"This is… Kiyohara's power…"
Inuzuka Tsume sat astride her ninja hound, head tilted back as she stared at the golden giant.
Hyūga Hiashi had also used the Byakugan's telescopic vision to see Kiyohara's Perfect Susanoo immediately.
"This is… the power of the Uchiha…"
Hiashi felt somewhat relieved. Good thing he had already decided to have his daughter become Kiyohara's disciple.
Kiyohara's power was truly shocking.
This time, the Hyūga clan had chosen the right side.
Aside from Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku also saw Kiyohara's Perfect Susanoo through the insight of his Sharingan.
He frowned.
There was no way he could release a Perfect Susanoo of that size.
How had Kiyohara done it?
Why had his eyes not gone blind?
Fugaku could not understand it no matter how hard he thought.
Was the gap between one Uchiha and another really that huge?
Fugaku knew very well that there were currently only three people in the entire Uchiha clan who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Shisui, Kiyohara, and himself.
By that logic, Kiyohara should not have been able to break the Mangekyō's curse.
At that moment, Fugaku fell into the same confusion as Obito.
…
On the other side, Obito, standing before Kiyohara's Perfect Susanoo, felt the pressure more intensely than anyone.
"Nine-Tails."
Obito spoke.
"Keep attacking."
The Nine-Tails opened its massive jaws, and chakra once again gathered deep in its throat.
But this time, before the Tailed Beast Bomb could take shape, the golden giant had already moved.
Kiyohara controlled it to raise its right fist and punch the Nine-Tails in the abdomen.
Boom!
The gathering Tailed Beast Bomb was directly interrupted by Kiyohara.
Immediately after, Kiyohara controlled the Perfect Susanoo to swing its chakra longsword at the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails could not dodge in time, and many wounds appeared across its body.
Crimson flesh curled open, exposed to the air.
From the edges of the wounds, steam-like heat rose as the injuries slowly began healing.
The fresh wounds on its body caused the Nine-Tails to feel instinctive fury. It raised its head and let out a long howl.
Its roar pierced through the barrier and echoed across all of Konoha.
Many villagers who had already been evacuated to the shelters still instinctively covered their ears.
'I can't keep taking hits like this.'
Obito's thoughts shifted, and he ordered the Nine-Tails to pounce at Kiyohara.
The next moment, the Nine-Tails pushed off with all four limbs, its front claws digging four deep pits into the ground.
Broken stones flew from the edges of the pits, smashing into distant walls and leaving dents behind.
Kiyohara controlled Susanoo to swing its sword horizontally.
The golden double-edged blade drew a half-circle through the air, dragging a golden afterimage behind it.
At the same time, the Mangekyō pattern in Kiyohara's eyes slowly rotated.
A layer of black flame wrapped around the blade he swung.
Amaterasu!
Black flames instantly filled Obito's vision, then followed the blade as it slammed into the Nine-Tails.
Rumble!
The Nine-Tails' body was swept away by that immense force, tumbling several times through the air.
But the black flames had already spread from the sword's edge to the Nine-Tails' wounds, burning across its crimson fur with a hissing sound.
The Nine-Tails panted heavily.
The flames on its body constantly burned its flesh, making even Obito, standing on its head, feel a wave of searing heat.
He lowered his head and looked at the black flames on the Nine-Tails' body. The eye beneath his mask narrowed slightly.
Amaterasu.
Obito knew this technique.
The Uchiha clan had produced this dōjutsu during the Warring States era as well. It was known as "flame from the heart of the sun," said to never go out and to burn anything within sight to ash.
Even burning for seven days and seven nights in a heavy rain was no issue.
But Obito also knew its weakness.
He crouched down and pressed his palm against the Nine-Tails' fur, his fingers sinking into the thick coat.
The chakra inside the Nine-Tails was mobilized by Obito, forming a semi-transparent, bubbling layer of tailed beast chakra over its fur.
That chakra surged out from its body like a new layer of skin, covering the original fur.
The black flames were lifted up by that chakra layer and peeled away from the fur.
At the same time, the crimson chakra stained with black fire slowly detached from the Nine-Tails' body, like an outer garment being shed.
The tailed beast chakra carrying the black flames fell to the ground. Once that chakra burned away completely, the black flames vanished as well.
