Izayoi had been wondering where Nagato's real body had gone.
He hadn't expected the other party to come looking for him.
And he was even using Izayoi's trick, using the Wood Transformation Technique to disguise himself as Toneri Otsutsuki. If anything went wrong, he could blame it on 'Toneri Otsutsuki'.
But Izayoi couldn't understand why Nagato had suddenly targeted him after only meeting him once in Orochimaru's underground base.
From his appearance, it didn't seem like he had discovered his identity.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be blocking him here, but would have directly led the Akatsuki to attack Konoha.
Regardless of Nagato's purpose, Izayoi wasn't someone who liked to be in a passive position.
So, looking at Nagato floating down, Izayoi directly mocked, "The dignified leader of the Akatsuki, the God of Shinobi of the new era, actually disguises himself as an enemy. The Five Great Shinobi Villages incident during this period, or rather, the clash of the Sage Eyes, couldn't have been directed by you, the owner of the Rinnegan, yourself, could it?"
"..."
Nagato, who was just about to imitate Toneri Otsutsuki's tone, suddenly stopped the words that were about to come out of his throat.
The embarrassment in his heart even made him get goosebumps, which was rare for him.
Looking down at Izayoi, who had a look of disdain, Nagato couldn't help but ask, "How did you know?"
"Your disguise is as clumsy as Uchiha Obito's disguise," Izayoi sneered. "The Wood Transformation is indeed flawless, and your Chakra aura is different from when we met last time, but... you can change your Chakra aura, but you can't change the aura of your soul."
"Your perception can perceive the aura of the soul?" Nagato looked at Izayoi with a shocked expression.
"Heh... interesting."
Izayoi smiled playfully and said, "Your external features are those of the Uzumaki Clan, but you have awakened the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai and mastered the First Hokage's Wood Human Technique, yet you haven't awakened or have neglected the unique abilities of the Uzumaki Clan."
"So that's it, you have also awakened the unique abilities of the Uzumaki Clan and merged the Kagura Mind's Eye with other techniques to form a special perception," Nagato instantly understood Izayoi's meaning, because his Kagura Mind's Eye had also merged with the abilities of the Rinnegan, creating a special perception technique like the Rain Tiger at Will Technique.
Realizing that he had indeed been exposed, Nagato also released the Wood Transformation Technique state and praised Izayoi, "As expected of the genius who saw through 'Madara Uchiha''s true identity during his time at the ninja academy. Your talent and mind make even me feel pressured. The Akatsuki wants to create a new world, and you and that Toneri Otsutsuki are the biggest obstacles."
"I am very honored to receive such an evaluation from the God of Shinobi of the new era," Izayoi first smiled, then asked in confusion, "But I'm very curious, why are you suddenly targeting me instead of dealing with the trouble of Toneri Otsutsuki first?"
"Because you are the owner of the orthodox Wood Release."
Nagato raised his hand towards Izayoi and said, "Your sacrifice will accelerate the arrival of peace, so please die, Izayoi-kun... Deva Path!"
A strange attraction immediately pulled Izayoi away from the treetop.
"I'm really being underestimated. In that case, let me show you the true Wood Release!"
Izayoi, who had planned to take advantage of this trip to find a suitable time to start the final battle, didn't waste any words. He raised his hand and it transformed into a huge, thick branch, which shot towards Nagato like a python.
At the same time, a large number of pythons also rushed out from the forest below, like the tentacles of an octopus, binding or whipping towards Nagato.
Seeing this scene, a hint of surprise flashed in Nagato's eyes.
No hand seals, how is this possible?
Is this the orthodox Wood Release?
Nagato, who was feeling shocked in his heart, said calmly on the surface, "Almighty Push!"
Attraction turned into repulsion, and the invisible storm was like the palm of a giant, slapping down.
The tree roots that extended and shot upwards stopped in mid-air as if time had frozen.
At the top, a large number of cracks appeared, and large and small pieces of debris fell off.
