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Seeing the countless ninja tools flying toward them, Kakashi felt numb. He knew that de-escalation would probably not work, even if he tried.
But still, couldn't Shuuzawa have at least bought them a little more time to prepare?
Things had escalated, and Shuuzawa had provoked the enemy into launching an immediate assault. Kakashi felt completely overwhelmed.
"Dodge, now!" he shouted. But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly saw Shuuzawa bring his hands together.
"Wood Style: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
Instantly, the ground began to tremble as immense chakra surged from Shuuzawa's body.
"His chakra... it's insane!" Kakashi stared in disbelief.
He had never worked with Shuuzawa before—not in combat or missions. Their interactions had only been casual conversations back in the ANBU base.
All he knew was that Shuuzawa was sharp and capable. But today, this power is on a completely different level.
Fueled by Shuuzawa's chakra, countless vines and branches erupted from the ground and grew astonishingly.
Within seconds, they had formed a vast, towering forest. The incoming ninja tools couldn't even get close—they were stopped before reaching the group.
Another wave of explosions rang out. Many of those weapons had explosive tags attached to them.
"This level of defence…" Kakashi was stunned. He quickly turned to Tenzo.
"I can't compare to Shuuzawa," Tenzo said immediately, shaking his head before Kakashi even asked.
He didn't mean he couldn't create such a large forest using more chakra. It was the quality that mattered.
Tenzo could sense it clearly—these trees were full of life, vibrant, and energetic. Compared to that, his own Wood Style felt like lifeless lumber.
But he didn't see this as something negative. After all, Shuuzawa's Wood Style was fundamentally different from his.
"Kakashi, be on guard." Shuuzawa suddenly spoke in a low voice, snapping Kakashi back to reality.
"I sensed someone approaching. And I think it might be someone from your past. Get ready."
"Someone from my past?" Kakashi frowned, not fully grasping his meaning. But Shuuzawa's next words made his expression change in an instant.
"There's a seal on him—Fourth Hokage's mark. If I'm right, it's Uchiha Obito."
"Obito…" Kakashi's gaze darkened at once.
To meet someone from your past at the same place you were separated… almost sounded poetic.
But Kakashi's heart was racing—nothing was peaceful about this reunion. "Where is he?"
"In that alternate dimension of his. I can't pinpoint his exact location," Shuuzawa replied, shaking his head.
He raised one hand, and a thick branch rose beneath him, lifting him into the sky.
Similar logs appeared beneath the others, elevating them as well. "I'll send you out of the forest," Shuuzawa said.
"Wood Style isn't suited for identifying allies during large-scale attacks. I haven't mastered that level of control yet."
"While I hold off the enemies, you'll be in charge of Yuugao and the new kid. Shisui, you're with me. We'll take on these two—both old and new threats."
"Once Uchiha Obito, Kakashi and Tenzo show up, you'll find your moment to strike. Sound good?"
"No problem," Shisui answered first with a nod.
Though Shuuzawa had somehow ended up as their leader, Shisui didn't mind. It felt natural.
"Yeah…" Kakashi replied though he seemed a little dazed. Still, he managed a nod—he was a veteran ninja.
With a few deep breaths, Kakashi calmed himself. "Obito… this time, we settle it."
Shuuzawa didn't dwell on what Kakashi was thinking. By now, he had reached the canopy of the great forest.
Above him, the sky was still filled with swarms of puppets, and Sasori had already taken to the air, aided by the puppet of the Third Kazekage.
Shuuzawa narrowed his eyes. "Last time, you blanketed the battlefield… this time, it's my turn."
During their encounter in Iwagakure, they had given Sasori a hard time. But Sasori had countered fiercely, too.
His sky-darkening puppet swarm and relentless attacks were overwhelming. But this time, things were different. The tables had turned.
Few techniques in the entire shinobi world could rival Wood Style regarding wide-area attacks. And Shuuzawa didn't believe those puppets could withstand it.
