Black Zetsu arrived at a battlefield in ruins.
The Sea of Trees remained, unaffected by the disappearance of White Zetsu. It looked just like real trees, rooted firmly in the clearing.
However, without the chakra sustaining it, the trees would gradually return to normal. Their hardness and other properties would weaken quickly, becoming as fragile as ordinary trees—if not more so.
At the center of the battlefield lay the broken remnants of a massive Buddha statue. Its shattered arms and limbs were scattered in all directions.
The cratered ground and debris painted a vivid picture of how fierce and devastating the battle had been between two colossal forces.
The air still carried traces of two overwhelming chakra signatures. Anyone approaching the battlefield could feel the oppressive pressure in the air, pressing heavily on their spirits.
"There's no sign of Tobi's body, nor Uchiha Shisui's or Nagato's."
"That means they might not be dead."
"Could it be that Yahiko took their bodies away?"
"Use your brain. Yahiko's chakra is still within our sensory range."
"Then find him. Maybe we can learn what really happened here."
"It's a shame the battle was so intense. The scale of the destruction is too large, and your clones can't even get close to the battlefield."
"How is that my fault? Only Tobi was special enough to handle this."
"Wait, we've found Yahiko. Hmm, there's another ninja presence nearby."
"Is it Konoha's scouting team? With a battle of this scale happening during wartime, there's no way it would go unnoticed."
"What should we do? Should we stop them?"
"The one leading the team is Jiraiya."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several figures swiftly descended to the ground.
Sensing the astonishing chakra fluctuations from afar, Jiraiya personally led the team and rushed over at the first opportunity.
This was, without a doubt, a battle at the level of the Kage. Sending a typical squad here would only result in unnecessary casualties.
However, even with prior mental preparation, assuming that the Mizukage or Tsuchikage had infiltrated the Land of Fire, Jiraiya was still taken aback when he reached the battlefield's edge!
The lush sea of trees and the ominous remnants of chakra lingering in the air both indicated that the intensity of this unknown battle far exceeded everyone's expectations.
"This was originally a plain."
A ninja behind Jiraiya, his eyes still wide with shock, realized that the coordinates of this place no longer matched his memories.
"Is this... Wood Release?"
Another jonin in the team, staring at the forest ahead, felt an overwhelming sense of heaviness.
This was the signature ninjutsu of the First Hokage, the strongest kekkei genkai revered by all Konoha shinobi.
Observing the scale of this forest, it was unimaginable what kind of person could alter the terrain to such an extent!
Perhaps only the revival of the First Hokage himself could explain this phenomenon.
"There's movement in the northwest," said a Hyuga clan member wearing the Konoha forehead protector and clad in a jonin vest. The veins around his eyes bulged as he activated his Byakugan, suddenly pointing in a direction as if spotting something unusual.
Hearing this, Jiraiya immediately led the squad, dashing toward the direction indicated by the Hyuga ninja.
No matter what, this battle took place within the Land of Fire, and Jiraiya couldn't ignore it without conducting an investigation.
Even if significant risks lay ahead, he had to gather as much information as possible.
Allowing such powerful individuals to roam and fight freely within the Land of Fire would unsettle both the nation and the village of Konoha.
Especially during this time of war, such individuals simply couldn't be ignored.
Even Jiraiya had prepared to summon the two great sages of Mount Myoboku and use Sage Mode.
Jiraiya, leading a standard three-man ninja team, crossed the sea of trees. As the view in front suddenly cleared, with the help of a Hyuga member, they found Yahiko, who was wandering amidst the ruins of the battlefield.
Jiraiya was shocked by the devastation in the battlefield but even more surprised to see Yahiko standing before him.
Seeing Yahiko, full of life and seemingly completely recovered, Jiraiya sighed with relief, though his eyes instinctively scanned the surroundings, his mood tensing up.
"How did you end up here? Where are Konan and Nagato?"
Yahiko, who felt like he was facing a great enemy, was startled to see Jiraiya. Before he could respond, Jiraiya's series of questions and anxious expression silenced him.
Seeing Yahiko fall silent, his face darkened, Jiraiya felt something was wrong and instinctively feared the worst.
"Konan is fine. Nagato and I received a letter from Kagetsu. He asked us to help escort Uchiha Shisui."
Yahiko shook his head and started speaking, revealing everything he knew. His words made Jiraiya and the Konoha ninjas behind him feel a sense of unease.
"You mean, Shisui was brought back to the village by Root's ninja, and then fought with something known as White Zetsu, who can use Wood Release, and in the end, Shisui, White Zetsu, and Nagato all disappeared, right?"
Jiraiya calmed his emotions and quickly summarized Yahiko's somewhat disorganized account.
Jiraiya had no time to think about the plans of Root's Danzo and the old man in the village. He only wanted to know where White Zetsu, Shisui, and Nagato had gone. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
"Yes. The giant wooden figure summoned by White Zetsu was too powerful. It had incredible strength and healing abilities. Even when Shisui and Pain teamed up, they couldn't defeat it."
Yahiko nodded. He still felt a sense of disorientation when thinking about that giant Buddha statue over 200 meters tall. It felt was no longer the familiar ninja world and techniques.
"Is there anything else you know?" Jiraiya asked, while sending the ninjas behind him to scout the surroundings and check the battlefield.
If nothing else worked, he was considering visiting Mount Myoboku to consult with the Great Toad Sage, hoping to receive some prophetic information.
"Before using that technique, Shisui warned me to find Kagetsu. He said Kagetsu could bring them back," Yahiko hesitated for a moment, glancing around before speaking to Jiraiya.
"I've already sent the message through Kagetsu's summoning beast."
"Kagetsu?" Jiraiya's expression softened a little as he heard the name. It seemed that the situation might not be as bad as he had imagined.
However, he still felt an indescribable shock inside, realizing the level of destruction caused by the battle between Uchiha Shisui and White Zetsu.
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