When Shion released the "Demon-Sealing Coffin," the surface of the "Black Coffin," solid as if it were real, suddenly rippled like waves, then scattered into the air like fading petals.
As the "Black Coffin" dissipated, Gaara, who had been sealed within, instantly opened his eyes.
Shaaa
In that moment, the once-calm sea of sand erupted again. Everyone within its range—whether from Hidden Sand, Hidden Leaf, or Akatsuki's Hiruko—was subjected to an indiscriminate assault!
Kankuro shouted, "Gaara, it's us!"
Temari, heedless of the danger, rushed toward Gaara while yelling, "Gaara, snap out of it! The enemy is Akatsuki!"
Hearing Kankuro and Temari's cries, a flicker of clarity returned to Gaara's rage-filled eyes.
"Akatsuki…"
He looked up, his gaze meeting Hiruko's crimson Sharingan.
"So, he's lost control!"
Hiruko chuckled lightly, the three tomoe in his eyes spinning rapidly, merging into a circle of inky patterns.
As his Mangekyo Sharingan activated, Hiruko's expression hardened. "Yumota!"
Unlike his right eye's Mangekyo dojutsu, "Aya," which absorbed extreme emotions to restore pupil power, the Mangekyo dojutsu in his left eye, "Yumota," could transfer his own emotions to a target, amplifying their feelings.
In an instant, Gaara's eyes, which had begun to clear, clouded over once more, his face contorted with murderous intent!
"Aaahhh!"
Roar
Amid his furious roar, Gaara began to transform into his tailed beast form, half his body showing traces of the One-Tail, Shukaku.
At the same time, the sea of sand beneath him grew even more violent, its attack frequency doubling!
Seeing this, Yakumo had no choice but to activate her "Wood Release," pulling Shion, Temari, and Kankuro out of the raging sand sea.
Hiruko dodged while laughing maniacally. "Yes, just like that! Kill whoever you want—no need to hold back. Just follow your heart!"
Undoubtedly, having unleashed "Yumota" to break Gaara's mental defenses, Hiruko became one of Gaara's targets. Yet, he reveled in it, as if triggering a jinchuriki rampage in Hidden Leaf Village was something to celebrate.
Watching Hiruko in his red-cloud cloak, Yakumo sighed and said to the Anbu beside her, "I might not be able to support the other battlefields!"
The Anbu sighed as well. "No matter what, we can't let a rampaging One-Tail jinchuriki break into the residential district!"
Shion chimed in encouragingly, "Yakumo, don't panic! You've got us!"
Tenten, Temari, and Kankuro stepped forward as well. "Yeah!"
…
On the other side, within the ice crystal created by Haku, Shinji ignored the tightening sea of trees outside, which threatened to crush the crystal. Instead, he focused entirely on sensing the chakra within his body.
After clashing with the First Hokage and Second Hokage, he noticed the Yin Release and Yang Release chakra within him merging into an unprecedented state.
A vast amount of "All Creation Power" was being refined within him, rapidly feeding back into his body and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes.
"Is the time finally here?" He smirked, thinking to himself, "I never expected the turning point to awaken the Rinnegan would come under these circumstances!"
Crack
A shattering sound rang out as another fissure appeared in the ice crystal.
Haku calmly repaired the crack, then turned to the group. "My 'Ice Release' is nearing its limit. The First Hokage's 'Wood Release' is truly extraordinary. Everyone, prepare yourselves!"
Chino muttered under her breath, "You don't look like you're at your limit!"
Thanks to her "Ketsuryugan," Chino could gauge an enemy's physical condition by observing their blood at close range.
She noticed her "Ketsuryugan" couldn't interfere with Haku's blood, and Haku appeared completely at ease, showing no signs of fatigue. That's why she couldn't help but grumble.
Ryuzetsu quickly tugged at Chino. "Keep it down!"
Sakura, worried, said, "What do we do? That's the First Hokage's 'Wood Release' out there. Can we even escape?"
Sasuke's expression darkened.
Having undone his "Cursed Seal" state, his physical condition had plummeted. At this moment, let alone using his Mangekyo dojutsu, even basic combat was nearly impossible.
Naruto rolled up his sleeves. "Don't worry, everyone! I'll find a way to get us out!"
Sakura countered, "Didn't you say 'Wood Release' is your worst matchup?"
Naruto froze, speechless.
Karin spoke up, "It's not just the First Hokage. The Second Hokage and the powerful enemy who summoned them are out there too."
All eyes turned to Ryuzetsu and Chino.
Ryuzetsu waved her hands frantically. "That Shinji Kozu out there is an imposter! He's not even from our Hidden Grass Village!"
Shinji raised a hand. "The technique that summoned the First and Second Hokages is called 'Impure World Reincarnation,' a forbidden jutsu from Hidden Leaf. It has nothing to do with Hidden Grass!"
With Shinji's clarification, the Hidden Leaf shinobi dropped their suspicions about Ryuzetsu and Chino.
Sakura looked at Shinji earnestly. "Shinji, if it's you, you must have a way to get us out, right?"
Glancing over the group, Shinji chuckled inwardly.
The current situation wasn't as dire as it seemed. The issue was that Karin, Haku, Ryuzetsu, and Chino couldn't reveal their true strength.
If they could switch appearances and act as Akatsuki members, dealing with Orochimaru and the reincarnated First and Second Hokages would be more than manageable.
Even without her Rinnegan, Karin's "Wood Release" and the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques were enough to handle the complex situation.
"I'll lead the charge. Naruto, you protect Sasuke. Sakura, just keep up with the team!" After assigning tasks to Sasuke's team, Shinji turned to Haku and Karin. "You two cover the rear!"
"Understood!"
The Hidden Leaf shinobi nodded in unison.
Shinji then looked at Ryuzetsu and Chino. "You two, support me in breaking through!"
For some reason, Ryuzetsu couldn't bring herself to refuse Shinji. She nodded obediently. "Got it!"
Finally, Shinji glanced at Sasuke.
The chaos outside didn't matter to him. His top priority was clear: ensure Sasuke's safety, then find an opportunity to extract the high-purity Yin Release chakra of Indra Otsutsuki from Sasuke to awaken the Rinnegan!