A few days later.
Several kilometers outside the Land of Waves.
Uzuki Yūgao stepped out of the cave, her pale lavender hair tied back, and took a deep breath of the morning air, facing the direction of the Land of Waves.
"Is it morning already?" Anko's voice came from behind her.
"It's been morning for a while," Kurenai sighed, standing beside Anko with a hint of exasperation. "You're really something, able to sleep so soundly out here in the middle of nowhere."
Anko just shrugged, stretching like a cat. "What can I say? I'm adaptable."
"Or maybe you're just incredibly thick-skinned?" Kurenai retorted.
"Nah, it's just that sleeping next to you makes me feel safe."
"You're giving me goosebumps."
"Hahaha!" Anko laughed heartily, then her expression suddenly turned serious. "Those things… they didn't follow us?"
"Probably lost interest in us," Kurenai replied, though she sounded uncertain.
A few days earlier, their unit had been scattered by the barrier protecting The Land of Waves and the three of them had fled northeast in the chaos.
They had originally planned to regroup with the Right flank to report what had happened. But along the way, they encountered a group of milky-white, plants that could twist their branches into whips to attack.
These strange plants weren't large, but they were troublesome!
Kurenai's specialty, genjutsu, was useless against them, and Anko's summoning snakes were instantly shredded to pieces.
If it weren't for Yugao's sword, which seemed to effectively counter them, they likely would have been done for, right then and there.
But even though Yugao's blade could hold off the plant monsters, facing their overwhelming numbers left them with no choice but to turn tail and run…
After a frantic chase, they were finally driven into this unfamiliar territory.
No villages ahead, no support behind—nothing but desolation in sight.
"Man, what a mess," Anko muttered, glancing up at the sky. "The Hokage... the whole Left Division. If I hadn't seen it myself, I'd never believe it. We just... lost."
"The situation in the Land of Waves might be even worse than we imagined," Kurenai said, her face clouded with worry as she took a deep breath. "Even if the Hokage manages to escape, the Left Division is finished."
"Turns out Yugao-chan was right, Yuto really is something else!" Anko looked toward Yugao, who stood at the front.
"Watch out, something's coming," Yugao suddenly alert, shing—her blade leaving its scabbard.
"What?"
Before Anko could even process it, a milky-white vine burst from the ground beneath her.
Crack.
The vine executed a perfect bind, hoisting her into the air.
"Anko!" Seeing her best friend caught, Kurenai raised her kunai and charged forward.
Thwip.
Another vine shot out of the earth, slamming into Kurenai and sending her flying.
Thud.
Her body hit the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
"Dammit!" Enraged, Yugao shot toward the main body of the vine like a streak of light.
Dance of the Crescent Moon!
Sword flashes lit up the air, and the vine was instantly sliced to pieces.
Anko dropped to the ground, scrambled up, and ran toward Kurenai. "Kurenai, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Kurenai shook her head, whispering.
"This place isn't safe anymore, we have to—" Yugao cut herself off, freezing mid-sentence.
"What is it?" Anko asked, confused.
"Go," Yugao said, her gaze fixed ahead, her back to the two of them. "Go, now. Get out of here!"
"What?"
"Go! Now!"
Swish, swish, swish.
As Yugao spoke, several figures clad in long white coats materialized.
The Sixth Espada, Yahiko; the Seventh Espada, Pakura; the Eighth Espada, Jōzu; and the Ninth Espada, Ameyuri Ringo…
The aura radiating from each of them made the hairs on Yugao's neck stand on end—and now four Espada had gathered at once.
"Yu… Yugao…" Anko now recognized Pakura, who had made quite an impression at the rally. Anyone standing alongside her was undoubtedly just as powerful.
"It's too late to run," Kurenai sighed softly. "At this point, our only option is to fight with our backs against the wall."
Putting it nicely was "a desperate last stand," but all three women knew they stood no chance. If the Espada attacked together, their only option would be to surrender!
BOOM.
Right then, a gigantic milky-white plant erupted from the ground. It resembled a massive dragon fruit, entangled with countless vines.
"What is that?"
"Do they really think the Espada alone aren't enough to deal with us?"
The women stared in shock as a fissure slowly cracked open at the center of the "dragon fruit." A young girl in a plain white robe stepped out, her snow-white skin glowing faintly under the sunlight.
"Who's that?" Anko gasped.
"Danger!"
Yugao shouted a warning, positioning herself in front of her two friends. Her blade flashed, slicing the incoming vines into segments.
"Why protect these two useless people?" The girl in the white robe tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her delicate features. "Won't they just hold you back?"
"I'll hold them off. You two, run," Yugao whispered, ignoring the girl and keeping her eyes on the threat.
"Yugao…"
"We…"
"For the sake of the shinobi world, this intel must be reported," Yugao said, reversing her grip on her sword. Her lips parted softly: "Bloom, Flower Evening Moon."
Whoosh.
A pink glow erupted from Yugao's body, petals woven from spiritual energy swirling around her.
A moment later, the light faded.
The blade of her sword had now turned pink, and the hilt bore a five-petaled seal.
"Flying Petals." Raising her released Zanpakutō, Yugao swung it toward the girl.
Countless pink petals scattered through the air, coalescing into a giant blossom around the white-robed girl.
BOOM.
The blossom exploded, painting the entire area in shades of pink. Seizing the opportunity, Anko and Kurenai turned and fled at full speed.
"Oho, so this is the one the leader told us to keep an eye on?" Ameyuri Ringo clicked her tongue, watching the scene. "Turns out shinobi can release Zanpakutō too."
"She's special, you idiot," Pakura shot her a glance, her tone flat. "That power was bestowed by the leader."
"But this level of strength won't be enough to affect her," Yahiko sighed.
As the pink light receded, the girl in the white robe stood completely unharmed. She stretched out her palm, revealing a clear "10" etched there.
"Restrain."
She clenched her fingers toward Yugao, and a black void suddenly yawned open, swallowing Yugao whole.
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