Chapter 95: The Shikkotsu Forest
As soon as Dodai finished his report, the Kumo war tent erupted into chaos. The Raikage's face was twisted in fury, his clenched fists shaking with barely contained rage—he looked ready to charge straight into Konoha's headquarters and snatch the Two-Tails' jinchūriki back himself.
The Kumo forces, though shaken by Konoha's show of strength, never expected that both Yūgito and Dodai would be defeated by two virtually unknown young ninja.
And not only defeated—Yūgito, the host of the Two-Tails, had been captured alive. To them, it was nothing short of unthinkable.
But Kumo's pride, unity, and fierce warrior spirit made it impossible for them to consider surrender or abandoning one of their own.
"Raikage-sama, let's mobilize the entire army and go to war with Konoha!"
"That's right! We must rescue Lady Yūgito!"
Though cooler heads like Dodai, Mabui, and Samui tried to urge caution and strategic planning, their voices were quickly drowned out by the storm of righteous anger in the tent.
With a thunderous smash, the Raikage slammed his hand down, reducing the table before him to splinters.
"Have the entire army prepare for battle. Tonight, I'll personally lead the charge!" he roared.
"I won't just bring Yūgito back—I'll tear that Uchiha Yusuke apart with my own hands!"
Dodai opened his mouth to protest, but the Raikage cut him off before he could even speak.
"This full-scale assault—you, Dodai, will serve as our overall commander!"
Dodai could only nod silently. His personal reservations would have to wait. For now, he had no choice but to devote himself entirely to devising a way to outmaneuver Konoha's forces.
While tension and battle cries mounted in Kumo, the mood in Konoha's war camp was far more mixed—surprise and excitement filled the air.
No one had expected Itachi, still a teenager, to so capably command the vanguard. Many had doubted his appointment from the start.
But he'd proven them all wrong—despite being outnumbered, he had not only held off Kumo's front-line forces, he had led his team to a stunning victory against Dodai and Yūgito, capturing the jinchūriki alive. It was a feat beyond anyone's imagination.
And now, with Itachi and Izumi both having displayed the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, word had quickly spread through the camp.
A mix of awe and fear grew among the shinobi. The strength of the Uchiha clan was on full display—and with that came a renewed sense of reverence toward their clan head, Yusuke.
Understanding that the hot-headed Fourth Raikage was likely to retaliate with overwhelming force, Yusuke made the strategic decision to pull back Konoha's forces.
Except for a few reconnaissance units, all other active squads were ordered to regroup near the main camp, ensuring they wouldn't be isolated and defeated piecemeal by a large-scale Kumo offensive.
With his orders given, Yusuke dismissed the officers and made his way—together with Itachi and Izumi—to where Yūgito was being held.
She remained unconscious.
And it was very likely… she might never wake again.
Yusuke gave a satisfied nod, glancing approvingly at Itachi.
"As expected of my student. You didn't let me down."
Indeed, having a capable subordinate like Itachi was a rare comfort for Yusuke—it made everything far more manageable.
"Hey, hey, wait a minute, big brother!" Izumi suddenly chimed in with a grin. "I played a huge part in this too! If it weren't for me, the enemy might've escaped!"
Yusuke chuckled, reaching out to gently pat Izumi's head.
"Well done. Once this war is over, your brother will make sure you get a proper reward."
"But Izumi," he added with a more serious tone, "even if your Mangekyō Sharingan doesn't put as much strain on your eyes, you still need to use it sparingly. Understand?"
Izumi nodded earnestly. Yusuke had warned her about this before, which was why she had refrained from using her Shin'i Flash ability in the early stages of battle.
Seeing the flicker of worry behind her smile, Yusuke offered reassurance.
"You don't need to be so anxious. I promise I'll find a way to fix your eyes."
"Okay!" she replied, eyes shining with trust.
After checking on the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, Yusuke instructed Itachi and Izumi to rest and recover their strength—what came next could very well be the decisive battle.
As for extracting the Two-Tails from Yūgito's body and sealing its Yin and Yang chakra into the Dual Polarity Seal, that would have to wait until the war was over and they had returned to Konoha.
After all, pulling a tailed beast from a jinchūriki was no simple task. In the original timeline, even the Akatsuki had required several top-level members and an S-rank sealing jutsu—the Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seal—to extract the One-Tail from Gaara, and that had taken two full days.
With the Kumo army potentially launching an attack at any moment, Yusuke simply didn't have the time or resources to begin the process now.
"Using the capture of the Two-Tails to lure Kumo into a decisive battle… this could be the perfect opportunity," Yusuke thought.
"If we can crush them, then rush east to the Mist front, we might be able to seize the Three-Tails as well!"
That morning, he had received intel from Jiraiya—the Mist front was currently holding stable, and Jiraiya assured him there was no immediate danger there, giving Yusuke the freedom to focus entirely on Kumo.
Yusuke had originally considered sharing the intel about the Fourth Mizukage being under genjutsu control with Kirigakure, but in the end, he'd decided against it.
If the genjutsu were broken, the Fourth Mizukage would realize he'd been manipulated by a Sharingan—a symbol unmistakably tied to the Uchiha clan.
That revelation could shift the Mist's hostility toward the Uchiha specifically, possibly intensifying the conflict rather than easing it.
"The Two-Tails… the Three-Tails… and the Eight-Tails… War has always concealed great opportunities beneath the bloodshed," Yusuke murmured inwardly.
—
While the great powers of Konoha, Kumo, and Kiri clashed across the continent, Kabuto was far away—deep in the heart of the Shikkotsu Forest, studying sage arts under the Great Slug Sage.
Amid a vast, mist-shrouded swamp, an enormous white slug—so massive its full size was impossible to gauge—dwelled silently.
Half of its body was submerged beneath the mire, while the upper half loomed in and out of the mist like a mountain.
This was the legendary Slug Sage.
The Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Great Sage Lands, differed starkly from Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave.
Unlike the communal toads and snakes who lived in groups and had lineages, the Slug Sage lived alone—no offspring, no followers, just her singular, immense presence.
Because of her overwhelming size and the vast reserves of sage chakra within her, the slugs summoned by Tsunade or Kabuto were merely tiny fragments of her greater self.
Before Kabuto had come to Shikkotsu Forest, Yusuke had warned him: Never disrespect the Slug Sage.
Even if the slugs summoned in battle seemed gentle and easygoing, the truly dangerous beings in this world often wore the kindest faces. Just like the First Hokage.
Though Yusuke had never encountered the sages of the three great lands himself, he was convinced: the Slug Sage might very well be the strongest among them.