In the Uzumaki Compound
Uzumaki Mito suddenly stood up, her expression darkening.
"Not good! Ryoma went out?"
Her voice carried a dangerous edge. "Courting death! Someone is deliberately trying to bring ruin to the Senju clan!"
Golden, roaring flames of the Nine-Tails' chakra erupted around her body. Her eyes took on the feral slit pupils of the fox, and sealing runes of the Uzumaki clan spread across her skin.
Bang!
With a light leap, Mito launched herself out of the courtyard.
Hokage's Office
At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly rose from his seat.
Orochimaru stepped inside. "Sensei—"
"Not now, Orochimaru. If it's important, we'll speak later."
"Sensei, this is extremely important—"
"Get out!"
Hiruzen's eyes turned cold. In the next instant, his figure blurred and vanished from the office.
He muttered under his breath as he sped toward Ryoma's location, "Danzō… I should have suspected this sooner."
The Third Hokage's face tightened with bitter realization. He hadn't expected Danzō to stoop so low—making a move on Ryoma inside the village itself.
"Do you think acting without evidence will protect you? You're wrong…"
He could already feel the powerful, raging Nine-Tails chakra. Mito was completely enraged.
Danzō, what are you thinking? Would you even strike at the last living bloodline of the Senju?
If you keep going like this, there will be no turning back…
An Alleyway
Ten Root operatives had Ryoma surrounded.
Poisonous insects, genjutsu techniques, and a barrage of kunai and shuriken laced with paralytic poison flew toward him.
Just as the attacks closed in, dozens of clones burst into existence around Ryoma.
"Wood Release: Shadow Clone Technique!"
The Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Switch Technique, aimed at Ryoma, failed to land—its effect dispersed the moment the clones appeared.
The incoming wave of kunai, shuriken, and insects struck the clones instead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each one shattered into chunks of wood before disappearing.
The masked Yamanaka operative leading the squad froze for a moment, sweat beading on his forehead. This guy's tricky… he actually broke through our formation with a single move?
The two Aburame operatives immediately responded, releasing more insects.
Special-issue glasses glinted on their faces as clouds of chittering, crawling parasites poured out, swarming toward Ryoma in a black tide.
Even their fellow Root members didn't dare approach, wary of being caught in the swarm.
Ryoma grimaced. "I'm getting goosebumps just looking at this… Thank the Sage Kushina's unconscious right now."
He quickly formed a sequence of hand seals.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees!"
Chakra surged from his feet into the ground. In an instant, massive trees erupted from beneath the earth, their roots tearing apart nearby buildings as if they were nothing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Startled cries echoed as shinobi leapt out of the collapsing structures, staring in shock at the sudden small forest that now filled the area.
Nearby
A young Namikaze Minato, mid-fight with a masked Root operative, suddenly saw a thick wooden branch burst from the ground beneath his opponent.
With a loud thwack, the branch impaled upward, launching the masked man into the air like a catapult.
"Gaaah!"
The man's cry was less dignified than a ninja's should be—more like an angry bird flung from a slingshot—before he slammed into the ground.
Minato's mouth twitched. The scene was so absurd it reminded him of Sakumo Hatake's infamous One Thousand Years of Death.
When the dust settled, the man's mask was shattered… along with his pants.
It was not a good look.
Minato's eyes widened in recognition. "Shigaraki-senpai…"
A veteran Root operative.
The wounded man coughed up blood, took one look at his own condition, and fled without hesitation.
Minato didn't give chase—his attention was already shifting toward the dense forest Ryoma had created.
He stared at the dense forest before him, shock flickering in his eyes. Ryoma… has he already grown this strong?
That was unmistakably Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees.
What is Root trying to pull this time?
A deafening boom suddenly erupted behind Minato.
Golden flames of chakra blazed from Uzumaki Mito's body as she landed heavily, the sheer force of her step cracking the concrete beneath her feet.
"Minato?"
"Elder… Ryoma's inside."
Mito's gaze lingered on the sprawling forest for a moment. In that instant, memories of Hashirama Senju's gentle smile surfaced in her mind.
"You stand guard out here. I'll go in and see for myself."
Before Minato could answer, a massive Adamantine Staff came crashing down from above, followed by a thin figure who landed beside them.
"Third Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded at Minato, only to be met with Mito's sharp, scolding voice.
"Hiruzen! How could you allow such lawlessness in the village?"
Sarutobi exhaled a long sigh. "Elder… please, put the Nine-Tails away for now. Let the younger generation resolve this. Give them another chance."
It was rare for the Third Hokage to call himself a student in front of Uzumaki Mito after taking office. But today, guilt weighed heavily on him. He owed too much to the two teachers who had raised him. And right now—he was furious.
Meanwhile, the vast forest spreading through the heart of the village drew the attention of all.
The Uchiha patrols, led by Uchiha Fugaku, halted as a massive crash shook the air. A roaring surge of chakra pulsed from the village center.
"What's going on over there?" Fugaku demanded.
"Let's move!"
At his order, the Uchiha clan members advanced quickly toward the source.
In the Hyūga compound, the genius brothers Hiashi and Hizashi activated their Byakugan. Their pale eyes traced the flow of chakra radiating from the forest's center—it was incredibly dense and vibrant.
"What's happening there?" Hiashi muttered.
"Let's investigate," Hizashi replied without hesitation.
Not only the Uchiha and Hyūga, but the Ino–Shika–Chō clans and other major families were now turning their attention toward the same place. Something unprecedented was unfolding in the village.
...
TN:
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