—Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees!
A monstrous forest erupted from beneath Konoha, tearing through homes as it surged skyward.
Countless villagers died in their sleep, impaled by giant trees before they could even cry out.
Konoha's ninja scrambled to assemble, only to spot a lone boy standing amid the ruins.
"Who… is that?"
Kokushō had been secretly escorted back to the village. Only the Hokage's personal guards and a handful of high-ranking ninja even knew he existed.
"They got this deep into the village and the Barrier Team didn't notice a thing?"
"Could there be an inside man, like with the advisor incident?"
"The Hokage will get to the bottom of it. For now, our top priority is to eliminate the enemy!"
A squad of brave Konoha ninja charged in.
But before they could get close, the trees lashed out, coiling around their bodies.
"Aaaaahhh—!"
They struggled in vain. Their bodies were crushed to pulp, screams cut short by the suffocating wood.
The carnage stunned even the reinforcements rushing to the scene.
"Don't treat him like some ordinary kid! He's wielding the First Hokage's Wood Release!"
"Set up a long-range firepower net! Pin him down until the jonin and Hokage arrive!"
The ninja formed a circle, unleashing a barrage of ranged ninjutsu and shuriken laced with explosive tags.
The explosions shook the earth, and when the smoke cleared, a battered Wood Locking Wall stood in the crater's center.
"That's… Wood Locking Wall!"
"I've seen rogue ninja Yamato use it, but his never took a beating like this."
"Whoever this kid is, his Wood Release is way beyond Yamato's. At his age? Unbelievable."
"But the wall's damaged. Our attacks must've gotten through."
"In other words… he's injured right now!"
"This is our chance! Capture him, find out who's pulling the strings. There's no way a kid could do this alone!"
A dozen elite ninja drew their blades and closed in.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
Suddenly, golden chains shot out from the Wood Locking Wall, more than a dozen in all.
"Aaaaagh—!"
In an instant, every last one of those elite ninja was dead.
"What… what was that?!"
The outer ring of ninja fell silent, paralyzed by fear.
"That technique—no doubt about it. That's the Uzumaki clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
The speaker was Akimichi Tōtō, former partner of the Fourth Hokage Minato—one of the few who'd seen Kushina in action.
The Wood Locking Wall collapsed.
Senju Kokushō's battered body steamed, wounds closing in seconds—injuries that would've killed any other ninja.
The Black Zetsu clone covering him whispered, "That's it, Kokushō. Your power is just getting started. Give these people back every bit of suffering they gave you!"
Kokushō hunched his trembling shoulders, veins bulging beneath his skin.
He clenched and unclenched his fists, a raw, childlike roar bursting from his chest.
"Raaaaghhh—!!"
The earth beneath him rumbled in answer. A massive wooden golem rose up, towering and unstoppable.
Black Zetsu's mad laughter echoed: "Hahahaha! This is beyond my wildest dreams! What a treasure I've found!"
Whoosh!
A wooden dragon snaked around the golem's shoulder.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The golem stomped forward, each step quaking the ground.
"Fall back! This is no enemy you can handle—it's just pointless sacrifice!"
Akimichi Tōtō stepped up.
—Super Expansion Jutsu!
His huge frame swelled, matching the wooden golem's height.
"Tōtō-san!!"
"Get out of there!!"
Whoosh!Tōtō charged, swinging his war club, locking into a titanic struggle with the golem.
But then—the wooden dragon coiled around Tōtō, sinking its fangs into his shoulder.
Tōtō's face twisted in shock. "No! This dragon's draining my chakra—!"
Clang!
His war club flew from his grip in the next clash.
The golem's colossal fist slammed into him, sending him flying.
Crippled and drained of chakra, Tōtō's jutsu faded.
The golem pressed forward, stomping down—Akimichi Tōtō fell in battle, a hero's end.
With the path clear, the wooden golem rampaged unchecked.
"Now that you've unleashed the golem, let's take it up a notch, Kokushō. Here's another fun jutsu…"
—Wood Release: Nativity of a Sea of Trees!
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!
A new forest erupted, flowers blooming everywhere. Deadly pollen spread, and wherever it drifted, ninja and civilians alike collapsed, powerless to resist.
From the moment Kokushō was infected by the Black Spore to total disaster—less than three minutes had passed.
There was no stopping it. Black Zetsu's move had struck at Konoha's very heart.
"Lady Tsunade, it was that child…"
The guard captain who knew Kokushō's secret reported to her.
Atop the Hokage residence, Tsunade watched the smoke and chaos in the distance.
She knew, after tonight, her time as Hokage was over.
"But right now, saving lives comes first…"
She bit her finger, formed seals with her blood.
—Summoning Jutsu!
Poof!
Katsuyu's massive form appeared.
Tsunade sat cross-legged, activating Sage Mode and unleashing the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
Katsuyu split into countless clones, swarming into the pollen-choked zone to rescue the wounded.
Tsunade frowned. "Shikaku and Kakashi both left to explain the advisors' deaths to the Fire Daimyo… and of all times, this happens now…"
…
"Heh, intelligence gathering is my specialty. Konoha's sharpest mind, Nara Shikaku, and Kakashi, now with both of Obito's eyes, are both out of the village. Tonight's the perfect time to strike. And if I cause mass casualties, Tsunade will have to use Katsuyu, tying up her combat power…"
Black Zetsu sensed Tsunade's move. "Oh? She's already used Katsuyu? Just as I expected…"
"That means, in all of Konoha, only one person is left who can stop Kokushō… the princess with the Tenseigan, Hinata!"
Once Katsuyu's clones had evacuated the paralyzed wounded—
—Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!!
BOOM!
A silver storm ripped through the sky, blasting away the choking pollen in an instant.
Amid the shattered forest, a clearing opened.
Hyūga Hinata hovered in midair, bathed in the golden radiance of Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
Her golden Tenseigan locked onto Kokushō atop the wooden golem, her gaze sharp. "That dark chakra surrounding him… could it be—"
Black Zetsu grinned wickedly. "Well, speak of the princess, and the princess arrives…"
Boom, boom, boom, boom—!
The wooden golem thundered toward Hinata.
"Using Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion would hurt everyone… I'll play it safe."
Whoosh!Hinata formed hand seals.
—Summoning Jutsu: Hamura Divine Statue!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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