Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

The timing of Ye Zi's arrival couldn't have been more perfect; without his sensory abilities, he might not have made it in time. Kotoe and Shin breathed a sigh of relief, and Ye Zi did too. Had he arrived a second later, they might not have survived, and for a moment, a chill ran through Ye Zi's heart.

When Ye Zi reached them, his gaze fell on the empty space below Shin's knee, and he frowned slightly. "Wait here," he said.

With that, he vanished and appeared beside Kaze, who was pinned to a tree. Chijin had pierced his side, and his body, drenched in blood, was lifeless.

"I was too hasty... killed him by accident…"

Ye Zi had originally intended to keep this Sand Shinobi as a source of chakra, as he had less than 20% of his chakra left, which he had only partially replenished with a soldier pill. But with Kazeya dead, that was no longer an option.

Ye Zi reached out, pulled Chijin from Kazeya's side, and let his corpse drop to the ground. Without wiping the blade, he sheathed it and then created a shadow clone.

Leaving the shadow clone behind, he returned to Shin's side, silently supporting his other shoulder.

"Lord Ye Zi!" Shin's voice wavered, but before he could say more, Ye Zi interrupted him.

"Be quiet. Let's get out of here first." With one hand on Shin's shoulder, he glanced at Kotoe, who nodded in understanding.

Shin fell silent, allowing himself to be carried along by the two of them.

With each of them supporting one side, they carried Shin in the direction of the Earth Country. They weren't planning to return to the Rain Village; given their current condition, reaching a base in Earth Country would be the safest option.

As they moved through the forest, Kotoe couldn't hide her smile, happy to see Ye Zi arrive in time and relieved that the three of them were safe. As for Shin's lost leg, they could address it at the base.

Leaving the area, they left behind only their silhouettes and Ye Zi's shadow clone, clutching Chijin with only a fraction of his chakra left, for the pursuing Sand Shinobi to find. The Sand Shinobi, after confirming Kazeya's body, immediately launched an attack on the shadow clone, having seen Ye Zi create it.

Leaving the shadow clone as a distraction, the three of them moved at a steady pace with Ye Zi's support.

About three minutes later, the shadow clone's memory returned to Ye Zi, showing that it had been dispelled by Pakura's Scorch Release technique. With only about 10% of Ye Zi's chakra, it had held out for three minutes but hadn't managed to defeat any Sand Shinobi.

The three-minute delay was enough for them to widen the distance and evade the Sand Shinobi's pursuit.

Stamina and resolve were key for their retreat, and both Ye Zi and Kotoe had plenty. Their plan was to carry Shin and keep moving without pause.

...

The Konoha shinobi, who had barely escaped the Deep Forest Emergence cast by Ye Zi's Wood Clone, stood in silence for a long while before regrouping their remaining forces.

Kōri and Hizashi, severely injured by Ye Zi, had been carried out of the battle by medical nin and were far enough away to avoid the Deep Forest Emergence.

Aside from them, only five Konoha shinobi remained: Ninashi Uchiha, Sangetsu Uchiha, Gaku Inuzuka, Shiozumi Nara, Shikuro Aburame, and a Hyūga branch member.

Though they had narrowly escaped, the Hyūga members confirmed with their Byakugan that Ye Zi's clone had disappeared, yet each shinobi felt a heavy shadow over their heart.

They had given everything, yet they failed to take down even Ye Zi's shadow clone, ultimately forced into a retreat. Even though the clone's disappearance was their "victory," it only deepened their sense of defeat.

They didn't realize this had been a Wood Clone rather than a shadow clone, but even if they had known, their feeling of failure wouldn't have faded.

Given their current depleted state, if Ye Zi—at his remaining 10% chakra—appeared before them, they would likely only have the choice to flee.

After medical treatment, Kōri regained consciousness, and the wounds on her face healed to normal, allowing Ninashi to relax a bit.

Hizashi's injuries had also stabilized, no longer affecting his movements.

The two medical nin had no strength left to heal others, and most of the Konoha shinobi had sustained some injuries while escaping the Deep Forest Emergence.

In silent understanding, they all turned one last time to the transformed landscape left by the jutsu. Noticing another direction where the terrain had been ravaged by Wood Release, they could see that, while extensive, it didn't match the scale of the Deep Forest Emergence behind them.

"Where is Captain Sakumo?" Shiozumi suddenly asked, his voice heavy with exhaustion, as he gazed toward the other direction.

No sound came from that direction.

The group's expressions shifted, and the two Hyūga members activated their Byakugan to scan the area. A deathly silence followed.

"…"

Hizashi and Aohiko Hyūga, the branch member, both frowned. There were no signs of life in the area, meaning Sakumo had likely fallen in battle.

This was the worst-case scenario. The best-case scenario would be that Ye Zi had fled, with Sakumo pursuing him.

"How does it look?" Sangetsu asked anxiously, noticing the Hyūga's silence.

Aohiko replied gravely, "I don't see anyone. We'll need to check the scene to know for sure."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gaku, gently petting his injured white dog, impatiently moved toward the area.

"Let's go, check the scene." Shiozumi followed, and the rest exchanged glances before also heading in that direction.

The Konoha shinobi arrived at the scene, first noticing the scattered remains of puppets across the battlefield and the tree roots covering the area.

This was the legendary Wood Release of the First Hokage, mastered by Ye Zi to this extent.

Their faces were once again filled with shock as they saw the puppet fragments strewn across the ground, most of which bore smooth cuts likely inflicted by Captain Sakumo. He had managed to destroy so many puppets alone.

Continuing forward, they crossed a field of puppet remains and came upon a bloody scene—Sakumo's final resting place.

The large root that had impaled Sakumo showed a clean cut, stained with blood. Nearby, they found another severed root, also bloodstained.

Bloodstains extended forward for about two body lengths before pooling in a larger spot.

The sight left the Konoha shinobi silent, their hearts weighed down like lead.

From the signs, Captain Sakumo had likely sustained fatal injuries, with no traces of further blood trail, suggesting that Ye Zi had taken Sakumo's body.

A shinobi's corpse held valuable information, so it was standard practice to retrieve an enemy's body, explaining why the black market often placed high bounties on powerful shinobi.

With grim expressions, the Konoha shinobi stood in silence, staring at the bloodstained ground.

If Sakumo was dead, then what about Ye Zi?

Despite this question, no one voiced it aloud.

Even if they knew where Ye Zi was, what could they do? If Captain Sakumo had fallen, and they couldn't even defeat a shadow clone, what were they capable of?

They didn't know that Ye Zi's current condition was critical. Had they aggressively pursued him now, they might have stood a chance of capturing him.

But unaware of this, and haunted by the shadow Ye Zi had cast over their hearts, they were in no condition to fight.

This battle had seemingly cost Rain more, yet it was Konoha who had truly lost.

With no time to check on the Sand Shinobi's status, they decided to return to Konoha as quickly as possible to ensure their safety and report the mission details.

Meanwhile, Ye Zi, Kotoe, and Shin planned to cross the Fire Country border and head to Earth Country through Grass Country, while the Sand Shinobi continued their pursuit.

The Konoha shinobi traveled for about an hour toward their village when they encountered two people.

It was Tsunade and Shizune, traveling aimlessly toward the Rain Country after receiving a letter from Jiraiya.

The encounter was pure coincidence.

Seeing the disheveled Konoha shinobi, Tsunade and Shizune were shocked, while the Konoha shinobi were overjoyed.

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Currently on Chapter 381 - Hidden Killing Intent