Facing Terumi Mei's question, the Kirigakure shinobi's face showed a hint of embarrassment.
He vividly remembered that just ten minutes ago, he had confidently guaranteed his Mizukage that he could succeed.
"Lord Mizukage, there is an extremely powerful sealing barrier in Konoha's Tsunade's mind. My jutsu cannot break through it."
Terumi Mei's faint hope vanished in an instant, and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
She had originally wanted to extract information about Konoha's battle formations and other intelligence from Tsunade's mind.
Sensing this oppressive aura, the Kirigakure shinobi kneeling below was drenched in cold sweat. In just a few breaths, the back of his uniform was soaked through.
"When it comes to sealing barriers, let alone Kirigakure, there's no one in the entire Shinobi World who can match Konoha."
A Kirigakure shinobi actually trying to break the barriers in her mind? What a joke.
This was no empty boast. Konoha, having collected the majority of the Land of Whirlpools' sealing jutsu, and after improvements by geniuses like Senju Tobirama and others, had far outpaced the other villages.
The gap between Konoha and the other four great shinobi villages was not something they could hope to bridge.
At this moment, although Tsunade's face was still deathly pale, her Chakra had recovered somewhat. Her originally weakened condition had improved noticeably.
Faced with Tsunade's mockery, Terumi Mei's aura shifted in an instant. Her eyes narrowed, and the air around her suddenly turned dangerously sharp.
"Lord Hokage Tsunade, it seems you are currently a prisoner of Kirigakure, are you not?"
Terumi Mei turned her head toward Tsunade. Their eyes locked, and it was as if sparks flew between them.
One was the Hokage of Konoha, the other the Mizukage of Kirigakure. Both were among the most outstanding figures in the Shinobi World.
Terumi Mei had long found Tsunade insufferable. If Tsunade weren't far more useful alive than dead, she couldn't be bothered exchanging words with her.
Seeing the two women on the verge of butting heads, the corner of Yuto's mouth twitched.
"Bring me sensory-type shinobi. I need to locate the Edo Tensei caster's position as quickly as possible."
With a hint of impatience on his face, Yuto cut off the two who seemed ready to exchange more threats. He looked at the Kirigakure shinobi still kneeling on the ground with his head bowed.
The shinobi bowed respectfully, immediately rose to his feet, and vanished as a dark blur.
Several Ghost Phantoms appeared before Yuto, carrying Senju Tobirama, Hatake Sayun, and Uchiha Itachi, all bound and sealed in sand.
These individuals were currently only sealed in sand by Yuto. The Edo Tensei jutsu itself had not been undone.
Of course, apart from these few, the souls of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Kato Dan, and Namikaze Minato had all been taken by the Shinigami, which was another form of release entirely.
Oh, and there was also Shimura Danzo, who had been blasted by Senju Tobirama's Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags to such an extent that even Edo Tensei couldn't restore him for the time being.
Three Kirigakure sensory-type shinobi rushed over from the distance, arriving before the group in a few leaps.
These three sensory shinobi bore tattered clothing and carried the stench of blood, clearly having just come from the battlefield.
Upon appearing, the three respectfully addressed Yuto and Terumi Mei.
When their gazes fell upon Tsunade nearby, all three visibly froze, shock flashing across their eyes.
The Hokage of Konoha, here behind Kirigakure's forces?
The three sensory shinobi exchanged instinctive glances, their eyes gleaming with excitement and elation.
Konoha's Hokage Tsunade had actually been captured. The outcome of this war was becoming clear.
The joy on the three shinobi's faces flickered briefly before they composed themselves into seriousness.
"Use your sensory jutsu together to detect the direction of any Chakra similar to the Chakra of these three sealed in sand."
Yuto had already had his Ghost Phantoms place the sand-sealed Senju Tobirama and the other two together.
The three sensory shinobi acknowledged the order respectfully, quickly approaching the three sand-sealed individuals and beginning to form hand seals.
Gradually, sweat appeared on the three sensory shinobi's faces. It wasn't from excessive Chakra depletion, but rather because so far, they hadn't detected the direction of any similar Chakra at all.
Lord Yuto and Lord Mizukage were both watching. If they came up empty-handed, it would be utterly humiliating.
At that moment, Yuto, standing to the side, couldn't help but frown slightly.
The Edo Tensei caster had currently only reanimated Senju Tobirama and the others, but that didn't mean he could only reanimate those few.
If a large number of Edo Tensei reanimations suddenly appeared on the battlefield, it would be an absolute nightmare for ordinary shinobi.
Yuto could indeed seal the Edo Tensei reanimations, but how many could he seal by himself?
After roughly ten minutes, the three sensory shinobi simultaneously opened their eyes.
One of the three spoke with visible reluctance, his voice dropping several notes.
Hearing this shinobi's words, Yuto sighed inwardly. He was about to say something when the shinobi's next words brought a spark of hope to his heart.
"Lord Yuto... we can barely sense the general direction of this similar Chakra, but we cannot pinpoint its exact location."
"East..." The sensory shinobi who had just spoken was momentarily startled by Yuto's sudden question. Another sensory shinobi beside him quickly answered.
Yuto had initially assumed that the Edo Tensei caster's position would be near Konoha, but the direction turned out to be completely opposite.
Yuto looked at the three sensory shinobi and praised them without reservation.
