"Might Duy, let me."
Night Maple suddenly joined the fray and set Rin down.
Might Duy looked at Night Maple, "Full of questions."
"I'm Night Maple, a special jōnin. It's fine—leave it to me. Cancel the Eight Gates Released Formation, or you'll die."
Might Duy shook his head. "You all run! We're facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!"
Saying that, Might Duy moved to strike again.
"Sigh!"
Night Maple let out a breath. If he didn't show some real power, Duy wouldn't believe him.
"Wood Release: Flower-Tree World Advent!"
This was an S-rank jutsu Night Maple newly grasped after fusing 50% of the Senju Hashirama card—a powered-up form of Tree World Emergence!
This technique uses one's chakra as nourishment to force the trees sleeping in the earth to grow rapidly and massively, and freely manipulates them.
At Night Maple's command, the ground split in an instant!
With a thunderous boom, the entire earth trembled.
What had been forest turned, in a heartbeat, into a vast basin, caving inward.
Giant trunks heaved up from below, cleaving mountains, piercing rock, and wrapping the whole terrain!
The landscape changed in a single stroke!
This was Hashirama's might—and only fifty percent of it!
Blossoms quickly sprouted on the surging trees; once they opened, they released toxic pollen—anyone who inhaled it would be paralyzed and collapse.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen—no, Six now—who'd been about to retreat were all trapped within the newly formed basin.
"Wood Release?!"
"Who is that?"
"So young—is he Konoha's newest prodigy?"
"There's zero intel on him!"
Mikoto hastily lowered the student from her shoulder; her bright eyes followed Night Maple's back, a little dazed.
Haruno Chō was slack-jawed as well.
None of them had truly seen Night Maple fight—who'd have thought his first move would shake the heavens?
Both sides stood stunned.
This guy was too fierce, right?
Might Duy was shaken by the sudden surge of Night Maple's aura; he glanced back at him and finally released the Eight Gates.
The moment he did, he dropped to a seat.
Only then did everyone notice—Duy's right hand and right leg were already broken.
One punch to blow apart Kuriarare Kushimaru, one kick to boot Hoshigaki Kisame away—in that instant his own limbs fractured. Such is the terror of opening all Eight Gates.
"Dad!" Little Kai rushed up.
Might Duy patted Kai's head. "I'm fine."
After those words, Duy fainted.
"Dad!"
Night Maple glanced at the grade-schooler Kai. "Your father only passed out—his life isn't in danger. His arm and leg are broken, that's all."
"Sensei! Please save my dad!"
Night Maple looked back at Uchiha Mikoto. "Mikoto, help me treat him. I need to secure these six first."
"Ah, okay!"
Before Mikoto finished, Night Maple's figure vanished.
Seeing things go south, the six Swordsmen bolted.
Flower-Tree World Advent wasn't something ordinary shinobi could use—they'd never seen such a terrifying jutsu.
It had to be a kekkei genkai—like their Second Mizukage's frightening power.
"We're leaving!"
"No need to tangle with them."
"Agreed!"
The six split and fled at once.
Just then, hundreds of Night Maple's clones bloomed into the air!
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!
At the same time, countless roots and vines swept in to encircle the six.
Like some colossal pitcher plant hunting flies.
Uchiha Mikoto couldn't help staring.
"Teacher Mikoto, stop staring—please save my dad!"
Mikoto flushed, shot Kai a glare, and began treating Duy.
Rin came over too. "I know a little medical ninjutsu."
Kai stared at doll-like Rin, eyes bulging.
"Y-you do?"
Rin nodded, knelt, and set to healing Duy.
Mikoto asked curiously, "You're in Night Maple's class?"
"Yes, sensei. I'm Team Seven's Nohara Rin," Rin answered sweetly.
"Adorable."
By then, Night Maple had nearly finished the fight.
Among the Seven, a black-clad man wielding twin blades—master of the Thunder Swords: Kiba—sent lightning crackling, charring every root and vine that neared him.
He was Kurozuki Raiga.
A Night Maple clone rushed in to take him down.
Suddenly, a thin, needle-like blade lanced out, skewering three clones at once.
A hiss of wire followed; with Kuriarare Kushimaru's pull, the three clones were shredded to smoke.
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
But on Kushimaru's other side, another Night Maple clone's hand burst with dazzling lightning—shrill like a thousand birds—and shot at him.
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
Only Lv.3, but already well-practiced!
Before Kushimaru could react, his right arm was severed.
Seeing Kushimaru wounded, Raiga thrust and dispelled that offending clone as well.
But the two of them were swallowed by even more clones.
In under five minutes, all six Swordsmen were injured.
With Night Maple's clones in the hundreds and thousands, it was pure bullying.
The worst off wasn't Kushimaru, but Hōzuki Chijin—stunned outright by Night Maple's Chidori, then cleanly beheaded.
Even Night Maple hadn't expected it to go like this.
Uchiha Mikoto wiped her brow, glanced up at the field, and drifted for a moment.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, whom she couldn't handle at all, were like toddlers before Night Maple?
The gap was that huge?
Haruno Chō trembled. "So this is our First Hokage's heir—unbelievable! The Senju are terrifying!"
Then Suikazan Fuguki and Jūzō Biwa roared, "Water Release—Hidden Mist Technique!"
A standard Mist jōnin art, whipping up spray with chakra to form dense fog—figures flickering in and out within the whiteout. The Hidden Mist Technique.
The thickness shifts with chakra output; they often used it for assassinations.
But now, that assassination art had become an escape tool!
Night Maple smiled. "Run? Not happening. I still need to ask whether you know the whereabouts of Terumi Mei."