As the Anbu squad entered the shelter, the devastation along the way was clear. The guard forces were nearly annihilated, and the facilities were almost completely destroyed.
In such circumstances, they had prepared for the worst.
Yet upon reaching the battlefield, they discovered that the First Hokage's Reanimated Body was engaged in combat with Haku and Karin, two shinobi academy students.
Seeing reinforcements arrive, Haku let out a sigh of relief. "Has Hokage-sama come?"
The Anbu squad leader, scanning the surroundings, replied, "You two, escape now! Leave this to us!"
Based on the scene, it was evident that the First's Reanimated Body had been held off by Haku and Karin. Recalling the Third's earlier words that a Reanimated Body couldn't unleash its full strength from life, the Anbu were confident that with their squad's combined power, sealing a First that two academy students could barely hold back shouldn't be a problem.
Though they were puzzled as to why the First's Reanimated Body, restrained by two students, had wiped out the shelter's guards, now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
Karin, already hesitant, saw the Anbu take over the battlefield and didn't waste words. She turned and headed toward the rear of the shelter.
Rather than wasting time here with the First's Reanimated Body, she'd rather check on Ryuzetsu and Chino, who were dealing with the Second.
The Second, with his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, was equally dangerous!
Before leaving, Haku couldn't help but warn, "The First-sama is sometimes fully controlled. Please be extremely careful!"
"So, the First-sama occasionally remains conscious," the Anbu squad leader realized, then waved at Haku. "Don't worry. If you two could handle it, how could we fail?"
"Fair point!"
Haku nodded and chased after Karin.
The Anbu squad leader then bowed respectfully to the First. "First-sama, forgive our offense!"
The First shook his head. "No need to mind it. Please, do seal me!"
The First had wanted Karin to stay, as he felt an instinctual wariness toward her.
Among all those he'd encountered, only Karin and the Uchiha Shinji, whom he'd fought before, had evoked such caution.
Everyone else fell short in some way.
But the Anbu squad before him seemed highly skilled. From their conversation with Karin, he deduced their strength wasn't lacking, so he didn't press the issue.
Sealing techniques, unlike other ninjutsu, didn't require the caster's chakra to be overwhelmingly powerful. In the Warring States era, it wasn't uncommon for ordinary jonin to defeat elite jonin or even Kage-level shinobi with sealing techniques.
Once preparations were complete, the Anbu squad leader gave the order: "Move!"
In an instant, the entire squad launched an assault on the First.
The controlled First reacted instinctively, counterattacking, and both sides clashed fiercely.
Right at the start, one Anbu was sent flying by the First's taijutsu.
"!?"
The squad leader was shocked, thinking, Is the First in a conscious state or a controlled one? How is he this strong?
While still grappling with whether the First was conscious or controlled, the squad leader faltered, and another subordinate was sent flying.
The First, too, was surprised.
This seemingly elite Anbu squad was inferior to the "Ice Release" boy in terms of taijutsu and reaction speed.
Seeing only one of his three comrades remaining, the squad leader shouted, "Hold him off! I'll use the sealing technique!"
The First sighed, clapping his hands together.
Rustle rustle rustle.
Countless vines erupted from the ground, instantly entangling the squad leader preparing the sealing technique and dragging him underground.
Then, with a single punch, the First sent the last Anbu flying, ending the battle.
Surveying the fallen Anbu and the squad leader, who had been dragged underground by his Wood Release and passed out from struggling, the First frowned, utterly speechless.
He had thought this confident Anbu squad might actually seal him, but after clashing, he realized they were no match for the two children from before.
Clearly, both the First and the Anbu had severely underestimated Haku and Karin.
Karin aside—if Shinji had returned the Rinnegan, with her mastery of the Rinnegan, Wood Release, and the Uzumaki clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains, there were scarcely any in the shinobi world who could surpass her raw power.
As for Haku, a prodigy in his own right, he was already at jonin level.
Having refined the Breathing Techniques to the point of achieving the Mark and being granted the "Swift" taijutsu and "Ice Crystal Creation" abilities by the Lampbearer, his strength firmly sat between elite jonin and Kage-level—far beyond what ordinary Anbu could match.
With just a bit more experience and mental fortitude, stepping into Kage-level was practically guaranteed.
Even so, Haku had struggled against the First, narrowly escaping danger several times. Ordinary Anbu, with only jonin or special jonin strength, stood even less of a chance.
Hearing the sounds of battle behind him abruptly stop, Haku frowned slightly.
Karin, with her Kagura Mind's Eye, said, "They've been defeated!"
"So quickly!?"
Haku was stunned.
As Karin prepared to say more, they came face-to-face with Ryuzetsu and Chino, who were still fighting the Second.
Ryuzetsu and Chino were in a sorry state, especially Chino, who looked severely injured, covered in blood.
Karin asked, "Are you okay?"
Ryuzetsu shook her head. "We're fine!"
Seeing that Haku and Karin had escaped unscathed, the Second was surprised, even if he guessed someone else in the village must have held off the First. Escaping from the First's grasp, even in his Reanimated state, was no small feat.
Noticing the Second was being held back by Ryuzetsu and Chino, Karin said, "Naruto and the others should have escaped by now. Let's find a way to retreat!"
"Got it!"
Ryuzetsu and Chino nodded.
At that moment, the Second, about to strike, suddenly froze. The clarity in his eyes vanished entirely, as if fully controlled, and he dashed toward the shelter's entrance without looking back.
Almost simultaneously, the First, having defeated the Anbu squad, also rushed toward the shelter's entrance with a blank expression.
"What's going on?"
Karin, Haku, Ryuzetsu, and Chino exchanged bewildered glances.
After a pause, Karin said, "Forget it. Let's find Sasuke and Naruto to make sure they don't run into more danger!"
Haku nodded. "Right!"