up. The moment he saw Yo, his face lit up with delight. "You couldn't have come at a better time!"

"Help me take down that fat tanuki! This guy's gone nuts!"

"Sure!"

Yo nodded, then turned his gaze to the roaring sand beast. "Hey, fat tanuki! Look who it is!"

Shukaku, who had been forming a Void Ball, froze. Its blood-red eyes immediately fixed on Yo.

The moment Shukaku saw him, it flew into a rage. "You damn Wood Release brat!! You again!!!"

"Die, you bastard!!!"

Old and new grudges surged to the surface, and Shukaku's Void Ball dissipated before it could leave his mouth.

It threw back its head, violently gathering chakra in its mouth. A black Tailed Beast Ball quickly took shape.

"Fine. Have it the hard way!"

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

"Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique!"

Rumble!

The earth shook violently.

The roots of giant trees burst through the ground, twisting and growing wildly.

In the blink of an eye, a colossal wooden golem rose from the earth.

Its features were ancient and dignified. Wooden armor covered its body, and it radiated a tremendous vitality and a heavy, oppressive presence.

"Die!"

The Tailed Beast Ball shot toward them like a cannonball.

"Hmph!"

Yo snorted and immediately controlled the golem. It spread its fingers and caught the Tailed Beast Ball firmly in its palm.

Then,

under Shukaku's stunned gaze and Gamabunta's dumbfounded stare,

the Wood Golem swung its arm in a wide arc and shoved the Tailed Beast Ball back into Shukaku's mouth.

"Ugh?!!"

BOOM!!!!

The Tailed Beast Ball exploded!

A blinding black-and-red light burst through the gaps between Shukaku's teeth, from its nostrils, and even from its eyes and ears, bleaching half the forest white.

A moment later, the shock wave passed, and the dust slowly settled.

Half of Shukaku's head had been blown away, scattering into the air as a storm of sand.

The rest of its body was riddled with cracks, leaving it in a sorry state.

It shook its head and roared in pain and fury:

"Damn brat!!"

"How dare you... How dare you hurt the great Shukaku like this! I'll never forgive you!!!"

Shukaku's single eye was fixed on Yo, standing on the Wood Golem's shoulder. Its hatred was almost tangible.

As the One-Tail, Shukaku was practically the embodiment of sand. Of course, it wouldn't die just from taking one of its own Tailed Beast Balls head-on.

Countless grains of yellow sand gathered from the ground where half its head had been blown away.

In the blink of an eye, its head re-formed, good as new.

"Damn Wood Release brat! I'll tear you to pieces!!"

The moment it recovered, Shukaku roared again and swung its giant claws, preparing to gather chakra once more.

"Haven't you had enough?"

Yo stood on the Wood Golem's shoulder and shot Shukaku a cold glance. At a thought, the golem beneath him sprang into action.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Wood Golem charged up to Shukaku in a few strides. Its massive wooden fist swept through the air and slammed into Shukaku's face.

Thud!

Sand burst outward, and Shukaku's head snapped to the side.

The Wood Golem pressed its advantage.

It unleashed a relentless barrage, swinging both fists in turn.

Every punch landed with tremendous force, driving Shukaku backward again and again. Its sand body repeatedly crumbled and re-formed, but it couldn't recover fast enough to keep up with the damage.

For a while, the only sounds in the forest were the dull thuds of fists and the soft patter of sand spraying everywhere.

"That's incredible!"

Naruto stared, wide-eyed.

"Hey, kid! Who is that? How does he have the First Hokage's Wood Release?"

Gamabunta was so rattled that the hair on his head stood on end. He kept backing away, afraid the Wood Golem might hit him too.

"That's Uchiha Yo, my friend! My best friend!" Naruto answered excitedly.

"Uchiha Yo... A kid from the Uchiha Clan, huh..."

Shukaku was completely unable to fight back. All it could do was roar in fury and frustration. "Damn you! Damn you!!"

The violent shaking and pain finally reached Gaara deep inside, forcibly jolting his consciousness awake.

False Sleep Technique... Release!

"Damn it... That brat Gaara's awake..."

Shukaku roared in unwilling frustration as its enormous sand body rapidly shrank, retreating into Gaara's body.

"Wood Release brat! You too, Jinchuriki of that stinky fox! Remember this! This isn't over!!"

After throwing out a threat, Shukaku retreated completely into Gaara.

The sandstorm settled, revealing Gaara beneath it, his face pale.

The battle in the forest had ended, and the village was gradually settling down as well.

The joint attack by Sunagakure and the Sound Ninja rapidly collapsed after losing Orochimaru's command and Gaara, their "ultimate weapon."

The invaders were either dead or fleeing. The surviving Konoha ninja began clearing the battlefield and tending to the wounded.

Yo, Naruto, and Sasuke escorted Gaara back to the village and found Kakashi directing the aftermath.

"Teacher Kakashi, we caught this guy!"

Naruto shouted, still excited from the battle.

Kakashi nodded and waved. Two Anbu ninja immediately stepped forward and took Gaara away.

Gaara would undoubtedly be imprisoned in Konoha.

He might be returned only after Sunagakure paid compensation and signed a new treaty with the village.

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

Naruto wiped the dust from his face and asked nervously.

Yo and Sasuke also watched Kakashi. The attack had been serious, and the village hadn't experienced such upheaval in a long time.

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

After all, Itachi, the devoted son, had handled that incident far too well.

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

Kakashi sighed, his voice low. "The invaders were driven back, but we suffered heavy losses!"

"Many Chunin and Genin were killed, along with quite a few villagers. Fortunately, we didn't lose any Jōnin-level fighters!"

Kakashi paused. "But... the Hokage, in order to stop Orochimaru, sacrificed himself!"

"W-what?"

The excitement on Naruto's face instantly vanished. His eyes widened, and he stood there dazed, as if struck by lightning.

Grandpa Third... is dead?

Kakashi reached out and gave Naruto's shoulder a firm pat.

"Don't be too sad, Naruto. The Hokage fought to protect the village. As a ninja, dying on the battlefield is an honor!"

After offering Naruto a few words of comfort, Kakashi turned to Yo. "Yo, did Root... did Danzo give you too much trouble?"

"What do you think?"

Yo shrugged, his tone tinged with mockery. "That place is a one-way trip. It's easy to get in, but hard to get out!"

"If my strength hadn't been decent, I might not have made it back today!"

Even though Yo was the one who had killed Danzo, he wasn't about to take the blame for it!

Danzo...

Could still be a "fugitive"!

Next, Yo would make sure Danzo was nailed to the pillar of shame!

"That old bastard!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, and his Sharingan appeared involuntarily.

"When I get the chance, I'll settle the score with Danzo!"

"I'm just glad you made it back!"

Kakashi saw that Yo didn't seem to be badly injured and felt relieved. Then he said solemnly:

"Shimura Danzo joined forces with the Rogue Ninja Orochimaru today to assassinate the Third Hokage. The evidence is conclusive."

"After the council meeting, he'll most likely be officially branded a Rogue Ninja, and an order to hunt him down will be issued."

"You'll have plenty of chances to settle the score with Danzo!"

Kakashi had dealt with Danzo before. Back then, Danzo had even tried to talk him into assassinating the Third Hokage.

To be honest, Kakashi found it suspicious that Danzo had suddenly rushed out and tried to kill the Third Hokage today.

It didn't seem like Danzo's style.

But no matter what, Danzo had tried to assassinate the Third Hokage in front of a crowd. There was no clearing him of that charge.