The Land of Swamps is to the left of the Land of Demons. In less than half a day, Kitazawa and his group entered the Land of Swamps.
They didn't continue forward but stopped.
Kitsuchi led his three teammates to scout the location of Mōryō and his Ghost Army. Kitazawa and the others waited in place.
An hour later, Kitsuchi and his group returned.
"Mōryō and his Ghost Army are in the mountains to the north," Kitsuchi said.
"They are looking for Mount Fūma," Shion replied, "Mount Fūma is where Mōryō's physical body is sealed."
"Should we go stop them now?" Kitsuchi looked at her and asked.
"Mōryō has two objectives." Shion took a deep breath and said, "To retrieve its body and to kill me, because only I can seal it."
"Then we'll stop the Ghost Army, and you'll go seal Mōryō's soul?" Baki thought for a moment and asked.
"I can only seal it in the Sealing Shrine or Mount Fūma." Shion explained, "The Sealing Shrine is in the Land of Demons; it just came out of there. Without getting its body back, it's hard to lure it back."
Ao pondered for a moment and said, "The best way is to seal it on Mount Fūma."
Kitazawa recalled the plot from the original story. Shion and Naruto indeed defeated Mōryō in a cave. That was undoubtedly Mount Fūma.
"Can its body and soul be sealed together?" Kitsuchi asked this because the previous Priestess-sama had always sealed Mōryō's soul and body separately.
"Yes." Shion nodded and added, "I will lead it to Mount Fūma. Before that, you must stop the Ghost Army and protect me."
Although her current premonition was different, without knowing the specifics, she still proceeded according to the original plan.
Ao, Kitsuchi, Baki, and the others had no objections.
They naturally understood Shion's intention, which was to sacrifice herself to seal Mōryō.
After all, the previous Priestess-sama, Miroku, had done the same.
As Jonin, they were long accustomed to life and death, and since they had only met Shion once, they felt no emotional turmoil.
The group continued forward. Not long after, they heard heavy and chaotic footsteps.
Kitazawa looked up and saw dense terracotta warriors.
"This is Mōryō's Ghost Army." Shion explained, "As long as Mōryō is not sealed, they will not die."
"Their strength isn't great, but they are a bit troublesome." Kitsuchi glanced at them and said, "Priestess-sama, you can trust us."
"En." Shion nodded and said, "Then let's go."
After she finished speaking, she walked towards the Ghost Army. Taruho quickly followed.
The next second, the terracotta warriors all turned their heads to look at them, or more accurately, at Shion.
"Shion!" Yomi suddenly appeared, his voice coming from his abdomen, sounding very gloomy, "You're finally here!"
"Mōryō!" Shion suppressed the fear in her heart and bravely said, "I will seal you just like my mother did!"
"Why seal me?" Mōryō tempted, "As long as our powers combine, we will be invincible. You can become the ruler of the Ninja World!"
"I will not collude with you!" Shion refused without hesitation. In the original story, Miroku sealed Mōryō only after refusing to join forces with it.
"Foolish!" Mōryō was furious upon hearing this, "If you don't cooperate, I'll devour you!" As its voice fell, all of the Ghost Army charged towards Shion.
"Attack!" Seeing this, Kitsuchi immediately shouted.
Neji and Hinata simultaneously drew their bows. Two Yin Release Arrows flew out one after another, accurately hitting the two terracotta warriors at the very front.
In the blink of an eye, the two terracotta warriors were pierced through. Their bodies trembled, then they crumbled into gravel, falling completely to the ground.
Seeing this, Kitsuchi and Baki instinctively glanced at their bows; just their appearance looked extraordinary.
They could roughly understand why Kitazawa brought them along. Byakugan plus bows were more than enough to deal with the Ghost Army, whose strength was at most Chunin-level.
But what about Kitazawa's other two students?
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted excitedly. From the smoke, hundreds of Shadow Clones appeared.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
"Dynamic Entry!"
