Chapter 197: Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees
After the Animal Path was thoroughly destroyed, confirming no residue remained, yellow light flashed in the sky. Minato returned to the ground, extending his hand to grab a soldier pill from his ninja tool pouch and chew it.
The soldier pill's bitter taste filled his mouth, making his expression twist momentarily.
After completely chewing and swallowing the pill, he looked up at the thirty-plus meter tall wood human beside him. Hyuga Ritsu had already landed atop the wood human's head.
The next instant—
Yellow light flashed again. Minato appeared beside Hyuga Ritsu. Looking at him, Minato smiled. "Hyuga Clan Head, giving me a ride."
Hyuga Ritsu glanced at Minato and asked aloud, "Hokage-sama, was that move just now a new technique you developed?"
"That's right."
Minato smiled and nodded. "That encounter we had together in the Land of Hot Water made me realize my own inadequacies. Against ordinary enemies, Rasengan can handle things. But encountering more troublesome fellows, Rasengan's attack power proves somewhat insufficient. So I incorporated Wind Release chakra nature transformation into Rasengan."
"Does it have a name?"
Hearing this inquiry, Minato's spirits immediately lifted, speaking rather excitedly. "I gave it a name called 'Rasengan Hurricane Super Wheel Dance Roar Style One'!"
"Rasengan... what?"
Hyuga Ritsu's face showed difficulty.
The Fourth's naming preferences truly proved somewhat unimaginably abstract. He thought for a moment and spoke tactfully. "This name feels somewhat inconvenient to remember!"
"Alright!"
Minato sighed and continued, "Kushina also said my name was too strange. Though I think this name is quite good, this technique's current official name is 'Rasenshuriken.' This is the name Kushina gave it. Not as magnificent as the name I chose, but indeed more direct."
"Rasenshuriken? Indeed very vivid."
Hyuga Ritsu nodded satisfactorily. This name hit the mark.
Now Minato had used this move "Rasenshuriken" before him. Naturally, the founder enjoyed naming rights. If Minato had given this move some strange name, he'd have suffered.
Fortunately, the Nine-Tails jinchuriki's naming ability remained normally online. If he remembered correctly, the name Rasengan was also given by Uzumaki Kushina. The name Minato himself chose was truly absurdly strange.
"Hokage-sama, I'm very interested in this move. Please allow me to use it."
"Use? Hyuga Clan Head, you mean you've already learned Rasenshuriken by watching?"
"That's right."
"This is truly... well, not surprising. Hyuga Clan Head, you indeed appear quite talented in Wind Release technique training. This technique like a jinchuriki's Tailed Beast cloak—you created it yourself, right?"
Minato stared at the violent wind wrapped around Hyuga Ritsu's body, examining him up and down. He couldn't help clicking his tongue in admiration. "Such bold creativity, daring to utilize wind's power like this."
"Gentle Fist Style: Wind Release Chakra Mode."
Hyuga Ritsu introduced this technique he'd developed. "Indeed, to create this technique I also suffered considerably. But relying on these eyes and chakra control forged through years of Gentle Fist practice, I ultimately completed this technique without major incidents."
"True. The Byakugan perceives minutely. Gentle Fist style's chakra control proves exquisitely refined. Only by combining both could one possibly control such dangerous technique..."
Minato nodded, acknowledging Hyuga Ritsu's explanation.
Immediately—
His expression became serious. "Since that's the case, Hyuga Clan Head, with your vision you should clearly see Rasenshuriken is a double-edged sword, right? Harming others while harming oneself. Merely learning this technique won't do—one must also apply it properly."
"Naturally. Those minute wind blades cut at the cellular level. Before injuring enemies, they first bring tremendous burden to the caster's own body."
"Precisely so. Rasenshuriken's minute wind blades bring tremendous damage to the caster's chakra pathways in palms, arms, and other positions. Once or twice can barely be endured, but three, four times will very likely cause irreversible damage to chakra pathways."
Minato looked at Hyuga Ritsu, speaking very seriously and solemnly. "I can only use this move by relying on senjutsu chakra in Sage Mode to buffer this damage."
"So Hyuga Clan Head, feel free to use this move. But my suggestion is that you first seek Sage techniques from Ryuchi Cave. Once you've learned Sage techniques, you won't need to worry about injuring yourself."
Minato's attitude was sincere and unreserved, genuinely considering things for Hyuga Ritsu's sake.
Hyuga Ritsu smiled slightly. "Hokage-sama, please rest assured. I've already embarked on the path of atavism. Like the First Hokage, my current physical body possesses extremely strong regenerative abilities. This degree of damage means nothing to me."
