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Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Suddenly, sharp bursts of air sliced through the night, like invisible arrows tearing the silence. Some of the sounds resembled the whistling of kunai and shuriken cutting through the air—but with distinct differences.
Moments later, both Danzo and the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, furrowed their brows deeply.
They already knew what was coming.
Countless branches and vines surged forward, densely packed—but unlike before.
Previously, the vines had twisted and tangled like thick ropes, ensnaring their prey. Now, these were straight, sharp as arrows.
They were tougher and stronger, each carrying an overwhelming force.
Each arrow was laced with intense murderous intent.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Technique!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
The same ninjutsu as before.
The Third Hokage and Danzo prepared to counter it as they had the last assault.
But it wasn't going to be that simple.
If Uchiha Haru chose to unleash this ninjutsu again, he had his reasons.
With the wind release enhancing the fire release, the flames' power increased exponentially.
Just like before, everything hit by their combined attack was reduced to ash and cleared away.
But then, Danzo noticed something unusual. And he knew why Haru was doing this.
Though the two ninjutsu seemed similar, there were important differences.
Compared to the tangled vines and branches used before, now they were separated, flying as individual arrows.
Furthermore, due to their smaller size, their speed and power had greatly increased.
This meant that more ninjutsu would be required to stop them, consuming even more chakra.
"We can't keep this up!" the Third Hokage narrowed his eyes and said in a low, serious tone.
He hadn't lived this long without reason.
He had endured the horrors of the Ninja World Wars and had vast battlefield experience.
Danzo was equally aware. He exhaled slowly and said, "Wood Release: Sea of Trees—every tree here is a weapon of Uchiha Haru."
"In a forest this vast, the number of arrows is endless. We're just wasting chakra trying to fend them off one by one."
"To break this deadlock, we have to destroy the entire forest."
The Third Hokage hesitated for a moment before nodding heavily.
Destroying the entire forest was easier said than done.
This was the forest that covered the whole Uchiha clan's settlement.
It was impossible to imagine how much chakra it would take to annihilate such a huge area.
But continuing to fight like trapped beasts, bleeding chakra away with no progress, was a sure path to death.
Better to be decisive and end it now.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bomb!"
"Wind Release: Great Vacuum Ball!"
The Third Hokage and Danzo revealed their true strength.
One powerful ninjutsu after another erupted from them, exploding outward with terrifying force.
This time, their target wasn't just the incoming arrows—it was the entire forest.
Under the combined force of their attacks, the forest soon erupted in flames.
The night lit up as though it were daytime.
The forest was gone.
Haru's Wood Release: Sea of Trees was completely shattered.
But the price for breaking this jutsu was steep.
Nearly half of the Third Hokage's chakra was drained, and at his advanced age, his stamina was no longer what it once was—a glaring weakness.
Danzo's forehead was slick with cold sweat; his breaths came hard and fast.
The Third Hokage's face was pale, strained.
Only now did they truly realize what kind of monster Uchiha Haru was.
No wonder even a prodigy like Uchiha Itachi had been defeated by him.
What terrified them even more was that Haru had relied solely on the Sea of Trees from start to finish—and still forced them to this brink.
It was truly horrifying.
"After all, that was only the Sea of Trees. If he used Wood Release: World of Trees, that jutsu alone could trap several Kage-level shinobi," Haru muttered quietly.
Wood Release: World of Trees was the advanced form of Sea of Trees.
It had a far greater range and far more destructive power.
But it demanded even more chakra.
Even with Haru's exaggerated chakra reserves, it was a huge consumption and couldn't be used casually.
Although the jutsu was broken, it hadn't dampened his spirit.
It would be far too difficult to rely on Sea of Trees alone to defeat the three Kage-level shinobi—the Third Hokage and Danzo.
Unless he unleashed another trump card.
The Lord of Elements.
By increasing the original jutsu's power by 300%, it might be possible.
However, Haru had no intention of revealing that much strength just yet.
For now, Wood Release combined with his Otsutsuki-enhanced body and Sharingan were enough.
"Orochimaru, I agree to the conditions we discussed last time," Danzo said behind him.
"As long as you help me kill Uchiha Haru!"
The power Haru had displayed terrified Danzo.
Given Haru's youth, his potential for growth was enormous.
If Haru were allowed to live, no one could say whether he'd become the next God of Shinobi or surpass even Uchiha Madara.
Even eclipsing the First Hokage and Madara himself.
After all, in thousands of years, there had only been one person to possess both Wood Release and the Sharingan.
He Absolutely Cannot Tolerate Such a Person to Live!