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
Naruto and his Shadow Clones charged forward, engaging in a chaotic battle with the terracotta warriors. For a moment, the Ghost Army's forward momentum was halted.
"So amazing!" Shion couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Is this what a Ninja is like?
Although Shion knew of the existence of Ninja, it was her first time seeing a Ninja's power. After all, she had always stayed in the Priestess Shrine before and had never been out.
Baki was momentarily stunned.
What's going on? A little boy who looked only eight or nine years old suddenly created hundreds of Shadow Clones.
He had thought Kitazawa was overly confident when he saw him bring four students. But now it seemed that it wasn't his confidence; his students indeed possessed sufficient strength.
"How can he have so much Chakra?" Kitsuchi, like Baki, found this scene incredibly unbelievable.
His usually composed face showed astonishment. His three Jonin teammates were also the same.
Ao saw this and couldn't help but shake his head.
He had the same expression when he saw Naruto use Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu at the Konoha Village and Hidden Mist Village exchange meeting.
Brilliant lightning flashed. Just as they were stunned by Naruto, Sasuke activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and charged into the Ghost Army.
Wielding the Sword of the Thunder God, he unleashed a massive amount of lightning that spread in all directions.
The terracotta warriors near him were immediately engulfed by the lightning, instantly shattering into pieces of rock.
"Three-Tomoe Sharingan?" Baki's eyes widened once again.
"He activated the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at such a young age?" Kitsuchi, reminded by him, immediately noticed Sasuke's eyes.
Ao and Chōjūrō were also startled. Because at the Konoha Village and Hidden Mist Village exchange meeting, Sasuke only had a Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
How long had it been, and he already had a Three-Tomoe Sharingan? An eight-year-old Jonin? This was simply… incomprehensible!
Shion looked left and right and also felt it was incomprehensible. She was not a Ninja, so she didn't understand why Baki and Kitsuchi had such expressions.
But it was certain that Sasuke and Naruto were both extraordinary.
"Everyone, this is not the time to be spacing out." Kitazawa reminded them with a smile.
Seeing the reactions of Kitsuchi and the others, he realized that bringing Naruto and the others along was a very correct decision.
Because it could help them gain fame.
Of course, increased fame had both advantages and disadvantages. Especially since Naruto and the others were still young.
Other Ninja Villages might attempt to assassinate them to stifle their growth.
Kitazawa planned to discuss this with Hiruzen and the others after returning to the village and strengthening the protection of the Genius Class students.
Earth Release: Fist Rock!
Kitsuchi used the Body Flicker Technique to block in front of Shion. He threw a punch, his right hand turning into rock, directly smashing a terracotta warrior to pieces.
Blade of the Wind!
Baki raised his hands. A large amount of wind transformed into blades, quickly slicing through the air, cutting all the terracotta warriors into segments.
Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!
Ao clapped his hands, and countless streams of water appeared out of thin air. Centered on him, they spread outwards.
The water streams carried immense force, sending all the nearby terracotta warriors flying.
The other Jonin also used Ninjutsu one after another. In a flash, the area around Shion and Taruho became a vacuum.
"With so many powerful Ninja, why did Mother sacrifice herself to seal Mōryō before?" Shion couldn't help but ask, puzzled.
"Priestess-sama, let's hurry to Mount Fūma."
Taruho automatically ignored the question and reminded her. It wasn't that he didn't know the answer, but that he didn't want Shion to lose hope.
Actually, the answer was simple: Mōryō's strength was greater than that of these Ninja.
During the previous Mōryō Incident, the Five Great Villages sent many Jonin, but they still couldn't do anything about it.
Priestess Miroku could only use her own life to seal it.
"En." Shion nodded and headed towards Mount Fūma.
"Chase after her!" Mōryō's voice rang out. It had already guessed Shion's destination, so it didn't stop her.
Because it also had to go to Mount Fūma. However, before that, it could exhaust some of these Ninjas' Chakra.
"It really is the Ghost Army!" Sasuke noticed that the terracotta warriors he had previously shattered had reassembled.
