Yuto lifted his head and looked around, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
Just a moment ago, a peculiar sensation had suddenly washed over him.
"Is this what they call a sixth sense?" Yuto muttered softly to himself, his brow slightly furrowed.
After speaking, Yuto shook his head slightly and lowered it again, looking at the withered branch resting in his palm.
This withered branch was the one he had obtained from Takigakure (Waterfall Village), suspected to be a branch from the Divine Tree.
Originally, Yuto had planned to use this branch to replicate the Ten-Tails' chakra. Unfortunately, after some time trying, he discovered it simply wouldn't work. The branch itself contained no chakra properties whatsoever; it was purely instinctively absorbing the trace amounts of chakra in the air.
Yuto sighed lightly. It seemed that to obtain the Ten-Tails' chakra, he would have to merge the power of all nine Tailed Beasts.
Just then, a faint whooshing sound came from a distance.
After a few flashes of movement, Chojuro appeared not far from Yuto.
"Lord Yuto, it seems that Ringo Ameyuri's younger sister is looking for you."
A hint of helplessness flashed in Chojuro's eyes as he spoke respectfully.
Chojuro hadn't originally intended to disturb Lord Yuto, but he simply couldn't withstand how clingy Haruna could be, forcing him to make the trip.
After finishing his words, Chojuro lowered his head, feeling somewhat uneasy in his heart.
After all, Lord Yuto had been meditating here for quite some time, clearly not wanting to be disturbed.
"Haruna? Let her come."
A strange expression crossed Yuto's face as he spoke with interest.
Chojuro breathed a sigh of relief, nodded again, and then vanished in a flash.
Not long after, Haruna walked over, this time with a respectful expression that still held curiosity.
"Big Brother!"
As soon as Haruna saw Yuto, her face lit up with joy. She waved happily as she spoke.
"Haruna! That is our Kirigakure's..."
Chojuro jumped in surprise and quickly tried to remind Haruna.
However, before Chojuro could finish, Yuto gently waved his hand, looking indifferent.
"Haruna, what's wrong? Looking for your sister, or for Ranmaru?"
Yuto looked at Haruna with a smile on his face.
"They're both on a mission, and Haruna knows that," Haruna said, shaking her little head after hearing Yuto's words.
Yuto was slightly taken aback, then a look of realization flashed in his eyes. He figured that when Ringo Ameyuri went on a mission, she would naturally tell Haruna.
"Then why did you come over? I don't have time to play with you right now."
Yuto looked at Haruna with a puzzled expression.
"Haruna came to find Big Brother. Sister told Haruna that Big Brother is a strong person in the village."
Haruna glanced at Yuto with a suspicious look in her eyes, but continued in her childish voice:
"So Haruna wanted to ask, can Big Brother heal people?"
"Heal people?"
Yuto's eyebrows furrowed slightly, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
"Sister seems to be sick. She thinks Haruna doesn't know, but Haruna knew a long time ago."
Haruna's face showed a triumphant expression, looking completely serious.
Ringo Ameyuri was sick?
Yuto suddenly froze, then as if remembering something, a serious expression crossed his face.
Because the memory was somewhat distant, Yuto had almost overlooked something important.
That was, in history, Ringo Ameyuri had died from illness. According to the timeline, this should be around the time before Shippuden began.
In other words, the Ringo Ameyuri of this time was already sick.
That girl had been hiding it from him.
For a moment, Yuto didn't know what expression to make.
He hoped this mission wouldn't have any problems, and he needed to find a skilled Medical Ninjutsu user as soon as possible.
Yuto thought to himself.
"Don't worry, Haruna, your sister will be fine."
Yuto's face broke into a smile again as he spoke seriously to Haruna.
Hearing Yuto's words, Haruna puffed out her little chest, looking relieved.
Not long after, Chojuro led Haruna away.
Watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance, Yuto fell into deep thought.
In the forest at the center of the battlefield.
The collision between Might Guy and Ringo Ameyuri happened in an instant.
By the time Hyuga Tokuma and the others reacted, the figures of Might Guy and Ringo Ameyuri had already simultaneously fallen to the ground.
Hyuga Tokuma's expression darkened. With a single step, he vanished from his spot, reappearing right beside Might Guy and Ringo Ameyuri.
Hyuga Tokuma activated his Byakugan and first looked at Ringo Ameyuri. With just one glance, he knew that Ringo Ameyuri had completely lost her life.
When Hyuga Tokuma looked at Might Guy, his pupils couldn't help but shrink sharply.
Ringo Ameyuri's Lightning Blade was mere centimeters away from piercing Might Guy's heart.
Hyuga Tokuma stared at Might Guy deeply. He didn't know whether to say Ringo Ameyuri's luck was terrible or Might Guy's was good.
