A gentle breeze blew as Zou Hyuga followed the sounds of fighting to the woods outside the barrier.
With his Byakugan, he looked toward the battlefield, his brow gradually furrowing.
He spotted Sasori, the Sunagakure missing-nin and puppeteer who could control the Third Kazekage Human Puppet. Akatsuki always appeared in pairs, so Sasori's arrival meant Orochimaru was likely nearby as well.
Then Zou Hyuga leaped into a nearby treetop, using the elevation to get a better view of his surroundings.
At that moment, a chaotic battle was raging in these woods within the Forest of Death.
Besides Sasori nearby, Kakuzu and Juzo Biwa were also in the area, locked in fierce combat with ANBU members.
These ninja, all at least Elite Chunin, shattered the Forest of Death's usual tranquility.
His Byakugan carefully searched everything around him, even underground. Only after confirming there was no sign of Nagato or Konan did Zou Hyuga leap down from the treetop and head toward the fighting.
Seeing what Zou was doing, Oto said nothing and silently followed him.
Soon, the two reached the battlefield, where their Gentle Fist and swordsmanship tore through Sasori's puppets with overwhelming force.
After so many battles, the puppets Sasori controlled had grown weaker and weaker.
A puppeteer's strength was closely tied to the puppets he possessed. With so many of his puppets destroyed, Sasori was already beginning to consider retreating.
He did not think the newly arrived Zou Hyuga and Oto were particularly formidable.
But his clash with Jiraiya had left him shaken. The puppets he took such pride in could not even break through Jiraiya's defenses, and Shisui Uchiha was nearby as well.
After dropping a smoke bomb, Sasori took to the air at low altitude with the help of the Third Kazekage Human Puppet.
While dodging the