"Hanekawa, are you really sure about this?"
Samui took a deep breath and asked.
"Samui, no need to waste words on him!"
Yugito snorted coldly and said, "He no longer has the right to be a ninja of our Kumogakure Village!"
Hanekawa calmly unsealed the Yin Seal.
The diamond mark on his forehead trembled slightly, and a large amount of chakra surged out, forming dark red petal-like patterns.
But the petals did not spread.
Because he did not intend to use the Ninjutsu: Creation Rebirth: Strength of Hundred Technique.
What Hanekawa wanted was only to quickly mobilize the chakra accumulated within the Yin Seal.
"You've missed your last chance."
The Fourth Raikage shook his head and said.
The reason he had repeatedly tolerated Hanekawa was because his talent was truly astonishing.
If he could return to Kumogakure, it would undoubtedly make the village's future even more prosperous.
Unfortunately, whether in person or in heart, he was no longer a ninja of Kumogakure.
At that moment, the sound of rushing wind echoed.
Four figures descended from the sky: Hatake Sakumo, Uchiha Shisui, Sarutobi Asuma, and Shizune.
"Is this your backup?"
Yugito's expression darkened as she saw them and asked.
When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury.
Her only serious injury had been inflicted by Uchiha Shisui and Hatake Sakumo.
"It's just four more people."
The Fourth Raikage remained confident of victory.
In his view, although Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Shisui were strong, they were outnumbered.
With Kumogakure's ninjas outnumbering Konoha's by more than three to one, they could win as long as they bought enough time.
And the first person he planned to deal with was Hanekawa.
As for Sarutobi Asuma and Shizune, he ignored them entirely.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode!
Brilliant yet terrifying blue lightning erupted from the Fourth Raikage's body, and a massive amount of chakra enveloped him like armor.
Stimulated by the Lightning Release chakra, his body rapidly enhanced.
"I said I wanted to show you all a ninjutsu unique to Konoha."
Hanekawa glanced around, his smile growing even brighter.
The three thousand Kumogakure ninjas had now surrounded them.
With so many people, this formation was unavoidable, but it gave him the perfect opportunity.
This was the ideal time to unleash a large-scale area-of-effect ninjutsu.
Of course, ninjutsu is dead, but ninjas are alive.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be so easy to succeed.
But his Wood Release was alive.
"Arrogant!"
Yugito said with a haughty expression, "I've already seen all of Konoha's unique ninjutsu. There's nothing impressive about them!"
In fact, aside from Tsunade, the others from Konoha were also puzzled.
They couldn't think of any ninjutsu unique to Konoha that could turn the tide at this moment.
Uchiha Shisui's heart stirred.
He remembered when he had sparred with Hanekawa before, and Hanekawa mentioned he had another bloodline limit he hadn't shown yet.
"Have you seen this ninjutsu before?"
Hanekawa formed hand seals, clapped his hands together, and interlaced his fingers.
Since Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Shisui had arrived, there was no need for further words.
Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees!
An endless amount of chakra was released in an instant.
With him at the center, the ground bulged and cracked, and one tree after another burst forth from the earth, growing at an astonishing speed.
The tree trunks and vines writhed like earth dragons, rising into the sky and reaching their peak in an instant, forming a vast forest.
"Be careful!"
The Fourth Raikage immediately shouted a warning as Hanekawa formed his seals.
He was about to charge forward when countless branches came to life, surging toward him from all directions.
"Wood Release?!"
The Fourth Raikage's expression changed drastically, filled with shock.
"How is this possible?"
Killer Bee couldn't help but exclaim.
Everyone knew what Wood Release meant—it was the bloodline limit of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.
"He... he..."
Samui instinctively took two steps back.
Hanekawa could actually use Wood Release? Did he have Senju bloodline?
No wonder he didn't want to return to Kumogakure.
"This is bad!"
Mabui gritted her teeth, her heart filled with panic.
With her high intelligence, she had always felt that most things were within her control.
When she mobilized three thousand Kumogakure ninjas and two jinchūriki to ambush Tsunade and Hanekawa, she didn't think failure was possible.
Mabui had considered multiple scenarios and prepared contingency plans before the battle.
But Hanekawa leading with Wood Release was not something she had anticipated.
"Wood Release?"
"It's Wood Release! We're saved!"
"Lord Hanekawa can use Wood Release? There's no way he's a spy for Kumogakure!"
The Konoha ninjas erupted in exclamations of surprise.
"It's actually Wood Release?"
Uchiha Shisui was stunned.
