Since Zabuza had been knocked unconscious, the thick mist surrounding the bridge quickly dissipated.
Kakashi could now clearly see his three beloved disciples a short distance away, being repeatedly "ground into the dirt" by a girl with long red hair. The scene was so tragic that it would make anyone who saw it weep with grief.
Naruto, who had no brains and only knew how to charge blindly, had naturally been beaten into a pulp, looking like a literal pig's head. He was relying entirely on the power of the Nine-Tails to constantly repair his injuries. Sasuke, who always loved to act tough, wasn't much better off; he currently lacked even the strength to crawl up from the ground. The only one in slightly better shape was Sakura, but even she had taken several punches to the face, leaving her eyes and mouth swollen.
Karin was like a Great Demon Lord who had broken into a kindergarten, unscrupulously trampling over these "little children" who had zero ability to resist. Fortunately, despite the beating, she had maintained careful restraint. While these three Genin looked miserable, their injuries were far from life-threatening.
However, Kakashi clearly couldn't pin the lives of his subordinates on the mercy of an enemy. He immediately narrowed his eyes and questioned, "Are you truly Danzo's people?"
"Correct! By Danzo-sama's order: thoroughly prune the wicked bloodline of the Uchiha clan," Allen replied without a second thought.
Because he had recently begun taking growth supplements again, his height had increased from 1.5 meters to roughly 1.6 meters. Combined with the pair of crimson Sharingan, even Kakashi failed to recognize him. After all, most people in this world immediately associate the Sharingan with the Uchiha; their brains subconsciously exclude non-Uchiha members from their list of suspects.
"And what about you? Are you not a member of the Uchiha clan?" Kakashi countered calmly.
It was obvious he was using questions to fish for information, hoping to gather more useful intel. As for taking the opponent down... he had tried just moments ago, only to realize that in his current state, he would likely exhaust all his Chakra before achieving such a feat.
"Uchiha? No! Of course not! These eyes are a gift from Danzo-sama, just like yours. The difference is that Danzo-sama gave me the ability to control them perfectly."
Allen fully embraced his acting role, dumping the blame squarely on the "Shadow of the Shinobi." He called out "Danzo-sama" with practiced familiarity, his fanatic tone indistinguishable from the brainwashed members of Root.
Of course, to some extent, this wasn't entirely a "false accusation." Danzo had indeed ordered Allen to find an opportunity to kill Sasuke Uchiha; at most, Danzo was simply reaping what he sowed. Allen wondered if Itachi, upon hearing this news, would bring his Akatsuki partner, Kisame Hoshigaki, to give Danzo some trouble.
"Kill Sasuke?!"
Kakashi's expression changed instantly. He cast his gaze toward the bridge. There, he saw Karin hoisting Sasuke Uchiha off the ground by his neck, thrusting a kunai into his chest without hesitation.
Splatter!
Blood sprayed everywhere! Everyone on the scene who witnessed this was horrified.
"Sasuke!"
Sakura was the first to rush forward, snatching back her dying teammate.
Meanwhile, dominated by intense anger and grief, Naruto instantly erupted with a cold, tyrannical red Chakra.
BOOM!
In just a few seconds, he entered the Jinchuriki's Version 1 state. His eyes shifted from their normal blue to the red slit-pupils of a beast.
"You bastard! I'll kill you! I'm going to kill you!"
"Oh? He can already mobilize the Tailed Beast's power?" Karin looked surprised.
A second later, bolstered by the Nine-Tails' power, Naruto lunged forward with extreme speed. His face was a mask of feral rage, wanting to tear the enemy who "killed" his comrade into pieces.
Unfortunately, before he could even get close, a fist imbued with both Nen and Chakra slammed into his face.
THUD!
Without any surprise, he went rolling away like a gourd, his Tailed Beast Cloak nearly shattered by the impact. This time, Karin had not held back; she used her full strength. Since mastering the control of both energy systems, her punches were powerful enough to even unsettle Orochimaru.
However, as a "cockroach" who refused to stay down, Naruto soon staggered back to his feet. He erupted with even stronger Chakra, the tails behind him increasing from one to four. He looked like a miniature Nine-Tails, with no trace of reason left, only an endless desire for slaughter, destruction, and ruin.
"Oh dear, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has gone berserk. That wasn't in the plan. Since the mission is complete, there's no need for me to waste time here. Good luck, Kakashi."
With those words, Allen used a Body Flicker to reach Karin's side. He pulled her away to dodge a devastating Tailed Beast Bomb, then quickly took Haku and Zabuza, vanishing from Team 7's sight.
"Dammit! This is going to be a problem!"
Kakashi did not pursue the retreating pair. He had a much bigger problem to solve: Naruto, who had entered a berserk state and undergone Tailed Beast transformation.
One shouldn't think that Tailed Beasts are no big deal just because Akatsuki members can easily take down most Jinchuriki. On the contrary, without the suppression of the Mangekyo Sharingan or Wood Release, the destruction they cause is beyond human imagination. They were once regarded as natural disasters for a reason.
Moreover, the Nine-Tails is the strongest of them all! Years ago, the moment it was released by Obito, it caused unimaginable damage to Konoha, and thousands of ninjas died under its indiscriminate attacks.
Clearly, facing a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki head-on was not wise. Kakashi threw several shuriken to draw Naruto's attention, luring him toward the uninhabited sea. Otherwise, within minutes, this bridge, only one-third complete, and the town behind it would be reduced to rubble.
Meanwhile, after Sakura pulled out the kunai, she was surprised to find that Sasuke wasn't dead. The blade had luckily missed his heart; he was merely suffering from excessive blood loss. Weeping with joy, she used the basic first-aid methods taught at the Academy to treat the horrific wound.
A few minutes later, Sasuke's condition stabilized, and he fell into a deep sleep with his head in her lap.
It goes without saying that Karin had intentionally missed the heart. Her mission wasn't to kill Sasuke, but to trigger the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's rampage. This way, even if the "assassination" failed, Danzo wouldn't have much to say. Everyone who had seen the Nine-Tails knew its terror, that alone was explanation enough. Besides, Sasuke had taken a direct hit to the chest; surviving it could simply be chalked up to good luck.