The power of the tailed beasts swept across the ninja world. Even elite shinobi of the same level struggled against them due to their immense chakra and physical durability.
But the tailed beasts feared three things most.
Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, and finally, Wood Release.
Especially Wood Release. Senju Hashirama had once caught tailed beasts like chickens. Except for Shukaku, who escaped by hiding in the desert, the other tailed beasts, including the Nine Tails, had all been patted on the head by a Wooden Golem.
Today, Five Tails Kokuō had the "honor" of experiencing it again.
Even though Yami didn't enhance the Wood Release with senjutsu, the weight of four Wood Dragons and a Wooden Golem was still more than the Five Tails could withstand.
With the dragons wrapped around him, the Wooden Golem didn't say a word, just ruthlessly stepped forward and punched Kokuō twice, making him dizzy.
Then, with both hands, the Wooden Golem lifted the enormous tailed beast and slammed it back down with full force.
Boom!
The air trembled from the impact.
"Wooo~!"
Han's consciousness blurred from the blow. Kokuō's own consciousness took over, and his whimper carried another meaning—
Senju brats are born evil!
Yami chuckled in response and controlled the Wooden Golem to achieve the legendary head-pat.
"See? Han insisted on driving the Gundam, and now you're unhappy that he actually did."
As he patted Kokuō's big head, Yami warned, "Be good, or I'll string you up and whip you."
"Wooo~!"
Kokuō gritted his teeth inwardly but obediently stopped struggling. He allowed the two Wood Dragons to drag him behind the Wooden Golem.
It couldn't win. It really couldn't.
Those two punches had clearly triggered a memory from the last time it faced the Wooden Golem. The situation now was exactly the same.
After being dragged for a while, Kokuō became a little excited again. It had sensed the presence of that stinky raccoon ahead.
Alright, let's go find it!
Last time, Shukaku saved it. This time, maybe it would return the favor?
At the southern edge of Konoha, two giant beasts were locked in battle. Gaara was still in his dozing state, and Shukaku's consciousness was fully awake. As time passed, his strength continued to grow.
Naruto's summoned toad boss, Gamabunta, was nearly at his limit.
Their only hope now was to wake Gaara atop Shukaku's head and reseal him.
On a tree in the distance, Sasuke watched the fight between the two monsters with shock. Unable to withstand the shockwaves from the air bullets and water cannons, he had already been blown away from the battlefield.
"Naruto... just how strong are you going to become..."
Sasuke, who had always believed he was stronger than Naruto, felt jealousy for the first time. Dissatisfaction with his own slow progress began to rise in his chest.
But Sasuke didn't blame Yami or Shun. Their strength was more than enough to guide him. His only mistake was not working hard enough, not progressing fast enough.
All he could do was watch Naruto step forward to protect him.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke angrily punched the tree behind him. The movement tugged at his injuries and made him wince.
Gamabunta was visibly losing ground. Shukaku's laughter grew more frenzied.
"Hahahaha! I'm the strongest tailed beast! A toad like you dares challenge me? Trash! All of you are trash!"
"I—"
Before Shukaku could finish, he sensed movement in the distance and felt a familiar chakra.
Kokuō?
That guy came too?
Boom! Boom!
The Wooden Golem stomped through the forest, dragging the Five Tails behind it like a dog on a leash, and charged onto the battlefield.
The battered Naruto lit up with joy when he saw Yami standing atop the Wooden Golem.
"Yami-sensei! You finally came to save us! What is this jutsu? It's amazing, even stronger than Boss Bunta's!"
"Wood Release..."
Gamabunta panted, staring at the massive Wooden Golem. "Kid, you're safe now. I'm heading back to Mount Myōboku."
Gamabunta had held on to the limit. Naruto wasn't Jiraiya, so their coordination wasn't as good. Otherwise, he might've had a real shot against One Tail. But he was done now.
Before Naruto could say more, Gamabunta vanished into a puff of smoke. Thankfully, the Wooden Golem caught Naruto midair.
"Another brat?! Time to die, hehe!"
Shukaku didn't care about the opponent switch. He slammed his claws onto his stomach.
Boom!
A compressed air bullet roared toward Yami.
Shukaku had always looked down on all the tailed beasts except the Nine Tails. While others fought on instinct, he had humbly learned human ninjutsu, even mastering Wind Release and various sealing techniques.
But clearly, Shukaku underestimated the strength of Wood Release.
One Wood Dragon stepped forward and blocked the air bullet. Wind howled, but the dragon's body only cracked slightly before quickly regenerating.
The Wooden Golem advanced and punched the stunned Shukaku in the stomach. The blow passed clean through, and the other hand reached out and patted his head.
The massive impact jolted Gaara awake. Shukaku's body froze, then began to break apart piece by piece, eventually returning to Gaara's body.
"Too... too strong!"
Naruto was stunned. The giant raccoon that had given him so much trouble was instantly crushed by Yami's Wooden Golem.
Naruto made a snap decision and rushed over to hug Yami's leg. "Yami-sensei! Please teach me! I want to learn that move!"
"Get lost. Even if I wanted to teach you, you can't learn it now. Maybe in the future."
Yami kicked Naruto aside without holding back, then raised his hand to give a command.
Vines stretched out from the Wooden Golem's fist, binding Gaara. More vines burst from the ground to restrain the dumbfounded Temari and Kankurō.
A Wood Dragon swept down and picked up Sasuke.
"Yami-sensei..." Sasuke swallowed hard.
He was much smarter than Naruto. He had read enough history to know that his ancestor Uchiha Madara had lost to the First Hokage's Wood Release.