As his words fell—
Chakra gathered in Hyuga Ritsu's opened right palm. In the blink of an eye, like a typhoon completely compressed in his palm, the high-density chakra sphere rotating at high speed was wrapped in a shuriken-shaped outer layer of violent wind!
Unmistakably, this was the Rasenshuriken Minato had just used to eliminate the Animal Path.
Minato's pupils contracted. His heart quite shocked. To think he'd already learned the Rasenshuriken he'd expended considerable effort developing. This talent truly proved astonishing!
His gaze moved to Hyuga Ritsu's nonchalant face. He smiled helplessly. "Hyuga Clan Head, if you truly possess sufficient confidence, then feel free to use this move."
While speaking—
The wood human beneath their feet had already taken large strides pursuing to the great gentle slope below the plateau. Replica Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Shisui, and Hiruko fought tangled together.
The two of them stood atop the wood human's head talking—not because they'd forgotten this was still a battlefield, but because the wood human beneath their feet was pursuing Uchiha Shisui and Hiruko still locked in fierce battle under Hyuga Ritsu's control.
Naturally, Minato using Flying Thunder God Technique would be faster.
But his chakra was limited. Neither a jinchuriki nor having inherited any ancient bloodlines, he'd completely relied on genuine exceptional talent to struggle toward current achievements.
This was why his combat methods completely differed from Hyuga Ritsu's. He lacked capital for wanton squandering. He could only calculate carefully as much as possible, controlling chakra consumption to the extreme. If chakra needn't be wasted, absolutely don't waste it. Consequently, he'd cultivated that top-tier assassin combat style, pursuing lethal single strikes, avoiding drawn-out consumption battles as much as possible.
Moreover, he truly wasn't particularly skilled at Sage techniques. After using Rasenshuriken, he'd already exited Sage Mode.
So—
He currently needed to rest slightly, needed time to let the soldier pill take effect.
In the just-passed half hour, he'd frequently deployed Flying Thunder God Technique, plus used sealing techniques to subdue those replicas. Chakra consumption proved quite intense.
Moreover, riding the wood human proved sufficiently fast and more effortless.
At this moment—
The swallowed soldier pill began taking effect. Accompanied by slight stinging sensations throughout his body, newly born chakra in originally depleted chakra pathways flowed like trickling streams throughout his entire body.
However, he wasn't rushing to act now.
Instead standing atop the wood human's head, observing battle conditions below.
Uchiha Shisui and Hiruko joined forces fighting replica Uchiha Madara, moreover barely managing an even exchange.
"Shisui has grown again!"
Minato saw the implications, couldn't help praising.
Hyuga Ritsu also nodded in agreement. "Shisui indeed is a genius!"
The reason Uchiha Shisui and Hiruko joining forces could exchange blows evenly with replica Uchiha Madara wasn't because replica Uchiha Madara had suddenly weakened, but because Uchiha Shisui had rapidly completed evolution under tremendous pressure.
He'd grown stronger!
Tremendous pressure from replica Uchiha Madara hadn't crushed this descendant Uchiha Shisui. Instead, it became nourishment for Uchiha Shisui's growth. Through copying and imitating replica Uchiha Madara, he'd made himself considerably stronger than half an hour ago.
His sword techniques proved increasingly sharp and swift. Fire Release techniques came easily.
But truly impressive was his Body Flicker Technique—one degree faster than before.
Don't underestimate this tiny bit of progress. Uchiha Shisui's Body Flicker Technique was already fast to the extreme. Relying on this extreme speed, he'd killed Mist ninja until they fled in terror. Now making further progress atop this hundred-foot pole, his speed had reached levels ordinary jonin could barely react to.
Precisely relying on this extreme speed, with Hiruko's assistance, he could exchange blows evenly with replica Uchiha Madara rather than being one-sidedly crushed and beaten.
"Hyuga Clan Head, let's act! After eliminating this puppet, we should also meet the mastermind hiding behind..."
Minato's words abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
Changes—
Regenerated!
Replica Uchiha Madara suddenly used his body to forcibly take Uchiha Shisui's slash, allowing Uchiha Shisui's blade to sever his head.
But while being beheaded, his hands suddenly clapped together.
Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
This top-tier Wood Release technique was successfully released.
In these mountains washed by rain until only bare mountain rock bodies remained, trees like pythons shattered rock, extracting nourishment from rock bodies. In the blink of an eye, a vast sea of trees descended.
