Faced with Koharu Utatane's question, the Third Hokage's brows furrowed.
Koharu pressed on, "Shinji's record of defeating Akatsuki members proves he's the strongest of the new generation. If Yakumo loses too, only he can salvage the village's reputation!"
Mito Menma nodded slightly.
He hadn't fully backed Koharu earlier because he felt the village shouldn't concede too much to Uchiha Shinji.
But now, with Hidden Grass's challenges pushing the village into a corner and making a fool of them, if Yakumo were to fall too, Shinji would have to step in to restore Hidden Leaf's honor. Otherwise, the village's prestige would be in tatters.
The Third said, "Let's wait a bit longer."
…
In the Forest of Death.
Two figures darted through the dense, primeval forest, one trailing the other.
Perhaps due to their overwhelming chakra, the giant beasts lurking in the Forest of Death scattered, desperate to avoid them.
Moments later, Yakumo, leading the way, chose a wide clearing and stopped.
Chino, following closely, halted as well.
"Here will do!"
As Yakumo spoke, she raised her hands, forming seals.
Having heard from Ryuzetsu that Hidden Leaf's Yakumo Kurama wielded the legendary Wood Release Bloodline Limit, Chino suppressed her many questions and focused on Yakumo.
"I'm coming!"
With that, Yakumo completed her seals.
Rumble rumble rumble.
The ground shook as vines burst from the earth, swarming toward Chino.
Facing Wood Release for the first time, Chino's heart skipped a beat. Not daring to act recklessly, she leaped back, weaving through the complex terrain of the Forest of Death to evade Yakumo's Wood Release.
Nearby.
Hearing the rumble rumble rumble ahead and feeling the clear tremors underfoot, the trailing onlookers stopped in their tracks.
"Have they started fighting?"
"Sounds intense!"
"Is Yakumo Kurama using Wood Release right off the bat?"
The churning sea of trees ahead made the crowd hesitate, forcing them to stop and whisper among themselves.
Ryuzetsu, burning with anxiety, climbed onto a tree branch, peering at the distant battlefield. Without dojutsu, she couldn't see through the forest's cover.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
The Hidden Leaf group arrived shortly after.
Though he'd received basic treatment, Sasuke's face was still pale. Ignoring his condition, he focused intently on the distant battlefield.
Shikamaru asked Hinata, "What's happening on the field?"
Instantly, the Hidden Leaf group, including Tsunade and Kakashi, turned to Hinata.
With her Byakugan activated, Hinata said nervously, "They're still fighting. Yakumo seems to have the upper hand, and the Grass shinobi is constantly dodging her attacks!"
Hearing Hinata's report, shinobi from other villages crowded around.
Clearly, listening to Hinata's play-by-play with her Byakugan was far more useful than staring at the roiling sea of trees.
…
On the field.
Yakumo's Wood Release attacks grew denser, shrinking Chino's room to maneuver.
But with the speed boost from the Twelve Palaces and the insight of her Ketsuryugan, Chino narrowly escaped each time, finding gaps in the sea of trees to launch counterattacks against Yakumo.
Whoosh.
Spotting another opening, Chino used her small stature to slip through the trees, rushing toward Yakumo and swinging a fierce punch!
Yakumo, also wielding the Ketsuryugan, had anticipated it. Raising a hand, several wooden pillars shot up, forming a wall in front of her!
Boom!
With a loud crash, Yakumo's Wood Release wall was shattered by Chino's punch, wood chips flying.
But the wall slowed Chino's advance, allowing surrounding vines to swarm in, attacking her from all angles without blind spots.
"Trouble!"
Chino's heart sank.
In her vision, there was nowhere left to dodge. Desperate, she forced her way out of the encircling trees!
After a fierce struggle, Chino broke free from the inner ring of trees, landing on the ground.
Drip drip.
Gasping heavily, blood dripped from multiple wounds on her body, splattering the ground.
Most noticeable was a gash at her brow, caused by a sharp vine during her breakout.
Unbeknownst to her, the intense movement had dislodged the contact lens in her eye, revealing the crimson Ketsuryugan.
Noticing Chino's eyes, Yakumo froze. "Ketsuryugan?"
"You do know these eyes!" Chino's face darkened as she demanded, "Why do you have them?"
Yakumo replied, "No comment!"
Chino steadied her breathing, spreading her hands slightly. "You may have the same eyes as me, but you don't know their true power!"
As she spoke, Chino activated her Ketsuryugan's dojutsu.
Instantly, the scattered blood seemed to come alive, gathering together and rising from the ground, pooling in Chino's open palms.
"Let me, Chino of the Blood Pool, show you the real power of these eyes!"
With a flick of her hands, the gathered blood transformed into two sharp blood blades!
"The Ketsuryugan can do that?"
Though surprised, Yakumo didn't stop. She immediately directed the sea of trees to attack Chino again.
Unlike before, when she fought barehanded, Chino now wielded the blood blades fearlessly, charging into the trees.
The sharp blades sliced through wood effortlessly, and any blood scraped off could be detonated by her dojutsu, causing small but intense explosions. This rapidly diminished the threat of Yakumo's Wood Release.
Seeing the tide turn, Yakumo could no longer stay stationary while controlling her Wood Release. The battle shifted from one-sided dominance to a tense stalemate!
…
Outside the field.
Watching the terrifying sea of trees, the crowd had assumed the fight would end quickly. After all, no matter how strong a taijutsu specialist was, they couldn't withstand an endless assault from all directions.
But the rumbling ahead showed no sign of stopping—in fact, it grew fiercer, leaving the onlookers puzzled.
Even Tsunade, previously composed, grew tense. She asked Hinata, "What's going on? Why hasn't it ended?"
Hinata, shocked, replied, "The Grass shinobi… she's starting to fight back!"