After recovering, Itachi Uchiha looked at Byakuya as if he were staring at a monster.
He knew there was a gap between their strength, but he hadn't expected it to be this vast. His prized dōjutsu, Tsukuyomi, had absolutely no effect on Byakuya.
Had Byakuya not only reached Kage-level in ninjutsu and taijutsu but also in genjutsu resistance?
This realization made Itachi start to worry. Would Byakuya's existence pose a threat to the village? Although Byakuya's Amegakure had a good relationship with Konoha, his strength was enough to endanger it.
However, since Byakuya was currently opposing the masked man, there was no need to be overly concerned.
That said, he was definitely in for some suffering today.
Byakuya noticed Itachi's change in expression but paid it no mind. Instead, he focused on his own Mangekyō Sharingan.
His Mangekyō didn't seem to have any special dōjutsu, but it granted him extremely high resistance to genjutsu and significantly amplified his ninjutsu.
When he had entered the Tsukuyomi space earlier, he had braced himself to endure three days and nights of torture.
But unexpectedly, his Mangekyō had silently activated, allowing him to instantly break free from Tsukuyomi.
This ability reminded Byakuya of an old acquaintance who loved to laugh—Madara Uchiha. If he remembered correctly, Madara's Mangekyō had no recorded dōjutsu either.
Could it be that his Mangekyō was the same as Madara's?
Was this the power of sheer stats? No flashy abilities, just overwhelming strength.
Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Byakuya refocused on Itachi, preparing to use him for more practice.
At this moment, Itachi was drenched in sweat, desperately thinking of a way to escape.
When Byakuya disappeared from view, Itachi instinctively used his Crow Teleportation to dodge the attack. However, Byakuya had already locked onto his chakra and appeared precisely at his escape point in advance.
A wind blade was drawn and slashed toward Itachi.
At this critical moment, Itachi activated his trump card—Susanoo.
As a massive amount of chakra condensed, Susanoo manifested around Itachi, blocking the wind blade but leaving a clearly visible scar on its surface.
In an instant, Susanoo expanded rapidly, developing flesh and armor as it entered its third stage.
The crimson Susanoo stood tall like an ancient war god, gazing down at Byakuya and his companions.
Byakuya smiled slightly, then formed hand seals and slammed his hands onto the ground.
The earth cracked open as countless vines shot up, intertwining to form a massive wooden figure over thirty meters tall, more than twice the size of Susanoo. It resembled a wrathful guardian deity subduing a demon.
Seeing this, Naruto and Sasuke gasped audibly.
When Itachi had summoned Susanoo, they had been filled with despair, unable to imagine how Byakuya could possibly counter such an overwhelming force that surpassed conventional ninjutsu.
But in the next moment, Byakuya showed them why he remained unfazed.
Even Kakashi and Yamato, who had been fighting Kisame, turned their attention toward Byakuya and Itachi due to the sheer scale of the battle.
When they saw Susanoo and the wooden giant, Kakashi and Yamato were stunned.
After a brief moment of shock, Kakashi asked Yamato, "Yamato, you also have Wood Release. Can you perform something on this scale?"
Yamato glanced at Kakashi, let out a bitter laugh, and said, "What do you think, Kakashi-senpai? In front of him, I feel like a fresh genin standing before you—completely powerless."
After a pause, Yamato continued, "To be able to use Wood Release at this scale… Byakuya-sama's strength may not surpass that of the First Hokage, but he's probably not far behind."
Hearing Yamato's evaluation, Kakashi fell silent for a long time before turning to Kisame and saying, "Kisame, unless something unexpected happens, Itachi Uchiha is about to lose. Do you still want to keep resisting?"
Kisame remained silent for a few seconds before making his choice through action.
Forming hand seals, he slammed his hands onto the ground. This time, he didn't attack Kakashi or Yamato. Instead, he summoned a small lake on the battlefield.
As the lake collapsed, Kisame merged with Samehada and vanished into the water.
But the most shocked of all was the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. As the seal loosened slightly, it could now sense the situation outside.
Initially, it had been scheming to manipulate Naruto's mind and find a way to regain its freedom.
