After Pain joined the battle, Zou Hyuga and the others at the edge of the battlefield were caught in the fallout as well.
After cutting through the incoming Wood Dragon roots, Shisui could no longer remain composed. He stared intently at the distant battlefield, then turned his gaze to Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha.
Although he also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, those two were the ones who truly made the decisions.
Oto could use the third form of Susanoo and had driven back the Masked Man who attacked the village in a head-on clash. Senior Zou was well versed in natural energy. Though he had never openly displayed his strength, everything about him hinted at unfathomable depths.
Deep down, he felt that if those two were willing, the Akatsuki might not pose much of a problem.
Their objective, however, did not seem to be dealing with the Akatsuki.
Reining in his wandering thoughts, Shisui put on his mask, quieted his mind, and continued watching.
Unlike Shisui, the Takigakure ninja beside him had already grown accustomed to the bizarre and had developed some tolerance for the day's events.
Just then, a Takigakure ninja ran up to Takigakure's leader and said in a panic, "Lord Shibuki, the Hero Spring is about to run dry!"
"What?" Before Takigakure's leader could react, Suien, a jonin, exclaimed in shock, "That's impossible! No one outside Takigakure can use the Hero Water."
The Takigakure leader's expression changed. Feigning composure, he said, "Tell me exactly what happened."
The Takigakure ninja nodded and described the situation. After hearing it, the leader's expression grew grave, while Suien immediately left using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving only a single remark behind.
"The village has already lost Earth Grudge Fear. We can't lose the Hero Technique too."
At those words, the Takigakure