"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Because he possessed the Thunderclap divine ability, even without actively triggering it, it still influenced Uchiha Yoru's quiet shout. His voice was not loud, yet it carried an extremely powerful penetrating force.
The sound wave from that soft shout instantly extinguished the remaining flames on the scorched earth, stirring countless sparks from the blackened charcoal dust. Like a slow wave, it swept across the entire burnt field.
Behind that wave of sparks, the earth rose and fell like a sponge. Waves of soil rolled one after another, smothering every last spark.
Just as the world fell into complete darkness, a deep rumble erupted from underground.
Rumble—boom—crack, crack, crack—creak, groan—
The sound of the earth churning, the sound of wood twisting, the sound of plants growing madly—all of it mixed together into a maddening roar.
Especially the infrasonic vibrations from the earth made Miwa Masayo extremely uncomfortable. She tightly covered her triangular ears and stared dumbfounded at the land before her.
Bang!
A thick tree trunk burst through the ground and shot into the sky with majestic force. While soil and stones rained down, the tree's branches and leaves were already impatiently unfurling.
In the next second, countless massive trees rose from the ground.
Branches broke through the soil at dazzling speed, soaring upward, spreading their leaves, and even violently colliding with one another.
In just ten short seconds, this scorched wasteland seemed to have crossed a hundred years of time.
Towering ancient trees stood upon the ground, forming a primitive forest hundreds of meters wide.
Thousands of giant trees so thick that three people could barely wrap their arms around them stood tightly against one another. Their equally massive roots and branches intertwined, spreading until they covered the sky and blocked out the earth entirely.
Uchiha Yoru stood upon the roots, beneath the canopy. Everywhere his eyes could reach was sealed off by trunks, branches, leaves, and roots.
He sighed. "What an incredible jutsu. It truly deserves the name 'Deep Forest.' It really cuts out an entirely new world."
Miwa Masayo was completely stunned.
She was not frightened by the size of the trees, but by Uchiha Yoru's terrifying chakra efficiency.
Uchiha Yoru extracted chakra from his body cells by using the natural energy flowing through his meridians. Because there was an extra layer between them, his chakra control was naturally somewhat worse. He had only made up for this flaw through bitter training, to the point where others could not see it.
But when casting ninjutsu, his chakra conversion efficiency was indeed much worse than others.
Yet today, this powerful Deep Forest Emergence had converted Wood Release chakra into ninjutsu effect at almost a one-to-one ratio.
This had clearly exceeded Uchiha Yoru's expectations by far.
His habitual chakra output had been far too much. As a result, the Deep Forest he expected to cover only a hundred meters had suddenly expanded to nearly three hundred meters, engulfing both himself and Miwa Masayo.
Fortunately, the jutsu was still under Uchiha Yoru's control.
He also had enough mental strength and delicate control to govern every branch's movement. That was why the tragedy of being struck by his own jutsu did not occur.
Uchiha Yoru looked around, then stretched out his hand and controlled the branches and trunks as he pleased.
Sometimes they stabbed fiercely like spears and halberds.
Sometimes they coiled upward like monstrous snakes and giant pythons.
Sometimes they burst outward like a porcupine exploding with spikes.
He played with it happily for several minutes.
Estimating that the ANBU ninja were about to arrive, he reluctantly stopped and sighed again.
"I finally have a sufficiently powerful ninjutsu."
Miwa Masayo finally recovered as well. She fully acknowledged the power of this technique.
Especially when she saw Uchiha Yoru freely controlling the trees, her eyes shone brightly with excitement.
She nodded repeatedly and praised, "As expected of the jutsu the First Hokage used to dominate the shinobi world. Its power is truly enormous."
Suddenly, the tabby cat shuddered and looked up at her shit-shoveling officer in disbelief.
"Yoru, your Wood Release came from the Wood Release chakra crystal, but where did you learn Deep Forest Emergence? Isn't that a forbidden jutsu of Konoha, nya?"
