Two massive wooden dragons grew wildly from the forest on either side of the riverbank, soaring into the sky and reaching Kisame and Itachi in an instant.
"Boss, I'm one of you…"
Kisame wanted to shout, but that was just a fleeting thought.
Not to mention that he hadn't seen enough fun within Akatsuki and wasn't planning to expose himself just yet. Besides, when the wooden dragons surged toward him, Kisame actually felt eager to fight.
This was the legendary technique used by Senju Hashirama to bring peace to the shinobi world. For someone like Kisame, who longed to fight the strong, it was a pity that he had only heard of the Wood Release's reputation and never experienced it firsthand.
Then let's give it a try. The boss won't actually kill me anyway.
With that in mind, under Itachi's shocked gaze, Kisame raised Samehada and swung it excitedly.
Boom—!
Wood splinters flew.
Waves surged.
As expected, the "tailless Tailed Beast" was knocked back by the immense force. The wooden dragon's head had only lost a thin layer of bark.
Even Yami was surprised. He didn't expect Kisame to be so fierce, able to chop at the wooden dragon with just a blade. Wasn't that basically the same as stabbing Susanoo with a kunai?
Bang!
Kisame was then smacked by the wooden dragon's tail, spat out a mouthful of blood, and looked utterly horrified.
"This... is a dragon?"
Just now, Samehada tried to absorb chakra from the wooden dragon to boost Kisame's strength, but instead, the dragon exerted a suction force even stronger than Samehada's.
It drained a large amount of his chakra.
"Itachi-san, be careful. This wooden dragon absorbs chakra!" Kisame warned quickly. His enthusiasm to challenge it vanished completely.
"I know." Itachi nodded heavily.
Yami waved his palm again, and the two wooden dragons launched another attack. Itachi fired off Great Fireballs while retreating with Kisame, but found that they barely affected the dragons. Left with no choice, he activated his trump card.
"Amaterasu!"
The black flames engulfed the dragon's head, but the burning speed was still incredibly slow.
The wooden dragon didn't just absorb chakra—it also possessed terrifying resistance to ninjutsu. It was the ultimate nemesis for shinobi reliant on jutsu.
Even though Amaterasu scorched the dragon's head, it had no vital point. It wasn't a real living creature and kept advancing with the black flames still burning on it.
Yami clapped his hands again, and Itachi's heart stopped.
He was starting to fear Wood Release.
This technique was outrageous. No hand seals needed. Just clap and call out the name, and the jutsu activated instantly.
"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
Countless thick roots erupted from the ground, covering the entire area in an instant. They surged and spread, cutting off all possible escape routes for Itachi and Kisame.
The wooden dragons, fully regenerated, locked eyes with them and prepared to launch their final strike.
Yami loved Wood Release so much that he rarely used other techniques.
It had control, defense, offense, wide-range and precision attack capabilities—far exceeding the limits of other ninjutsu. So why bother using anything else?
Kakashi and the others watched in awe as the forest grew rapidly before their eyes.
During the Chūnin Exams, they'd all been busy with their own missions and hadn't had the chance to witness Wood Release's full power. But now, seeing it in action.
It was terrifying.
Finally, Itachi and Kisame were forced into a corner, completely surrounded. Kisame looked up at the wooden dragon looming above and despaired.
Boss, are you having too much fun and forgot about me?
I'm one of your people!
Itachi's expression was grim.
He really wants to kill us!
Realizing this, Itachi no longer held back and prepared to activate Susanoo to break through.
At that moment, Sasuke, supported by Kakashi, suddenly woke up. Seeing the scene in front of him, he struggled weakly and muttered, "Yami-sensei… don't kill him. I want… to take revenge myself…"
After saying that, he fainted again.
"Tch…"
Kakashi frowned. The hatred in this kid's heart was too strong. Being provoked by Itachi had driven him to delirium.
At that moment, Yami paused his attack. During that short delay, Itachi seized the chance and used Amaterasu to burn open a path. Kisame fused with Samehada, transforming into a shark-like form, and fled with blood dripping from Itachi's eyes.
Seeing this, Yami cut off his chakra flow. The massive forest withered and faded away, leaving the area a mess.
"They just got away like that?"
Kakashi looked a bit regretful. These were two S-rank rogue ninjas. If they continued lurking around Konoha, it would keep everyone on edge.
"What if we didn't let them go?"
The breeze blew Yami's hair as he looked at the unconscious Sasuke.
"Didn't you hear what Itachi said earlier? My reputation must not be ruined by Sasuke. He must be the one to kill Itachi. No one else."
"Guy, Naruto, take Sasuke to the hospital." Kakashi handed Sasuke to Naruto, who had just come to his senses. Guy picked him up, and they quickly left.
"Yami, are you planning to issue a bounty on those two?" Kurenai asked.
"No. If they're taken out by someone else, that's no good."
Yami shook his head. "Just alert the Konoha shinobi to keep their distance from anyone wearing black cloaks with red clouds."