"Sasuke, youth is also immortal!" Naruto felt no fear at all, shouting excitedly, "Konoha Gale!" He shattered the terracotta warrior in front of him with a triple spinning kick.
"Idiot." Sasuke couldn't help but say.
"Naruto, try to conserve Chakra." Neji reminded him.
"The terracotta warriors' attack frequency has slowed down considerably," Hinata said calmly, her small face tense.
"That's right." Sasuke speculated, "The real tough battle should be at Mount Fūma."
Shion intended to lead Mōryō into Mount Fūma. And Mōryō wanted to break the seal of Mount Fūma, retrieve its body, and then kill Shion.
It was imaginable that both sides would fight to the death.
"Is that so?" Naruto scratched his head.
He felt that, apart from himself, his three teammates had already grasped the key points of this mission.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Kitazawa leaned back and spat out a large fireball. The large fireball followed its trajectory and landed not far from Naruto and the others.
With a boom! Many terracotta warriors were incinerated in the flames.
"All of you, come here. Don't stray too far for now." Kitazawa instructed.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei." Sasuke and the others quickly disengaged from combat and came to his side.
The Ninja from Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Hidden Mist Village did the same. The group surrounded Shion, only repelling the attacking terracotta warriors.
"That is Mount Fūma!" Ten minutes later, Shion raised her hand, pointing to a distant peak, and said.
Kitazawa glanced at it; from the outside, it looked very ordinary, no different from the nearby mountains.
Without Shion leading the way, they would probably have a hard time finding this Mount Fūma.
"I need ten minutes to set up the Sealing Jutsu for Mōryō's soul." Shion continued, "After ten minutes, you can let Mōryō's soul in, but you must stop its Ghost Army."
"Shion!" Mōryō's voice rang out again, "I'll ask one last time, will you join forces with me?"
"Sorry, I refuse." Shion shook her head and said.
After she finished speaking, she resolutely walked towards Mount Fūma.
Just then, Yomi's body suddenly trembled, and purplish-black Chakra began to emerge from within him.
"Everyone, be careful!" Kitsuchi immediately warned, "This is Mōryō's soul!"
Baki and Ao, and the others didn't reply, but their expressions were all very serious.
The Ghost Army, besides being immortal, posed little threat to them. Mōryō's soul was different. Even without its physical body, its power was still terrifying.
A mass of purplish-black Mōryō appeared before everyone's eyes. It was shrouded in mist, with tentacles writhing within the mist, appearing eerie and terrifying.
"Shion!" Mōryō roared.
All of the Ghost Army moved. Fearless of death, they charged toward Kitsuchi, Baki, and the others.
Kitsuchi quickly swung his fist. In an instant, he sent five terracotta warriors flying. But more terracotta warriors surged forward.
Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!
Seeing this, Kitsuchi immediately made hand signs with both hands. In an instant, the ground shook violently, and the earth on both sides rose continuously, forming two towering, semicircular mountains.
Under Kitsuchi's control, the two gigantic hemispheres began to converge toward the center.
A large number of terracotta warriors, along with Mōryō, were gathered together like ants and ultimately crushed into dust.
"That's incredible!" Naruto couldn't help but exclaim.
"He's certainly stronger than Uncle Asuma." Neji nodded, but added silently in his heart: He's not as good as Kitazawa-sensei.
He had witnessed Kitazawa's battle with Satori, and the power of Lightning Release: Kirin was in no way inferior to the Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique.
Kitazawa and Baki were not surprised, however. Kitsuchi's Earth Release techniques were famous throughout the Ninja World.
Kitazawa knew even more clearly. In the original story, Kitsuchi used the Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique twice.
The first time was against the Gedo Statue, but it failed because the Gedo Statue was too powerful.
The second time, after receiving Nine-Tailed Chakra support, he briefly suppressed the Ten-Tails. Of course, the greater the power, the greater the consumption.
Mōryō broke through the mountain peaks Kitsuchi had created.
