"Hakuto, when did you realize Yugao's presence?"
Hakuto asked with a confused expression, "Has Sister Yugao been following me all along? How come I didn't notice?"
Anya let out a sigh and said, "Don't pretend. Since Yugao didn't come out with you, you must have used some trick to slip away secretly."
Caught red-handed as his 'brilliant' performance was instantly exposed, Anya chuckled sheepishly and said, "I found out a long time ago, but since you've always kept it from me, I had no choice but to pretend not to know. Truth is, I really hate this kind of secret protection. I don't want special treatment just because I'm the Hokage's daughter—it would be too unfair to other ninjas."
"Fair?" Anya's eyes turned cold while his tone intensified, "There has never been such a thing as fairness in this world. The reason you can receive such treatment isn't random at all. It's something your father earned through blood and battle, something paid for by your mother losing all her loved ones. Back then, the movie I directed was not only for Tsunade, but also for you. Do you even understand how much more important you are in your mother's heart than you imagine?"
It was the first time Hakuto had heard Anya speak to her so sternly. She froze in shock for a moment before lowering her head and murmured, "Dad, I know I was wrong," her voice tinged with hurt.
Anya felt remorseful at her reaction and apologized, "Sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper."
"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Intelligent Hakuto quickly realized something was off.
Regaining his calm, Anya offered a faint smile. "It's nothing serious. Go ahead and dismantle the barrier—I'll have your back."
"Alright." Without further questions, Hakuto headed straight toward a marked location on the map.
Watching her leave, Anya's expression grew complicated—not that he wanted to keep secrets from Hakuto, but how could he explain it? Could he really tell her that simply existing made him vulnerable to threats from someone with real power to back them up?
Though Hakuto's long-range attacks indeed countered most ninja effectively, Obito's abilities posed an enormous threat to her, mainly because archery techniques fear two situations most:
First, inability to locate the target makes hitting impossible.
Second, being attacked at close range.
Obito's skill perfectly fit both situations, making it an absolute counter to archery techniques. Honestly, Anya couldn't think of any effective solution within a short time frame.
If only Hakuto had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique! Since I never had the talent for it, perhaps she might have it.
Resolving upon this thought, Anya decided that once returning to Konoha, he would guide Hakuto into attempting this jutsu.
Under Anya's guidance, Hakuto quickly located where the forbidden seal lay. Just as she was about to start removing it, something caught her eye, causing her to halt abruptly before retreating back to Anya, asking, "Dad, something feels off about this forbidden seal—could there possibly be a trap hidden inside?"
"Correct," Appreciation flickered across Anya's gaze as he replied, "You didn't let your guard down even when nearing the end of the mission. Your observation is spot-on. Inside lies a trap called the Mirrored Sudden Attacker Technique. When someone removes the seal, it creates an exact replica bearing the same appearance and capabilities as the one who tore the paper talisman, subsequently attacking the remover."
"Ah, so it's like fighting yourself—this is a seriously dangerous trap."
Hakuto felt a bit frightened, then raised her bow and arrow, at the same time, another hand held a crystal-clear arrow.
She murmured softly, "Arrow of Demon-Sealing, go."
The crystal arrow shot forth like lightning, striking the center of the forbidden talisman. At the moment the arrow tip made contact with the sigil, an unusual ripple shimmered through the air, like a stone dropped into a still lake, sending out waves upon waves.
The instant the arrow's tip touched the seal, the air trembled with a ripple, like a stone dropped into still water, sending out waves in perfect circles.
Finally, the arrow pierced the forbidden character and successfully cracked the trap.
Finally, the arrow pierced through the forbidden seal, successfully breaking the trap.
Hakuto made a grabbing motion in midair, and the crystal arrow returned to her hand. She put it away.
"Haha, I knew it, this arrow is effective." Hakuto happily laughed: "That scorpion uncle gave me several arrows, and this one is specifically used to break through various barriers."
"Sasori really spoils you," Anya observed. The craftsmanship of this arrow looked extremely complex. Sasori must have put in a lot of effort.
Hakuto nodded, "Yeah. Dad, when can I meet this uncle? I want to thank him in person. Also, I've named this bow. I call it Meteor. What do you think?"
Anya said to her, "That's a great name. The way you shot that arrow just now really did look like a meteor streaking across the night sky."
Just as father and daughter were making smooth progress, other locations had fallen into fierce battles.
Kakashi, relying on his combat intelligence, quickly figured out the limits of the clone bodies. He directly transformed his Sharingan into Mangekyō, then used Kamui to twist and snap the clone's neck, lifting the seal.
Sakura adopted a strategy of trading injuries, and in the end, successfully shattered the clone body just before running out of chakra, completing the seal release.
Lee ignited the fiery passion within his body, forcibly squeezing out his hidden potential. His strength surged within a short time, surpassing his former self and defeating the clone body decisively.
Naruto, on the other hand, ran into serious trouble. Whether it was Multiple Shadow Clones or Rasengan, the clone could perfectly replicate every move. The battle eventually became chaotic, with no way to tell the real from the clones. Finally, Naruto had no choice but to dispel his own Shadow Clone Technique. His body was already badly injured.
After a prolonged battle without victory, Naruto began to grow restless and agitated. His facial features sharpened, taking on a more beast-like appearance, and an orange-red Chakra Cloak covered his body as he launched a fierce attack on the clone, eventually emerging victorious.
Thus, the [Five-Seal Barrier Pass Technique] was successfully lifted. After regrouping, the five rushed straight toward the cave.
Facing the giant boulder blocking the cave entrance, Sakura stepped forward and said, "Let me break it open."
Hakuto saw the injuries covering Sakura's body and walked beside her, saying, "Let's do it together."
"Okay."
Both took a deep breath and stood before the massive stone. Raising their right hands, they shouted, "Break!"
With a loud boom, the boulder dozens of meters high cracked from top to bottom. Countless pieces of rock exploded outward, revealing the eerie, gloomy atmosphere of the cave inside.
Naruto charged in first, and the others, worried he might get into trouble, followed closely behind.
Only Anya remained standing outside the cave entrance, asking a patch of empty air, "Is the sealing complete?"
"Just finished." Obito stepped out of thin air.
Anya said casually, "The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is also here. Aren't you going to make your move?"
"There's no need to test me," Obito said in a deep voice. "Now isn't the right time. If you want to know, I don't mind telling you—it requires a specific order to seal the nine Tailed Beasts into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. The Nine-Tails must be the last one. That's why it has to come last. Capturing him now would only trigger nonstop pursuit from those ninjas in Konoha."
"I see," Anya got a rough idea of the situation. It turned out the Nine-Tails' chakra was simply too immense; if introduced into the Demonic Statue prematurely, it could potentially disrupt the balance of chakra already inside.
In fact, the total chakra of the other eight Tailed Beasts might not even match the Nine-Tails'.
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