"Boom!"
The earth trembled violently. From the once-barren Gobi desert, towering trees burst forth, transforming the desolate landscape into a sprawling forest in mere moments.
But it didn't stop there. The forest continued expanding in all directions at a terrifying pace. Massive roots tore through stone, and thick trunks demolished everything in their path.
Those caught first in the forest's wrath were the ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi.
"Damn it! Don't just stand there—stop these trees!"
"Use Doton ninjutsu, now!"
Panicked, the Rock Ninjas launched jutsu in desperation.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
One after another, powerful Earth Release techniques crashed into the advancing foliage—but it was useless.
The Wood Release overpowered everything. Giant trees effortlessly tore through stone walls, uprooted terrain, and smashed mud barriers. For every tree cut down, ten more surged forward in its place.
"AAAH! Help me!"
"No—get away—don't come any closer!"
"I don't want to die—AAHHH!!"
Screams echoed across the battlefield as hundreds of Rock Shinobi were crushed, buried, or impaled by the relentlessly growing forest.
Though they had the advantage in numbers, it meant nothing now. The unending tide of vegetation surged like a natural disaster, consuming Iwagakure's forces without mercy.
"As expected... Wood Release truly is the greatest in large-scale warfare," Byakuya thought, a cold glint in his eyes.
This was his first time using Mokuton in real combat, and the results exceeded even his expectations.
Each tree absorbed chakra from its surroundings, including that of the enemies it killed. Slowly but surely, Byakuya could feel his chakra recovering.
So this is why Hashirama Senju was feared even by Uchiha Madara...
Meanwhile, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, hovered in the air, his face contorted in disbelief and rage.
"This... this is impossible! How can a member of the Uchiha clan use Wood Release?!"
His vision was filled with the nightmarish sight of Iwagakure shinobi being slaughtered by vines and roots.
The plan was supposed to be simple. A joint assault by Iwagakure and Kumogakure to seize land from a weakened Konohagakure. With tens of thousands of shinobi and two Kage on the battlefield, how could it possibly fail?
Even if this "Byakuya" possessed a Mangekyō Sharingan, Ōnoki had assumed his Dust Release would handle it. But Wood Release? True Mokuton? This had never been considered.
Mangekyō Sharingan... and now Wood Release?
Just what kind of monster is this Uchiha…?
Fury burning in his veins, Ōnoki formed hand seals without hesitation. "You dare mock Iwagakure… Then disappear!"
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A glowing white cube erupted from his palms, rapidly expanding outward in a destructive burst. Everything it touched was disintegrated into dust—trees, terrain, even the very air shimmered with annihilation.
In an instant, an open clearing emerged, and the choking forest was cleared from a hundred-meter radius.
The surviving Rock Shinobi gasped in relief.
"It's over—he did it!"
"Ōnoki-sama's Dust Release saved us!"
"The Tsuchikage is invincible!"
But their celebration was short-lived.
The trees… were already growing back.
If Wood Release could be so easily destroyed, then it would never have been known as the First Hokage's power to control all things.
Just as the Iwagakure forces began to relax—believing they had finally halted the advance of the forest—
"BOOM!!"
The earth trembled once more, this time even more violently.
Before the Rock Ninjas could comprehend what was happening, a new wave of trees burst from the ground, roaring upward like living spears.
"What!? Again—?!"
"NO! Get out of the way!"
"Aaaaah—!!"
Their relief was premature. The Wood Release had not ended—it had only paused.
Taken completely off-guard, hundreds of Rock Ninjas were skewered by fast-growing wooden spikes before they could react. The trees shot out in all directions, regenerating as if the earth itself was fighting back. Within seconds, what was once battlefield terrain had once again become a dense forest of death.
This was the terror of true Wood Release—
Relentless. Restorative. Alive.
As long as Byakuya lived, the trees would not stop.
"Damn it… how is this possible…?" a jōnin muttered in horror.
At the center of the chaos, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, veins bulging at his temple, floated into the air and once more gathered his chakra.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!!"
A glowing white cube formed between his hands and expanded rapidly, then launched forward—obliterating the nearest wave of trees in a blinding flash. The forest before him disintegrated instantly into fine particles of dust.
But within moments—they began to grow back again.
Roots burst forth from the charred ground, sprouting violently in all directions. In only seconds, the same terrain was overrun.
"Damn it… cough cough…!"
Ōnoki staggered in mid-air, his old body trembling.
Two consecutive Dust Release techniques had drained him heavily. Even for a kage-level shinobi, this was too much. His breathing was ragged, and his aged frame bent with fatigue.
"Lord Tsuchikage! What should we do?!"
"I'm surrounded—my Earth Style can't even slow these trees down!"
"We've lost over three thousand men—the forest keeps spreading!"
The words hit harder than any jutsu. Three thousand—nearly a third of their army.
Ōnoki's face twisted in grief. For a hardened war veteran like him, who had survived conflicts since the Warring States Era, such loss was unacceptable. Yet…
"Damn it all…"
He clenched his fists but knew the truth.
"Retreat…! We're no match for him."
His voice was hoarse, but final.
"Everyone, fall back immediately! Avoid the forest at all costs!"
Even he—Ōnoki the Fence-Sitter, wielder of Dust Release—had to admit it:
Against an Uchiha who wielded both the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and true Wood Release, Iwagakure had no chance.
To stay was to die.
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