During this process, the Nine-Tails' pupils trembled slightly.
For an instant, its consciousness became somewhat clear.
The Nine-Tails saw Konoha beneath its feet. It saw the dense crowds of humans in the distance, packed together like ants.
It immediately realized that it was being controlled by genjutsu, treated like someone's summoned beast.
"Damn Uchiha!"
The Nine-Tails shook its head, trying to throw Obito off.
Across the long span of a thousand years, only Uchiha genjutsu had ever been able to affect it to this degree.
"Behave."
Obito once again used genjutsu on the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails' eyes became hollow once more.
Kiyohara watched this, his brow moving slightly.
He did not give the Nine-Tails a chance to catch its breath.
The pattern in Kiyohara's Mangekyō Sharingan changed again.
This time, it was another dōjutsu.
Naraku Yomotsu.
Kiyohara's gaze fell on the Nine-Tails.
That invisible Yin Release chakra surged from his eyes and stabbed straight into the depths of the Nine-Tails' consciousness.
The Nine-Tails' body suddenly stiffened.
Its pupils contracted violently, shrinking until they were almost a single line, then expanding until they nearly filled its entire eye sockets.
In those crimson vertical pupils, something else was reflected.
The back of a man.
Long black hair fluttered in the wind. Red armor gleamed coldly beneath the moonlight.
His eyes were crimson, and the Mangekyō pattern slowly rotated within them.
Uchiha Madara.
The Nine-Tails remembered this man, and coldness seeped into its bones.
The days when Uchiha Madara had treated it as a summoned beast were the most humiliating memories of the Nine-Tails' long life.
And now, all of those memories had returned.
Fear surged from the depths of its consciousness and swallowed the Nine-Tails whole.
The Nine-Tails' body began to tremble.
Under normal circumstances, when the Nine-Tails recalled Uchiha Madara, its memories would be mixed with both fear and anger. It would never have looked this pathetic.
But Kiyohara's dōjutsu, Naraku Yomotsu, amplified that effect, causing the Nine-Tails to be continuously devoured by fear.
Its nine massive tails tucked behind it, the tips curling like those of a frightened dog.
Obito sensed the change in the Nine-Tails.
The fur beneath his feet was trembling.
"As expected of a beast. How pathetic."
Obito gave a cold snort.
He used his own Mangekyō genjutsu on the Nine-Tails, trying to regain control, only to find that the Nine-Tails would not move at all.
No matter how he commanded it or poured chakra into it, the Nine-Tails stood frozen in place like a stone statue.
Its eyes were wide open, and there was only fear in its pupils.
Obito gritted his teeth.
Kiyohara's genjutsu was actually stronger than his.
Could this be Kiyohara's genjutsu-type dōjutsu?
But Kiyohara had already shown two dōjutsu.
One was Amaterasu.
The other was a singularity that could affect gravity.
So how could a third dōjutsu appear now?
"Nine-Tails!"
Obito roared.
The Nine-Tails' ears twitched, but its body still did not respond.
"The effect is decent."
Kiyohara thought.
"Then next, I'll test Wood Release."
Kiyohara brought his hands together in front of his chest with a clap.
He began trying to refine Earth Release and Water Release chakra, guiding them through his chakra pathways into both hands and releasing them from the chakra points in his palms.
Wood Release…!
The earth began to tremble.
Everyone felt something strange in that instant.
Hyūga Hiashi stood on a distant rooftop, his pale pupils suddenly widening.
Through his Byakugan, he saw an unbelievable sight.
Countless thick tree trunks burst out of the ground.
Branches stretched in every direction. Smaller twigs sprouted from them, and fresh green leaves unfurled beneath the moonlight at a visible speed.
Those tree trunks spread outward like a green tide.
Wherever they passed, stone roads were pushed upward, and broken rocks were caught in the gaps between branches.
The remains of collapsed buildings were wrapped in tree trunks and finally swallowed completely.
In just a few breaths, a small forest appeared around the Nine-Tails.
The tree trunks were so thick that several people would be needed to wrap their arms around them, and their crowns intertwined overhead into a dense, airtight canopy.
Trunks and vines surged toward the Nine-Tails from every direction, leaving fine, tight marks across its fur.
The Nine-Tails' body was dragged downward by the trunks and vines.