"There's no need to learn it."
Uchiha Yoru said as if it were only natural, "This jutsu doesn't need to be learned at all. And even if you tried, you wouldn't be able to learn it."
"As long as you have enough Wood Release chakra, Deep Forest Emergence can be performed naturally."
Miwa Masayo froze for a while, then murmured, "So that's how it is."
Uchiha Yoru also nodded. "Yes, that's how it is. Because it happens naturally, its power is tremendous."
He hugged the tabby cat tighter and smiled. "The ANBU ninja are here. We should go."
"Nya, I really want to see their expressions. They must be very interesting, nya."
"Haha, Rika-chan, Root ninja all wear masks. You can't see their expressions."
"But the Third Hokage doesn't always wear a mask, right? His expression must be even more fun, nya."
"You're right. We'll see it someday. After all, I'll show this to him at the right time."
"Ah? Hehehe, that's too funny, nya. An Uchiha clan ninja using Deep Forest Emergence in front of Konoha ninja. The Third Hokage's brain will definitely go blank, nya."
"Let's go."
…
There were no weaklings in ANBU.
Even the weakest ninja among them were extremely capable—either especially experienced chunin or especially talented chunin.
That meant they were all very knowledgeable.
Seeing this forest made of obviously unusual giant trees, all three ANBU ninja realized at once:
This was Wood Release.
The ANBU captain raised a hand, stopping his two subordinates.
In a muffled voice, he said, "Buzzard, return immediately and report to Lord Third Hokage. Tell him… wait."
The ANBU captain leapt forward, carefully approaching the giant trees while staying on guard.
He cut off a branch with his ninja sword, examined it carefully, then returned to his two subordinates.
Handing the branch to his subordinate, he continued, "Give this to Lord Third Hokage. Then only tell him that we are standing guard here. Say nothing else."
The ANBU ninja named Buzzard wore a mask with extremely simple bird-like lines. No matter how one looked at it, it did not resemble a buzzard.
He accepted the branch with both hands. After glancing at the cut surface, his entire body trembled.
He immediately answered, "Yes. I will return at full speed."
"Remember. Make sure Lord Third Hokage is the first person to see this branch. No one else."
"I understand, Captain. I understand."
Buzzard took a bandage from his chest and carefully wrapped the cut surface of the branch. Only then did he carry it and quickly leave.
Only then did the ANBU captain say to his other subordinate, "Duck, we'll stand guard here."
"Yes, Captain."
But before Duck left, he could not help stopping and asking quietly, "Captain, did we run into huge trouble?"
The ANBU captain sighed deeply.
"Yes. Very, very huge trouble."
"This is Wood Release…"
Konoha Village, Hokage's Office.
"This is Wood Release!!!"
The Third Hokage's voice rang out like thunder, making the ears of the ANBU and Homura Mitokado buzz. But that was nothing compared to the shock that struck their hearts when they understood those last two words.
Wood Release.
How could it be Wood Release?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands trembled.
The branch in his hand weighed only twenty kilograms. It was not even one percent of the weight of the adamantine staff he was skilled at using.
But he held it as if he were carrying a terrifying object weighing twenty thousand kilograms, as if even his entire body could not endure the burden.
The cut surface of the branch was smooth, showing the cutter's exquisite blade work.
But the most terrifying thing was that this branch had no growth rings at all.
From inside to outside, its growth rate had been completely uniform. It had not experienced any seasonal changes.
No branch could naturally grow to a diameter of twenty-five centimeters within a single year.
So this branch had to be the product of unnatural circumstances.
Every Konoha ninja would think of only one name.
Wood Release.
It was not only the Third Hokage who was shocked.
Homura Mitokado, who had come to report the situation, as well as the ANBU hidden in the four corners of the office, were also deeply shaken.
The four ANBU even revealed their figures. This was an absolutely forbidden major mistake.
But this was Wood Release.
The Third Hokage was worthy of being Hokage.
