The Haku-Ma Combination, Reporting for Duty!

Almost the instant the knocking voice fell, Itachi's expression suddenly changed.

The Three Tomoe Sharingan silently appeared in his eyes.

Itachi quickly scanned his surroundings, and his heart immediately tightened.

Ten fine Chakra Threads crisscrossed, weaving a nearly impenetrable hunting net around the perimeter.

And the source of these Chakra Threads —is none other than Sasori, who has remained silent since the beginning!

Orochimaru isn't around here right now.

Itachi's voice deepened, his gaze fixed intently on Sasori, his tone noticeably harsher than before:

"What... do you want to do?"

Scorpion did not answer Itachi's question, nor did he pay any attention to Koko beside him.

He simply stared coldly and motionlessly at the dark, dense forest ahead.

In the dark, confined space of the puppet's abdomen, a cruel yet expectant smile slowly curved the corners of his mouth.

"They've arrived."

Before he could finish speaking, Scarlet Amber's arms, under Sasori's control, suddenly swung wildly!

Ten puppets of various shapes burst forth from the dark corners of the dense forest, carrying countless poisoned Senbon and hidden weapons, and poured down into the depths of the forest ahead!

The instant the scorpion made his move, he had already drawn the Inazuma and Firebirth from his waist.

The crimson flame blade and the silver lightning blade seemed to be aimed at Scarlet Amber's short, thick neck, but in reality, they were subtly deflected upwards by half a point.

That half-inch would allow him to plunge the blade into Scarlet Amber's interior at the fastest speed when necessary, directly targeting Sasori's core!

At the same time, Itachi's figure appeared on Sasori's other side.

His hands were silently filled with several Shuriken, each sharp edge gleaming coldly in the dim forest light.

The Three Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly across its scarlet iris, capturing in its mind the subtle changes in every joint of the scorpion puppet's shell, as well as the ideal throwing angle for each Shuriken in its hand.

He didn't look at Kou, and Kou didn't look at him either.

There was no verbal exchange between the two, not even a fleeting glance.

However, their positioning, the coverage of their attack range, and the blocking of the scorpion's escape route were all coordinated perfectly.

Itachi suppressed the complex emotions surging within him and refocused his attention on the situation at hand.

He looked at Sasori's still motionless Scarlet Amber and asked in a low voice:

What exactly do you want to do?

Scorpion remained silent.

He didn't even turn his head, but stared intently at the dense forest ahead, which his puppet horde had disappeared into.

Kou suppressed the instinctive nausea that arose from his perfect teamwork with Itachi, and followed Sasori's gaze, extending his senses forward.

The next instant, his expression changed.

Deep within that dense forest, two massive bursts of Chakra erupted!

Those two streams of Chakra... he was very familiar with them!

"Hatake Blade Technique - Drawing Sword Technique."

A deep, steady male voice drifted slowly from the depths of the dense forest.

As the voice faded, all ten Chakra Threads connecting Sasori to the puppet were severed in the same instant!

The puppets, now out of control, were like birds whose spines had been removed; they suddenly lost their way in mid-air and plummeted one after another into the depths of the dense forest.

Immediately afterwards, a deep, youthful voice boomed through the treetops.

"Wind Release - Fierce Wind Breaks Through Clouds - Triple Combo!!"

Three gigantic wind blades, each carrying terrifying cutting power, roared out from the depths of the dense forest!

Each streak was several meters wide, with edges so sharp they left visible white trails in the air.

They advanced side by side, sweeping away everything in their path with overwhelming force, leveling the entire dense forest and the numerous traps meticulously laid by the scorpions!

Tree trunks were cut in half, vines were shredded into pieces, and even the soil on the ground was blown away in large swaths by the aftershocks of the wind blades.

After the wind blades passed, everything was completely cut away, leaving only debris scattered everywhere.

The once dense, impenetrable primeval forest was cleared out in a fan shape by this single attack.

The dust and sawdust swirled slowly in the sunlight, like a mist.

Amidst the dust and smoke, two tall and robust figures walked out side by side with firm steps.

The man on the left was dressed in dark combat clothing, his long silver hair was neatly tied back, and he held a katana that gleamed with silver light in his hand.

His gentle eyes appeared very calm, but beneath that calmness, something was burning silently.

The young man beside him was half a head taller than him, wearing a black leather jacket, his bare arms were muscular, and his bronze skin gleamed with a rugged and healthy sheen in the sunlight.

He held a pair of Chakra Blade wrapped in layers of wind-style chakra. The remaining Wind Release Chakra on the blades had not completely dissipated, emitting a faint humming sound in the air.

The moment he saw the two figures clearly, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Uncle Sakumo Hatake, Asuma."

He silently uttered the two names, and while shocked, a deep sense of doubt arose in his heart:

"Why... why are they here?!"

Just as Kou was still in shock, Hatake Sakumo and Asuma emerged from the dust and smoke.

They stood at the edge of the clearing carved out by the fierce wind, with shattered puppet remains and severed Chakra Threads beneath their feet, and sunlight finally streaming down their heads.

The view ahead suddenly opened up, and they naturally saw the three figures dressed in Black Cloak with Red Clouds.

However, Hatake Sakumo and Asuma's gazes never fell on the murderous Scarlet Amber from the very first moment.

From the moment they emerged from the dust and smoke, they subconsciously ignored Sasori and Itachi, focusing their attention intently on one person.

He knocked on her body.

"Knock..."

Asuma's hands, which were holding the Chakra Blade, began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

He looked at Kou's face, a face that was more mature and more handsome than he remembered.

Compared to five years ago, his eyes and brows have lost some of the youthful exuberance and carefree spirit, and gained a more refined and stern look that has been honed by time.

But those eyes, those deep black pupils that were fixed on him... were exactly the same as they were five years ago.

Asuma looked at his long-lost best friend, suppressing his overwhelming emotions, and choked out:

"Knock, I've finally... found you!!"

(P. S.: Next, we'll hear Lao Ma's famous line. "Koh-him... but he's the man who could be my father!!")