Urgent intelligence swept through all of Taoyuan Village like a hurricane. After a brief shock, under Duanmu Ci and Tsunade's forceful organization, the entire village began operating at high speed like a precise war machine.
Noncombatants—including all orphans, civilian craftsmen, and most medical ninja—were swiftly and orderly evacuated into the sturdy underground shelters built in advance under the guidance of Nonō and Shizune's squads. Though the children were frightened, they remained basically calm under the comfort of the matrons and teachers, even if the tension on their little faces could not be hidden.
Every member of the guard donned armor and took up weapons. Led by their respective squad captains, they nervously deployed behind the newly built wooden fortifications and the Thorn Barriers Duanmu Ci had temporarily grown and reinforced. The air was filled with the cold scent of metal and suppressed breathing. Yakushi Nonō's intelligence squads spread like ghosts through critical areas outside the village, serving as the eyes of the warning system.
Tsunade personally oversaw the core medical district, which had been converted into a wartime emergency center. Large quantities of medicine, bandages, and surgical instruments stood ready. Her usual boldness was gone; her eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and she radiated a calm, powerful presence that gave the medical ninja around her an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
Duanmu Ci stood alone atop the tallest watchtower in central Taoyuan Village. With his eyes closed, his immense perception spread across several kilometers with the aid of the Rinnegan and Nature Energy, flowing over the land like spilled mercury. Sage Chakra circulated slowly through his body, ready to erupt at any moment. The night wind whipped his robes with a rustle, and beneath the moonlight, his figure appeared solitary yet resolute.
Time passed second by second amid the tense wait. The darkest hour before dawn arrived.
Suddenly!
Bzzzz—!
A low, piercing hum tore through the night's silence! The defensive barrier southeast of Taoyuan Village flared with blinding light, then, like fragile glass, was blasted open into a massive breach by a savage bolt of lightning!
"Enemy attack—!!" A shrill alarm rang across the night sky!
Almost at the same instant the barrier shattered, seven figures radiating terrifying Chakra and a bloody aura stormed through the breach like fiends returned from hell! Their forms differed, and each wielded a bizarre, enormous ninja blade. Their killing intent soared into the heavens, instantly crushing the peace around Taoyuan Village's outskirts!
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen! All of them were here!
At their head stood a fat man built like a mountain of flesh, carrying a giant door-sized blade wrapped in bandages—the wielder of the Great Sword: Shark Skin, Suikazan Fuguki! He bared a mouthful of sharp teeth and roared greedily, "Find that Wood Release brat! Destroy everything here! Shark Skin, I'll let you feast to your heart's content today!" Beside him stood Juzo Biwa, his gaze sinister as he gripped the Severing Blade: Executioner's Blade. "Don't get careless, Fuguki. That brat won't be easy to deal with!"
"Shut up!" A violent voice rang out. Munashi Jinpachi, clutching the Exploding Blade Shibuki and wrapped head to toe in bandages, burst into wild laughter. "Watch me blow this place to the sky! Art is an explosion! Drink!" He hurled several Explosive Tags toward the nearest guard watchtower with deadly precision!
Boom! The violent explosion instantly destroyed the wooden watchtower, sending flames soaring into the sky and fragments flying everywhere!
"Nuibari loves skewering meat..." The cold voice hissed like a venomous snake. Kushimaru Kuriarare, wielder of the long blade Nuibari, vanished like a phantom. The next instant, he appeared at the flank of another guard squad, his slender Nuibari shrieking through the air as it shot toward a young guard's throat! It was unbelievably fast!
"Raiga! Split them apart!" Wearing a mask and wielding the Twin Swords: Kiba, Raiga Kurosuki raised both blades high. Violent lightning gathered around them, poised to strike the densely packed homes of the residential district!
"Jinin Akebino! Don't fall behind!" Jinin Akebino, wielder of the blunt blade Kabutowari, swung his heavy axe-hammer sword and smashed it viciously into the ground, creating a wide-ranging shockwave!