A rumbling sound rang out. A large amount of debris rolled down, and a massive mass of purple-black Chakra rushed toward the group.
Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!
Ao quickly spat out a massive water dragon. But after the water dragon collided with the purple-black Chakra, it was rapidly eroded, turning into a puddle of water that fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Ao couldn't help but frown.
Blade of Wind! Baki raised his hand.
Howling wind swirled around his hand like flowing water. Baki suddenly waved his hand, and a gust of wind shot out.
Although it was the wind, it felt like the sharpest blade. Wherever it passed, the debris was cleanly sliced open. Its momentum undiminished, it cut into the purple-black Chakra.
The purple-black Chakra was sliced in half, but before Baki could breathe a sigh of relief, the halves merged back together.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall! Kitsuchi and his three teammates immediately stepped forward and made hand signs simultaneously.
Four earth walls rose up in front of them. The purple-black Chakra slammed into the earth walls and immediately stopped.
But just then, this mass of purple-black Chakra suddenly exploded, and invisible spiritual shockwaves assaulted the surroundings.
Kitsuchi and his three teammates immediately froze in place. They instinctively clutched their heads, feeling an agonizing headache, and cried out in pain.
Baki and the others who were standing close also felt a sense of discomfort. The invisible spiritual shockwaves were heading toward them.
Shadow Wall! Kitazawa made hand signs with both hands.
The shadows beneath their feet suddenly came alive, erecting a pitch-black wall in front of them.
The invisible shockwave struck the wall. Although the Shadow Wall shook violently, it did not break.
"Thank you." Seeing this, Ao let out a long sigh of relief.
Kitazawa shook his head and said nothing. The Shadow Wall was a technique he had created for Shikamaru, and he hadn't expected it to come in handy here.
Kitazawa immediately walked up to Kitsuchi and the others and extended his hands. Pale green Chakra enveloped them.
"Thank you." Kitsuchi recovered and said with a heavy expression.
"Easy or not, we must hold it." Baki gritted his teeth and said, "Shion of the Land of Demons has a great reputation. If we fail this mission, the consequences will be significant."
Ninja Villages are essentially mercenary organizations.
Mission failure leads to a drop in trust from clients and employers toward the Ninja Village, which in turn means fewer missions.
Their Hidden Sand Village had suffered greatly from this. Due to the loss in the Third Shinobi World War, especially the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind was extremely disappointed in them.
Not only did he reduce funding, but he also allocated many missions to other Ninja Villages, such as Konoha Village.
This is why Fourth Kazekage Rasa became the "Gold Miner." Without doing so, the Hidden Sand Village could not maintain its finances.
But this was ultimately a stopgap measure. In the original story, due to a lack of funds, Rasa chose to cooperate with Orochimaru and launched the Konoha Crush Plan.
Unfortunately, he chose the wrong ally; Orochimaru turned around, killed him, and impersonated him.
"Ants!" Mōryō interrupted their conversation.
A crisp sound rang out. All the crushed terracotta warriors were recovered. Mōryō's soul rippled in mid-air, and countless tentacles emerged from the mist.
Spiral Arrow! Hinata immediately released the bowstring. A Yin Release Arrow spun as it flew out.
Neji followed closely behind. Mōryō's tentacles met the two Spiral Arrows.
A scene that surprised everyone occurred: the tentacles attempting to wrap around the Spiral Arrows were instantly pierced through.
"Bastards, die!" Mōryō was in pain and became even angrier.
Black-purple light emerged from the remaining tentacles, instantly wrapping around the two Spiral Arrows. With a snap, the Spiral Arrows turned into dust.
"Is that the Yin Release Arrow?" Kitsuchi asked, his face full of surprise.
The damage caused by the arrows fired by Hinata and Hyuga Neji was significantly greater than that of their Ninjutsu.
"What fine bows!" Ao couldn't help but praise.
Baki curled his lip. He only sensed the sheer wealth and power of Konoha Village. Such powerful bows being used by two little kids truly made him envious.