However, the scene of all the trees being pulverized and scattered, or flying back, did not appear as Nagato had imagined.
Seeing this, Nagato's expression finally changed slightly, and he quickly increased his Chakra output, which finally shattered those branches.
After doing this, Nagato carefully examined Izayoi, who had landed back on the treetop, and used his perception to look at the Chakra within Izayoi's body, muttering in shock, "Such powerful Chakra! This... how is this possible?"
Last time in Orochimaru's underground base, Nagato had seen Izayoi's Wood Clone. The Chakra of that Wood Clone was enough to perform a super large-scale Wood Release ninjutsu like the Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
At that time, Nagato suspected that Izayoi was likely someone who had awakened both the Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines, just like himself.
His main body's Chakra was definitely very astonishing.
However, no matter how astonishing it was, it should be similar to a Jinchuriki, or even slightly inferior to a Jinchuriki, after all, he was also like that at the same age.
But now, Nagato found that Izayoi's Chakra was even more astonishing than Toneri Otsutsuki's at the beginning of the year.
It was even stronger than the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki!
He had only graduated last year and would only enter his true growth period next year. How could he have Chakra that surpassed a Jinchuriki at this awkward age?
This was simply incredible, something that defied common sense!
Could it be that this was the owner of the orthodox Wood Release?
"Wood Release: Hotei Technique!"
While Nagato was shocked, Izayoi had already changed from passive to active. He still didn't make hand seals, and pointed at Nagato with his raised hand, as if casting a spell like a magician.
The surrounding forest vibrated, and a 'crackling' sound, whether it was the ground cracking or the trees cracking, rang out.
With a loud bang, a giant wooden fist, like a small mountain, suddenly rose from the ground, carrying the distorted airflow generated by high-speed friction with the air, and the power to easily shatter a mountain, and struck towards Nagato.
Looking at the giant wooden fist, which contained powerful Chakra, was as large as a small mountain, but was far harder than a mountain, and even surpassed diamond, Nagato did not use Almighty Push to defend himself. Instead, his hands mechanically transformed into two cannons, spewing out flames with Mach rings, and quickly shot up into the sky, flying away from the attack range of the giant wooden fist.
At this moment, the giant wooden fist suddenly opened its tightly clenched five fingers and shot out dense wooden spikes towards Nagato, forming a green barrage.
Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs Technique!
The area covered by the barrage was astonishing, and its speed was like that of crossbow bolts.
To prevent Izayoi from taking the opportunity to escape, Nagato didn't race against the barrage. Instead, he stopped and once again released an invisible storm of repulsion, deflecting all the wooden spikes that came near him, even breaking them.
Immediately after, Nagato quickly flew towards the forest, while simultaneously creating a massive missile with one hand, which shot towards Izayoi below with a trailing flame.
Even without activating his Tenseigan, Izayoi could see that this missile contained astonishing Chakra.
Once it exploded, it would definitely be a huge mushroom cloud.
Moreover, this missile had a tracking device. As long as it was within Nagato's sensory range, the missile would continue to track.
His body had recovered to its peak state, and the power of the Asura Path had also received an epic enhancement on Nagato, who possessed the Outer Path.
Thus, Izayoi raised his hand to condense a Super Hurricane Sphere Combination, infusing it with Water Release and Lightning Release nature transformations to create a Storm Release light sphere, which then transformed into a beam of light and shot out, colliding with the missile.
Boom—
A deafening explosion erupted, and a huge flame bloomed in the sky. The shockwave from the explosion was like a hurricane passing through, bending and breaking ordinary trees.
A large number of wooden vines grew from the treetops, forming a cocoon that wrapped around Izayoi, defending against the attack of the strong wind and heatwave.
At this moment, Nagato, who was enveloped in a transparent white light shield, flew in front of the cocoon, raised his hand and placed it on the wooden wall, infusing Wood Release Chakra to create a large tree that would devour Izayoi from the outside in.
But the next second, a spear emerged from the wooden wall, stabbing towards Nagato.
