Unexpected Reinforcements

On Kakuzu's side of the battlefield, the balance had been broken by the inexplicable loss of one of his hearts.

The situation gradually tilted in Konoha's favor, even though the severely injured Choji and Ino had fallen into Kakuzu's black threads.

Kakashi Hatake twisted aside to evade a Lightning Release: False Darkness. The lightning grazed his shoulder and split a massive tree behind him, wide enough for two people to wrap their arms around, cleanly in half.

He did not look back. Chakra for the Lightning Cutter had already gathered in his right hand again, blue electricity dancing at his fingertips.

Three left. He took stock quickly—the Water Release heart had shattered when his first Lightning Cutter pierced through Kakuzu's chest. After that muffled explosion nearby just now, Kakuzu's body had shown an obvious collapse in chakra fluctuations. The second, Earth Release heart had shattered.

He guessed that was Shikamaru's doing, but had no time to confirm it. The remaining three masked monsters wielded Fire Release, Wind Release, and Lightning Release. Each acted independently, like a complete individual with battle awareness, alternately suppressing his and Jiraiya's positions from three directions.

Kakashi evaded again. The Lightning Release mask lunged at him from the right. He ducked sideways and hurled a kunai with his left hand, pinning it precisely into the mask monster's eye. But the creature only paused for half a second before lightning burst from the gaps in its mask once more.

He had no choice but to leap backward and widen the distance. The instant his feet touched down, Fire Release engulfed the spot where he had been standing, scorching the ground into a blackened, hardened crust.

"Kakashi!"

Jiraiya's voice came from the other side of the battlefield. His hands remained in a seal, while the chakra in his body had begun gathering toward his head—the preliminary preparations for Sage Mode.

But he had not fully entered the state, because he had noticed movement at the edge of the battlefield.

Three figures were rapidly approaching from the edge of the woods. They moved incredibly fast, stepping on temporary platforms created by Wood Release, each step landing precisely in the gaps of the battlefield.

"Yamato?" Jiraiya's gaze swept over the two people beside Yamato—Sai and Naruto. Both looked slightly off. A trace of shock still lingered around Naruto's pupils, as though he had just experienced something unexpected and had yet to fully recover.

Jiraiya glanced toward the woods behind Yamato. A large area there looked as though it had been blasted apart. Trees had been knocked down in rows, fresh earth had been turned over, and a faint smell of gunpowder still hung in the air.

"Why did you only arrive now? Did you run into someone?"

"Yes... We encountered Deidara and the masked man Yunju encountered last time." Yamato began forming seals one-handed to stabilize the terrain. "They ambushed us on our way here. Sai used the Super Beast Imitation Drawing to block one explosion, and Naruto used the Rasengan to destroy some clay spiders. They're behind us and will be here soon."

Jiraiya's brow twitched. He wanted to say something, but ultimately held it back.

"They arrived before us, but they didn't intervene directly on the outskirts. They intercepted us. We should have been here long ago." Yamato looked toward Kakuzu, then at Jiraiya. "They're still nearby."

The moment he finished speaking, Kakuzu stopped moving. He withdrew the two mask monsters that had been besieging Jiraiya and summoned them back to his side, reforming a defensive formation without continuing the pursuit.

Kakashi did not use the opportunity to attack either. He stood on the other side of the battlefield, his Sharingan still turning, but his gaze was no longer on Kakuzu. Instead, he was looking toward the blasted section of woods.

The smoke dispersed.

Two people emerged from between the fallen trees and overturned earth. They wore black robes patterned with red clouds, their loose wide sleeves swaying slightly in the wind, collars standing high.

The man on the left had an empty right sleeve hanging at his side, pinned there with a safety pin. His left hand was tucked into his pocket, and his blond hair was almost glaring beneath the sunlight. It was Deidara.

The person on the right was more than half a head shorter than Deidara. An orange spiral-patterned mask covered his entire face, with only a single opening over the right eye, revealing a right eye that bore a Sharingan. His expression and age were impossible to discern—the masked man.

"I'm Tobi!"

Kakuzu ignored him. He glanced at the two of them, then tilted his head toward the Konoha ninja across from them.

Deidara slowly walked to the edge of the battlefield. He glanced over Kakuzu's situation, then at the Konoha group. The corner of his mouth pulled up, his tone carrying a disdainful edge that seemed to say, How did you end up in such a mess?

"Kakuzu, you're not looking too good. Where's Hidan?"

Kakuzu glanced in the direction of Nara Forest. "He was dragged into the woods by a Konoha brat. The kid who ran away from Orochimaru went with him too. Hidan's ability means he can't be killed, but I have a feeling he won't be coming back. An old man's intuition."

Deidara fell silent for two seconds, seemingly considering something, then gave a short snort.

"Your partner, the one who goes on all day about Jashin Cult rituals, got dragged into the woods and taken out by two brats? I don't believe it."

"You failed to intercept Konoha's reinforcements too," Kakuzu replied evenly. "If you had stopped them earlier, Hidan wouldn't have ended up in that situation."

Deidara did not argue. He did not answer. He merely turned his head and looked toward the Konoha reinforcements—Naruto. His gaze lingered on Naruto for a moment before withdrawing.

"I'll go check the woods." Deidara started walking toward Nara Forest. He did not look back at Kakuzu, nor did he give Tobi any instructions.

"Tobi, help Kakuzu get out of here. You retreat first. I'll go see an old friend—oh, no, I should say, meet another artist."

Deidara's figure vanished at the edge of the woods, and his footsteps quickly faded away.

Tobi stood where he was and tilted his head. The Sharingan visible through the opening over his right eye spun once, as if surveying everyone present. Then he spoke, his voice sounding young and cheerful, carrying a deliberately casual air. "So, how should we fight over here?"

Jiraiya stared at the Sharingan beneath Tobi's mask and said nothing. He recognized that eye—it was a Sharingan.

"Another Sharingan?" Jiraiya muttered quietly.

He noticed that Tobi's position was subtle, directly behind and to the side of Kakuzu. He was neither too close nor too far away, able to intervene or withdraw at any moment.

Kakashi noticed Tobi's position as well. But he had no spare attention to track Tobi's movements, because Kakuzu's remaining three mask monsters had already locked onto him again. Fire Release, Wind Release, and Lightning Release chakra fluctuations gathered in the air at once.

"Fight first," Jiraiya said in a low voice. "Yunju and Shikamaru are still waiting for us."

Yamato crouched and pressed one hand to the ground. Wood Release surged up from beneath the earth, rapidly growing and weaving around the edge of the battlefield into a temporary circular defensive wall that enclosed the severely injured Ino and Choji. He had already untangled Kakuzu's black threads. Ino and Choji leaned against tree trunks, gasping for breath, unable even to stand.

Sai stood beside Yamato and opened his sketchbook. His brush moved swiftly across the paper. An Ink Bird leaped from the pages, circled once in the air, then landed on his shoulder.

Naruto's fists were already clenched. He looked toward the direction where Deidara had disappeared, his brow furrowing briefly before his gaze returned to Kakuzu.

"Pervy Sage, leave this guy to me. I'll use the ninjutsu I just learned to defeat him!"

Naruto stated his wish bluntly. After seeing Yamato nod, Jiraiya agreed as well.

"Then, Naruto, show everyone the ninjutsu you've just learned."