The sound of wind being broken rang out. After dealing with the two Spiral Arrows, Mōryō's tentacles lashed out at them.
Kitsuchi, Baki, and the others immediately used Ninjutsu to intercept them.
A large number of tentacles exploded under the Ninjutsu attacks, and the invisible spiritual shockwaves reappeared. Before the shockwaves even reached them, everyone showed expressions of discomfort.
Shadow Wall! Kitazawa once again mobilized their shadows to form a wall.
But this time, it only held for two seconds before shattering into fragments. Fortunately, two seconds was enough time.
Kitsuchi and the others quickly retreated backward. However, as soon as they retreated, all the terracotta warriors charged toward them, heading for Fūma Mountain.
"This can't go on!" Kitsuchi punched a terracotta warrior away and said, "Mōryō's mental attack is too difficult for us to block!"
"Kitazawa-dono, do you have any other methods?" Ao asked, recalling the Shadow Wall Kitazawa had just used.
"Yes." Kitazawa felt the time was right and said, "I will deal with Mōryō. You all retreat and guard the entrance to Fūma Mountain."
"You, alone?" A look of confusion immediately appeared on Ao's face.
"What do you mean?" Baki asked, slightly displeased by the remark. "Are you looking down on us?"
He didn't have a good impression of Konoha Village. One reason for the Hidden Sand Village's current financial strain was that Konoha had taken many of their missions.
"Besides Mōryō, there is the countless Ghost Army." Kitsuchi spoke up, "Since Kitazawa-dono is confident in handling Mōryō, then we will stop the Ghost Army."
"Agreed." Ao nodded in agreement.
"That works too." Kitazawa said with a smile, "You will assist me shortly."
Baki couldn't help but frown. Although Kitazawa was famous, the three of them were not ordinary Jonin—they were influential figures in their respective villages.
In Baki's view, Kitazawa's two statements were simply arrogant. If they weren't in the middle of a mission, and if he wasn't certain he couldn't handle Mōryō, he would have challenged Kitazawa to a match.
"As expected of Teacher Kitazawa!" Sasuke, Neji, and the others trusted Kitazawa unconditionally. In their memory, they had never once seen him use his full power.
Yang Release Chakra Mode!
Kitazawa's entire body became active, as if he had taken a stimulant. His Chakra increased too quickly in an instant, his aura skyrocketed, and invisible Chakra currents swirled around him.
"What kind of Ninjutsu is this?" Baki, Ao, and the others felt an indescribable pressure enveloping them.
"Such terrifying Chakra!" Neji couldn't help widening his eyes.
He had kept his Byakugan activated since the start of the battle, and now, in his vision, Kitazawa had practically become a mass of concentrated Chakra.
It was no exaggeration—Hyuga Hiashi's Chakra was less than one-tenth of Kitazawa's.
Hinata subconsciously nodded, her admiration deepening.
"It feels like the Lightning Release Chakra Mode." Kitsuchi suddenly had a thought.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure had used ten thousand Ninja to surround the Third Raikage, exhausting him to death.
He had been there and personally witnessed the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. When used, lightning surrounded the entire body.
But here, Yang Release Chakra currents surrounded Kitazawa instead.
Baki, Ao, and the others exchanged glances. They had never heard of Konoha Village possessing a technique comparable to the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
But before they could ponder further, their thoughts were seized by something even more shocking.
Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!
After forming hand signs, Kitazawa clasped his hands, fingers interlocked. A tidal wave of Chakra burst out.
The ground trembled violently, and then dense vines erupted. The vines bent and straightened, transforming into towering giant trees, their branches spreading across the battlefield.
Wherever they swept, terracotta warriors were instantly entangled and hoisted into the air. Since the terracotta warriors revived endlessly, he would simply keep them in a state where they were immortal—but unable to move.
In the blink of an eye, a primeval forest rose before Fūma Mountain. Hanging from the massive trees were the terracotta warriors that had moments ago posed such a headache.
"How can an ant possess such power?" Mōryō subconsciously ascended into the air, staring at the forest covering the mountainsides in disbelief.