He had considered that Hanekawa might have a bloodline limit from Kirigakure or Iwagakure, but he never expected it to be Konoha's Wood Release.
Wood Release had deep ties with the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Shisui thought of his ancestor, Uchiha Madara, who had been defeated by Hashirama Senju's Wood Release.
He had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and now Hanekawa had mastered Wood Release.
Uchiha Shisui felt an inexplicable sense of destiny.
He thought to himself that if Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader, were here, his expression would be quite interesting.
He wondered if the hardliners in the clan would abandon their rebellious thoughts after seeing Wood Release.
"I... I..."
Sarutobi Asuma was dumbfounded.
How could it be Wood Release?
This was like seeing a ghost in broad daylight!
"Wood Release!"
Hyūga Hizashi's eyes widened.
He had only one thought: the Hyūga clan had struck gold.
When Hyūga Hiashi's child was born, they would have a Wood Release user as their teacher. This was as legitimate as it gets!
"This Wood Release is terrifying!"
Aburame Shibi and the others watched as the Kumogakure ninjas suffered heavy casualties in an instant, their hearts trembling.
Only Tsunade wanted to laugh out loud.
This was her student!
And now, he had revived the Senju clan's Wood Release!
"We can't let this continue!"
The Fourth Raikage roared, his eyes bloodshot. "Yugito, clear an area!"
Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees had created a forest in an instant.
Moreover, the Kumogakure ninjas had never expected Hanekawa to use Wood Release, let alone on such a large scale.
They had assumed he would use a more offensive single-target ninjutsu and engage in a fierce battle with the Fourth Raikage.
One misstep led to another.
The Kumogakure ninjas were caught off guard and found themselves in the midst of the forest.
The towering trees, lush with foliage, suddenly came to life. The trees were like blades, and the vines were like whips, completely surrounding them.
Except for the special jōnin and jōnin, the chūnin and genin were almost defenseless and suffered heavy losses.
The Fourth Raikage looked around and saw the trees littered with the corpses of Kumogakure ninjas.
He couldn't help but feel a surge of grief and anger.
"Roar!"
Yugito let out an angry roar.
Though she was proud, she had a strong sense of belonging to Kumogakure.
Seeing her comrades fall, she, like the Fourth Raikage, was consumed by rage.
Full Tailed Beast Transformation!
A giant cat, as large as a mountain, appeared.
Its face was fierce, and blue flames surrounded it, making it look like a demon returned from hell.
"Get out of my way!"
The Two-Tails spoke in a human voice, opening its mouth and firing an enormous fireball at the forest before it.
Hanekawa's mind stirred, and the branches and vines intertwined, forming a wooden shield in front of the Two-Tails.
Boom!
The flames created a shockwave that swept in all directions.
Both the Konoha and Kumogakure ninjas were forced to retreat.
The wooden shield shook violently, a shallow dent forming before it began to burn.
But the burning was slow.
"As expected of Wood Release!"
Hatake Sakumo couldn't help but exclaim.
"Fire Release is theoretically supposed to counter Wood Release, but it seems it's not that effective."
Sarutobi Asuma felt this trip was worth it, as he had witnessed the legendary Wood Release.
Uchiha Shisui nodded silently.
If Fire Release truly countered Wood Release, Uchiha Madara wouldn't have lost so badly back then.
Seeing this, the Two-Tails opened its mouth again and fired another massive fireball.
Hanekawa flew onto the damaged wooden shield and formed hand seals.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
Before him, a water vortex appeared, transforming into a rising dragon that bit toward the fireball.
Water and fire collided, creating a large amount of steam.
Although the Two-Tails' fireball was enormous, Hanekawa, using the Yin Seal and with the Water Release enhancement, made the water dragon equally formidable.
"Damn it!"
The Two-Tails was furious.
This was the first time a non-jinchūriki ninja had blocked two of its fireballs in a row.
Being blocked wasn't the issue, but the delay meant more Kumogakure ninjas would die.
"Go help her!"
The Fourth Raikage leaped into action.
"Not so fast!"
Tsunade flashed in front of him and threw a punch, forcing him to retreat.
"Get out of my way!"
At this critical moment, Killer Bee stopped hesitating and fully transformed into his Tailed Beast form.
A monster with the body of a bull and the tail of an octopus appeared.
The Eight-Tails didn't attack the Konoha ninjas but instead used its eight tails to smash toward the forest.
For Kumogakure, the greatest threat now was this forest.
If they didn't destroy it, it would continue to reap lives like the god of death.
"Stop him!"
Hyūga Hizashi shouted urgently.
They also understood the importance of the forest. Without it, they would lose their means of suppressing the Kumogakure ninjas.