At the rear, Hozuki Mangetsu, or his successor, wore a mask and held the peculiar Flatfish Twin Swords: Hiramekarei. He, too, was ready to strike, as compressed high-pressure water spheres began gathering on the blades!
The moment the Seven Ninja Swordsmen attacked, they unleashed an Overwhelming Thunder assault, aiming only to destroy, kill, and sow chaos! Although the outer guards were well trained, they were instantly forced into a brutal battle with mounting casualties before opponents of this level!
"Insolence!!" A furious roar containing boundless rage exploded from the center of Taoyuan Village like thunder from the highest heavens!
Just as Raiga Kurosuki's lightning was about to fall, Kushimaru Kuriarare's Nuibari was about to pierce the guard's throat, and Munashi Jinpachi's Explosive Tags were about to fly toward more buildings—
Duanmu Ci moved!
He abruptly opened his eyes, and the purple ripples of the Rinnegan flashed through the darkness! His hands formed seals at a speed the naked eye could not follow. Immense Sage Chakra erupted without restraint and poured into the earth beneath his feet!
"Sage Art: Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence—Wall!"
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!! The earth groaned beneath the unbearable strain and shook violently! Before countless horrified eyes, enormous trees over several meters in diameter burst from the ground around the watchtower where Duanmu Ci stood! Thick as coiling dragons, they grew, twisted, and entwined with insane speed beyond imagination!
In an instant!
A circular barrier dozens of meters tall and more than ten meters thick, formed of living, incomparably resilient giant trees, rose from the earth like the Wall of Sighs from ancient myth. It firmly protected Taoyuan Village's core district—including the medical center, residential area, and entrances to the underground shelters!
Bang! Clang! Boom!
Raiga Kurosuki's violent lightning crashed hard against the newly formed wooden barrier, leaving only vast charred marks and splintered wood. It failed to shake it in the slightest!
Kushimaru Kuriarare's thrusting Nuibari was tightly entangled by smaller but exceptionally tough branches that suddenly extended from the barrier's surface, leaving it unable to advance or retreat!
The Explosive Tags hurled by Munashi Jinpachi struck the barrier and detonated. Flames surged into the sky and smoke filled the air, but once the haze cleared, only a shallow crater remained on the barrier. The structure itself stood unmoved!
Jinin Akebino's shockwave struck the base of the barrier like a clay ox sinking into the sea, causing only a faint tremor!
As for Suikazan Fuguki's Shark Skin, just as it excitedly tried to pounce forward and devour the Chakra, it was intimidated by the overwhelming life force and Sage energy emanating from the barrier and hesitated slightly.
This earth-shaking sight brought the frenzied attacks of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to a halt. Their eyes were filled with stunned disbelief! What level of Wood Release was this?!
"It's Lord Duanmu!!
"Lord Azure Dragon has made his move!!"
"We're saved!!"
The guards and civilians who had not yet retreated far, sheltered within the Tree World Barrier, erupted into ecstatic cheers of survival. As they looked upon the godlike figure standing atop the barrier, their hearts filled with unparalleled security and reverence!
Tsunade stood at the entrance to the medical center, gazing at the towering Wood Release barrier and the upright figure atop it. Wonder flickered repeatedly in her eyes. Her clenched fists slowly loosened as she murmured, "Well done... Duanmu!"
Juzo Biwa stared at the wall of giant trees before him, radiating terrifying life force and Chakra fluctuations. His expression darkened until it seemed water might drip from it. "Deep Forest Emergence...?! This scale... That brat's control over Wood Release is even more terrifying than the intelligence described!"
The greed on Suikazan Fuguki's face intensified. He licked his lips. "Such powerful Chakra! Shark Skin, you're excited too, aren't you? Tear it apart! Eat it!" He swung Shark Skin and smashed it fiercely against the Wood Style: Wood Golem Wall! The barbs on Shark Skin spread open, attempting to devour its Chakra.
However, the Wood Style: Wood Golem Wall was not a dead object!
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