Foundation and Prototype

Duanmu Ci and Tsunade, having obtained their "permits," eagerly arrived at their new territory – Yougu Plain – accompanied by Shizune, several medical team elites who volunteered, or were drawn by Tsunade's prestige, and artisans.

Before them lay a vast valley, far from any main road. A clear, though not wide, stream meandered through, bringing life and providing a water source. The valley was surrounded by mountains on three sides (part of the lingering vein of the Forest of Death), forming a natural barrier, with only a wider entrance to the south. Most of the valley was covered in wild grass and shrubs, interspersed with sparse trees. The terrain was generally flat, with some undulations near the foothills. The air was filled with the fresh scent of plants and earth, a stark contrast to the smell of blood at the frontline medical station.

"The place is big enough, secluded enough, with mountains and water. Excellent!" Tsunade declared, hands on her hips as she surveyed the surroundings, her eyes filled with the ambition of a builder. The shadow of war seemed temporarily banished here.

"Mm, the basic conditions are better than expected," Duanmu Ci nodded, squatting down to pick up a handful of soil and feel its vitality. His Rinnegan's powerful perception also quietly unfurled, scanning the valley's geological structure and Chakra flow. "The entrance needs to be heavily fortified, and the mountains can be utilized... The core area will be built on this elevated ground near the upper reaches of the stream. The view is good, water access is convenient, and the terrain is relatively dry."

"Lord Duanmu, are we... really starting from scratch?" a young artisan asked hesitantly, looking at the wilderness before him. The others wore similar expressions.

Duanmu Ci stood up, a confident smile on his face. "Starting from scratch means infinite possibilities. Besides, who says we're starting completely from scratch?" He walked to a relatively flat clearing, formed hand seals, and uttered a low command: "Wood Style: House of a Thousand Pillars!"

To everyone's astonishment, the ground trembled slightly. Thick, resilient wood, glowing with life, burst from the earth like colossal serpents, intertwining, locking, and growing! With a grating sound of wood rubbing against wood and the rustling of growth, the frameworks of several sturdy, simply designed wooden houses (blending Duanmu Ci's pre-life aesthetic of minimalist practicality) rose at a visible speed! Although they were just frameworks, lacking roofs and interior partitions, the miraculous sight was enough to shock them!

"My god! This... this is the power of Wood Style?!"

"It's incredible! It saves so much time on logging, transportation, and initial construction!"

"As expected of Lord Azure Dragon!"

The artisans were dumbfounded, then erupted into loud exclamations and cheers. The medical ninjas also looked on in disbelief. Shizune, holding Tonton, had her small mouth agape. Tsunade, though mentally prepared, still had her eyes shining with wonder at this power that transformed wilderness into architecture, filled with pride and anticipation.

"This is just the beginning," Duanmu Ci retracted his hands, his breathing slightly labored (due to the disguised exertion), but his spirit was invigorated. "These are temporary workshops, warehouses, and the frameworks for our residences. What everyone needs to do next is to complete them, create doors and windows, lay roofs (using ordinary materials), and plan the internal structures. At the same time, the selection and foundation of the core medical area must begin immediately!"

With Duanmu Ci's "divine technique" as a powerful shot in the arm, everyone's enthusiasm and confidence were ignited. Under Tsunade's command:

The artisans immediately threw themselves into perfecting the wooden frameworks with great vigor.

The medical ninjas began planning the location and layout of the core medical area, discussing the necessary functional zones (operating rooms, wards, pharmacies, research labs, etc.).

Shizune, with a few others, started inventorying the brought supplies and establishing a temporary supply management point.

Duanmu Ci continued to use Wood Style, at the selected core medical area location, controlling large wooden pillars to sink deep into the ground, laying a solid foundation framework, and leveling a large area of land. He also sprouted a ring of tough vines, which rapidly grew along the direction of the valley entrance, forming a preliminary, spiked defensive fence.

The desolate Yougu Plain, for the first time, echoed with the sounds of clanging tools, lively discussions, and hopeful laughter. Smoke rose from newly built simple stoves. Although everything was still rudimentary, merely the very beginning of a beginning, the first cornerstone of "Taoyuan Village" had been firmly laid on this land through everyone's concerted efforts and the miraculous power of Duanmu Ci's Wood Style.

Tsunade stood beside the nascent foundation of the core area, watching the busy crowd, and looking at Duanmu Ci, who was focused on controlling Wood Style, fine beads of sweat on his forehead but his eyes bright. She felt an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and a yearning for the future. This would be her new starting point, and the place where their shared dream began.

"They're here!!!" Duanmu Ci's sharp cry was like a signal!

From the edge of the Forest of Death, countless ninjas dressed in Mist Village Anbu attire or dark combat clothing surged out like phantoms! They uttered no shouts, only cold silence and an overwhelming torrent of ninja tools! Kunai, shuriken, and Explosive Tags rained down like a storm upon the periphery of the makeshift base!

"Defense!!" the guard captain roared.

Splat! Splat!

"Ughh—!"

Screams erupted instantly!

The outermost defense line, established with low walls and wooden palisades, was like paper against the Mist ninjas' first wave of saturation bombardment! Several Konoha guard ninjas were instantly riddled with holes, or blown to bloody pieces by Explosive Tags! Blood instantly stained the freshly turned soil and rough wooden stakes!

"Medical Team! Save them!" Shizune's voice was choked with tears as she and a few medical ninjas attempted to rush forward under the hail of projectiles, but were forcefully held back by a figure.

It was Tsunade! She had just witnessed a familiar young guard ninja being pierced through the chest by several kunai right before her eyes, blood splashing onto the ground at her feet. The glaring red, the strong metallic scent... the familiar dizziness and nausea coiled around her heart and throat like icy snakes! Her face instantly turned ashen, her body trembled uncontrollably, and her legs felt like lead, making it almost impossible to stand. She wanted to rush forward to save them, to fight, but her body's instincts screamed at her to flee!

