Shikamaru's Tactics

But just as Uzuki Yugao rose into the air, her initial momentum spent and no new force to draw on, she was caught in a moment when she had nothing to push against.

She suddenly sensed an outside force slam toward her, trying to invade her mind!

It was Ino Yamanaka's Mind Body Switch Technique!

"Hmph!" Uzuki Yugao snorted. The Rooster Talisman's power activated instantly! Her body, which should have fallen, abruptly hovered and slid sideways through the air, as though tugged by invisible strings. She slipped precisely out of the Mind Body Switch Technique's path!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Figures shot from the shadows of the surrounding trees and encircled her in an instant.

Asuma, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Aoba—every face was grave and disbelieving.

Asuma looked at the woman who was both familiar and strange, his voice full of anguish. "Yugao! Stop! Look what you've become! This isn't what Hayate would have wanted!"

Kakashi's voice remained calm, but it cut through the air. "Yugao, hatred only breeds more hatred. What you're doing won't let Gekko Hayate rest in peace. It'll only create more people like him—and like you."

"Is that the future you want?"

"Yugao!" Naruto shouted. "Snap out of it! I know you're hurting, but Teacher Hayate wouldn't want you to hurt so many people for his sake and betray the village! We can help you! We can figure this out together!"

Uzuki Yugao hovered in midair, her wide sleeves stirring in the wind. She swept a cold gaze over her former comrades, her voice as icy as the night.

"Asuma, Kakashi, Naruto... everyone."

"It's too late."

"I've already killed the captain of Sunagakure's investigation team. The survivors will take word of 'Konoha's betrayal' back with them."

"Sunagakure has likely begun mobilizing its forces. The