Just as the spear was about to pierce Nagato's head, it suddenly stopped, its tip trembling slightly, with distorted airflow faintly visible in front.
A few seconds later, the distorted airflow roared out, shattering the spear and also blasting through the wooden shield of the cocoon, sending Izayoi, who was hiding inside, flying out.
"Planetary Devastation!"
Nagato raised his hand and clapped, and an invisible gravitational force gathered above Izayoi's head, forming a black sphere.
The terrifying gravity tore through the earth, uprooting trees one by one, accompanied by large and small rubble.
In response, Izayoi remained calm. He still raised his hand to condense a Super Hurricane Sphere Combination, infusing it with three nature transformations to create a Dust Release light mass, which transformed into a transparent beam of light and shot out towards the black sphere that was expanding in his vision.
With a loud boom, the black sphere exploded, and the gravitational force seemed to be affected by something, causing it to change and distort the remaining Dust Release light beam.
"Incredible Ninjutsu talent!" Nagato couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.
As a Ninjutsu genius who could use the mainstream Five Release techniques of the Shinobi World at the age of ten, and now could casually perform compound Ninjutsu of the Five Release, Nagato couldn't do what Izayoi did, which was to fuse two or three nature transformations into a secret technique similar to a Kekkei Genkai.
If this secret technique could change genes and become a Kekkei Genkai inherited by future generations, the bloodline of Izayoi's descendants would be unimaginably diverse and powerful.
At the same time, Izayoi's mind was indeed excellent.
He clearly possessed the Storm Release and Dust Release secret techniques, yet he had never used them on himself, obviously knowing the ability of the Preta Path.
While marveling at Izayoi's talent, Nagato was also quick to act, rapidly flying in front of Izayoi, who had just landed. His fist transformed into the mechanical arm of the Asura Path and smashed towards Izayoi's chest.
The imagined scene of Izayoi blocking with crossed arms, followed by Nagato transforming his fist into a palm to create a Yin-Yang Release: Black Rod to interfere with Chakra flow and win in one blow, did not occur.
Izayoi's reaction was extremely fast, and he also met the attack with a punch.
The two fists collided, and the shockwave roared.
Nagato, who had charged up and attacked first, not only failed to send Izayoi, who was defending second, flying with one punch, but his mechanical arm was also shattered by the punch, and his body was sent flying.
Nagato, whose entire arm was numb, looked at Izayoi with shock and joy, thinking to himself, Is that the Chakra burst of the Senju Clan? What incredible Super Strength, and... it can even be used like this!
After landing, Nagato once again charged towards Izayoi. His arm transformed into the mechanical arm of the Asura Path again, and at the same time, his real arm was also covered with a layer of black substance, which was Earth Release: Earth Spear.
Boom—
Another collision of two fists, and the mechanical arm shattered again. However, Nagato was not sent flying by the shockwave. Instead, he withstood Izayoi's Super Strength Fist with his diamond-like defense.
Immediately after, the two of them engaged in a deafening Taijutsu duel in the forest that had turned into a wasteland.
Every punch was like a missile exploding, with roaring shockwaves.
However, after fighting for a while and realizing that neither could defeat the other, both of them tacitly abandoned their martial ethics.
Nagato's head suddenly opened, revealing mechanical devices and condensing a dazzling laser.
Izayoi's shoulder also became wooden, and branches extended to form a giant fist that punched out.
The laser and the giant fist collided. The former failed to penetrate the latter, and the latter failed to scatter the former. Only the two users were sent flying backward.
"Is this the true Wood Release?"
Looking at Izayoi, who could still woodify his body without hand seals and condense a giant wooden fist containing powerful Chakra and with a hardness that even a laser could not penetrate, Nagato finally understood Izayoi's words.
Compared to Izayoi, who was the legitimate owner of Wood Release, he and Uchiha Obito, who obtained Wood Release by transplanting Hashirama Cells, not only needed hand seals to perform the technique, but their Yang Release Chakra and Wood Release Chakra were also insufficient to perform Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
The hardness of their Wood Release was not even qualified to carry Izayoi's shoes.