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune cried out in alarm, watching Tsunade's state, her heart sinking to the bottom.

"Kill them all! Leave none alive!" a hoarse, ferocious voice bellowed, accompanied by the grating sound of metal. A burly figure carrying a massive, bandage-wrapped sword (Juzo Biwa) and another figure wielding twin lightning-wreathed blades (Kurotsuchi Raiga) descended like tigers from a mountain, leading the charge through the crumbling defenses, directly towards the most densely packed area – the wounded and non-combatants rushing towards the shelter entrance!

"Lightning Style: Lightning Fang!" Kurotsuchi Raiga grinned menacingly, raising both blades high, wild lightning converging, about to strike the crowded populace!

"Shizune! Watch out!" Juzo Biwa's target was Shizune, who was attempting to organize a defense. His massive Executioner's Blade whistled through the air, descending upon her! Shizune could feel the chilling aura of death from the blade, her mind went blank, and she even forgot to form hand seals!

Despair! Utter despair descended upon the entire Taoyuan base! The guard ninjas suffered heavy casualties, the defenses collapsed, the strongest, Lady Tsunade, was incapacitated by hemophobia, and the enemy's sharpest blades were already upon the most vulnerable civilians and her most crucial assistant!

At this critical juncture!

"Stop—!!!"

A roar containing boundless rage and the will to protect, like a dragon's cry from the nine heavens, suddenly exploded! The source of the sound was none other than Duanmu Ci!

He held back no longer! The power hidden within him, like a volcano suppressed for millennia, erupted with a thunderous roar!

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence: Wall!!!"

Duanmu Ci slammed his hands forcefully onto the ground beneath him! The vast, sea-like Chakra of his Sage Body, mixed with the wild natural energy he had just absorbed (a nascent form of Sage Chakra), poured into the earth like a breaching flood!

RUMBLE—!!!

The earth let out a pained groan and violently trembled! Centered on Duanmu Ci, the ground within a hundred-meter radius churned and tore like boiling water! Countless immense trees, incredibly thick with diameters exceeding one meter, like ancient behemoths slumbering for eons, burst through rock and soil with destructive force and majestic life energy, growing and intertwining at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye!

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The original flimsy wooden palisades and earthen walls were instantly replaced by this new, grander barrier! Giant trees twisted and coiled, layer upon layer, forming in the horrified gaze of everyone present, a dense, impenetrable circular wooden wall over thirty meters high and more than five meters thick! This barrier, like the mythical Jianmu supporting the heavens, firmly and completely enveloped the core area of the Taoyuan base – including all shelter entrances, medical tents, and the command center! The surface of the barrier was covered with tough bark and sharp wooden spikes, exuding an ancient and heavy aura!

BOOM—!!!

Kurotsuchi Raiga's ferocious lightning strike slammed into the newly formed giant wall, only creating a small scorched mark, not even a crack! The lightning was easily channeled into the earth by the massive wood!

CLANG—!!!

Juzo Biwa's Executioner's Blade, imbued with immense force, struck the thick wooden wall, emitting a deafening clang of metal on metal! The massive recoil numbed his arm, and the blade was only embedded less than half a foot before being firmly caught by the incredibly tough wood! Shizune, just inches away inside the wall, was completely unharmed!

The subsequent torrent of Mist ninjas' tools and ninjutsu attacks, like raindrops hitting a reef, only left shallow marks on the verdant wooden barrier before dissipating!

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Whether it was the despairing Konoha personnel or the ferocious charging Mist ninjas, everyone stood dumbfounded, as if under a petrifying spell, staring at this colossal, verdant rampart that had suddenly risen from the earth, obscuring the sky!

Silence! Absolute silence!

Only the slight tremors of the earth and the low hum of giant trees growing echoed in the stillness.

Duanmu Ci's figure stood proudly atop the tallest giant tree, a faint green halo (Sage Chakra overflowing) surrounding him, his robes rustling in the turbulent airflow. He looked down at the Mist Village ninjas below, like ants, his eyes as cold as millennia-old ice, yet burning with a rage that could incinerate everything!

"This path..." His voice wasn't loud, but it reached every corner of the battlefield clearly, carrying an undeniable might. "...is blocked!"

After a brief silence, the Konoha shinobi, protected behind the tree walls, erupted in joyous shouts of relief, tinged with tears:

"A miracle! It's a miracle!"

"It's Lord Duanmu! Lord Duanmu saved us!"

"Wood Style! It's the First Hokage's Wood Style!!"

"Azure Dragon! It's Konoha's Azure Dragon!!!"

The title "Konoha Azure Dragon" was, for the first time on this battlefield where despair and hope intertwined, shouted by countless grateful voices, resonating through the heavens!

And Tsunade, at this moment, was gazing blankly up at the figure standing at the peak of the giant tree, like a god descended to protect everything. His back was majestic, as if propping up the collapsing sky. The boundless life force emanating from him and his unparalleled will to protect were like the most scorching sunlight, instantly dispelling all the gloom and fear in her heart!

Tears, without warning, surged from Tsunade's beautiful eyes. These were not tears of fear, but of shock, of pride, of ecstatic joy at regaining what was lost, of a heart utterly struck! She looked at that figure, her emotions like a breached dam, no longer containable.

'Duanmu Ci...' she cried silently in her heart, a crystal-clear thought occupying her entire mind. In this moment, all doubts, the disparity in their status, past pains... were utterly shattered by that wall protecting life and by that person's figure.

She had completely fallen. Her heart now beat only for him.