The Twelve Young Elites Assemble

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha lay flat on the ground. Tianming was in slightly better condition.

"Tianming, what should I do?" Sakura Haruno asked.

"There are plenty of fierce beasts in the Forest of Death. Go set up a few traps," Tianming replied.

Sakura Haruno had yet to fully awaken, so she was somewhat at a loss.

And Tianming could hardly tell her to do nothing and just wait to get beaten up, could he?

With Tianming's instructions, Sakura Haruno nimbly set several traps around the tree hollow.

Meanwhile, Tianming meditated to recover his chakra while watching the surrounding bushes.

At the same time, Dosu Kinuta and Kin Tsuchi, who had come after hearing the sounds of battle, also arrived nearby.

"Found them." Dosu Kinuta's gaze pierced through the bushes, quickly spotting Sakura Haruno standing guard at the entrance to the hollow.

"Did you find Zaku Abumi?" Kin Tsuchi walked over to Dosu Kinuta's side and followed his line of sight.

"It's them!" Kin Tsuchi froze slightly. "Aren't they the companions of our target?"

"Heh..." Dosu Kinuta said in an amused tone, "Why don't we take the target first, then look for Zaku Abumi?"

"Sure!"

The two immediately hit it off. In their eyes, kidnapping Qingchuan Tianming was simply too easy.

He was just a genin, wasn't he?

Though they were genin themselves, Dosu Kinuta had always considered himself one of the strongest among his peers. They came from Snake Cave and served Lord Orochimaru. How could their strength possibly be compared to Konoha's soft-skinned little brats?

Without even considering a test, Kin Tsuchi pulled out a senbon needle with a bell attached and flung it.

Whoosh!

The needle tore through the bushes and shot toward Sakura Haruno outside the tree hollow. Sakura Haruno reacted by grabbing a kunai to block it, but she had failed to stop it completely!

Sakura Haruno felt sharp pain shoot through her left arm. A tiny needle had already pierced into it.

"When did...?"

The next instant, Kin Tsuchi appeared behind Sakura Haruno and grabbed her pink hair. "Dosu Kinuta, it's taken care of."

The bandaged Dosu Kinuta slowly emerged from the bushes. His gaze swept over Qingchuan Tianming inside the tree hollow, and he sneered.

"Looks like someone already saved us some trouble."

"You despicable bastards!" Sakura Haruno snarled.

"Hm?" Dosu Kinuta said blandly, "How is survival of the fittest despicable?"

Dosu Kinuta raised his foot, about to enter the tree hollow!

"Hey, don't you want to know where your companion is?" Sakura Haruno asked.

Dosu Kinuta stopped. "You ran into Zaku Abumi? Where is he now?"

Dosu Kinuta and Zaku Abumi were best friends.

"Is that how you ask questions?" Sakura Haruno said coldly.

"I don't mind killing you first." Kin Tsuchi moved to act as she spoke.

"Let her go!" Dosu Kinuta ordered.

"What?" Kin Tsuchi did not quite understand. "Dosu Kinuta, this could be a trap..."

Boom!

Before Kin Tsuchi could finish, Dosu Kinuta had already lost his patience. The vents in the device on his arm released a blast of force that sent Kin Tsuchi flying.

He really did hit his own teammate without hesitation?

"What do you know about my friendship with Zaku Abumi? Do you really think trash like you is qualified to be my companion? If it weren't for Lord Orochimaru's orders, I would've killed you long ago." Dosu Kinuta rolled his wrist, his tone icy.

Kin Tsuchi coughed up blood repeatedly from the blow, yet she did not dare make another move. Dosu Kinuta truly could kill her.

"Now, can you tell me where Zaku Abumi is?" Dosu Kinuta turned his gaze back to Sakura Haruno.

"Tell your mother!" Sakura Haruno cursed, gathering all her chakra into her fist before smashing it toward Dosu Kinuta.

Facing Sakura Haruno's attack, Dosu Kinuta revealed a cruel smile and threw a punch at the same time!

The soundwave resonance emitted from the vents on his arm blasted Sakura Haruno away.

She could not get close at all!

Sakura Haruno's petite body slammed into a tree root, leaving her unable to rise again. Blood flowed from her ears as well.

Just as Tianming inside the tree hollow was about to force himself into action, several figures suddenly appeared in the woods nearby.

"Sakura!" The first to burst from the bushes was Rock Lee in his green jumpsuit. While scouting the terrain nearby, he had discovered the sounds of battle and rushed over.

"Did you do this to them?" Rock Lee joined the battlefield. Seeing the badly wounded Sakura Haruno and Qingchuan Tianming, who was in a terrible state, he was instantly enraged!

Before Dosu Kinuta could answer, roars suddenly came from another direction.

Kiba Inuzuka rode in on Akamaru and joined the battlefield. "Are you bullying people from Konoha Village?"

At that moment, Dosu Kinuta's expression changed. He wondered if someone had set him up.

Not just him—even Tianming inside the tree hollow could not make sense of it!

By all rights, the Twelve Young Elites of Konoha were supposed to assemble much later.

But now, it had happened ahead of schedule!

No matter what, the Sound Three would be able to brag about this for the rest of their lives.

Because they had been beaten down by Konoha's Twelve Young Elites! What a lineup!

In the blink of an eye, several groups arrived one after another in the clearing before the tree hollow.

"Shikamaru, was this part of your plan too?" Choji Akimichi of Team Ten appeared atop a tree. Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka slowly approached behind him.