The sealing this time was rushed — crude and deliberately forceful.
Chakra from the Three-Tails surged violently into Rin Nohara's small frame, with no regard for whether her fragile body could even contain such overwhelming power.
Even unconscious, Rin's body responded instinctively to the flood of chakra — trembling, convulsing, her muscles spasming and her eyes rolling back.
Once every last drop of the Three-Tails' chakra had been forced into her, Mizukage's aide Kiyomi Yuki retrieved a special blood seal from a scroll and implanted it directly into Rin's heart.
"How unexpectedly smooth. Now we just need to get her into one of Konoha's camps — or better yet, the village itself — and let the chaos do the rest."
"That chakra… it was immense. Like a boundless ocean."
"Well, she is carrying a tailed beast now."
The ANBU team relaxed as the sealing concluded, though a faint unease flickered in Kiyomi's eyes.
"Where do we send her now — straight to Konoha or one of the forward camps?" Yoru asked.
Kiyomi hesitated, then sighed. "Drop her at a strategic site like Higashimatsuyama or the Onshirato Mining Area. We're still quite far from Konoha, and anything could go wrong en route. Besides, even if she reaches the village, the Third Hokage is still there. One tailed beast might not be enough to cause lasting damage."
"In that case, let's move out."
This entire operation was meant to catch Konoha off-guard.
After a brief recovery, the team departed with Rin. Yoru carried Kakashi Hatake like luggage, gripping him by the collar, and bolted toward the Higashimatsuyama encampment at breakneck speed.
They moved swiftly — the distance to the target site wasn't far. Within minutes, they arrived.
"Security's tight," one Kirigakure shinobi muttered. "They've cleared all the forest around the mountain for defensive fortifications."
"And there's no water source nearby. With this elevated terrain, Water Style jutsu won't do much. This place is a fortress."
"To make matters worse, the camp commander is Sarutobi Shin'nosuke — son of the Third Hokage. That guy inherited all of Hiruzen's genius: five chakra natures, and a mastery of large-scale ninjutsu. In terrain like this, he's a walking fortress."
"Just looking at this camp is intimidating…"
Even Yoru had to admit — Higashimatsuyama was a nightmare to assault directly. A frontal attack would likely cost Kirigakure several times the casualties of any previous engagement.
But today was different.
"I'll take her in and start the destruction from the inside. You all strike when the moment comes. Prioritize eliminating members of Konoha's secret jutsu clans and kekkei genkai families. Secondary objective: intelligence and battlefield data."
Yoru hoisted Rin effortlessly and tossed Kakashi toward Kiyomi. "Watch him for me."
"Yes, Lord Yoru!"
Without Yukiko or her crimson eyes present to provide cover, Yoru didn't bother using Optical Distortion to conceal himself.
He activated Flash Step — vanishing from sight — and charged directly into the heart of the encampment.
His intrusion triggered Konoha's barrier detection immediately. Within moments of landing, Yoru was surrounded by over a dozen elite shinobi.
"Sui—no… Yoru," Sarutobi Shin'nosuke growled. "So it's you."
Because of Yoru, Konoha had lost too many lives — including the famed Ino-Shika-Chō trio, and even one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya.
Despite Namikaze Minato turning the tide, every Konoha shinobi here wanted Yoru's head on a pike.
And now, this arrogant bastard had walked into their camp — alone?
Shin'nosuke's fists clenched. Rage and grief surged together. "Today, I'll show you what it means to fight a true Konoha shinobi!"
"Heh."
Yoru's calm chuckle cut deeper than any blade. It set off the Konoha shinobi like a spark to dry powder. Shin'nosuke launched into action, forming hand signs with deadly precision.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullet Barrage!"
Chakra compressed into blasts, fired like high-caliber bullets, howling through the air in rapid succession — each wind shell sharp enough to cleave steel.
Yoru evaded them effortlessly, flashing through the blasts — and then tossed Rin directly into the path of the attack.
Shin'nosuke's expression changed instantly. He blurred forward, catching her just in time and neutralizing his own jutsu mid-flight.
But then—
"She's not your opponent today, son of the Hokage," Yoru's voice whispered into his ear.
"What?!"
Shin'nosuke spun to face Yoru — only to freeze as an immense, malevolent chakra erupted from the girl in his arms.
BOOOOM!
The ground trembled violently. All eyes turned.
A titanic roar split the sky as a monstrous form rose within Higashimatsuyama — wild, scaled, and covered in chakra.
"That chakra—"
"The Three-Tails?!"
Meanwhile…
Deep underground, in the pitch-black caverns of a forgotten hideout—
"Lord Madara."
"The target's been successfully implanted with the Three-Tails and deployed to Higashimatsuyama. She's begun rampaging. Also, Tobi and Obito have moved into position."
A pale, half-black, half-white figure emerged from the soil and addressed the darkness.
There was no reply at first. Then, after a long silence, an impossibly old man stepped from the shadows — gaunt, skeletal, white-haired, and half-mummified.
Yet despite his decaying body, the pressure he gave off was suffocating.
Beneath the curtain of white hair, a pair of Sharingan slowly opened, seeming to pierce across time and space itself.
"…Obito," he murmured.
"I'll be waiting for you… in the darkest depths of hell."