Simultaneously, in this sea of trees, several towering vines grew massive pink flower buds. Moreover, these buds almost instantly fully matured, silently blooming. From these flowers erupted overwhelming orange-yellow pollen.
"This is bad! It's Advent of a World of Flowering Trees. Hokage-sama, quickly save them!"
Hyuga Ritsu's expression changed as he spoke sternly.
Actually, he needn't remind him. Minato also recognized the technique replica Uchiha Madara used. Because during that incident in the Land of Hot Water, Missing-nin Anonymous had used Wood Human Technique to counter Hyuga Ritsu's Wood Human Technique.
After experiencing that incident, he'd thoroughly studied numerous secret manuals left by the First and Second Hokage. Though unable to train these Kekkei Genkai abilities, he'd familiarized himself with all recorded techniques.
Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees ranked among the foremost techniques among numerous Wood Release techniques—essentially an enhanced version of Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees. It added an additional control method atop ordinary Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
The orange-yellow pollen erupted from those giant flowers—once inhaled, it induced unconsciousness. Originally, Uchiha Madara had suffered this disadvantage fighting Senju Hashirama. More accurately, when First Hokage Senju Hashirama used this Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, even Tailed Beasts would fall unconscious for over ten seconds if they inhaled excessive amounts.
So—
When Hyuga Ritsu's reminder was only half-spoken, Minato had already used Flying Thunder God Technique to rescue Uchiha Shisui and Hiruko, who'd fallen into the sea of trees, inhaled considerable pollen, and lapsed into unconsciousness.
Seeing Hiruko-sensei carried back by Minato, Hyuga Ritsu's heart also relaxed.
Immediately—
He turned his gaze toward replica Uchiha Madara standing in that vast sea of trees.
Killing intent arose in his heart.
"Hiruko-senpai and Shisui have no major problems."
Minato roughly examined both. He wasn't a professional medical ninja, but simple examination presented no issues.
Confirming both Hiruko and Uchiha Shisui were fine, Minato also slightly relaxed. Then, frowning, he looked toward that sea of trees ahead.
His mood proved exceptionally heavy, full of unwillingness.
After desperately struggling to this point, thinking that merely defeating this suspected Uchiha Madara replica would let them find Missing-nin Anonymous hiding backstage, uprooting all these troubles completely—
But now it appeared—
Accomplishing this seemed less easy.
Though he completely couldn't understand why the suspected Uchiha Madara replica could use such powerful Wood Release techniques—claiming the First Hokage's replica stood opposite would work too!
But it was precisely Uchiha Madara.
Regardless of the truth behind matters, the fact lay before them. That powerful Wood Release technique definitely wasn't genjutsu fakery.
And wanting to defeat an enemy controlling such powerful Wood Release Kekkei Genkai absolutely wasn't simple. Particularly now with Hiruko and Uchiha Shisui having inhaled pollen and fallen unconscious, Kakashi and Uchiha Clan Head unable to interfere at this combat level, and Minato himself having consumed excessive chakra with severely declined condition.
Calculating everything, currently only Hyuga Ritsu still retained considerably powerful combat strength.
At minimum, standing beside Hyuga Ritsu, Minato could sense Hyuga Ritsu's magnificent, vast chakra fluctuations—deep and unfathomable like an ocean.
Hyuga Ritsu spoke at this moment. "Hokage-sama, temporarily retreat with Hiruko-sensei and Shisui. Leave this fellow to me."
"Hyuga Clan Head, can you manage? Don't be stubborn!"
"I don't dare guarantee quickly resolving this fellow. But a puppet lacking self-awareness still can't harm me!"
"Good. Then Hyuga Clan Head, please trouble yourself temporarily!"
Minato also proved decisive. He immediately shouldered Hiruko and Uchiha Shisui again. Looking deeply at Hyuga Ritsu, he used Flying Thunder God Technique to leave the wood human's head, joining together with the three Sand ninja.
Among the three Sand ninja, Yashamaru was still a medical ninja. Though not as impressive as their own Konoha medical ninja, Minato truly lacked excess chakra to return to Konoha and bring a medical ninja to help treat Hiruko and Uchiha Shisui.
Anyway, they were merely unconscious, not seriously injured. Sand ninja medical ninjutsu level ranked second only to Konoha. Yashamaru's medical ninjutsu perhaps wasn't top-tier impressive, but helping with treatment presented no problems.
Simultaneously—
Hyuga Ritsu also stared at replica Uchiha Madara standing in the sea of trees. His lips curved upward. His smile carried slight madness. He murmured, "Next, let me properly experience Uchiha Madara's power!"
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