"Now… Break!" With a single-hand sign, the entire forest beneath him seemed to let out a roar.
Massive vines and trunks surged upward, launching toward the puppets in the sky. "Tch." Sasori scoffed and commanded his puppets to attack again.
But his creations were too fragile against the force of Wood Style. The sharpened branches pierced right through them, breaking the puppets apart midair.
Even when he used Magnet Release to fight back, the results were disappointing.
"Kakuzu, use Fire Style!" Sasori shouted after a brief pause.
This was his first time facing Wood Style, so he couldn't judge the full situation. But retreat wasn't something he was willing to consider.
If nothing else, he could at least test it. He didn't believe for a second that wood wouldn't burn.
"Fine."
Kakuzu stood on the ground, watching the vast forest stretch before him. Something stirred in him—memories.
Years ago, he had been assigned to assassinate Hashirama Senju. The outcome? A crushing defeat. But at least he had survived.
Now, facing Wood Style again, he felt a strange tension. "You think you're Hashirama?"
Suddenly, a monstrous mask rose behind him as Kakuzu's hands began flying through hand signs.
"Fire Style: Head Mincing Pain!"
In an instant, the monstrous mask unleashed a massive wave of fire, surging forward like a raging tide as if intending to burn everything in its path to ashes.
Sasori, too, controlled his fire-style-capable puppets to set the forest ablaze across a wide area.
"If this were before I travelled here, that'd be enough to keep you fed and clothed for years..."
Shuuzawa shook his head, though he made no effort to stop the flames from igniting his Wood Style.
"Is it working?" Sasori and Kakuzu's eyes lit up upon seeing the blaze catch—only for their expressions to suddenly twist in horror.
"Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs Technique!"
Just as the fire caught, Shuuzawa formed hand seals again without hesitation.
In a flash, the burning wooden branches seemed to come alive as if they had been enchanted.
Fueled by the raging flames, they transformed into blazing dragons, roaring toward Sasori and Kakuzu!
The fire-infused wood spears smashed into the ground and shot toward the sky, striking at the airborne puppets.
The earth quaked from the impact, and the skies burned red with fire. Sasori darted through the air, narrowly evading the fiery wooden strikes.
Forced to descend, he landed far away from the flaming chaos.
As both escaped the burning zone, they found themselves right next to their opponent—face to face.
Their eyes met, and they instantly knew exactly what the other was thinking.
Didn't you say you fought the First Hokage? Shouldn't you know Wood Style isn't weak to fire? You're the one who suggested fire style. I just went along with it!
Their expressions grew awkward, but this was no time to be embarrassed. Shuuzawa had already appeared before them.
"You two look like a mess," he said, standing calmly on a wooden branch jutting from the ground, arms crossed.
With a relaxed glance, he chuckled, "I expected more of a challenge... Guess that was asking too much."
"Don't get cocky, brat!" Sasori snapped, clearly frustrated. Getting pushed into such a sorry state in a single exchange—he couldn't help but feel humiliated.
Sure, they hadn't yet been fully committed to battle, and Shuuzawa caught them off guard with a large-scale jutsu.
But ending up like this was entirely on them—no one else to blame.
"Looks like I'll be charging Iwagakure extra for this mission," Kakuzu growled. Even with his face obscured, his tone and piercing gaze betrayed his foul mood.
"You're worth far more than just thirty million." Thirty million? Shuuzawa blinked. Isn't that Asuma's future bounty?
So now, his Wood Style and Flying Thunder God combo was only worth the same as Asuma? "Guess the future has some serious inflation."
Shuuzawa shook his head, then clapped his hands together.
The forest behind him rumbled again. His arrogant display instantly drew Sasori and Kakuzu's attention—both moved at once without saying a word.
"Die!"
Sasori had his Third Kazekage puppet form hand seals, and waves of black iron sand burst forward. "Magnet Style: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
Kakuzu split off another mask from his body. "Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
A bolt of lightning, crackling with electrical arcs, surged toward Shuuzawa like a thunderlance.