Its four limbs were fixed in place. Its knees were locked by tree trunks, its waist was wrapped in vines, and even its tails were bound by branches, leaving it unable to move.
Only then did the Nine-Tails break free from the illusion of Naraku Yomotsu.
Its pupils refocused, and its crimson vertical eyes reflected the scene before it.
A forest.
A forest that had grown out of nowhere beneath its feet.
"This is the First Hokage's technique!"
The Nine-Tails was shaken.
Back then, Uchiha Madara had brought it along to battle Senju Hashirama, and under that enormous thousand-armed Buddha, it had been completely powerless to fight back.
Triggered by that trauma, the Nine-Tails swung its nine giant tails and shook loose several of the branches wrapped around them.
Its front legs pushed hard, muscles bulging beneath its fur and splitting the trunks wrapped around them with cracks.
But even more trunks surged up, filling those cracks and binding it even tighter.
"These branches can absorb chakra…"
The Nine-Tails' expression was grim.
It opened its enormous mouth, and chakra began gathering deep in its throat.
But a thick tree trunk stretched in from the side and wrapped around its lower jaw.
One end of the trunk pressed against its chin, while the other plunged into the ground, forcing its mouth open at an angle.
The gathering Tailed Beast Bomb was interrupted. Crimson chakra spilled from the corner of its mouth and scattered into tiny points of light.
"Wood Release…"
Obito cried out in disbelief.
How did Kiyohara know Wood Release?
Without transplanting Hashirama cells, how had Kiyohara mastered this power?
Black Zetsu, who had been hiding outside and observing the battlefield, froze on that half-black, half-white face.
He had lived for over a thousand years and seen countless unbelievable things, but the scene before him still exceeded his understanding.
Kiyohara could use Wood Release.
He recalled the path he had once considered: if Obito failed, then Kiyohara could become the new vessel.
At first, what he had valued was Kiyohara's many kekkei genkai and his rapidly growing talent.
But now, Kiyohara had revealed Wood Release too.
What did that mean?
It meant Kiyohara possessed both the power of the Uchiha and the Senju.
Black Zetsu did not continue thinking about it. His body slowly sank into the ground, leaving only a pair of yellow eyes exposed as he continued watching the battlefield.
…
On the outskirts of the village, Kisame Hoshigaki wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
His lips had been cut by his own teeth, and a split had opened on his lower lip. Blood ran down his chin and dripped onto his black cloak with red clouds.
He raised his head and looked at the forest that had appeared out of nowhere inside the village. A trace of surprise flashed in his sharklike eyes.
"That side's making quite a commotion."
His voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying the taste of blood in his throat.
Then he turned to look at Might Guy across from him.
Guy, dressed in an Anbu uniform, had green steam rising from his whole body. His skin was flushed red, veins bulging, and sweat evaporated into steam the moment it appeared.
His breathing was hurried, and every exhale carried scorching heat.
"Your opponent is me."
Might Guy spoke.
He would absolutely not allow these enemies to break into the village.
Kisame grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.
"You're the strongest taijutsu ninja I've ever seen."
Kisame praised him.
His gaze returned to Guy as he prepared to launch a Water Release technique.
No matter what, since "Uchiha Madara" was inside controlling the Nine-Tails in battle, things should be fine.
…
Outside the barrier, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the rooftop of a building. Looking at the forest that had suddenly appeared, his fingers slowly tightened around his staff.
"So it really is Wood Release…"
"Looks like it."
Enma's voice came from the staff in his hand.
Hiruzen fell silent.
Back then, Konoha had used the strength of the entire village in an attempt to reproduce Wood Release. Yet now, Kiyohara had awakened it.
Hiruzen knew about Yamato's existence.
But he also knew that Yamato's Wood Release was a complete imitation. It was absolutely impossible for him to do something like this.
"Sarutobi-sensei, Kiyohara really is absurd."
Orochimaru appeared near Hiruzen, licking the corner of his mouth.
"Orochimaru, weren't you out on a mission?"
Hiruzen asked.
"I happened to return tonight."
Orochimaru shook his head.
He had originally gone out with Shinnō to establish a new Root base outside. Tonight, he had wanted to return and handle some matters related to cursed seals, only to happen upon the Nine-Tails outbreak.
"Since you're here, prepare to respond."
Hiruzen nodded.
