"Heh… times may change, but ants will always be ants. No matter how strong an ant becomes, it can never defeat an elephant. In the eyes of the strong, there's no place for weaklings like you," Isamu said arrogantly, completely disregarding the enemies before him.
"Oh? Since you look down on us so much, then take a good look at this."
As he spoke, the Iwa ninja captain pulled out a glass bottle from his pocket.
"!! You despicable bastard—how dare you touch our Uchiha Sharingan!"
Isamu's expression darkened as he saw two pairs of Sharingan floating inside the bottle. The rest of the Uchiha members also stared at the captain with fury burning in their eyes.
"Hahaha! How does it feel? Seeing the Sharingan you're so proud of being handled like this—does it hurt?"
The captain laughed wildly, even shaking the bottle to provoke them further.
"Damn it…"
The Uchiha members clenched their fists, teeth grinding in rage.
But Isamu suddenly let out a cold chuckle.
"Heh."
"What's wrong, Isamu? Laughing like a madman because you're angry?" the captain mocked.
"I originally thought you had already sent those back to your village. Didn't expect them to still be here… that saves me quite a bit of trouble," Isamu said calmly, his tone relaxed. "Once I kill you, I can just take them back."
"Kill us? Do you think you are? We're not so easy to deal with. Fifty of us are more than enough to take you down!"
Although the captain spoke boldly, a trace of unease lingered in his eyes.
"If you don't believe me, then come try."
Isamu waved his hand lazily. "Uchiha members, step back. Today, I'll broaden your horizons."
Without hesitation, the Uchiha retreated to the side. None of the Iwa ninja stopped them—all their attention was locked onto Isamu.
"Everyone, be careful! He's no ordinary opponent. Use everything you've got!" the captain shouted.
"Too late."
With a powerful push of his feet, Isamu leapt out of their encirclement and formed hand seals at lightning speed.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Boom!
A vast forest erupted from the ground. Massive trees surged forward like a tidal wave, rushing straight toward the Iwa ninja.
"Th-this… such a large-scale Ninjutsu… impossible!"
"I must be dreaming…"
"Can we really fight someone like this?!"
The Iwa ninja froze in terror, completely overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the technique.
"It's Wood Release… the First Hokage's Wood Release!"
The battlefield instantly descended into chaos.
"Don't just stand there like idiots!" the captain roared. "Defend yourselves or we all die here!"
Snapping out of it, the Iwa ninja hurriedly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release!"
Flames roared out, attempting to burn down the incoming forest.
"Heh… naive."
Isamu sneered. "If Fire Release could counter Wood Release, Madara wouldn't have lost to Hashirama."
The flames barely slowed the advance. The forest continued forward relentlessly.
"Ahhh!"
"Help!"
The first wave of Iwa ninja was instantly caught. The trees wrapped around them, draining their chakra and crushing them lifelessly.
On the sidelines, the Uchiha members stared in shock.
"This… this is Wood Release… the same power as Hashirama Senju…"
Even Zhan was stunned.
Isamu… just how many abilities does he have? he thought, eyes wide.
Hidden in the distance, a White Zetsu observed everything.
"So he can even use Deep Forest Emergence… this is bad. I need to report this to Madara immediately."
It quickly dispatched a clone and disappeared.
Meanwhile, the battlefield had become a nightmare.
The Iwa ninja's defenses were completely useless. The forest spread rapidly, devouring everything in its path.
"Captain, it's not working! What do we do?!"
But when they turned around—
The captain was gone.
He had already fled dozens of meters away.
"Damn it! That coward ran away!"
"Retreat! Everyone retreat!"
Panic spread instantly as the remaining Iwa ninja scattered in all directions.
Isamu watched them calmly.
"You talk the toughest… and run the fastest. Unfortunately… can you outrun the forest?"
He increased the chakra output.
The forest surged even faster.
Screams echoed endlessly.
"NO—!"
"Help me—!"
One by one, the Iwa ninja were swallowed and killed. In moments, the battlefield fell silent.
Not a single one survived.
Far in the distance, the captain continued to flee desperately.
"Faster… faster!"
He ran as if his life depended on it—because it did.
Soon, he was the only one left.
Isamu's gaze locked onto him.
"Not bad… you actually outran the forest."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"But I have other ways to stop you."
He formed hand seals again.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"
Sharp wooden spikes extended from the forest, ready to launch.
At that moment—
[Ding! System Notification:]
[Mission Issued — Initiate the Second Great Ninja War]
[Requirement: Declare war on four Ninja Villages simultaneously and achieve victory]
[Reward: 500,000 points + Sharingan upgrade opportunity]
[Failure Penalty: Permanent loss of reproductive capability]
"...What the hell?! Declaring war on four villages at once?"
Isamu was stunned for a split second.
"Are you serious…?"
But the fleeing captain was about to escape.
"Forget it. Deal with him first."
Whoosh!
A wooden spike shot out like a bullet.
Pshh!
It pierced straight through the captain's thigh.
"AHHH—!"
He collapsed instantly.
"If I wanted you dead, that would've gone through your heart," Isamu said coldly, walking forward. "You're still alive because I need you to deliver a message… to Ōnoki."