Kakashi felt his scalp go numb as countless ninja tools came whistling through the air.
He knew that even if he tried to stall for time, the results probably wouldn't be great—but couldn't they at least give them a few seconds to prepare?
Now things were perfect—Ren had gone and pissed the enemy off directly. One sentence in, and they were already attacking. Kakashi honestly felt like this was a bit too much to handle.
"Move—!"
He was just about to shout a warning when he suddenly saw Ren bring his palms together.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Boom—
In an instant, the earth let out a thunderous roar as an overwhelming surge of chakra exploded outward from Ren's body.
"His chakra… how is it this terrifying?"
Kakashi stared at Ren in shock.
He had never fought Ren before, nor had they ever gone on missions together. Usually, they only chatted casually back at the ANBU headquarters. He knew Ren was sharp and strong—but this?
This was on another level entirely.
Under the nourishment of Ren's chakra, countless vines and shoots burst from the ground and grew at a frenzied pace. In the blink of an eye, they formed a vast, towering forest!
The incoming ninja tools didn't even get close—every single one was intercepted outside the forest.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
A chain of explosions followed as the detonating tags attached to the weapons went off.
"So this is the defensive power of Wood Release…"
Kakashi was completely stunned. He immediately turned toward Tenzo.
"I can't do this. I'm nowhere near Ren."
Tenzo didn't even need Kakashi to finish his question—he instantly understood and shook his head decisively.
It wasn't that Tenzo couldn't create a forest of similar size. If he poured in enough chakra, he could.
But the quality was completely different.
He could clearly feel it—these trees were alive. They pulsed with vitality, brimming with life itself.
His own Wood Release felt… dead by comparison. Like timber that had already been cut down.
And yet, he didn't feel discouraged. Their Wood Release was fundamentally different to begin with.
"Kakashi, be careful."
Ren suddenly spoke, snapping Kakashi out of his thoughts.
"I sense someone approaching. It's probably an old acquaintance of yours."
"An old acquaintance?"
Kakashi frowned, still confused—until Ren's next words made his blood run cold.
"He has the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God mark. If nothing goes wrong, it's Uchiha Obito."
"Obito—?!"
Kakashi's expression changed completely.
Meeting a long-lost comrade again in a distant land might sound poetic—but right now, Kakashi's heart was in turmoil.
"Where is he?"
"In another space. I can't pinpoint his exact position."
Ren shook his head. Raising one hand, a thick tree branch surged up beneath his feet, lifting him skyward. Similar logs rose under Kakashi and the others as well.
"I'll send you out. Wood Release isn't great for distinguishing friend from foe in large-scale attacks—at least not for me yet.
"Take care of Yugao and the rookie for now. Shisui, you're coming with me—we'll deal with our old and new friends together.
"Once Obito shows himself, Kakashi and Tenzo, you move."
"Understood."
Shisui nodded immediately. Even though Ren had somehow become the commander without explanation, Shisui didn't see a problem with it.
"…Yeah."
Kakashi answered as well, though he was clearly distracted. Still, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Obito… this time, let's really talk."
Ren didn't dwell on Kakashi's emotions. By now, he was already standing atop the forest canopy.
Looking up at the sky filled with dense puppet formations—and at Sasori, now airborne with the Third Kazekage puppet—Ren snorted softly.
"Last time, you used map-wide bombardment. This time, it's my turn."
During their encounter with Iwagakure, Sasori's puppet army had been overwhelming. Endless attacks from all directions—it was enough to make anyone's head spin.
But now?
The situation had reversed.
When it came to large-scale devastation, few techniques in the shinobi world could rival Wood Release.
"Break."
Ren raised one hand.
The forest beneath him seemed to roar in response.
In the next instant, countless vines and massive tree trunks shot skyward, spearing toward the puppet army!
"Hmph."
Sasori snorted and ordered his puppets to counterattack.
But against the ferocious Wood Release, his puppets were frighteningly fragile. Wooden spikes pierced through them with ease, shattering them midair.
Even magnetic sand attacks failed to achieve much.
"This isn't working…"
Sasori immediately shouted, "Kakuzu, use Fire Release!"
"Got it!"
Down below, Kakuzu watched the living forest with lingering dread.
Once upon a time, he had accepted a mission to assassinate the First Hokage.
The result was obvious.
He survived—but barely.
Facing Wood Release again stirred something unpleasant deep within him.
"You really think you're Senju Hashirama?"
A grotesque mask emerged behind him as he rapidly formed seals.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
A tsunami of flame surged forward, engulfing the forest. Sasori followed suit, commanding fire-based puppets to ignite the battlefield.
"Effective?"
Their eyes lit up—
—and immediately widened in horror.
"Wood Release: Piercing Branch Technique!"
The moment the forest caught fire, Ren completed his seals.
Burning wooden spikes surged forward like flaming dragons, empowered by the inferno itself!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Explosions rocked the ground as fire-wrapped wooden spears smashed into puppets and terrain alike.
The sky was dyed crimson.
Forced to retreat, Sasori descended rapidly, while Kakuzu rolled across the ground to avoid the relentless assault.
When they finally regrouped, the two exchanged an awkward glance.
Wasn't this your idea?
You told me fire would work!
Before they could react further—
"You look pretty miserable."
Ren stood casually atop a wooden spike, arms crossed, smiling faintly.
"I thought you'd be more entertaining."
"Brat, don't get cocky!"
Sasori's face darkened. Being suppressed so badly right from the start was humiliating.
"Looks like I'll need to charge Iwagakure more."
Kakuzu's voice was cold and irritated.
"So I'm worth thirty million now?"
Ren blinked.
That was Asuma's bounty in the future, wasn't it?
"So inflation really is a thing…"
He shook his head, then clasped his hands.
Suddenly—
"Attack!"
Sasori unleashed Iron Sand Rain.
Kakuzu fired a lightning spear.
Before either could land—
A green chakra avatar flared into existence, shielding Ren completely.
Shisui stood beside him, Mangekyō glowing.
"Don't rush."
Behind them, the forest compressed, condensed—
A colossal Wood Dragon rose into the sky, roaring as it took form.
"This time, we won't be running away, Sasori."
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