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thanks for the PS
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Chapter 84: Mokuton (5)
"Yes," Naruto said. The single word hung in the quiet air of the forest.
Kinoe reached into his tactical vest. His fingers brushed against the thick parchment of a sealed scroll. The rough texture immediately brought a buried memory to the surface of his mind.
He remembered the sterile, white lights of the Foundation laboratory flickering overhead. A much younger Kinoe had stood shivering in a thin hospital gown. Danzō stood in front of him, holding out this exact heavy, green-bound scroll.
"Sixty children died in those tanks," Danzō had said, his single visible eye cold and demanding. "You lived. You carry the blood of the First Hokage in your veins. This scroll contains his legacy. Learn it. Become the weapon Konoha requires."
Kinoe had taken the scroll with trembling hands that day. It had felt heavier than a boulder.
Pulling himself back to the present, Kinoe pulled the scroll free and handed it to the boy standing in front of him. Naruto took it and unrolled the heavy parchment across his lap. His blue eyes immediately began scanning the complex ink. The document was a masterpiece of shinobi theory. It contained detailed diagrams of chakra pathways, precise hand seal sequences, and the fundamental theories behind fusing earth and water to create life.
"I have only mastered a fraction of what is written there," Kinoe admitted. "The chakra demands for these techniques are extreme."
"Show me," Naruto ordered. He kept the scroll resting on his knees. "Execute every technique you know. Do not hold back."
Kinoe nodded. He stepped back into the center of the clearing and took a deep breath. He focused on his chakra coils, gathering his energy. He brought his hands together, his fingers forming the Snake, Rat, and Dog seals in rapid succession.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!" Kinoe shouted.
He thrust his right arm forward. The flesh of his forearm shifted and expanded, erupting into a barrage of thick, sharpened wooden stakes. He aimed at a massive oak tree twenty yards away.
The result shocked him instantly. The wood burst from his arm with a violent, explosive force he had never experienced before. His wooden constructs were usually a dull, pale brown. Today, the wood was darker, tinted with a faint, metallic silver sheen. The stakes crossed the clearing in a fraction of a second and slammed into the oak tree. The massive trunk exploded into splinters on impact. The stakes kept going, tearing completely through three more trees before finally stopping.
Kinoe stumbled backward. He looked at his own hand in absolute shock. The destructive power of the jutsu was at least twice his normal output.
He turned to look at Naruto. "What was that?" Kinoe asked, his voice breathless. "My jutsu power just doubled. This strange silver chakra inside me is reacting to the wood. What exactly did you give me?"
Naruto watched him with calm, unblinking eyes. He did not fully understand the upper limits of his own Soul Energy yet. He certainly had no intention of explaining his theories to a subordinate.
"Focus on the training," Naruto said simply. "Continue."
Kinoe swallowed hard. He felt the silver link humming in his chest, silently compelling him to obey the order. He formed another set of hand seals.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
Thick wooden pillars erupted from the dirt. They curved inward, locking together to form a solid, ribbed dome around him. The structure was incredibly dense, the wood humming with that same silver vitality. Kinoe dropped the defensive dome and immediately moved to the next technique. He created three Wood Clones. He followed that by forming the Four-Pillar Prison, erecting a massive wooden cage straight out of the forest floor.
Naruto watched every movement intently. Inside his mind, the System's Observation Deck was fully active. The transparent blue interface recorded Kinoe's hand movements, measuring his chakra output and his elemental fusion ratio. Naruto looked down at the open scroll on his lap. He cross-referenced the original instructions with Kinoe's practical application. He analyzed the data stream, isolating the exact inefficiencies in Kinoe's chakra molding.
By the time Kinoe finished his display, he was completely exhausted. The silver chakra amplified his power significantly. However, the physical toll of channeling that much concentrated energy left his body drained. He collapsed onto one knee, panting heavily. Sweat dripped from his chin onto the grass below.
Naruto closed the scroll.
"Impressive," Naruto said. He stood up and walked toward the center of the clearing. "You have a solid foundation. However, your execution of the Great Forest Technique is highly wasteful."
Kinoe looked up, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "Wasteful?"
"You are converting your earth and water chakra as they leave your arm," Naruto explained. He stopped a few feet away. "That timing causes a bottleneck in your chakra network. You need to blend the two elements completely at your core before pushing them outward. Watch carefully."
Naruto did not widen his stance. He brought his small hands together. His fingers blurred as he formed the Snake, Rat, and Dog seals. He did not shout the name of the technique.
He simply extended his right arm.
A massive, solid pillar of dark, ancient wood erupted from his sleeve. It formed a dense, unified battering ram of pure kinetic force. The wood tore through the forest, obliterating everything in its path for fifty straight yards. It carved a deep, jagged trench into the earth. It finally slammed into a solid rock face at the edge of the clearing, shattering the stone completely. The air vibrated with the sheer pressure of the impact.
Naruto lowered his arm. The massive wooden construct detached smoothly from his skin and crashed to the ground. He hadn't broken a single drop of sweat. His chakra reserves barely registered the cost of the jutsu.
Kinoe stared at the long trail of absolute destruction. His mouth was completely dry. He slowly turned his head to look at the four-year-old boy standing casually beside him. The boy's golden hair blew gently in the wind settling over the ruined trees.
A deep, primal fear took root in Kinoe's chest. He found himself staring at the child, seriously wondering if the creature wearing Naruto Uzumaki's face was truly a human being at all.
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