Kurenai nodded, said a few more things to Yami, then left with Yugao. She could tell Kakashi had something to say to him.
After watching them leave, Kakashi turned back toward Yami. "Don't you think… this is a little much?"
"What?" Yami was confused by his tone.
"Life shouldn't be consumed by hatred."
Kakashi sighed, speaking quietly. "After this incident, Sasuke will definitely grow more extreme. To gain power, I'm afraid he might follow Orochimaru's old path. He's still a child. He should live a normal life…"
"Are you serious?"
Yami stared at Kakashi like he was crazy. He couldn't believe Kakashi would actually say something like that. "When did you ever think Sasuke was a normal person?"
"His brother killed their parents and slaughtered their entire clan. And you want Sasuke to walk around every day smiling like a fool?"
"Revenge must be taken. But that hatred shouldn't consume his whole life." Kakashi tried to reason with him again, but Yami remained unmoved.
"Then let him enjoy life after revenge."
Yami smirked. "Kakashi, you really are the Third Hokage's disciple. You're sounding more and more like him—so righteous and idealistic."
"What's wrong with pursuing strength? Why do you assume that gaining power will make someone fall into darkness?"
Kakashi felt helpless. He only wanted to remind Yami not to be too extreme with Naruto and Sasuke. How did this become his fault?
But the next moment, Kakashi's face changed.
Yami's words pierced right into his heart.
"Your two teammates died during the war, didn't they?"
"If you had your current strength back then, would Uchiha Obito still have been crushed under that boulder? Would Nohara Rin still have died on the battlefield and become the Three Tails' jinchūriki?"
"Most of the world's pain comes from a lack of strength. Think about it."
After saying that, Yami ignored the stunned Kakashi and vanished on the spot.
Konoha Hospital
Yami stopped by a tailor to pick up the cheongsam he had custom-made for Kurotsuchi, then turned a corner toward the hospital.
Itachi had still shown mercy toward Sasuke.
In the original timeline, Kakashi had collapsed after a single glance from Itachi and remained unconscious until Tsunade returned to heal him. Sasuke had been struck by Tsukuyomi, and the hospital recommended seven days of rest.
After that, he'd be fine. No lasting damage.
When Yami arrived, Sasuke was lying in bed, and Naruto was slumped in a chair, fast asleep.
Naruto had been exhausted lately. Yami's training for him required triggering the Nine Tails' chakra. Naruto had to keep pushing himself past his limits until the Nine Tails' chakra leaked out on its own and he grew accustomed to its corrosive effect.
That was why his clothes always looked like they'd been burned—just the chakra.
Yami wasn't pleased to hear Sasuke needed a full week of bedrest.
The current medical ninja in Konoha were basically useless. They couldn't handle severe injuries, and they were just as bad with minor ones. He needed to find Tsunade quickly and have her rebuild the medical system.
Without waking Naruto, Yami began treatment, using the Healing Jutsu to stimulate chakra in Sasuke's brain and accelerate his spiritual recovery. At this rate, he would be fully healed by tomorrow.
While Yami was treating Sasuke, someone quietly appeared beside him.
Uchiha Shisui.
After Yami stopped, Shisui asked softly, "Did Itachi return to the village?"
Yami nodded. "I chased him off. If you leave now, you might catch up."
"Why? You can't help it? You want to kill him?"
"No. Let Sasuke do it. And I'm not strong enough anyway."
Shisui shook his head, his gaze falling on Sasuke in the bed with a hint of admiration.
Compared to Itachi, Sasuke might not have the same level of talent, but his potential and determination weren't inferior.
More importantly, Sasuke was a normal person—he didn't have the extremist mindset so common in the Uchiha clan.
That alone made him rare.
"Tch."
Yami sneered. "You can fool others, but you can't fool me."
"Just open the Mangekyō already. That pupil power is about to burst out of your Three Tomoe. If you can awaken it, do it. You think I'll be afraid of you?"
Under the mask, Shisui was startled. He quickly lowered his head and bowed. "Yami, I'll never awaken the Mangekyō. I'll never become a threat to you."
"I wasn't being sarcastic."
Yami looked at Shisui helplessly. "I'm not my old man. I'm not scared of Uchiha."
His current pupil power was already at the peak of the Eternal Mangekyō. Even if Uchiha Madara were resurrected, he'd only be on equal footing. There was no way Yami would fear Shisui's dojutsu.
Seeing that Shisui still had his head lowered and said nothing, Yami continued, "I'll be the Fifth Hokage soon."
"You've seen Konoha's current state. There are barely any capable shinobi left. If you can awaken the Mangekyō soon, it'll help share some of the burden."
"Besides… I need your experience. Don't worry, Shisui."
Shisui saw Yami speak so sincerely and finally nodded, but made a solemn vow:
"Yami, you can take these eyes from me at any time. I swear in the name of hundreds of Uchiha souls—these eyes will only ever fight for you."
(To be continued.)
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