Hyūga Hizashi gritted his teeth and was about to charge forward when a figure moved faster than him.
He was slightly stunned—it was Uchiha Shisui.
Hyūga Hizashi immediately felt the urge to not let the Uchiha clan steal the spotlight.
But the next second, he was utterly shocked.
Uchiha Shisui didn't hesitate to activate the Susanoo.
He wasn't foolish.
He had hidden the Susanoo before because he feared its exposure might incite rebellion within the Uchiha clan.
But now, with Hanekawa, who was stronger and could use Wood Release, revealing the Susanoo wouldn't have much impact.
As for others who might covet the Uchiha clan's power, he believed Tsunade and Hanekawa would handle it.
A shockwave erupted.
Around him, a massive half-bodied skeleton rose into the sky.
Uchiha Shisui focused his mind.
The skeleton's fists clenched and smashed toward the Eight-Tails.
At the same time, Katsuyu also charged forward.
Boom!
The Eight-Tails, completely unprepared for something as outrageous as the Susanoo, was directly hit.
Combined with Katsuyu's strength, its massive body was sent flying and crashed to the ground with a deafening sound.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
"What... what is this?"
The Fourth Raikage stared at the sinister aura emanating from the Susanoo, once again feeling that things were spiraling out of control.
First, Hanekawa had suddenly mastered Wood Release, leaving him at a loss.
Kumogakure had previously claimed he was a spy, but the appearance of Wood Release dispelled those rumors.
After all, everyone knew only the Senju clan could use Wood Release.
Perhaps Hanekawa was a descendant of the Senju clan who had been lost.
Now, Uchiha Shisui had also demonstrated power rivaling a Tailed Beast.
Kumogakure's numerical advantage was no longer a factor.
Tsunade was slightly stunned.
Was that the Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo?
As the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju and with a grandfather like Tobirama Senju, who had spent his life studying the Uchiha clan, she recognized it immediately.
Though she was surprised that Uchiha Shisui had such power at such a young age, she was more delighted.
No wonder Hanekawa had insisted on bringing Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Shisui.
"Focus on destroying the forest!"
The Fourth Raikage had no choice but to order the jōnin to assist.
With both jinchūriki tied up, he had no other options.
The Fourth Raikage suddenly felt grateful that Konoha hadn't deployed the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. Otherwise, Kumogakure would have been utterly defeated.
But even without the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, the battle had reached this point, and he couldn't feel happy about it.
"Die!"
Seeing the Eight-Tails and Killer Bee held back, the Two-Tails grew anxious.
It leaped into the air, its massive claws like blades, slashing toward Hanekawa.
With Hanekawa interfering, it was difficult for the Two-Tails to use Fire Release to destroy the forest.
After all, his Water Release prowess was evident, surpassing even the Third Mizukage.
The only solution was to kill or harass Hanekawa.
Whether he died or was distracted from controlling the forest, it would alleviate the pressure on the Kumogakure ninjas.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
Hanekawa didn't hesitate to use Water Release.
Among all his elemental releases, Water Release was the strongest.
Even without rain, it had a 250% power boost.
Under Hanekawa's full power, the water dragon was ten times larger than usual.
The Two-Tails' claw strike shattered the water dragon.
But water is formless.
Hanekawa formed seals again.
Water Release: Water Chain Bullets!
The splashing water transformed into countless water bullets that rained down on the Two-Tails.
"Roar!"
The Two-Tails cried out in pain, its body falling from the sky and crashing into the ground.
Boom!
The ground cracked, sending rubble and dust flying everywhere.
"Damn you!"
The Two-Tails shook its head and stood up.
It glared at Hanekawa, who stood motionless on the wooden shield, and grew even more furious.
But it didn't dare use a Tailed Beast Bomb.
The Tailed Beast Bomb's range was too wide.
And the forest was centered around Hanekawa.
If it wanted to hit him, it would inevitably harm the Kumogakure ninjas in the forest.
But without the Tailed Beast Bomb, how could it defeat him?
At that moment, a damp, unpleasant aura filled the air.
Hanekawa drew the Thunderfire Sword and summoned dark clouds, bringing with them a downpour.
His "Rain God" ability was automatically triggered.
The Two-Tails had an idea.
If it could force Hanekawa to retreat far enough, it could use the Tailed Beast Bomb.
With this in mind, the Two-Tails charged at Hanekawa without hesitation.
The sound of rushing wind echoed.
The Two-Tails' massive body was like a mountain, and wherever it passed, the ground cracked and deep craters formed.
____
Patreon.com/rashta