But before it could land, a shadow flashed next to Shuuzawa—green chakra suddenly flared.
At that moment, a colossal, green chakra guardian surrounded Shuuzawa. The combined attacks from Kakuzu and Sasori were missed completely.
"Don't worry," Shuuzawa said calmly, still holding his hand seals. Shisui had already appeared beside him.
Behind them, the chakra within the forest stirred. The forest created by "Deep Forest Emergence" began to compress and merge.
Then, with a thunderous roar, a giant wooden dragon soared into the sky, roaring across the horizon!
"All right. Those puppets are gone now," Shuuzawa said, smiling faintly. "This time, Sasori, we won't scramble like before."
"This brat's Wood Style... It's progressing fast."
Inside the Kamui dimension, Uchiha Obito stood alongside Black Zetsu, quietly watching Shuuzawa's performance.
Even Obito couldn't help but mutter in surprise. He, too, could use Wood Style but had never treated it as a primary technique.
After all, with Kamui at his disposal, he rarely needed any flashy jutsu—just phase through attacks and crush enemies directly.
But now, he didn't dare underestimate it. Shuuzawa had already disrupted his Kamui more than once.
No matter how arrogant Obito was, he couldn't ignore the threat anymore.
"He's advancing fast—must be the power of the Senju bloodline," Black Zetsu commented, nodding slightly. Still, something didn't sit right with him.
Why didn't Shuuzawa's chakra carry the same divine tree essence as Hashirama's?
To someone like Black Zetsu—who had lived a thousand years and was the will of Kaguya's son—it was clear: Wood Style was born from Ashura's influence. Hashirama's Wood Style had divine traces in it.
But Shuuzawa's...?
"It feels off," he muttered. "More like Water and Earth Style fused… then stimulated by Yang Release."
To his credit, Black Zetsu's instincts were sharp. He could detect things no one else noticed.
Still, regardless of its origin, Shuuzawa's Wood Style was now on the right track.
Especially considering his ability to level up—physically and with his techniques. People might not notice anything strange about it in the long run.
Black Zetsu shook his head and dropped the thought. He decided to treat Shuuzawa as a legitimate heir of the Senju.
He turned to glance at Obito, hesitated, then asked, "Obito, what are you planning to do now?"
Obito had rushed here the moment he learned about Shuuzawa. Black Zetsu had tried to stop him but gave up—after all, Obito was still holding a grudge after losing so much to Shuuzawa.
"If nothing else, I want to observe them… maybe get involved a little," Obito said, his tone dark.
He hadn't forgotten how Shuuzawa humiliated him—not once, but twice. The first time was a trap. The second was sheer mockery.
Now, Obito's face was posted all over the shinobi world—thanks to that brat. The shame burned in his chest.
That "generosity" needed to be returned.
"My suggestion: let Sasori and Kakuzu keep fighting the kid," Black Zetsu offered.
"With you here to back them up, they won't die. One's a puppet. The other has four lives. It's hard to kill them all at once anyway. Let them feel how strong the enemy is. That way, they'll be more alert next time."
"Also," he added, "you should think about returning your other eye. A pair of Sharingan is always stronger than just one."
Obito had only one Mangekyō for so long, and Black Zetsu found it troublesome.
Sure, in emergencies, it allowed him to use Izanagi, like last time—but the lack of a full set limited his power.
Especially when Kakashi still had the other eye… which countered Obito's Kamui. This was a perfect opportunity to retrieve it. It would be a waste not to.
"Hmph. I don't take back what I've given," Obito replied coldly, scoffing. "If I'd wanted it, I could've taken it while Kakashi was unconscious."
He hesitated, then added, "I don't care about anything in this world. Once something's given, it's gone—just like I spared him that day. My new world will include him, too."
I'm telling you to retrieve your eye, not go on a rant, Black Zetsu thought, resisting the urge to sigh aloud. Obito was a lunatic.
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