After everyone woke up, Sarutobi Toru gave Kazahana Dōtō and Nadare Rōga a few instructions, concealing the news of his arrival. He then took Tsurugi Fubuki aboard the Flying Nimbus once more and left the palace.
Including the round trip, it had taken only forty or fifty minutes—not even an hour—for the entire Land of Snow to fall under Sarutobi Toru's control.
In the valley by Snow Village, the enormous Ten-Tails still lay quietly in place. Pakura, now dressed in thick winter clothing, sat cross-legged atop one of the Ten-Tails' toes, leading a group of Snow Ninja in guarding it.
Sarutobi Toru easily jumped down from the Flying Nimbus and strode over to Pakura. "Looks like nothing happened here."
Pakura curled her lips into a faint smile. "What could happen? This is the Land of Snow. The Five Great Shinobi Villages have never paid attention to this place, and you were gone for less than an hour."
Sarutobi Toru nodded. "All right, then it's time to begin my plan."
As he spoke, Sarutobi Toru caught Pakura as she jumped down from the Ten-Tails, spun her around once, and set her back down. He then placed a hand on the Ten-Tails and activated his Hormone Fruit ability again, controlling its growth.
In the blink of an eye, an entire day passed. The Ten-Tails, which had originally resembled some giant monster, gradually transformed into an incomparably towering plant. Its lofty branches vanished into the clouds, making its peak nearly impossible to see.
"This is a little troubling," Pakura said, a hint of worry appearing on her face.
By now, every Snow Ninja in the Land of Snow had already left. The Snow Village base had long since been crushed into a heap of construction debris, as the God Tree's massive roots