That was why it had been whispering to Naruto, tempting him to relinquish control of his body so that it could set its plans in motion.
Before the plan could even be set in motion, the Nine-Tails witnessed Itachi Uchiha using Susanoo—and even more shockingly, Byakuya wielding the Wood Release, a power it would never forget.
It still remembered the Battle of the Valley of the End decades ago, when it had been summoned as a battle beast.
In that fight, Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage had displayed strength far beyond that of the Tailed Beasts. Even at its peak, it could never have rivaled those two.
Observing the battle just now, it could tell that Itachi was weaker than Madara and that Byakuya was weaker than the First Hokage.
But it was not at its peak either. Even if it managed to escape its jinchūriki, it would be severely weakened, only to be sealed back into another host—or worse, absorbed into the Ten-Tails.
Meanwhile, Byakuya and Itachi's battle continued.
After taking a heavy punch, Susanoo staggered back dozens of meters, cracks beginning to form on its surface, on the verge of collapse.
Seeing that Kisame had successfully retreated, Itachi glanced at Sasuke's position before making his own escape.
He attempted one final attack against Byakuya, but after taking another punch from the Wooden Giant, he deactivated Susanoo and was sent flying toward the coastline.
As he neared the shore, a shark leapt from the water and carried him away.
Byakuya glanced at the sea, sensing the chakra signatures of Kisame and Itachi, but chose not to pursue. He had already achieved his goal of displaying his strength—there was no need to continue attacking his future subordinates.
He formed a seal, dispelled the Wooden Giant, and returned to Naruto and Sasuke.
Both of them looked at him with admiration. The power Byakuya had just demonstrated had left them utterly stunned.
Naruto, full of curiosity, asked, "Byakuya-senpai, was that the First Hokage's Wood Release just now?"
Byakuya nodded, then patted Naruto's head with a smile. "Yup, it was the First Hokage's Wood Release. But compared to him, my strength is still far behind."
Sasuke glanced in the direction Itachi had fled, then at Byakuya, his mind racing.
If he trained under Kakashi, he would never surpass Itachi in this lifetime.
If he trained under Shisui, he might have a chance of defeating Itachi in battle.
But if he became Byakuya's student, he would definitely be able to fulfill his goal.
Just as Sasuke was about to speak, Byakuya raised a hand to stop him.
At that moment, Sakura, who had been unable to intervene in the battle, ran over. Curious, she asked Byakuya, "Byakuya-sama, you use Wood Release, but why aren't you a Konoha shinobi?!"
At those words, Naruto and Sasuke's expressions immediately changed, signaling Sakura to stop asking.
A shinobi possessing the Wood Release bloodline limit but not being affiliated with Konoha—there had to be a hidden story behind it, likely involving someone in the village's higher-ups.
Byakuya simply chuckled, looking at the innocent and inquisitive Sakura. "I'm an Uzumaki shinobi. Our team was never part of Konoha, and we have no reason to join now."
"Uzumaki shinobi?" Sakura was puzzled. "Naruto's last name is Uzumaki too… Are you—?"
Byakuya nodded. "That's right. Naruto, like me, has Uzumaki blood. But his background is more complicated. His true identity is classified information within Konoha, so I can't tell you for now."
Naruto is from a prestigious clan too…? Sakura was momentarily stunned.
Just then, Kakashi and Yamato arrived, bowing respectfully to Byakuya.
"If not for your help, our squads would have been completely wiped out."
"There's no need to thank me. I was just lending a hand."
After a brief pause, Byakuya turned to Yamato. "You must be the sole survivor of Konoha's Wood Release experiment. Your potential is far greater than you think—don't let your own mindset hold you back."
Yamato nodded. With Byakuya's mastery over Wood Release, he had no reason to doubt anything he said.
After a moment of contemplation, Kakashi cautiously asked, "Byakuya-sama, where have you been these past few days? Why are you only appearing now?"
Byakuya smirked. "Why don't you take a guess?"
At that moment, Naruto and Sasuke suddenly recalled something and quickly said, "Kakashi-sensei, since Itachi and Kisame escaped, should we inform Tazuna to resume building the bridge?"
Kakashi didn't respond immediately. The bridge was a minor issue.