"Perhaps we won't be needed, Sarutobi-sensei."
Orochimaru chuckled.
In his view, the battle was almost completely one-sided. It was visibly obvious that Kiyohara would win.
"We cannot be careless."
Hiruzen nodded.
Even if Kiyohara currently had the upper hand, they had to stay vigilant against the Nine-Tails.
"Where is Danzō?"
Hiruzen asked again.
Every time something happened, Hiruzen discovered that Shimura Danzō had vanished somewhere.
"Danzō is still evacuating the people."
Orochimaru said.
Mm. Root ninja were people too.
Orochimaru thought.
"That's good."
Hiruzen nodded.
Then master and disciple continued watching the front.
More and more ninja gathered nearby.
"Hokage-sama can actually use the same technique as the First!"
"We're saved!"
"The Nine-Tails can't possibly be a match for Wood Release!"
The surrounding ninja cried out one after another in shock.
Yūhi Kurenai listened to the cheers around her, her eyes shining with wonder.
"Kiyohara can even use Wood Release…"
She murmured.
Nohara Rin stood at the entrance of Konoha Hospital, both hands clasped before her chest, her brown eyes looking toward the distant forest.
Behind her, members of the medical team were busy preparing stretchers and medicine.
Footsteps, voices, and the sound of tools clattering together mixed into a somewhat chaotic noise.
But she heard none of it. All of her attention was on Kiyohara's figure.
"Rin-senpai?"
A young medical ninja called from behind her.
Rin did not respond.
"Rin-senpai?"
Only then did she come back to herself and turn around.
"What is it?"
"The injured have been prepared. The first batch brought in has more than a dozen people. They're all lightly injured, but a few had their fingers hurt by the enemy, and they're not easy to treat…"
The medical ninja spoke.
For ninja, their hands were as important as their lives.
If their fingers were damaged, they would be unable to form hand seals.
Unless they already knew seal-less ninjutsu, or could substitute hand seals with other body parts, their overall combat strength would be greatly reduced.
"I understand."
Rin interrupted her and took a deep breath, forcing down all those messy thoughts.
She gave the distant forest one last look, then turned and entered the hospital.
Now was not the time to stand around in a daze.
Kiyohara was fighting, and she had her own duty to perform.
…
Inside the barrier.
Kiyohara stood at the forehead of the Perfect Susanoo, looking down at the Nine-Tails bound by Wood Release.
The Nine-Tails was still struggling.
But the tree trunks were too thick, too numerous, and still growing.
Fresh branches sprouted from the trunks and wrapped around the Nine-Tails' neck, pressing down until it had difficulty breathing.
Obito stood on the Nine-Tails' head, the fur beneath his feet shaking violently.
"Kiyohara…"
Obito's lone Sharingan glowed crimson in the dark.
He had not lost yet.
The Nine-Tails was still here. So what if Kiyohara had Wood Release? So what if he had Amaterasu?
Obito still had Kamui, and all the backup plans Madara had left him.
Obito took a deep breath, crouched down, and pressed both hands onto the Nine-Tails' fur again.
The next moment, Obito used Kamui on the Nine-Tails, moving it to a position off to the side.
Kiyohara watched this, his expression still calm.
What he had used just now was only Wood Release chakra created by combining Earth and Water. He had not yet used a proper ninjutsu.
Now, Kiyohara intended to test an actual Wood Release technique.
He had obtained some Wood Release ninjutsu from Tsunade.
Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!
Rumble, rumble.
New tree trunks burst out of the ground, even thicker than before.
Those trunks surged toward the Nine-Tails like countless giant pythons, wrapping around its limbs.
The Nine-Tails' body was pinned down once more, even more tightly than before.
Obito frowned, sweat forming on his forehead.
Using Kamui to move the Nine-Tails consumed a great deal of his chakra.
He could feel his chakra draining at an astonishing rate.
Controlling the Nine-Tails required chakra to maintain. Breaking free from Wood Release required chakra too.
Even with the support of Hashirama cells, he was beginning to feel tired.
He could not drag this out any longer.
Obito raised his head and looked through the eyehole of his mask at Kiyohara, who stood on Susanoo's forehead.
He suddenly realized something.
From beginning to end, Kiyohara had never been serious.
Obito's fist clenched even tighter.