Under Senju Haruto's overwhelming power, Shukaku wasn't just questioning the fight—he was questioning existence itself. The One-Tail no longer had the will to rise again.
The only thought swirling in his mind was simple: Gaara's body is actually a pretty good place to hide.
Boring, maybe. But safe. And right now, safe was priceless.
What the hell is this guy? Shukaku's panic was absolute. This isn't even human-level strength!
What terrified him most wasn't just the devastating force Haruto unleashed—it was how casually he did it. Effortless, unstrained, as though he hadn't even begun to show his full power.
"So that's it? You're done already?"
Standing atop the massive wooden construct, Senju Haruto opened his Sharingan, gazing down at the battlefield. The hulking form of the tailed beast was gone. In its place lay the frail body of Gaara, curled on the ground, utterly drained. He didn't even have the strength to stand.
"I had planned to use Wood Release to suppress Shukaku—just like the First Hokage once suppressed the Nine-Tails. But…" Haruto's voice dropped into a murmur, "I must have overestimated him."
After all, Shukaku was still a tailed beast. One tail or not, he was no minor opponent. Even a mosquito's leg is still meat. Yet to Haruto's surprise, Shukaku had proven pitifully fragile.
"…Forget it." Haruto shook his head lightly. "I'm not a demon."
But to prevent the collapsing Wooden Golem from devastating the area, he guided the colossal construct to stumble away before finally dispersing his chakra.
With a thunderous crash, the towering wooden giant crumbled into nothing but shattered timbers and ruins. Haruto descended smoothly, landing without the slightest tremor.
"Looks like you won't be needing me anymore."
Gamabunta exhaled a sigh of relief as he surveyed the battlefield. Confirming he was no longer necessary, the toad boss dispelled himself, returning to Mount Myōboku.
Naruto, meanwhile, carried Sakura in a princess lift as he leapt down from the sky. They landed lightly beside Haruto—but catching his sharp gaze, Sakura flushed with embarrassment and quickly wriggled free from Naruto's arms.
"So… what do we do with Gaara now? He hurt Lee so badly," Sakura asked, clearing her throat to shift the atmosphere.
But before Haruto could respond, two familiar figures stumbled onto the scene. Temari and Kankurō.
They looked utterly exhausted, bearing the aftermath of a fierce battle. Kankurō, notably, had not a single puppet left intact—without Temari's help, he wouldn't have made it here at all.
In truth, both of them had witnessed the clash between Haruto and Gaara. The difference in power was unfathomable—an entirely different dimension. No matter how hard they fought, against Senju Haruto they would have been wiped out in seconds.
Worse still, even after wielding such awe-inspiring jutsu, Haruto remained composed, calm, as though his chakra reserves hadn't diminished in the slightest.
To fight him now would be the height of stupidity.
"…We didn't come to fight," Temari finally declared, drawing a deep breath to steady herself.
"Then what did you come here for?" Sakura asked immediately, suspicion heavy in her voice. She had no fondness for the Sand Siblings after what Gaara had done.
"We… we came to deliver information." Temari's jaw tightened. All she could do was pray that Haruto would let them live.
She relayed everything she had seen before rushing here:
The Kazekage who had been at the Third Hokage's side wasn't Rasa at all. His true identity was Orochimaru, the Leaf's infamous rogue shinobi—and the mastermind behind this entire invasion.
"To defeat your Hokage, Orochimaru used a jutsu that can summon the dead back to life. He resurrected both the First and Second Hokage." Temari's voice faltered slightly. "Konoha… needs your strength."
Her honesty had three purposes. First, to prove they bore no hostility. Second, to suggest that Sunagakure too was a victim—if Orochimaru had indeed disposed of the real Kazekage. And third, to make Haruto aware of the greater threat back in Konoha, perhaps giving them a chance to escape.
"You expect us to believe you?" Sakura snapped back instantly.
"And do you really think we have a reason to lie?" Temari shot back. "We're just genin from the Sand. Even Gaara, our strongest, is down and out—he can't fight anymore. Do we look like enemies to you?"
Her eyes, however, remained fixed on Haruto. She knew very well: neither Naruto's nor Sakura's opinion mattered. Haruto alone held their fate in his hands.
"…I think she's telling the truth." Naruto finally spoke, though hesitation lingered in his tone.
Back in the Forest of Death, he'd encountered Orochimaru firsthand. Regardless of Temari's words, one thing was certain: Orochimaru had infiltrated the village.
Moreover, Temari's gaze carried a raw sincerity Naruto instinctively trusted. He had grown up despised, shunned, constantly reading the eyes of others—he could spot truth and lies better than most.
But above all… Naruto's heart ached as he looked at Gaara. Like him, Gaara was a jinchūriki—used as nothing more than a tool of war by his village. Seeing Gaara broken, abandoned, Naruto couldn't help but feel a deep kinship.
"Let's head back."
Senju Haruto finally nodded. His decision wasn't born of mercy. Simply put… Gaara had nothing Haruto needed. He had already claimed Shukaku's chakra through his strange "system" earlier. Now, the true priority was returning to the village, completing his mission, and saving Konoha.
And as a transmigrator, he knew well enough: everything Temari said was true.
Leaving the three Sand siblings behind, Haruto, Naruto, and Sakura departed swiftly for Konoha.
Temari remained staring at their retreating figures for a long while, only collapsing to the ground once their chakra signatures had completely faded from her senses.
Kankurō slumped beside her, his face pale. "We… we just cheated death."
"Yeah," Temari muttered bitterly. "The ninja of Konoha… they're monsters."
If not for the First Hokage's Wood Release altering the terrain and separating Sasuke from her, she would never have escaped alive, much less reached Gaara in time.
"…But do you really think that man can stop Orochimaru?" Temari's brow furrowed deeply. She had no doubt—Haruto wielded the same legendary Wood Release as the First Hokage. But Orochimaru had not only the First, but the Second Hokage at his side.
Could even Senju Haruto alone withstand that?
"…Forget it. We need to get out of here, quickly."
But just as Temari braced herself to move, intending to carry her unconscious brother away, two figures emerged silently, blocking her path.
Their cloaks were black, adorned with red clouds.
Akatsuki.
"The One-Tail's jinchūriki," one of them said coldly. "We'll be taking him."