In the Death Forest, despite the looming threat of the First and Second Hokages in their "Impure World" state and Ranmaru, who, like Hiruko, wielded multiple Bloodline Limits and lurked nearby with his "Transparent Release," the students felt a sense of relief upon reuniting with the jonin.
After all, in the students' minds, their jonin-sensei carried an inherent sense of safety.
However, they were unaware of how shocked the jonin were to see Shinji's student squad emerge unscathed from the sea of trees.
"Ranmaru's presence here means Akatsuki has already made their move!" Kakashi paused, then looked at Naruto. "Naruto, you need to head to the shelter immediately!"
Naruto protested, "I'm not afraid of those Akatsuki jerks!"
As Kakashi prepared to persuade him further, Shinji cut in with a direct order. "Sasuke's lost his combat ability and needs to recover in the shelter, but he'll need someone to protect him. Naruto, Sakura, you're his teammates, so that task falls to you."
"Understood!"
Sakura nodded immediately.
Naruto felt something was off but, seeing Sasuke's sorry state, reluctantly agreed. "Alright, leave Sasuke to us!"
Shinji then turned to Haku and Karin. "You two go with them."
Haku, understanding that Shinji wanted them to protect Naruto and Sasuke, was concerned given Ranmaru's intent to kill Shinji. "What about you?"
Karin added, "Why don't I stay behind?"
"No need to worry about me."
Shinji waved them off.
Swish
At that moment, an Anbu rushed over, reporting, "Bad news! The One-Tail jinchuriki from Hidden Sand was attacked by Akatsuki's Hiruko!"
"What!?"
Everyone's expressions darkened.
Kakashi asked, "Why wasn't the jinchuriki sent to a shelter?"
The Anbu replied, "The squad delivering the evacuation order had just arrived when Akatsuki's Hiruko appeared. There was no time to evacuate!"
Kakashi pressed, "What's the situation now?"
The Anbu answered, "Yakumo Kurama's squad was nearby and is likely engaged in combat with Hiruko!"
Shizune realized, "No wonder Yakumo hasn't come to support us!"
Boom boom boom
A sound like a roar or an explosion echoed from the distance!
The thunderous noise sent chills down everyone's spines.
"Is that the One-Tail?"
"Crap, has it gone berserk?"
"Didn't they say Hidden Sand's jinchuriki was stabilized? Why would it suddenly go berserk?"
The wild, tailed-beast chakra permeating the air was palpable even to non-sensory shinobi, leading them to suspect the One-Tail had indeed gone berserk.
"Damn it!"
Kakashi's face was grim.
Akatsuki's target was undoubtedly the tailed beasts. With Naruto targeted by Ranmaru and the One-Tail jinchuriki attacked by Hiruko, the Seven-Tails jinchuriki, also in the Death Forest, was likely under attack—or possibly already captured by Akatsuki.
But Kakashi couldn't spare anyone to rescue the One-Tail or Seven-Tails jinchuriki, as their own situation was far from secure.
Though the sea of trees had quieted, Orochimaru's threat lingered. No one knew when he might control the First and Second Hokages to strike again.
And Ranmaru, lurking nearby with his "Transparent Release," was an even greater danger!
Compared to Kakashi, Shinji had a clearer grasp of the situation, having secretly communicated through "Jikibi" with Yakumo, Shion, and others fighting Hiruko at the other end of the Death Forest, as well as Neji and Kimimaro in the village.
The situation was indeed dire.
Though Akatsuki hadn't launched a full-scale assault on Hidden Leaf yet, Hiruko and Ranmaru, both having undergone the Bloodline Fusion Ritual and wielding multiple Bloodline Limits, were formidable opponents.
Add to that Orochimaru's interference, summoning the First and Second Hokages with "Impure World Reincarnation" at this critical moment, and Gaara's spiraling rampage.
Anyone facing this situation would feel overwhelmed!
But Shinji couldn't afford to focus on these matters. The opportunity to awaken the Rinnegan had finally appeared, and he couldn't let it slip by.
From his perspective, he only needed to ensure Naruto and Sasuke's safety, then find a quiet place to pursue the Rinnegan.
As for the One-Tail jinchuriki, Gaara, and the Seven-Tails jinchuriki, Fu, he had no choice but to abandon them.
From a broader perspective, Akatsuki's pursuit of the tailed beasts to revive the "Ten-Tails" concerned the safety of the entire shinobi world. If Shinji, as the "Lampbearer," could harness the Ten-Tails' power before the Hegemon attacked the shinobi world, the hope of countering the Hegemon and protecting the shinobi world would greatly increase.
After sorting through the information, Shinji ordered Naruto and Sasuke, "Ranmaru's target is me. Take this chance and head to the shelter now!"
Sasuke hesitated. "But…"
Kakashi interjected, "I'll stay with Shinji to deal with that guy. You all go first!"
With Kakashi staying to support Shinji, Sasuke said no more.
Under the Anbu's protection, Shizune led the injured Asuma, Hayate, Darui, Yuri Ringo, and others, along with Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Haku, and Karin, toward the nearest shelter.
Ryuzetsu and Chino remained, awaiting orders.
Shinji waved them off. "You two go with them!"
"Yes, sir!"
Ryuzetsu and Chino nodded obediently and followed the departing group.
Kakashi considered stopping them, as they were from Hidden Grass Village, not one of the five great nations, and the issue with "Shinji Kozu" raised concerns.
But recalling their strength and how they had diligently protected Naruto and Sasuke during the breakout, he silently approved Shinji's decision.
Moments later, only Shinji, Kakashi, Yamato, and a few other jonin remained.
Kurenai whispered, "Is he still here?"
Shinji smiled. "Don't worry, his target is me!"
His "killing intent perception" continued to alert him that the threat hadn't left, confirming Ranmaru was still nearby and hadn't followed the retreating group.
Kurenai marveled, "How can you still smile?"
In the shadows, Ranmaru stared intently at Shinji. Seeing that Chino and Karin, who could sense his "Transparent Release," had left, his eyes brimmed with killing intent. "Uchiha Shinji, you're practically begging to die!"
The next moment, his figure flickered, lunging toward Shinji.
Whoosh
A kunai shot through the air, landing precisely in Ranmaru's path, halting his ambush.
"Who!?"
Ranmaru snapped his head up, spotting two figures in red-cloud cloaks standing on a nearby tree branch!