The battle surrounding Yakumo had become the core of everyone's attention, which meant that Sasuke's confrontation with Shion also drew the eyes of many.
When people saw Shion suddenly unleash her power and defeat Sasuke in an instant, many were left stunned.
Just moments ago, Sasuke had been fighting Yakumo, who was wielding Wood Release, for quite some time. Although he had been at a disadvantage, he wasn't entirely helpless.
To see a genius like Sasuke, someone everyone had secretly praised, lose so easily was shocking.
Atop the trees, Shizune asked, "Lady Tsunade, what just happened?"
Tsunade observed carefully before answering, "If I'm not mistaken, Shion must have used some kind of sealing technique from the Country of the Ghosts, but..."
"But what?"
Tsunade hesitated, "But that chakra fluctuation from Shion just now seemed... unusual."
Shizune became even more confused. "I didn't sense anything."
Tsunade shook her head. "I'm not sure either, but it seems to have returned to normal now."
It was clear.
As soon as Shion retrieved the bell artifact from the ground, the restless power within her, the priestess energy, was once again sealed by the artifact, returning to its dormant state.
Meanwhile.
"Uchiha Sasuke defeated by a little girl's hand? What is going on at the Hidden Leaf Academy?"
The leader of the Cloud's team clenched his fists.
"Is this the Country of the Ghosts' sealing technique?"
Terumi Mei recognized Shion's identity, and her face gradually grew more serious.
The power of sealing techniques was well-known in the shinobi world.
When the Whirlpool Village was destroyed, it was because the Uzumaki clan's mastery of sealing techniques had grown so powerful that it posed a threat to all the surrounding villages, leading to the siege.
Now, seeing such a young priestess from the Country of the Ghosts exhibit such terrifying sealing abilities, Mei couldn't help but question the Hidden Leaf's motives for sheltering her.
Chiyo of the Sand looked somewhat disheartened.
The Hidden Leaf's strength could be seen from the students in their academy, while Sunagakure was struggling to keep up. Even their village's lone jinchuriki was on the verge of being abandoned.
The Iwa jonin leader's eyes flickered as he silently assessed the power of Wood Release: "Very strong, that much is certain! But it's not completely unbeatable. There's still a distance between this and the rumors of being completely unstoppable!"
The spectators hiding in various places no longer occupied Shinji's thoughts.
After losing Neji and Sasuke's help, the pressure of the battlefield had fallen squarely on his shoulders.
Facing Yakumo, who was rapidly closing in from behind, it seemed like his only option was to keep retreating.
Without using the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, he honestly couldn't find an opportunity to defeat Yakumo.
Hiding around Shinji's neck, Fūki complained, "Are you really going to keep running like this? Hey, I can't afford to lose face like this!"
Shinji sighed, "You're a cat."
"Ugh!" Fūki flicked her fur, "I should be pampered, not here listening to your logic! Come on, tell me, what are we going to do now?"
Shinji casually replied, "What else can I do with this kind of pressure? Just wait for the right opportunity."
"At least you're not panicking." Fūki, a bit pleased, then turned her gaze back to the rapidly approaching tree sea. "In just a few days, how did Yakumo Kurama become so strong?"
Still standing on the shifting branches, Yakumo called out to Shinji, "Shinji, you don't have a chance. Surrender!"
"Heh."
Shinji smiled back.
Yakumo's expression darkened as she thought, Neji and Sasuke have already been defeated. Why is he still so calm? Does he have a trump card? What could it be?
Despite Shinji's apparent disarray, as though he was struggling to survive in the tree sea, she knew he hadn't lost his composure.
This clearly indicated that Shinji still had something up his sleeve! But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't figure out what hidden card Shinji could have, considering he hadn't even awakened his Sharingan.
Thus, the chase continued.
Shinji and Yakumo were in a constant game of cat and mouse in the Forest of Death.
Because of Wood Release, their movements caused massive disruptions in the forest. Even from a distance, the roaring sounds and tremors were palpable.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Kurotsuchi, with a hostile expression, burst out from a nearby bush.
She had just dealt with Shikamaru's squad, but it had cost her dearly — two of her teammates had been injured and could no longer participate in the confrontation test.
"Damn it, being tangled up by a bunch of trash for this long. What a disgrace!"
She had just finished grumbling when she heard the loud rumbling coming from a distance.
Leaping onto a large tree, she looked in the direction of the noise and saw Shinji fleeing while being pursued by Yakumo. A delighted expression appeared on her face. "Finally, I've caught you!"
Elsewhere.
Pant, pant.
Chōjūrō sat on the ground, panting.
It had taken a great deal of effort to deal with Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. They had even lost a teammate and used up a lot of chakra.
From atop a tree, Suigetsu suddenly pointed in a direction and shouted, "Chōjūrō, the target has appeared!"
Chōjūrō looked up and asked, "Who?"
Suigetsu grinned and said, "It's Uchiha Shinji and Kurama Yakumo, but it looks like Shinji is about to be finished off. Let's go give him a hand, and then we'll take care of Wood Release!"
Chōjūrō immediately jumped onto a tree, spotting Shinji, who was barely escaping Yakumo's pursuit. He hesitated. "Uchiha Shinji seems to be running low on energy. He's probably at his limit. If we strike now, wouldn't that be a bit too dishonorable?"
"I don't have the word 'dishonor' in my dictionary!" Suigetsu sneered. "Let's go, we'll take out Shinji and then deal with Kurama Yakumo. Don't forget, she's our real target!"
On the battlefield.
Shinji's escape was becoming increasingly difficult. Yakumo had closed the gap and was now only a few dozen meters behind him. He had narrowly avoided being trapped in the tree sea several times.
Whoosh!
As Shinji barely dodged another one of Yakumo's attacks, two figures suddenly landed in front of him, blocking his path.
Suigetsu took a fighting stance. "Uchiha Shinji, your show is over!"
Whoosh!
At the same time, Kurotsuchi shot out from the side, moving at incredible speed to intercept Yakumo, who had been focused on chasing Shinji.
The leader of the Cloud's squad shook his head. "Uchiha Shinji is done for!"
Terumi Mei's eyes narrowed as she muttered, "Suigetsu, Chōjūrō, let me see how strong Wood Release really is!"
"Got him!"
The leader of the Iwa squad was overjoyed. Kurotsuchi's ambush had been perfectly timed!
Chiyo from Sunagakure frowned. "Hmph, they got lucky!"
The timing of the Mist and Stone squads' moves was impeccable.
On the field.
Facing the intercepting Suigetsu and Chōjūrō, Shinji swiftly dodged and closed in on them, landing a punch on Chōjūrō's abdomen. Using the momentum, he kicked Suigetsu away, then immediately continued his escape without hesitation.
Behind him, Yakumo, without even sparing a glance at Kurotsuchi charging at her, casually waved her hand.
In an instant, large branches erupted from the tree sea, quickly ensnaring Kurotsuchi in the air and pulling her deep into the forest.
Yakumo continued to focus on Shinji and relentlessly pursued him.