The real concern was whether Itachi and Kisame would return. They weren't a match for Byakuya, but if they assassinated Tazuna, their mission would still be a failure.
Byakuya turned to Naruto and Sasuke. "The Akatsuki will take over the bridge's construction. You don't need to worry about it—I guarantee that no one will interfere."
"But Kado has been against it all along…"
Naruto and Sasuke started speaking but suddenly realized something.
"Byakuya-sama… don't tell me you've already taken care of Kado?"
Byakuya nodded slightly, his tone calm.
"After reasoning with him and appealing to his emotions, Kado finally realized the extent of his wrongdoings. He promised me that he would ensure the successful construction of the Uzumaki Bridge and invest in extensive infrastructure for the Land of Waves. Once that is done, he will disperse his wealth and retire to a secluded place to take his own life as atonement."
Byakuya spoke lightly, as if he had simply had a pleasant conversation with Kado.
But everyone present knew exactly what had happened.
Kado was one of the wealthiest men in the shinobi world and the de facto ruler of the Land of Waves. How could he possibly have a sudden change of heart? Byakuya must have forced him to "see reason"—and in the end, he would surely get rid of him.
Still, given Kado's long list of crimes, such methods were hardly unjustified.
Kakashi and Yamato exchanged glances, letting out bitter smiles.
Their mission to protect Naruto and Sasuke was complete, but Byakuya had gotten to the wealth of the Land of Waves first. No wonder he had been absent all this time—he had gone after Kado.
Of course, as mere working shinobi, they could only sigh about it. The one who would have a real headache over this was the Third Hokage.
Konoha's finances had been in bad shape for years.
One reason was the coup in the Land of Wind, which had cut off Konoha's mission commissions from the Wind Daimyō.
Another reason was the decline in the Land of Fire's overall income, leading to a reduced military budget.
The Land of Fire's financial troubles stemmed from multiple factors.
First, it had lost its suzerainty over several smaller nations.
Second, its goods had lost their competitive edge.
The products coming out of the Land of Rain and other regions were now superior in both price and quality, siphoning money away from the Land of Fire instead.
All of these issues had led to Konoha's financial deterioration, to the point where, at times, it had struggled to even pay its shinobi.
Kakashi turned his gaze to Byakuya.
It was Byakuya's Akatsuki that had caused all of this, yet Konoha was powerless to do anything about it. Konoha needed Akatsuki as an ally. It had no reason to make an enemy of them.
Byakuya met Kakashi's eyes, then silently formed a hand seal, gesturing for Kakashi to follow before stepping into the jungle.
Kakashi's expression changed slightly.
After instructing Naruto and Sasuke to return to Tazuna's house, he used the Body Flicker Technique to pursue Byakuya.
Deep in the forest, Kakashi looked at Byakuya in confusion.
Byakuya gave him an innocent smile and said, "I know you have a lot of questions. There were too many people earlier, but now you can ask freely."
Kakashi's heart jolted.
How did Byakuya know exactly what he was thinking?
After carefully choosing his words, Kakashi slowly asked, "Byakuya, why is your Wood Release so powerful? What is your connection to the First Hokage? And where have Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura been these past few days?"
Byakuya glanced at Kakashi before replying, "I do have some ties to the First Hokage, but that's all in the past. There's no need to dwell on it. As for where Naruto and the others have been… I found them a few qualified teachers."
"Qualified teachers?" Kakashi's forehead tightened. He needed to know who these people were and whether they posed a danger.
Byakuya gave him a mysterious smile. "Just some forgotten dead men, that's all."
Kakashi's frown deepened. He hated riddles.
After a brief pause, Byakuya continued, "I can't tell you who's training Sasuke just yet, but I can tell you about Naruto's teacher. She's also an Uzumaki… and you know her very well. She's one of the people you're most familiar with."
Kakashi's eyes widened so much that they could have come out of their sockets.
A terrible suspicion crept into his mind, but he didn't dare believe it. Hesitantly, he asked, "It couldn't be… Kushina-sensei, could it?"
Byakuya gave a slight nod. "That's right. It's Kushina."
Hearing that name, Kakashi froze on the spot. His mind went completely blank.