Their faces lit up. Receiving praise from Lord Yuto was something few in all of Kirigakure could claim. For a moment, all three showed expressions of sheer excitement.
Tsunade, imprisoned nearby, had naturally overheard the sensory shinobi's words as well.
When she heard that the direction they had sensed was to the east, Tsunade's gaze visibly shifted, and her complexion instantly darkened!
The eastern direction was clearly different from the position Tsunade had originally known about.
In other words, Orochimaru's people had moved their position on their own, and to a location opposite Konoha!
At this point, it wasn't just Tsunade who had noticed this problem. Jiraiya, back in Konoha, had also made the same discovery.
Yuto stomped the ground and rocketed into the sky, dashing toward the east. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished from everyone's sight.
Seeing Yuto disappear, Terumi Mei pulled her gaze back, and the commanding aura of the Mizukage rose from her.
"Konoha's side likely hasn't yet received word that their Hokage has been captured."
"Before the sun rises tomorrow, I will shatter Konoha's defensive line and force every one of their shinobi to retreat back into the village."
Terumi Mei declared loudly, her voice carrying a fierce, iron-willed resolve.
Voices of acknowledgment rang out as several Kirigakure shinobi simultaneously vanished as dark blurs from their positions.
"Impressive resolve, worthy of Kirigakure's Mizukage. But you're underestimating Konoha!"
"Trying to use my capture to sow chaos in Konoha? I'm afraid you've miscalculated."
"Long before this war even began, we had made thorough preparations. Even if I'm captured, a new acting Hokage will immediately take my place."
Tsunade looked at Terumi Mei with a serious expression, enunciating every word clearly.
Terumi Mei folded her arms across her chest, her face calm and composed, and continued.
Yuto's figure streaked through the air like a shooting star. He landed swiftly and immediately launched himself skyward again.
As he moved at high speed, Yuto extended his sensory perception to its fullest. Everything within a kilometer's radius fell under his awareness.
His figure continuously blazed through the air as he frowned slightly.
Although he could determine the general direction, the Land of Fire was vast. Searching thoroughly would likely take quite some time.
An idea came to Yuto. He dropped from the sky, landing on a large tree, and formed a hand seal at his chest.
Accompanied by billowing white smoke, nearly a hundred of Yuto's Shadow Clones materialized in the forest in the blink of an eye.
With Yuto's Chakra reserves, he could naturally create far more clones. But there was simply no need.
A sensory range of roughly one kilometer, combined with a hundred Shadow Clones, was sufficient for a carpet search.
The moment these Shadow Clones appeared, they leaped in different directions, vanishing as afterimages in an instant.
Yuto's real body simply leaned lazily against a tree, closing his eyes and waiting quietly.
The sun in the sky had already begun to set, leaving behind a fading glow.
Just then, Yuto, who had been leaning against the tree with his eyes shut, suddenly opened them.
Yakushi Kabuto sat casually on the ground, a calm expression on his face as he stared at a Go board before him.
Strangely, there weren't many pieces on the board.
Instead, at Yakushi Kabuto's left hand sat a full box of pieces.
Yet Yakushi Kabuto showed no intention of taking pieces from the box and placing them on the board.
Though Yakushi Kabuto's eyes were fixed on the board, his mind was clearly elsewhere.
"It seems I'll need to revive Lord Orochimaru once again."
Yakushi Kabuto murmured to himself, a trace of helplessness in his voice.
To be honest, Yakushi Kabuto had never imagined that Orochimaru would voluntarily teach him the Edo Tensei jutsu.
But what shocked Yakushi Kabuto even more was that Orochimaru actually possessed a secret technique capable of freeing souls from the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
Namikaze Minato's soul had been released through this very technique.
Just as countless thoughts raced through Yakushi Kabuto's mind, a tremendous explosion detonated above the base!
In Yakushi Kabuto's field of vision, the previously solid base was instantly covered in a dense web of cracks.
Rubble and dust rained down ceaselessly. The entire base looked as though it could collapse at any moment.
Yakushi Kabuto's pupils contracted sharply. Without the slightest hesitation, he scrambled to his feet and bolted toward the base's exit.
But before Yakushi Kabuto could even leave the room, the entire base caved in on top of him.
Yuto's foot came down, and the ground directly collapsed and fractured. In an instant, a crater roughly a hundred meters across had formed.
After delivering that stomp, Yuto stood in place with a cold smirk, quietly waiting.
Yakushi Kabuto crawled out from underground, covered in blood, looking utterly wretched and panting heavily.
Yuto's unhurried voice sounded from behind Yakushi Kabuto, making the man, who had just managed to catch his breath, instantly tense up, every hair on his body standing on end!
Yakushi Kabuto turned his head stiffly to look at Yuto standing not far behind him, his voice trembling.
Yakushi Kabuto fought down the rising panic in his chest. Without a moment's hesitation, he quickly pulled out a small, specially crafted scroll from inside his robe.
The moment Yuto saw the scroll in Yakushi Kabuto's hand, no, the precise moment he sensed the unmistakable Tailed Beast Chakra emanating from it!
Yuto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, looking at Yakushi Kabuto with a glint of genuine interest.
"Lord Yuto... this contains the Chakra of a Tailed Beast... the Four-Tails, Son Goku."
Yakushi Kabuto held up the scroll with one hand, speaking in a quavering voice.
[
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