Zetsu frowned. "A sealing barrier? Clever… but not enough."
Back in the Root headquarters, Hiroshi's seals activated, detecting Zetsu's presence. Nova's voice echoed in his mind. "We've got a rat. Unknown signature in the vicinity. It's moving with stealth, but not enough to bypass the seal that detects souls."
Hiroshi smirked. "Let's flush it out. Get Itachi on the line." Nova connected to Itachi's mask.
"Itachi, what I'm about to tell you—don't react to it. Someone is following you," Hiroshi said. He then guided Itachi and the Root operatives to a specially-designed chamber surrounded by layers of space seals. As soon as the operatives entered, Hiroshi activated the trap.
The ground trembled slightly, and White Zetsu was forcibly ejected from his hiding spot, landing in the center of the chamber with a thud.
Zetsu growled, his yellow eyes narrowing. "What the—"
Before he could react, adamantium sealing chains shot out of the nearby wall, binding him tightly.
"Well, well," Hiroshi said, stepping into the chamber with a smirk. "Look what we've caught. White Zetsu, I presume?"
Zetsu thrashed against the chains but couldn't break free.
"I heard you're good at creating clones and gathering intel."
"You... Who are you?"
"Someone who is gonna use all the free laborers you're going to provide," Hiroshi replied.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Iron, Obito stood in a secluded cavern, his thoughts focused on the next phase of his plan. Suddenly, White Zetsu appeared before him.
"I lost contact with a clone in Konoha."
…
Jiraiya and Kakashi moved through the narrow alleys of the Grass Village, their senses on high alert as they followed the maid who had led them from the Chef's house.
"This feels like a trap," Kakashi muttered, his Sharingan glowing faintly as he scanned their surroundings.
Jiraiya smirked. "Of course, it's a trap. But sometimes you have to walk into one to spring it."
"Great strategy," Kakashi deadpanned, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ahead of them, the maid walked with steps that were too quiet and refined—only someone with training would walk like that.
"She's leading us somewhere," Jiraiya muttered.
"Let's find out where," Kakashi replied, his hand subtly brushing against the handle of a kunai.
The maid led them to an open clearing surrounded by towering trees. As soon as she stepped into the clearing, she stopped and turned to face them, her lips curling into a sinister smile.
"Well, this is where we part ways," she said.
Before Jiraiya or Kakashi could respond, two massive chakra signatures erupted from the forest. Jiraiya and Kakashi instinctively jumped backward as the ground trembled under the weight of the incoming presence.
From one side, Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, stepped into view, her chakra flaring wildly. Her yellow eyes gleamed in the dim light, and the blue fire of the Two-Tails flickered around her.
From the other side, Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, emerged, his imposing frame almost dwarfing the trees around him. Steam hissed from the vents on his armor, like a volcano about to erupt.
"Well, this just got interesting," Jiraiya said, cracking his knuckles.
"Yeah… if we walk out alive," Kakashi muttered, drawing a kunai.
Yugito wasted no time, launching a barrage of blue flames at Kakashi, who swiftly countered by weaving through a series of hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Wall!" Kakashi shouted, erecting a barrier of water that doused the flames.
Yugito smirked. She dashed toward him with incredible speed, her claws glowing with blue fire. Kakashi barely had time to dodge, her attack scratching his vest and leaving burn marks.
"Fast," Kakashi muttered, flipping backward and throwing shuriken. Yugito batted them away with ease.
Kakashi's Sharingan tracked her every move as she closed the distance again. This time, he met her head-on, their kunai and claws clashing in a shower of sparks.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya faced off against Han. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki slammed his fist into the ground, sending a wave of lava surging toward Jiraiya.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!" Jiraiya countered, creating a massive swamp that slowed Han's movements.
But Han didn't stop. He powered through the swamp with sheer force, his steam armor hissing as he charged at Jiraiya like a freight train.
"Not bad," Jiraiya muttered, leaping onto a tree branch to avoid Han's strike. "But let's see how you handle this."
He formed a series of hand seals, his chakra flaring. "Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
A stream of oil shot from Jiraiya's mouth, igniting into a massive wave of flames that engulfed Han.
For a moment, it seemed like the attack had worked. But as the flames cleared, Han emerged, his steam armor still intact, though slightly charred.
Jiraiya grinned. "Alright, tough guy. Time to take this up a notch."
As the battles raged on, both Jiraiya and Kakashi realized they were up against formidable foes.
Kakashi dodged another fiery swipe from Yugito, landing on a tree branch. "I don't have time for this," he muttered as he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Yugito froze for a split second, her instincts warning her of the danger. But it was too late.
"Kamui!" Kakashi growled, focusing his eye on Yugito. The space around her twisted and distorted as she struggled to escape the vortex.
Yugito's chakra flared wildly as she fought against the pull of the Mangekyo Sharingan. First, she lost her chakra cloak, then her ninja weapon, and finally, all her clothes!
"YOU! Pervert!" she shouted.
But Kakashi's focus didn't waver. After all, he was only into 2D girls from 'Make-Out Tactics'. With one final effort, he captured her in a sealing barrier he had prepared earlier.
"Gotcha," Kakashi muttered, breathing heavily in relief.
"Hey kid, little help over here!" Jiraiya shouted.
Kakashi walked beside Jiraiya.
"I want you to divert him for a few moments so we can end this quickly," Jiraiya said in a serious tone.
"Don't take too much time," Kakashi replied, moving toward Han.
"Chidori." With Chidori and his Mangekyo Sharingan activated, Kakashi jumped toward Han while Jiraiya stayed on the ground, gathering natural energy.
Han, aware of Jiraiya's Sage Mode, unleashed the full power of the Five-Tails.
A dark red chakra cloak with five tails appeared around him.
"Lava Release: Redshift!"
Red-hot lava gathered around Han's fist as he punched toward Jiraiya.
Kakashi saw a red beam of lava moving toward Jiraiya.
"Not good!" Kakashi, mid-air and unable to change direction, activated his Mangekyo Sharingan again.
"Kamui."
He sent the stream of lava to another dimension. However, he was still able to land a blow with Chidori on Han, though at great cost—his eyes started bleeding.
Han stood up, clearly angrier. He charged at Kakashi with a lava-covered fist, but this time, Jiraiya met him head-on.
"You're strong," Jiraiya said, his voice deeper and more resonant. "But if my student, Minato, can kick your ass, so can I."
With a burst of sage-enhanced strength, Jiraiya threw Han back, sending him crashing into a tree. Before Han could recover, Jiraiya summoned a massive toad that pinned the Jinchuriki to the ground.
Han roared in frustration, his chakra rapidly depleting as he strengthened his body. Unable to continue for long, Han released his full seal.
A huge form of Son Goku began to take shape. In an instant, it condensed chakra into a small Tailed Beast Bomb and fired it at the ground.
BOOM
Jiraiya shielded his eyes as the explosion cleared. Han was gone!
"Ran away," Jiraiya muttered, annoyed.
Kakashi walked over, holding the sealed Yugito. "I managed to capture her."
"Good work," Jiraiya replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "One out of two isn't bad."
As they prepared to leave, Jiraiya's toad returned, croaking urgently in his ear.
"What is it?" Kakashi asked.
Jiraiya frowned. "The toad picked up something strange. It seems like we're not the only ones here."
Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Another party?"
"Possibly," Jiraiya replied. "But we'll deal with that later. Right now, we need to get Yugito back to Konoha," Jiraiya Said as he looked towerds Jinchuriki. 'I will let Danzo handle this mess.'