Guessing that the kid was afraid he was being baited, Yuki Seisui had no intention of letting Nawaki down.
What could possibly be more enjoyable than beating up Nawaki while he was hanging there?
Of course—showing off Wood Release right in front of him!
There was nothing more exhilarating than displaying Wood Release in front of Nawaki—or Tsunade, for that matter!
Under Nawaki's shocked gaze, Yuki Seisui brought his hands together. From the ground between him and Nawaki, a small sapling suddenly sprouted.
Then, under the watchful eyes of Uzumaki Mina and Nawaki, the sapling visibly grew larger and larger, transforming into a T-shaped wooden post.
"This thing is really unique," Uzumaki Mina exclaimed. It was her first time seeing a T-shaped tree. She couldn't help but marvel as she looked toward Yuki Seisui.
"Clan Head, is this your new ninjutsu?"
Yuki Seisui didn't explain her confusion. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Nawaki.
As expected, Nawaki didn't disappoint him.
His eyes were wide open, his face filled with utter disbelief.
Uzumaki Mina might not know—but how could he not know?
This was a Wood Release!
This was his grandfather's Wood Release!
He had only ever heard of Wood Release in legends. By the time he was born, Senju Hashirama had already passed away.
So although he longed to awaken Wood Release himself, he had never actually seen it with his own eyes.
That said, he knew all too well the defining traits of Wood Release.
To be honest, the moment he saw Yuki Seisui use Wood Release, his first reaction was joy.
Because he had finally witnessed the legendary Wood Release.
But immediately after that joy came shock.
Wood Release was a Kekkei Genkai—a bloodline limit. Once the original bearer created it, the bloodline itself was altered, allowing the Kekkei Genkai to be passed down through descendants.
That was why it was called a bloodline limit.
And yet now, Yuki Seisui has produced a Wood Release.
Nawaki could say with absolute certainty that Yuki Seisui did not possess his grandfather's bloodline.
Which meant only one thing.
Yuki Seisui had developed Wood Release himself.
Creating a Kekkei Genkai and inheriting one were worlds apart.
From any perspective, developing a Kekkei Genkai was far more difficult than inheriting it.
Could he really be… a genius?
Nawaki stared blankly at Yuki Seisui.
He had always known that Yuki Seisui was talented—but only now did he truly feel it.
So this… is what a genius looks like?
At that moment, it felt as though Nawaki's heart had been smashed by a thousand-pound hammer.
"Nawaki, what do you think?" Yuki Seisui had no idea that, in just a brief instant, countless thoughts had surged through Nawaki's mind.
"What do you think I should name this ninjutsu of mine?"
This wasn't just killing—it was killing and stabbing straight into the heart.
Nawaki's heart was struck once again by that thousand-pound hammer.
Seeing that Nawaki wasn't responding, Yuki Seisui rubbed his chin as if muttering to himself—though his voice was anything but quiet.
"Summoning trees… how about paying tribute to the First Hokage and calling it Wood Release?"
"Nawaki, what do you think?"
Yuki Seisui looked straight at him as he spoke.
"Heh… heh… heh…" Nawaki stared at Yuki Seisui, chuckling hollowly for a long while before lowering his head.
This world is beyond saving. Just let it be destroyed.
His mind was in complete chaos.
More chaotic than when he had faced the Sunagakure ninja.
Back then, it was just a battle. He knew clearly that with Yuki Seisui, Minato, and his own sister around, he wouldn't die.
But this—this was the truly fatal blow.
Some people are alive, yet already dead.
Like the current Nawaki.
Seeing Nawaki remain silent with his head hanging low, Yuki Seisui suddenly lost interest in talking to him.
Boring.
It was like paying good money to go to a "legitimate" massage parlor, only for the masseur to impatiently urge you to hurry up.
Completely tasteless.
Only then did Yuki Seisui turn back to Uzumaki Mina and ask, "Since the war is over, did the Hokage say when Minato and the others are coming back?"
Uzumaki Mina shook her head.
"No."
"The Hokage only told me that the war had ended."
"And asked me to pass the message to you."
"But I think that since the war is over, they should be back soon, right?"
As she spoke, there was a hint of joy in her expression.
She had lived through the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, the annihilation of the Uzumaki clan, and later the hardships in the Land of Grass. Without Yuki Seisui, she would probably still be living in despair.
Because of that, no one hated war more than she did.
Even though this war had nothing to do with her, and she didn't need to fight—
She still loathed it.
Yuki Seisui nodded at her words.
"I'll go take a look."
As he spoke, Yuki Seisui let Nawaki down and then headed toward the Hokage Residence.
The people along the way looked no different than usual, and Yuki Seisui immediately understood.
It seemed the news of the war's end hadn't spread yet.
After a brief observation, he soon arrived at the Hokage Residence.
He walked toward the Hokage's office with practiced familiarity.
Just as he reached the door, his steps halted.
Voices from inside drifted out—Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen, why did you agree to their terms?!"
"That Onoki bastard drained our strength!"
"All the villages were worn down, yet only Iwagakure emerged mostly unscathed!"
"I know," Hiruzen said, nodding as he took a puff of his pipe. "But there was no other choice."
"Kumogakure and Kirigakure have both stopped fighting."
"If we keep fighting Iwagakure alone at this point, the losses would outweigh the gains."
Hiruzen spoke and took another puff.
As Hokage, there were too many things he had to consider.
If he thought the same way Danzo did, Konoha wouldn't have survived until today.
At that thought, Hiruzen glanced sideways at Danzo.
Kid, your vision still isn't broad enough to be Hokage.
He had always known that Danzo wanted to become Hokage.
Since their youth, the two of them had been close companions.
They had once charged toward the position of Hokage together.
But during their teacher's trial, Danzo hesitated—while he did not.
So he became Hokage.
Danzo had never accepted that outcome, though he had long since been firmly kept in check by Hiruzen.
Just then, Yuki Seisui knocked on the door.
Hiruzen swallowed the words he had been about to say to Danzo.
A moment later, Yuki Seisui entered the room.
He flashed Danzo a wide grin.
Seeing that it was Yuki Seisui, Hiruzen chuckled and asked, "Little Seisui, what brings you here?"
Yuki Seisui looked at Hiruzen and replied, "Mina told me you asked her to inform me that the war has ended."
"I came to confirm it."
Hiruzen nodded, confirming that Uzumaki Mina hadn't lied.
"The war is over."
"I was the one who asked her to tell you."
"But wasn't the fighting on the front lines extremely intense?" Yuki Seisui asked, puzzled.
In his memory, Shinobi World Wars usually dragged on for quite a long time.
This one had ended far too quickly—it genuinely surprised him.
Even if the Sunagakure had been crushed by him, the other three villages weren't pushovers.
It shouldn't have ended so soon.
Danzo snorted coldly from the side.
"What do you know?!"
"Do you want even more Konoha ninja to die?!"
Ever since he learned that the next Hokage had effectively been decided as Yuki Seisui, his mood had been terrible.
Later, when he found out that Yuki Seisui possessed that cursed Uchiha bloodline—
His mood only grew darker.