Including this time, it had broken free twice. But in both incidents, the Ninja it encountered were at most Elite Jonin.
Never had it faced a transcendent powerhouse. The sudden appearance of Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence nearly shattered its composure.
"W-Wood Release?" Ao's voice trembled unconsciously.
There was no helping it—Wood Release was known across the entire Ninja World.
Senju Hashirama had swept through the world with Wood Release, established the one-country-one-village system, and was revered as the God of Shinobi.
That title alone proved the Ninja of that era—even the other Four Kage—could do nothing but bow their heads.
Kitazawa suddenly using Wood Release completely exceeded Ao's expectations. In fact, it exceeded everyone's expectations.
A look of horror subconsciously appeared on Baki's face. Konoha Village had always been a major rival to the Hidden Sand Village.
First, their geographical closeness meant many Land of Wind missions were stolen by Konoha. Second, Konoha was simply too wealthy, stirring their greed.
Excluding the First Shinobi World War, Hidden Sand had clashed with Konoha in both the Second and Third Wars.
But Konoha kept producing powerhouses, leaving the Hidden Sand at a disadvantage.
Their enmity was already deep.
If Konoha produced another "God of Shinobi," would the Hidden Sand survive? Baki felt the answer was bleak.
Kitsuchi had similar thoughts. Although Konoha had not actively begun a war since Hashirama's death, the reappearance of Wood Release made him uneasy.
Iwagakure did not want Konoha Village to become too powerful. After all, the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth were also too close.
And the grudges between Iwagakure and Konoha were not shallow.
When Ōnoki was young, he followed Second Tsuchikage Mū to seek an alliance with Konoha—but Uchiha Madara rejected them.
Not only did Madara refuse, but he also gravely injured them. That humiliation was unforgettable.
In an instant, the Ninja from Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Hidden Mist Village all had different thoughts.
However, Kitazawa was not Senju Hashirama after all, and their thoughts were merely conjectures; everything still depended on the actual situation.
"What kind of Ninjutsu is this?" Naruto scratched his head and asked, "Why haven't I seen it before?"
"Of course you haven't seen it." Neji took a deep breath and said, "This is the Wood Release of the First Hokage-sama."
"This is simply incredible—creating a whole forest in an instant!" Naruto reacted and exclaimed in awe.
He had heard stories of Senju Hashirama, but he never expected to witness Wood Release with his own eyes.
"The Forest of Death outside Konoha Village was left behind by the First Hokage-sama." Sasuke recovered from his shock and said.
"Then isn't Teacher Kitazawa's strength comparable to the First Hokage-sama's?" Hinata subconsciously asked. She felt that this forest was not inferior to the Forest of Death.
"I don't know." Sasuke shook his head and said.
"It's a shame there's nothing for us to do now," Naruto said with regret.
All the terracotta warriors were bound by Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, so they didn't need to make another move.
Kitsuchi, Baki, and the others finally understood why Kitazawa had said earlier that he would handle it alone.
"How can it be Wood Release?" Itachi, hidden in the shadows, felt a surge in his Chakra, almost revealing his presence.
He understood the significance of Wood Release to Konoha Village far more clearly than Naruto and Neji.
It was no exaggeration to say that the next Hokage would definitely be Kitazawa. In the entire Konoha Village, no one else could compete with him.
Konan subconsciously thought of Nagato. Senju Hashirama was known as the God of Shinobi because his Wood Release was overwhelmingly powerful.
Nagato also proclaimed himself a god because of the power of his Rinnegan.
Wood Release and the Rinnegan— which was stronger? Konan knew that Konoha Village was one of Nagato's targets.
Previously, she believed Kitazawa was no match for Nagato, but now that he possessed Wood Release, she no longer knew who would win.
Konan's emotions instantly became very complicated.
Before Mount Fūma, the atmosphere abruptly fell silent. Both Mōryō and Kitsuchi's group were startled by the sudden appearance of Wood Release.