He hadn't expected his own teacher to also master this jutsu.
Seeing the sheer scale of the dragons and the Wooden Golem, Sasuke felt that Madara's defeat had not been unjust.
Yami didn't waste time explaining and immediately rushed back with his two students and four captives.
Now that Wood Release had been revealed, he wanted more people to witness its power. It would help smooth out future obstacles.
So two titanic figures marched into Konoha Village.
Whether allies or enemies, everyone was shocked by the sight of the Wooden Golem—larger than even the tailed beasts—approaching.
"Is this... Wood Release? Shodai-sama's Wood Release?"
Konoha shinobi were filled with shock and awe.
The legendary jutsu had reappeared in the world. The history books had failed to capture just how terrifying Senju Hashirama truly was.
Now, they finally understood.
The Wood Dragon's tail swept out. No matter what jutsu came its way, it could not be diverted.
Even the surface of the dragon couldn't be scratched.
Ninjas hit by the tail coughed up blood, and then vines sprouted from the ground, piercing their bodies.
In seconds, countless sharp wooden spikes burst from inside their bodies. Their deaths were horrific.
"A monster! Get out of here!"
"How can such a powerful jutsu exist?! It's fake! It has to be fake!"
"Hahaha! I get it! This is a genjutsu, right? I've been trapped in a genjutsu—ugh!"
Suna, Iwa, and Oto shinobi all broke down, and their will to fight crumbled.
They could do nothing.
Their ninjutsu couldn't even leave a mark on the wood.
Some tried attacking the three figures atop the Wooden Golem, but it stood over 60 meters tall.
Few jutsu had that kind of range.
And even if they tried, the massive Wood Dragons would intercept them mid-air.
Naruto felt the slaughter was too brutal and wanted to stop it, but this was war. Yami had taught him that clearly. He now understood the difference between enemies and comrades and wouldn't act naively again.
Sasuke was trembling.
Not out of fear, but excitement.
Power. This was true power.
If he learned the Wooden Golem and Wood Dragon techniques, he could kill Uchiha Itachi!
"Alright, you two, stop watching."
"Everyone else is risking their lives, and you're just standing around?"
Yami kicked Naruto and Sasuke down one after another, forcing them to experience the cruelty of battle firsthand.
Then the Wooden Golem picked up its pace, heading straight for the Leaf Gymnasium.
The purple barrier still sealed the area. Within the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Sarutobi Hiruzen's chakra flickered like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.
After working under Hiruzen for so long, Yami figured he should at least go send him off properly.
…
Elsewhere in the village, Jiraiya stood on top of a toad and also spotted the towering Wooden Golem.
Only one person in the village had the potential and strength to use Wood Release at that level—Shimura Yami.
Seeing the direction the Wooden Golem was heading, Jiraiya dispelled his summoning and rushed toward the gymnasium.
But he was soon blocked by a white-robed Anbu.
"Jiraiya-sama, we still need your strength here. Please prioritize the greater good."
The bad feeling in Jiraiya's heart deepened. He growled, "Move aside!"
The white-robed Anbu stood firm. "This is an order from Yami-sama. Jiraiya-sama, are you going to abandon Konoha's villagers?"
"That's not the Will of Fire. Protecting them is your duty. As for the Hokage, he has his duty. You don't need to interfere."
Swish, swish, swish!
Four more Anbu landed around him, subtly forming a circle.
"Fine, fine!" Jiraiya shouted in frustration. "Since when did Anbu start giving me orders? Shimura Yami has raised quite a bold bunch."
"If you won't let me through, don't blame me!"
With that, Jiraiya completed a hand seal. His hair stood on end.
"Ninjutsu: Hair Needle Senbon!"
Thousands of hair needles shot toward the white-robed Anbu.
Clang, clang, clang!
The white-robed Anbu calmly blocked them all with a short sword. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed at the skilled swordsmanship.
Still, the Anbu didn't attack, just silently blocked his path.
Boom!
The high wall of the gymnasium exploded, and the Wooden Golem crashed in.
Yami leapt to the edge of the Four Violet Flames Formation. Inside, Sarutobi Hiruzen was performing the Reaper Death Seal, with the Shinigami tearing at the souls of Fourth Kazekage Rasa and the First Hokage.
Orochimaru, no longer calm, was in a frenzy.
Seeing Yami appear, he shouted, "Sarutobi-sensei, do you know who helped me infiltrate? It was Shimura! He sent men to cooperate with me and the Fourth Kazekage! The one who wants you dead most is him and Shimura Danzō!"
Sure enough, Sarutobi Hiruzen was shaken. He looked over at Yami, who now stood calmly before the barrier, surrounded by Anbu.
The boy smiled faintly. "Old Man, rest in peace."
"I'll take care of Konoha and Konohamaru for you. Don't worry."
"Yami, you!" Hiruzen's eyes widened.
"I had no choice. You were in my way." Yami sighed. "Without you, Konoha will only grow stronger."
The surrounding Anbu remained silent.
After commanding the Third Anbu Battalion for years, Yami's leadership had made them completely loyal.
Hokage?
If Yami wasn't Hokage, they wouldn't acknowledge anyone else's orders.
So, he wasn't afraid of anything being leaked to the grave.
"I… I really misjudged him…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer resist the pull of the Shinigami. Along with Orochimaru's arms, his soul was consumed.
Even in death, his eyes remained fixed on Yami, filled with unspoken words.
[Host and Sarutobi Hiruzen have reached the third stage of the 'Die with Unclosed Eyes' bond. Reward: Talent - Hard Work Pays]
(To be continued.)