He quickly gathered his chaotic thoughts and asked, "How many? Where?"
"At least a thousand giant trees. They are all… at the Valley of the End."
The Third Hokage stood up sharply.
Even though the documents he valued so much were lifted by the wind and drifted down to the floor, he acted as if he did not see them and walked straight toward the office door.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze became firm and sharp.
He said decisively, "Move. We'll go take a look."
The ANBU ninja and Homura Mitokado lowered their heads together.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Then they followed behind the Third Hokage and left the Hokage's office together.
After they went out, four more ANBU ninja flashed into the office. They closed the door, then stood in the four corners of the room and silently hid themselves.
As for the documents scattered on the floor, the ANBU ninja ignored them. They even supervised one another to prevent anyone from secretly reading or picking one up.
The documents on the Third Hokage's desk were not something ANBU ninja were qualified to read.
Once they read them, it could be judged as leaking secrets.
That was an undisputed death penalty.
Even if that paper was most likely just a promotion approval—a routine document for a genin with no military merit, who had only accumulated enough mission records over five years to be promoted to chunin according to the rules.
The Third Hokage hurried to the Valley of the End with several ninja.
On the way, they also met up with the current heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans and Koharu Utatane.
Aside from Danzo Shimura, who was out on a mission, the Third Hokage's core team had gathered.
When they were still several kilometers away from the destination, Nara Shikamine let out a surprised "Hm?"
He saw the tree crowns.
He quickly calculated the trees' height in his mind.
Before he could be shocked by their height of one hundred and twenty meters, he had already guessed that the power capable of creating such towering trees was most likely Wood Release.
The usually calm Nara clan head lost control of his voice from shock.
Under the concerned gazes of his two old partners, Nara Shikamine shook his head solemnly, signaling them not to ask.
They would know soon enough.
Very quickly, Konoha's senior leadership arrived before the forest.
The two ANBU ninja left behind immediately came forward and reported to the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "Did you discover anything?"
The ANBU captain knelt on one knee and respectfully answered, "Lord Hokage, we found no enemy here. We only found several footprints."
The Third Hokage said in surprise, "Oh? Footprints? There are actually footprints… take me there."
"Yes, Lord Hokage. Please follow me."
Soon, everyone arrived at the place where Uchiha Yoru had last stood.
On a thick tree root, a pair of footprints remained clear and deep.
The Third Hokage had not participated in front-line operations for at least ten years, so his ninja-related skills were inevitably rusty.
He spent several minutes before confirming that these footprints belonged to a ninja between one hundred eighty-five and one hundred ninety centimeters tall.
What was astonishing was that aside from these footprints, not even the slightest trace remained nearby.
Konoha's higher-ups all felt the same thing.
This person could clearly erase every trace, yet deliberately left behind these footprints to demonstrate power to Konoha Village.
Homura Mitokado said hatefully, "How arrogant."
Koharu Utatane also nodded with a gloomy face.
But she did not speak. Instead, she carefully observed the surroundings, trying to find any clues.
While everyone examined the footprints, Nara Shikamine raised his head and looked around, silently calculating various terrain data in his mind.
Very quickly, he confirmed that this mysterious powerful ninja had stood here when casting the jutsu.
The massive trees were clearly created by ninjutsu. The terrain had been completely destroyed, so naturally no traces of arrival remained.
But leaving no traces behind either meant this was obviously an extremely skilled ninja.
The Third Hokage carefully examined the environment but found nothing.
Through drilling samples, Konoha's ninja confirmed that these trees were indeed Wood Release creations.
At once, everyone's mood became extremely grim.
The mysterious ninja's actions were not naked hostility, but the hostility shown toward Konoha was still extremely clear.
It was even filled with resentment.
Konoha Village had a vast foundation. It was the undisputed strongest shinobi village in the ninja world.
The resentment of a single ninja was nothing at all.
Even if that ninja were Kage-level, it would only amount to that.