He couldn't leave the Lightning Blade embedded in Might Guy. If anything went wrong, Might Guy would certainly not survive.
Moreover, the power Might Guy had just displayed had made Hyuga Tokuma take notice.
Perhaps before, Hyuga Tokuma hadn't paid much mind to Might Guy, but now, Might Guy had earned the qualification to be taken seriously by him... or by the entire Hyuga clan.
Thinking this, Hyuga Tokuma's expression turned solemn as he reached out his hand and slowly grasped the hilt of the Lightning Blade.
His gaze remained fixed on the blade's insertion point.
Fortunately, the Hyuga clan inherently possessed precise control.
Under Hyuga Tokuma's careful movements, the Lightning Blade was slowly pulled out.
The intense pain in his chest seemed to have roused Might Guy from his unconscious state.
Might Guy opened his eyes and first saw the Lightning Blade in Hyuga Tokuma's hand. After glancing at his chest, he understood what had happened.
"Th... thanks."
Might Guy's face was pale as he spoke in a weak voice.
Hyuga Tokuma's expression remained unchanged. Just as he was about to speak, an angry voice suddenly came from nearby.
"Ringo Ameyuri-senpai!"
There, Ranmaru had unsteadily gotten back to his feet from a distance, his face filled with anger as he looked at Might Guy and Hyuga Tokuma.
Hyuga Tokuma frowned, his face turning cold:
"So there was one still alive. Go kill him!"
A Hyuga clan Jonin lifted his foot and charged toward Ranmaru.
Paper Spear!
A cold voice suddenly rang out from the distance.
A spear, completely composed of paper and shining with a metallic luster, shot toward them at incredible speed from a direction in the forest.
The moment that piercing sound rang out, the Hyuga ninja who had been charging toward Ranmaru hurriedly activated his Byakugan.
His body, which had been charging forward, couldn't help but freeze, then quickly retreated backward.
A dull thud sounded as the Paper Spear embedded itself precisely where the Hyuga ninja had been standing.
Everyone turned their heads to look in the direction the Paper Spear had come from.
There, two figures—a man and a woman—appeared simultaneously in everyone's field of vision.
As Konan and Nagato emerged from the forest, their faces darkened as they looked at the scene before them.
Especially when they saw the clearly deceased Ringo Ameyuri, both Nagato and Konan couldn't help but feel a jolt deep in their hearts.
The figure of Yuto surfaced in both of their minds.
After the news of Yuto's resurrection was made public, it was naturally unnecessary for Kirigakure's leadership to keep it hidden. They also publicized the series of events that had occurred after Yuto's resurrection.
For example, the sea trade of the Inuzuka clan, the sudden prosperity of Kirigakure's commerce, the reformation of the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," and so on.
And nearly everyone in Kirigakure knew that Yuto placed great importance on the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
If Yuto were to learn that Ringo Ameyuri had died, Konan and Nagato couldn't imagine what expression Yuto would have.
More importantly, Konan and Nagato had appeared this time not only to provoke Sasuke, to see if it could awaken his Sharingan, but also to assist Ranmaru and Ringo Ameyuri.
And now...
Nagato applied slight pressure to his feet, his entire body vanishing from the spot as he rapidly charged toward Hyuga Tokuma and Might Guy.
"Stop him!"
Hyuga Tokuma's eyes turned cold as he spoke to the other Hyuga ninja.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Piercing sounds rang out simultaneously.
The remaining Hyuga ninja all charged toward Nagato.
As Nagato charged forward, he slowly lifted his head, the Sharingan in his eye sockets spinning rapidly, instantly entering the Mangekyou Sharingan state.
Nagato lightly frowned. Compared to the Rinnegan, he still wasn't used to using these eyes, especially since only one of them was usable now.
In almost an instant, both sides met.
All the Hyuga ninja who made eye contact with Nagato froze, standing rigidly in place.
Nagato passed through the group of Hyuga ninja without any obstruction.
"It's the Sharingan!"
At this moment, Hyuga Tokuma also reacted, his expression changing drastically as he hurriedly prepared to close his eyes.
But it was too late the next second.
Nagato was already standing before Hyuga Tokuma, a crimson Sharingan reflected in Hyuga Tokuma's eyes.
Hyuga Tokuma's entire body froze in that instant, his movements ceasing.
Nagato easily bypassed Hyuga Tokuma and walked to Ringo Ameyuri's side.
As for Might Guy at this time, not only was he seriously injured, but his entire body was so weak he had no strength left.
He could only watch with wide eyes as Nagato, his expression indifferent, picked up Ringo Ameyuri and turned back.
Even after Nagato returned to Konan's side, Hyuga Tokuma and the others remained standing frozen in place, unmoving.
"Is this the genjutsu of Uchiha Itachi? Truly terrifying."
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