Only the terracotta warriors dangling from the trees continued struggling desperately.
Mōryō recovered first and was instantly furious. It had actually felt fear toward an ant's Ninjutsu?
Mōryō's body shook, and bottomless black mist emanated from it. Its tentacles, wrapped in the mist, suddenly began to wave.
The next second, dense purple-black Chakra, like meteorites, rained down from the sky.
Kitazawa stood atop a treetop and waved his hand casually. Centered around him, all the trees came alive.
Their branches grew rapidly and intertwined, forming a gigantic net in the blink of an eye. The purple-black Chakra struck it and was immediately swallowed by the branches.
With a boom! The purple-black Chakra exploded, and an invisible mental shockwave spread outward.
"Retreat!" Kitsuchi immediately shouted upon seeing this.
Ao unhesitatingly led the Hidden Mist Ninja to pull back.
Sasuke, Neji, and the others did the same.
Baki reluctantly retreated. He truly did not expect that they, the Jonin, would end up as completely irrelevant personnel.
Kitazawa activated his featureless Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He immediately saw the invisible mental shockwaves.
He neither dodged nor avoided them; his Sharingan merely trembled slightly, dissolving them with ease. In terms of Yin Release, no one surpassed the Uchiha Clan.
"Impossible!" Mōryō was instantly incredulous that its attack was blocked so effortlessly.
"Do you have any other tricks?" Kitazawa asked with a smile.
"Ant, I'm going to make your life worse than death!" Mōryō's entire body trembled with rage upon hearing this.
The purple-black Chakra shifted, transforming into extremely dense mental power. Its intensity was so overwhelming that the sky itself darkened.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. This mental power felt very familiar—similar to the fluctuations emitted when Uchiha Itachi used his Mangekyō Sharingan to control a target.
Clearly, if he were hit by it, he would become Mōryō's servant. This must be how it controlled Yomi—or rather, the Ghost Army.
Ninja battles are intelligence battles. Had Kitazawa not instantly deduced the purpose of this mental power, he might have been caught off guard.
But now, he decisively chose to evade it.
Kitazawa vanished from his spot. Mōryō's attack struck the forest but had no effect.
Kitazawa reappeared.
"Damn it!" Mōryō said exasperatedly, "If I had a physical body, you would have died countless times already!"
It was currently in a soul state and could only use Yin Release methods. If it had its physical body, its massive form alone could unleash world-ending destruction.
"In that case, I'll make you lose convinced." Kitazawa said upon hearing this, "Itachi, find Shion and have her release Mōryō's physical body."
His true goal was to make Mōryō his spirit weapon, so he naturally wanted not only its soul but its physical body as well.
Only by sealing both into his bow could he fully harness their power.
"What did you say?" Mōryō was utterly confused.
"Lord Kitazawa!" Ao quickly said, "Please think twice!"
Once Mōryō regained its physical body, its power would skyrocket. If Kitazawa's Wood Release couldn't suppress it, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Lord Kitazawa, the mission is paramount!" Kitsuchi also advised anxiously.
"If something goes wrong, it will be your Konoha Village's responsibility," Baki said in a deep voice.
---
Inside the cave of Mount Fuma.
Shion, who was arranging the Sealing Jutsu formula, was startled by the sudden appearance of Uchiha Itachi.
"Lady Shion." Uchiha Itachi quickly said, "Lord Kitazawa's command—please release Moryo's physical body."
"Who are you?" Shion froze for a moment, then said very warily, "Lord Kitazawa couldn't possibly give such an order!"
No normal person would release Moryo's physical body and needlessly increase its strength.
"My apologies, Lady Shion." Itachi immediately activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Shion fell into a brief daze and walked toward the site where Moryo's physical body was sealed.
As her hands formed seals, the barrier instantly broke. Moryo's physical body burst through the mountain wall and rushed toward its soul floating in mid-air.
"What… what have you done?" Shion snapped out of her trance.
She sat on the ground in a daze, looking at Itachi—no longer angry, only filled with despair.