"Hehehe…"
Orochimaru laughed, his snake-like eyes gleaming with twisted excitement.
The condition he had proposed was clear: he wanted Uchiha Haru's body.
For a long time, he had coveted the Uchiha clan's Sharingan. He had initially chosen Uchiha Itachi, the prodigy of the clan.
But it didn't take long before he discovered a far better target—Uchiha Haru, a genius who possessed not only the Sharingan but also Wood Release.
If he could acquire such a body, what terrifying heights could he reach!
"I'll go."
Orochimaru said this to the masked man behind him, then strode forward to join the Third Hokage and Danzo.
The masked man did not stop him, nor did he show any sign of displeasure.
This was the Akatsuki—a group that, aside from carrying out assigned missions, enjoyed a high degree of autonomy.
Whether Orochimaru helped the Third Hokage or Danzo was entirely his own decision.
The masked man certainly didn't care.
" Sarutobi Sensei, I never thought we'd end up fighting side by side one day."
Orochimaru teased the Third Hokage, a faint smile on his lips.
The Third Hokage glanced at his former favorite student but said nothing.
"Let's deal with the problem first, then talk about the past."
Danzo's voice was cold and sharp.
Orochimaru chuckled. "If you want to solve the problem, you don't have to use force."
He stepped forward a few paces and addressed Haru directly:
"Uchiha Haru, I admit you're strong. If you want to leave, it'll be hard for us to stop you."
"But…"
He paused, his expression darkening.
"It might be easy for you to leave, but what about the other Uchiha clan members?"
"We can't touch you—but them… hehe."
Before he could finish, the implication was clear.
He intended to use the lives of the Uchiha clan members as leverage to force Haru's surrender.
At Orochimaru's words, the Third Hokage and Danzo both frowned deeply.
Yes—why hadn't they thought of this earlier?
The Third Hokage wouldn't stoop to such threats due to his reputation.
But Danzo was different.
Danzo was the root of Konoha's shadows, the dark force behind the village.
Where the Third Hokage could not speak such ruthless words, Danzo would not hesitate.
And in their minds, Haru must care deeply for the Uchiha clan—otherwise, with his abilities, who could stop him from escaping?
These Uchiha members were Haru's greatest weak points.
They should have realized this long ago—but unfortunately, the Uchiha clan heard the threat clearly as well.
"Those bastards from Konoha, resorting to cheap tricks when they can't win. They're as shameless as ever!"
"Haru, don't listen to them. We can protect ourselves!"
"Even if we die, as long as you live, our Uchiha clan will carry on!"
The Uchiha members shouted fiercely.
Orochimaru's shameless words enraged everyone.
Yet Haru remained calm.
Death?
What he wanted was a strong Uchiha clan that could back him in the future.
Moreover, after today's battle, the clan had already placed significant trust in him.
How could he let the clan members die so easily?
But forcing him to surrender by threatening them was naïve at best.
Haru chuckled softly. "If you kill one Uchiha, I'll kill ten from Konoha."
"If you wipe out the Uchiha clan, I will annihilate Konoha."
His voice was calm as always, but it carried an unyielding authority.
No one doubted the truth behind his words.
Because everyone knew he had the strength to back them up.
Orochimaru was stunned. He hadn't expected Haru to speak so boldly.
He didn't care much for Konoha's survival.
But Danzo and the Third Hokage—
Both their faces darkened deeply.
Haru's words were a powerful deterrent.
Setting aside the previous ninjutsu, how many in all of Konoha could withstand the Sea of Trees?
Not to mention the threat of total destruction.
Orochimaru also understood Danzo's and the Third Hokage's options clearly.
They would never gamble the entire village's fate.
Orochimaru smiled and shook his head. "Alas, it seems we have no choice."
"Then I will show you the legendary forbidden technique—Impure World Reincarnation!"
As he spoke, he began forming hand seals rapidly.
Suddenly, three coffins slowly emerged from the ground.
The middle coffin had the number one written on it.
The coffin on the left bore the number two.
The one on the right was marked with the number four.
Snap!
With a crisp sound, the lids of the coffins labeled one and two creaked open.
The third coffin sank back into the earth, its lid firmly shut.
Two figures rose from the open coffins.
Having endured countless battles and simulations, Haru immediately recognized them.
The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—the God of Shinobi!
And the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama—the master of forbidden techniques!
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This Week Bonus Chapter - 200 Power stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 400 Power Stones
3rd Bonus Chapter - 600 Power Stones
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Love the story and can't wait to see what happens next?
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Thank you for reading, and I truly appreciate your support! 💖
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