Easily Defeating Senju Takeshi

Senju Takeshi's eyes began to glow red as well, making him look like some kind of monster.

"Senju Jueming..."

Just as he spoke Jueming's name, he suddenly froze again.

He saw...

Jueming lying Prone on the ground, his Limbs moving as he shot out with a swish, circling Senju Takeshi in search of an opening.

The Senju Clan members who witnessed this bizarre scene were slightly stunned. "Could it be... Senju Jueming has changed too~~?!"

In their eyes,

Jueming, crawling on all fours, looked even more terrifying than Senju Takeshi.

"He hasn't changed. He's just using the Four Legs Technique."

The Great Elder immediately explained.

Only then did everyone realize that it was the Inuzuka Clan's taijutsu, the Four Legs Technique.

That scared us to death.

We thought Senju Jueming had mutated too.

"Roar~~~!"

Senju Takeshi's reason gradually vanished.

His entire body was transforming toward complete Mutation.

His voice became a beastly roar, mixed with the grinding sound of wood.

The scene instantly turned into something out of a horror movie.

As the degree of Mutation increased, his strength began to surge as well.

After all, the Wood Release Factor was physical power.

It provided the greatest enhancement to the body.

And the further he transformed toward Mutation, the more it meant that he had completely lost himself. In this world... there would no longer be a human called Senju Takeshi.

In the end,

he would either become a mindless monster of wood and flesh,

or explode and die.

However, before that process was complete, he could still do some things.

For example... eliminate Senju Jueming, the thorn in his eye and obsession in his heart.

His rapidly increasing power crashed down at Jueming once more.

It had already surpassed the level of an Academy Student and was enough to rival a true Ninja, yet when it struck Jueming's body, it merely made him pause for a moment.

Then, Jueming moved his Limbs and accelerated once again.

At that moment, the long-accumulated [Eccentric Movement +1] buff took effect.

Jueming began to display his true strength.

It was not just his defense, but also the double speed boost brought by "Handstand" and "Prone."

In Senju Sayuri's vision, Jueming's speed became incredibly bizarre, as if all four of his Limbs had left afterimages.

Clearly,

in his Eccentric Movement state, he was even faster than when he ran upright.

Anyone unaware of the truth might have thought Jueming had mutated too.

"Senju Takeshi, didn't you eat your fill tonight?"

Jueming's cold words rang out, driving Senju Takeshi into another fit of furious roaring.

He launched attack after attack, yet the agile Jueming dodged every one of them.

Unable to kill his target, he could only watch helplessly as Jueming circled around him, constantly hurling trash talk.

Perhaps under ordinary circumstances, trash talk was merely trash talk.

But at this moment,

that trash talk became an accelerator sending Senju Takeshi into the abyss.

If the Senju Clan wanted to suppress their own Mutation,

they could only work on their willpower, state of mind, mentality, and spirit.

In other words, if a Senju's mentality collapsed, they would not be far from a berserk Mutation.

Jueming's trash-talk strategy was precisely what accelerated that process.

"Damn it! Bastard!"

Amid the piercing monstrous roars, a powerful yet negative Chakra emerged from Senju Takeshi's body.

Sayuri quickly retreated, resisting the impact of that energy.

"!"

Affected by his Chakra, Jueming's movements stiffened slightly.

It was in that instant that Senju Takeshi seized the opportunity.

After letting out a roar, he charged forward fiercely.

Just as Jueming was suppressed by that Chakra and on the verge of danger...

Jueming opened his mouth and forcefully spat out a mouthful of... saliva?

"He~~~, ptui~~~!"

Senju Takeshi was instantly enraged beyond measure. "This bastard... he spat on me?! He still wants to humiliate me at a time like this?!"

Water Style: Heavenly Cry!

This "saliva" was faster and sharper than Senju Takeshi had expected!

Because...

Mito Uzumaki had acted!

The silent Mito had also seized the opportunity, forming Hand Seals within the Mental Space.

Working with Jueming's strategy, she used one of Tobirama Senju's most commonly used Ninjutsu—Water Style: Heavenly Cry!

Ssssh! Ssssh!!

Because Senju Takeshi was too close to Jueming and had charged too quickly,

and because he had not realized that this was actually a Ninjutsu,

just as Tobirama Senju had once counterkilled his opponents when they were feeling triumphant,

Jueming accomplished the same thing.

The silver needles formed from water pierced Senju Takeshi's eyes, cheeks, and throat.

Of course, those injuries were not fatal.

But once he lost his sight and could no longer see,

it meant falling into a completely trapped beast's struggle, leaving him to be slaughtered in the end.

Without being a Perception Ninja, losing one's sight was practically the same as death!

Mito Uzumaki's strike

had condensed all her focus and was her full-force attack.

And the mutated Senju Takeshi's eyes had clearly not been strengthened along with the rest of him.

In an instant, Senju Takeshi let out a scream.

He flailed his limbs in impotent rage as the Wood Release Cells gradually devoured his entire body.

After several futile swings,

Senju Takeshi began running around aimlessly.

Jueming circled around him and knocked him down with one punch. Senju Takeshi fell to the ground.

"Another Ninjutsu I don't know!"

Senju Takeshi spat out venomous words.

"You're always ahead of me..."

His tone was almost impossible to distinguish now, having become the pure voice of a monster.

From extreme danger to Jueming's counterkill, only a few minutes had passed.

The clan members stared blankly at the scene.

The twists and turns had come too quickly for anyone to react.

Other than the crackling of torches and Senju Takeshi's howls, the scene was silent...

"Why... why..."

Senju Takeshi roared.

"Why do you geniuses only need to train casually to catch up to the time it takes us weeks, even months!!"

"A correction... it should be years."

Jueming's calm words became the final blow.

"!"

Senju Takeshi... completely mutated.

Crack, crack, crack...

The Wood Release Cells eroded his body, turning his entire form into something resembling a tree.

The tree possessed an almost human shape.

Yet it was alive.

It twisted and coiled, but it would never again speak human words.

They were clearly branches, yet they could move.

It was clearly a tree, yet it possessed flesh and blood.

Seeing this sanity-draining sight, many clan members turned away, unable to bear watching any longer.

Because... Senju Takeshi's fate might one day be everyone's fate.

And as Jueming easily dealt with Senju Takeshi, the system promptly displayed a notification.

[Scrap Achieved!]

[Enough Mental Energy has been collected... unlocking the "Grass Release - Illusion Technique" Skill Tree]

[Obtained the skill "Grass Release - Illusion Technique - Like a Dream"]

[Description: Life is like a dream. Is everything you see real? Or is it an illusion?]

[Note 1: Continue collecting Mental Energy until you eventually gain the "Yin Attribute."]

[Note 2: Each time you are hit by an Illusion Technique, your Genjutsu Resistance will increase slightly.]