The difference between the two was like the difference between the Uchiha Clan's Three-Tomoe Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan.
And just as Nagato thought, Wood Release could indeed counter Almighty Push.
Or rather, to shatter the trees of legitimate Wood Release, the Chakra Nagato consumed was several times, or even more than ten times, that of shattering ordinary trees.
To prevent Toneri Otsutsuki from suddenly attacking Amegakure, it would be too foolish for Nagato to use Super Almighty Push on a single target.
With the opponent's Ninjutsu talent being even better than his own, the result of the Five Release Ninjutsu could be determined without even performing them.
Unable to defeat Izayoi with taijutsu, Nagato, while simultaneously relaying information to his Wood Clone in Amegakure, clapped his hands together and shouted, "Sage Mode - Activate!"
Red eye shadow appeared, and Nagato's demeanor instantly changed.
"Sage Mode?" Izayoi feigned surprise. "Red eye shadow... you also comprehended Sage Mode on your own?"
"Also?"
Nagato, who was just about to end the fight quickly, suddenly had an ominous feeling.
As expected...
The next second, he saw Izayoi clap his hands together, his eyes also showing red eye shadow, and his blue pupils turning golden.
"You're not the only one who can use Sage Mode."
Izayoi maintained his hands-clasped posture and said calmly, "Although I don't possess the Sage Eye like you, allowing me to use rule-based abilities like repulsion and attraction, relying solely on the power of the Sage Eye is far from enough to defeat me!"
"Show me the Wood Release you used against Toneri Otsutsuki. This is a duel between Wood Release ninja!"
"Sage Art... Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
With a rumbling sound, massive tree branches, each as thick as a dozen or twenty people embracing them and resembling rocky mountains, burst from the ground, forming a green wave dozens of meters high that instantly engulfed Nagato, who was not far away, and spread out in all directions.
In a short while, the ordinary forest transformed into a primeval forest even more astonishing than the Death Forest.
Every towering tree contained powerful Chakra, which Izayoi could manipulate at will.
Fire couldn't burn them, water couldn't drown them, earth couldn't overturn them, lightning couldn't penetrate them, wind couldn't break them... If branches and vines bound someone, their Chakra would be drained, resulting in instant death.
This was the signature Wood Release of the God of Shinobi, used to quell the chaotic world, and also the strongest landscape ninjutsu in the Shinobi World!
Nagato, who could only temporarily possess this power by wearing the Tobi Armor, couldn't truly comprehend the power of the Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
Thus, Izayoi taught Nagato a lesson.
Relying on the increased speed and perception from Sage Mode, as well as the flight from Attraction and the propulsion from the Asura Path, Nagato, who was unharmed even when submerged in the sea of trees, suddenly saw four transparent purple walls rise up in front, behind, left, and right.
When they reached the highest point, a fifth wall completed the sealing.
It turned out that the trees containing Chakra had grown four Wood Clones of Izayoi, who used a barrier to trap Nagato.
Before Nagato could flash over and use the Preta Path's ability to absorb the barrier, the trees within the barrier rapidly multiplied again, growing a large number of vines and branches that densely engulfed him.
Without space-time ninjutsu, Nagato had nowhere to dodge.
"So Wood Release can be used like this... amazing!"
Nagato sincerely praised, no longer underestimating Izayoi. He spread his hands, converting his massive Chakra into repulsion and compressing it.
A green light shield appeared around Nagato's body.
As the overwhelming branches and vines surged in, about to swallow Nagato, Nagato, enveloped by the green light shield, suddenly turned into a white ball of light.
The dazzling white light, in turn, engulfed the branches and vines, turning the area within the barrier into a pure white expanse.
Boom----
Ten seconds later, an earth-shattering explosion echoed through the forest.
A hurricane raged, and the towering trees, as tall as mountains but even harder than mountains, snapped one by one or bent over.
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