"Shinju… how about you give me a little demonstration?"
Yamato swallowed hard before speaking.
Some things… you just have to see to believe!
What if this kid really is just making things up to mess with him?
Shinju looked at his teacher, who was acting strangely today, unable to figure out why he was wearing that expression.
Could it be… he thought Shinju hadn't learned enough yet?
Yes! That must be it!
A mere hundred or so Wood Release techniques weren't nearly enough to adapt flexibly in real combat—he should learn even more!
Yes… that's exactly it…
Having figured it out, Shinju agreed to show Yamato the technique he had mastered just last night.
"Alright."
"But this place is a little small."
Yamato assumed a "bring it on" stance.
"Don't worry about it—just show me the strongest Wood Release you can use. With me here, I'll make sure nothing gets out of hand!"
With his teacher backing him up, Shinju felt much more at ease.
"Then I'm starting."
"Go ahead—let me see just how gifted you are with Wood Release."
Beneath the mask, Yamato's eyes narrowed, fixed on Shinju's hands and eyes.
He was looking for any sign that the boy was lying.
But no—Shinju's gaze and movements were both clear and casual, without the slightest hint of deceit.
Shinju's hand seals began to shift, forming an intricate, complicated sequence.
The longer Yamato watched, the more alarmed he became.
He was Konoha's only Wood Release user besides the First Hokage himself, and he was familiar with most Wood Release techniques.
And that opening seal pattern…
Could it be… the legendary technique used by the First Hokage—Birth of the World of Trees?!
Sure enough—
The next moment, Shinju completed the seals and shouted:
"Wood Release: Birth of the World of Trees!!!"
The evening breeze lifted Yamato's hair, smoothing his uneasy heart.
He glanced left, then right.
Silence…
After Shinju called out the technique's name—
Nothing happened.
Yamato exhaled in relief, though a flicker of irritation rose in his heart.
Shinju, you have such honest-looking brows and a handsome face—why lie?!
Even if you hadn't claimed to master a Wood Release jutsu, I, Yamato, would still treat you as a genius.
Now look—your little fib has been exposed, and here we both are… awkward.
"Shinju…"
Yamato opened his mouth, ready to scold him.
As his teacher, it was his duty not only to teach ninjutsu but also to teach Shinju how to conduct himself!
But before the reprimand could leave his lips… the ground shook.
"Vrrrmm—"
Yamato could clearly feel the tremor coming from beneath his feet!
The vibrations were strong—this wasn't a small earthquake!
"An earthquake! Shinju, I'll deal with you later—go warn the whole village to evacuate!"
Yamato shouted urgently, turning to sound Konoha's alarm.
But after only two steps, he noticed a tiny sapling sprouting from the soil beneath his feet…
Then—
Whoosh!!
The sapling swelled rapidly, growing into a towering tree fifty or sixty meters high!
And all across Konoha, in every place the ground shook, the same scene unfolded!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Countless colossal trees burst from the earth!
Once they had all finished growing, the tremors stopped.
Clearly, these massive trees were the source of the quake!
Sensing trouble, Yamato climbed to the top of one giant trunk and gazed into the distance.
What he saw made his mind reel—
The entire village of Konoha… had been transformed into a sea of trees!
Shinju quickly followed him up, scanning their surroundings.
On more than a few tree crowns, people were still asleep…
"What the—? I was sleeping just fine, and now I'm on top of a tree?!"
"You think that's bad? I was up in the middle of the night to take a leak—pants still down when I got lifted into the air! --003d_--003d"
"What's going on in Konoha? Are enemy ninja attacking?!"
"No… wait—this looks like Wood Release?!"
"Doesn't this sea of trees seem… familiar to you?"
An older, battle-hardened ninja spoke up.
"To create a forest of this scale… could it be the First Hokage has been resurrected?!"
Listening to the chatter, Yamato finally realized—
This whole sea of trees… was Shinju's Birth of the World of Trees?!
He turned his head toward the boy standing below.
Shinju lowered his gaze, not daring to meet Yamato's eyes.
His instincts told him—he'd really messed up this time!
And not just a little!
But Yamato-sensei had said he'd cover for him…
Seeing Shinju's expression, Yamato knew his guess was spot on.
A storm of shock and disbelief raged in his chest!
This—this is something a child should be able to unleash?!
When he'd promised to cover for Shinju, Yamato had thought the boy might produce a few thin wooden poles at most.
After all, the kid had only been using Wood Release for a single day!
Who could have imagined he'd summon an entire sea of trees—on par with the First Hokage himself!!
Yamato wanted to cry but had no tears.
Half from the disaster he'd helped Shinju create…
Half because his confidence had just been utterly crushed!
In all of Konoha's history, only three Wood Release users had ever existed—the First Hokage, himself, and Shinju.
And Yamato had to face the sad fact—two of them were ridiculously overpowered, while his own Wood Release was only good for building houses and landscaping…
"Shinju. You're coming with me to see the Third Hokage. Now."
Yamato forced down the urge to sob.
"Alright."
Shinju, knowing full well he was in trouble, nodded obediently.
The two were just about to move—
When they looked up and saw the Third Hokage already standing on the branch of a nearby tree.
His face… was as dark as charcoal.
In an instant, Hiruzen closed the distance between them with several shunshin.
Today, his presence was suffocating.
Guilt knotted in Shinju's gut—he couldn't even open his eyes.
It's over!
∑(✘Д✘๑)
One Birth of the World of Trees, and he'd wrecked all of Konoha!
He was probably going to spend the rest of his life in the village prison!
Hiruzen's voice was hoarse, dripping with uncontainable fury.
"Yamato. You'd better have a damn good explanation for this."
In his mind, Shinju was a genius, yes—but there was no way he was the one behind this.
The boy wasn't even twelve yet!
So naturally—
Hiruzen's first suspect was Yamato.
After all, the man had been training in Wood Release for nearly two decades. He might not have been outstanding, but time and experience…
Thud!
Yamato dropped to his knees.
"Hokage-sama! This is all my fault! I told Shinju to go all out, and I wasn't strong enough to contain it!"
"You think I'm some senile old man who's easy to fool?!"
Hiruzen's eyes blazed, his whiskers bristling in anger!
More than anything, what he felt toward Yamato was disappointment.
You've been in the ANBU for years—yet you still have no sense of responsibility!
You do something wrong, and the first thing you do is blame it on a child?!
And not only that—the way you tried to pin it on him was downright pathetic!
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