Sunagakure's Chiyo and Ebizo hated Konoha to the bone, but didn't they still have to swallow their anger and endure obediently?
Though they grumbled about revenge, in reality, they stayed inside Sunagakure. Without a large group of ninja following them, they absolutely refused to leave the village.
In the end, they were still afraid of being locked onto by Konoha ninja and then forcefully eliminated with precision.
Similar situations existed in Kirigakure and Iwagakure.
Only Kumogakure was slightly better, because that village had especially many reckless brutes.
Kumogakure ninja's style was to take revenge directly.
Either they killed their enemy, or they themselves were killed.
They rarely left loose ends.
Unlike Konoha Village after Konoha Year 48, the backbone of Konoha Village in Konoha Year 44 had not yet been broken.
Among the core leadership, only Konoha's White Fang and Tsunade had been lost.
The Third Hokage had also never feared any challenge.
But if this enemy's power was Wood Release, the situation was completely different.
As the core of Konoha Village's power structure, the ninja within the Third Hokage's system all knew that the founders of Konoha Village were the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan.
Under the tireless efforts of the Second Hokage and Third Hokage, today's Konoha Village only knew that the Senju clan had made supreme contributions and that the First Hokage had been invincible beneath heaven.
They no longer knew the contributions of the Uchiha clan and Uchiha Madara.
But excessive propaganda had created a problem that should not have been a problem.
The Senju clan and the Wood Release kekkei genkai had been mythologized and bound together with the legitimacy of the Hokage's inheritance.
If a ninja surnamed Senju who mastered Wood Release stood forward and openly opposed the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi's foundation of power would be shaken.
Even the loyal Ino-Shika-Cho would doubt him from the bottoms of their hearts.
Not to mention outer clans like the Inuzuka and Aburame. They would silently draw a line between themselves and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As for the Hyuga clan and Uchiha clan, they would definitely jump out in delight and happily undermine the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage remained silent for a long while before finally giving an order.
"Collect the relevant evidence. Burn this forest. Everyone present today must keep this secret."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Just as the ninja answered in unison, a faint voice came from the treetops.
"Ahhh… does this count as having a guilty conscience? You actually don't dare announce the news that Wood Release has appeared."
The ANBU captain flicked his wrist and threw a row of shuriken over, roaring at the same time, "Who's there?"
The other ANBU also rushed upward, surrounding the target in a crescent formation.
The heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane gathered around the Third Hokage, firmly protecting him and preparing for battle.
A completely black figure jumped down from the canopy, easily dodging the shuriken attack.
He landed steadily on a tree trunk, raised his head toward the Third Hokage, and met the eyes of this "strongest Hokage in history."
The little black figure's entire body had strong chakra fluctuations.
Clearly, he had used the Transformation Jutsu for crude but effective disguise.
He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and cheerfully asked, "Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi… I have four questions I want to ask you."
"Ever since you became Hokage, Konoha Village has been surrounded and beaten. Are you worthy of the trust your teacher, Tobirama Senju, placed in you?"
"The last heir of the Senju clan, Nawaki Senju, died under unclear circumstances. Are you worthy of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju?"
"Tsunade's lover, Dan Kato—the last prospective son-in-law of the Senju clan—died just as unclearly as Nawaki. Are you worthy of the trust of your disciple, Tsunade?"
"Finally, are you truly the 'strongest Hokage in history'?"
Four questions.
Every single one was razor-sharp.
There was not even any need to answer.
The moment they were asked, they became an interrogation of Hiruzen Sarutobi's soul.
When the Third Hokage heard the first question, his face instantly turned as pale as paper.
When he heard the second, his face turned ashen green.
The third question made his face dark as the bottom of a pot.
And when the final question reached his ears, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face suddenly flushed blood-red.
The strongest Hokage in history…
When that propaganda plan had been decided, it had clearly felt wonderful.
So why did it feel so humiliating when someone said it to his face?
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