"Lady Shion, you don't need to worry too much." Itachi said confidently, "Lord Kitazawa will deal with Moryo."
He believed in Kitazawa, and he believed in Wood Release.
"How is that possible?" Shion subconsciously thought he was speaking nonsense.
Just then, Moryo's physical body and soul merged into one. A gigantic monster covered in writhing tentacles appeared before everyone.
"It's over!" Shion looked at the complete Moryo, her face full of pain.
She no longer knew whether sacrificing herself could seal it now. After all, she was still young, far less powerful than Miroku had been.
"Wait!" Shion suddenly froze. Since when did Mount Fuma have a forest?
"Hahahahaha!" Moryo roared with laughter. "Ant, although you are incredibly foolish, you have done a good deed!"
"Is that so?" Kitazawa felt relieved after sensing Moryo's complete form.
The aura it emitted was not much stronger than Satori from the Box of Ultimate Bliss—and certainly far from the level of the Nine-Tails.
"If you submit to me, I can spare your life!" Moryo said, clearly pleased.
"I'm not interested." After Kitazawa finished speaking, he immediately began forming hand seals.
Moryo's heart trembled when it saw this. Although it felt disdain, the earlier Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence had greatly unsettled it.
With that in mind, Moryo gathered all its Chakra without hesitation. A terrifying fluctuation erupted, and the purple-black Chakra condensed into a tangible form, swirling around it like a current of liquid malice.
"Trouble!" Kitsuchi's expression shifted. "This power is no less than a Jinchuriki's."
Iwagakure had two Jinchuriki, and he had seen them fight; their Chakra volume had always been despairingly vast.
"If he can't beat it, we leave!" Baki snorted coldly.
This entire mess was caused by Kitazawa. Although they were temporary allies, withdrawing at a time like this was still within the rules.
"Wait a little longer." Ao had witnessed Kitazawa's strength firsthand. After all, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had been defeated by him and Tsunade.
"Teacher Kitazawa will definitely win!" Naruto clenched his fists. Sasuke, Neji, and Hinata all nodded.
"You kids really don't underst—" Baki's words abruptly stopped as he froze in shock.
Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!
Kitazawa completed his hand seals. All his Chakra surged into the tree seed before him.
The seed took root, sprouted upward, and instantly transformed into a colossal Wood Dragon over fifty meters long.
Covered in sharp thorns and radiating life force, the Wood Dragon roared and lunged toward Moryo as if it possessed its own will.
"What?" Moryo was stunned to see a Wood Dragon appear that was even larger than itself.
But it reacted quickly, opening its maw to spit out a massive wave of purple-black Chakra—so large it resembled a falling mountain.
The Wood Dragon didn't hesitate. It crashed into the Chakra mass head-on. The overwhelming attack was immediately blasted aside.
Moryo froze in shock as the Wood Dragon coiled around it—vast, powerful, and unyielding.
In an instant, leaves sprouted across its body.
Moryo felt an overwhelming binding force constricting it. It instinctively struggled, but the Wood Dragon tightened its coils even further.
Not only that—everywhere the Wood Dragon touched began absorbing its Chakra.
Moryo screamed. Now that it had regained its physical body, it was immortal—but it could still feel pain.
"…?" Shion subconsciously opened her eyes when she heard Moryo's scream.
What was happening? She witnessed a scene she would never forget.
The mighty Moryo was utterly helpless beneath the coils of the Wood Dragon.
Baki, Kitsuchi, Ao, and the others were all stunned speechless. They had fought Moryo's soul and understood its terrifying power.
And once its soul and body fused, the aura it released was overwhelming. But this terrifying monster, in front of the Wood Dragon, could only wail in agony.
Inside Naruto, Kurama opened its eyes.
The commotion caused by Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique was too enormous to ignore—and that familiar Wood Release could never escape its attention.
Although Kitazawa's Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique was far inferior to Senju Hashirama's, Moryo was far inferior to Kurama.
Kurama sighed and said, "How tragic."