The one-year jump had seen the Sovereign Estate transition from a military outpost to a master-class dojo. Renju and Renza, utilizing their knowledge of internal energy flow and the physical "limit-breaking" of the Gates, had worked with the disciples to develop Breathing Styles. These were not just sword techniques; they were specialized methods of oxygen intake and chakra circulation designed to maximize the specific elemental affinities of the Vanguard.
Kakashi (10) - Thunder Breathing: Renju helped Kakashi refine his high-voltage output. By focusing his breath into the fibers of his leg muscles, Kakashi mastered the First Form: Thunderclap and Flash. Combined with his Raikiri, he can move across a battlefield in a single, blinding straight line that shatters the sound barrier.
Saya (16) - Insect Breathing: Saya integrated her medical knowledge and swift-release. She doesn't seek to decapitate; she uses a needle-thin blade and high-speed thrusts. Her breath allows her to move with the erratic, weightless grace of a dragonfly, delivering lethal neurotoxins to dozens of pressure points in a single second.
Shisui (7) - Flame Breathing: Under Renza's guidance, Shisui combined his Body Flicker with volatile Fire Release. His breath generates immense internal heat, allowing him to leave trails of scorching air that ignite into pillars of fire. His First Form: Unknowing Fire allows him to flicker and strike with the force of a solar flare.
Inosuke (11) - Beast Breathing (Refined): No longer just wild swinging, Renza helped Inosuke use his breath to heighten his Spatial Awareness to a supernatural degree. He can now "feel" the intent of an enemy through the vibration of the air, and his jagged blades move with a refined, sawtooth vibration that can rend S-rank defensive barriers.
A report from the Southern Docks reached the Kage Spire. Merchant ships fleeing the border of the Land of Lightning spoke of "The Gray Death." Entire coastal villages were falling silent—no smoke from chimneys, no birds in the trees.
Renju deployed the Striker Vanguard: Kakashi and Inosuke.
"This isn't a Cloud operation," Renju warned as they stood on the Monolith Docks. "The Cloud is loud. This is silent. If you find a 'Void' in the chakra-scent, do not engage alone. Signal the Estate immediately."
Kakashi and Inosuke arrived at a fishing hamlet three miles across the border. The moment they stepped into the village square, Inosuke's boar mask let out a low whistle of air.
"It's dead, Scarecrow," Inosuke growled, his hand gripping his jagged hilts. "The air is dry. Like... really dry. I can't hear any heartbeats. Not even the rats."
Kakashi knelt by a well. Beside it sat a villager, or what used to be one. The man was standing perfectly upright, but his skin had turned into a textured, gray wood. His eyes were gone, replaced by hollow knots in the timber.
"He's been drained," Kakashi whispered, his Voltage Gate humming in a low-frequency sweep. "Every drop of moisture, every spark of chakra... it's been absorbed to fuel a growth."
Kakashi looked up at the center of the village. A massive, twisted tree made of bone-white wood had erupted through the floor of the local shrine. It wasn't a natural tree; its "leaves" were shaped like human hands, reaching toward the sky.
"Inosuke, 3 o'clock!" Kakashi yelled.
A jagged wooden spike erupted from the ground where Inosuke had been standing a second before. Inosuke had already leaped into the air.
"Beast Breathing: Sixth Fang—Palisade Bite!"
Inosuke spun his dual blades, shredding the wooden spike into sawdust. He landed on a rooftop, his sensitive skin crawling. "Something's in the dirt! It feels like... a lot of snakes!"
From the shadow of the white tree, a figure emerged. He wore a tattered white cloak that seemed to blend into the gray wood. His right side was a seamless, corded armor of Hashirama-cells, and his Sharingan was a bleeding, jagged void.
"You've grown, Kakashi," Obito rasped. His voice sounded like two stones grinding together. "But you're still breathing. That's a mistake I'm here to correct."
Obito didn't wait. He slammed his hand into the white tree. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Bloom."
The ground for fifty yards turned into a churning sea of white roots and jagged branches. The wood didn't just strike; it sought to "root" into their flesh to drain their life force.
Kakashi drew his blade, his chest expanding as he took a deep, rhythmic breath. The air around him began to spark with white-hot static.
"Thunder Breathing: First Form—Thunderclap and Flash... Sixfold!"
Kakashi became a streak of white light. He bypassed the rising roots in a series of six jagged angles, his blade leaving a trail of ozone. He struck Obito's wooden shoulder, but the Raikiri-infused blade didn't cut through. The Hashirama-cells had been hardened by a year of Danzō's experiments; they absorbed the lightning and used it to fuel a faster growth.
"My turn," Obito whispered.
He didn't use a sword. He used his right hand, which sprouted into a cluster of Wood-Vines that moved with a mind of their own. At the same time, his Sharingan locked onto Inosuke.
"Get out of my head, One-Eye!" Inosuke roared, his primal instinct shattering the genjutsu before it could take root. He lunged at Obito, his blades vibrating with a high-frequency wind-howl.
"The Sages aren't here to save you this time," Obito said, his body partially phasing through the white tree as if he were part of the wood itself. "Welcome to the Year of the Void."