Chapter 187: The Forest of Death
Kakashi recognized the hand seals. The legends, the scrolls in the Hokage's library—they all described this power. It was the First Hokage's fabled Wood Release. But recognition brought no solace, only a wave of helpless terror.
"Fall back! Everyone, retreat now!" Kakashi's voice was a raw scream of warning, cutting through the din of battle.
It was too late.
The earth itself roared in protest. The ground beneath their feet convulsed, splitting apart as thick, serpentine vines erupted with the force of a volcanic eruption. They grew with unnatural, terrifying speed, weaving a dense, living net of death.
Konoha shinobi were caught mid-step. Those too slow to react found themselves ensnared in an instant. The vines, strong as steel cables, coiled around limbs and torsos, then constricted. The sound of cracking bones and agonized screams filled the air, a horrific symphony that drowned out the Nine-Tails' roars. Some were impaled by spear-like branches, their bodies lifted into the air as grisly trophies.
The more agile ninja managed to evade the first wave, leaping into the air or darting back. But the forest was alive and hungry. For every vine they severed with a kunai or a fireball, two more would sprout to take its place, snaking through the air with relentless purpose. It was a battle of attrition they were destined to lose, their chakra draining against an endless, regenerating foe.
Kakashi, with his Sharingan's predictive sight and lightning-fast reflexes, danced through the carnage, avoiding the grasping tendrils. But survival felt like a curse. When the violent growth finally ceased, he landed on a trembling branch and looked out upon a scene from a nightmare.
The Uchiha district was gone. In its place stood a grotesque forest, its trees nourished by the blood of Konoha's defenders. Ninja hung from the vines like broken dolls, some crushed, others pierced, their lifeblood dripping to paint the ground a dark, sinister red. The moans of the dying and the wails of those still trapped created a chorus of hell.
The few survivors, perhaps two dozen out of the initial force, gathered in a stunned, trembling cluster. They stared, their minds refusing to process the scale of the devastation. The bravest among them felt their courage shatter.
"De... devil..." a Chunin stammered, his weapon falling from numb fingers. "You... you're a monster! Why?! Why are you doing this?!"
It was Kakashi who gave voice to the collective grief and rage. His composure was gone, stripped away by the horror before him. "Why?!" he roared at Ren, who stood impassively amidst the devastation. "Answer me, Uchiha Ren! Why this slaughter?!"
Ren's response was a cold, disdainful sneer. "This is 'unbearable'? This is only a fraction of the death my clan suffered. The Uchiha were extinguished—men, women, children—on the orders of Konoha's leaders, fueled by nothing but paranoia and fear. Only Sasuke and I remained. I am merely returning the 'gift' Konoha gave to the Uchiha. This..." he gestured to the forest of the dead, "...is just the beginning."
"The Uchiha were killed by Itachi!" Kakashi shot back, clinging to the official story, the lie that had maintained a fragile peace for years.
"Spare me your ignorance," Ren spat, his patience exhausted. "I didn't come here for a debate. I came to wipe Konoha from existence. If you wish to die for your village, then by all means, try to stop me."
He had no more words for them. His hands flashed through a new sequence of seals. He leaped high into the air, a dark silhouette against the moon.
*"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"*
From his lips, a tsunami of fire roared forth. It was an A-rank technique, but in Ren's hands, it held the power of a cataclysm. A wall of flame over twenty meters wide surged toward the stunned survivors, the heat washing over them like a physical blow, promising instant cremation.
"Damn it! The range is too wide!" a jōnin yelled.
Acting on instinct and training, the shinobi with an affinity for Water Release sprang forward without a command, forming a unified line. Their hands moved in sync.
*"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"*
A dozen simultaneous casts created a massive barrier of chakra-infused water, rising to meet the inferno. The collision was explosive. Fire and water met in a furious struggle, producing a vast cloud of scalding steam that blanketed the entire battlefield in a thick, impenetrable white fog. The world vanished into a blinding, hot mist.
The survivors gasped for breath, their visibility reduced to zero. They stood back-to-back, weapons drawn, their ears straining for any sound over the hiss of condensing vapor.
"Stay alert! He's coming!" Kakashi warned, his Sharingan piercing the fog better than most.
He was right. A tell-tale crimson glow cut through the whiteness—the chakra-charged blade of the Meteor Star. Uchiha Ren was upon them, his form materializing from the mist like a vengeful spirit, his sword aimed for the heart of their formation. The true melee was about to begin.
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