"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
In the blink of an eye—
Ren moved again.
Thick wooden beams burst out of the ground.
They rapidly formed an oval defensive barrier.
It shielded Tsunade from both sides and behind, protecting her completely.
"BOOM! BOOM!"
Numerous attacks crashed into the shield.
But the barrier remained unshaken.
Meanwhile—
The Root ninja targeted by Tsunade barely dodged her devastating punch.
But before he could retreat—
a terrifying pain exploded in his abdomen.
It felt as though his internal organs had shattered.
"WAAH—!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
His body was blasted away like a cannonball.
"Ah… blood…"
Tsunade—who had been unstoppable moments earlier—
suddenly trembled when she saw the blood splashing through the air.
Her entire body froze.
"Tsunade-nee!"
Ren shouted.
"Damn it! Lady Tsunade's hemophobia has triggered again!"
Shizune cried out in alarm.
Holding a kunai,
she rushed forward and stood protectively in front of the motionless Tsunade.
She barely blocked the strike of an approaching Root ninja.
At the same time—
Hidden weapons from her sleeves fired instantly.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Poison needles shot out rapidly.
The pursuing Root operatives changed expression in shock.
They hurriedly dodged, forced to retreat.
Meanwhile—
Ren rushed forward as well.
Directly intercepting the Root ninjas.
"Our employer wants his corpse. Don't hold back!"
Several Root operatives attacked fiercely.
Their blades gleamed coldly.
They slashed at Ren from all directions.
"Wood Release: Impalement Technique!"
Without warning—
Ren's eyes turned cold.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Countless sharp branches shot out from both of his hands.
They burst outward in every direction toward the surrounding Root operatives.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Root ninjas' faces changed drastically.
But suddenly—
their vision blurred.
Their bodies froze.
They couldn't move.
"Damn it! It's genjutsu!"
"When did he cast it?!"
"Release!"
Some formed seals with one hand.
Others bit their tongues immediately.
They managed to break free from the genjutsu Ren had secretly cast earlier.
However—
the branches were already right in front of them.
Several Root operatives failed to dodge.
The branches pierced straight through their bodies.
"AAAAAH—!"
In the next moment—
The branches embedded in their bodies suddenly split and grew wildly.
They expanded inside their flesh.
Piercing organs.
Tearing through their bodies from the inside.
Blood splattered everywhere.
The sight was horrifying.
It sent chills from head to toe.
"Hiss—"
Even Shizune—
who had traveled with Tsunade for years and seen plenty of bloodshed—
couldn't help but gasp.
Her scalp tingled.
Only now did she truly realize
how terrifying Wood Release was.
If someone was hit by a shuriken or kunai,
even if it was poisoned,
they could still survive if it wasn't fatal.
But if someone was struck by Ren's technique—
survival would be nothing short of a miracle.
"You're much weaker than I expected."
Ren looked at the surviving Root ninjas.
His face was expressionless.
"Since that's the case…"
"You might as well die."
He had once assumed
that being only eight years old meant his strength still had much room to grow.
But after fighting these Root operatives—
he realized something.
He hadn't overestimated his enemies.
He had severely underestimated himself.
After days of brutal training—
fighting his wood clones in life-or-death taijutsu battles—
his combat ability had skyrocketed.
His reflexes had become astonishingly fast.
Even without activating the Sharingan—
when facing the coordinated assassination attacks of these Root operatives—
his body still reacted instantly.
As a Mori Mori Fruit user, his physique far surpassed ordinary humans.
He could easily defend and counterattack.
"Time to die."
Ren didn't waste any more words.
Killing intent surged as he rushed forward.
"Retreat!"
The surviving Root ninjas exchanged glances.
While quickly jumping backward,
they threw several black spheres toward Ren.
"Wood Locking Wall!"
A massive wooden shield appeared instantly.
Blocking the spheres.
"BOOM! BOOM!"
Explosions rang out.
Thick smoke filled the forest.
When the smoke cleared—
the surviving Root operatives had vanished.
"Ren! Those guys are tricky—there might be poison mixed in the smoke!"
Tsunade, still trembling, shouted a warning.
"Shizune-senpai, stay here and protect Tsunade-nee!"
Ren showed no hesitation.
He charged forward boldly.
"I'll finish them!"
"Ren! Don't be reckless!"
Tsunade and Shizune shouted in alarm.
But the "hot-headed" Ren ignored them—
and rushed deep into the forest.
Some time later—
After confirming no one else was attacking or watching them—
Tsunade, who had been trembling and pale,
suddenly stood up.
"That brat… he's too reckless."
She glanced around the battlefield.
The ground was devastated.
Bodies lay scattered everywhere.
Blood soaked the earth.
Tsunade frowned slightly.
Then she turned to Shizune.
"Shizune, clean up the scene and dispose of the bodies."
"Don't leave any trace of Wood Release."
"I'll go check on him."
Their opponent was Shimura Danzō—
a notorious schemer who would use any method necessary.
Tsunade knew Ren was incredibly talented.
His strength might even surpass hers already.
But he was still young.
He lacked real combat experience.
Against a calculating monster like Danzō—
carelessness could be fatal.
She had to go support him.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade. Leave it to me."
Shizune nodded seriously as she watched Tsunade leave.
She understood.
The legendary Princess of Konoha, one of the Three Sannin, had returned.
With her hemophobia gone—
there was nothing left to restrain Tsunade.
…
----------------◇ Bonus Chapter Reward◇-----------------------
Every 10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 60 chapters ahead on Patreon if you're interested:
patreon.com/Luna023
Your support helps the story grow and motivates faster updates.