Kill Zabuza!

Wood Release!

It held a special place in the hearts of every Konoha ninja.

That was because Wood Release was the power of Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi.

It was the ultimate Kekkei Genkai, the power that had brought the warring states to heel and subdued the Tailed Beasts!

That was no exaggeration.

Every Konoha ninja had grown up listening to tales of the First Hokage and the legends of Wood Release.

But there was one problem.

Uchiha Yao... How could he use the First Hokage's Wood Release?

He was a Uchiha, for crying out loud!

It made no sense!

It was like someone from the Hyuga Clan suddenly awakening the Sharingan!

Kakashi stared at Yao, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.

The Third Hokage had asked him to observe Yao and find out whether he had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Instead, before there was any sign of the Flying Thunder God Technique, he'd discovered Wood Release.

Kakashi could imagine the look on the Third Hokage's face when he learned Yao had mastered Wood Release. It would be priceless!

"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!"

Surrounded by trees on all sides, Zabuza was like a trapped beast.

He swung Kubikiribōchō with all his might, chopping through one tree after another, but more kept growing.

His chakra was rapidly draining, and the sharp branches had slashed countless bloody gashes across his body.

Watching Zabuza struggle in the clutches of the trees, Yao raised his other hand. "Wood Release: Insertion Technique!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!

Countless incredibly sharp wooden spikes suddenly shot out from the branches of the rapidly growing trees.

They flew at Zabuza from every direction, above and below, left and right.

"No!!!"

Zabuza let out an unwilling roar and swung his sword to block them.

But Kubikiribōchō could stop only a tiny fraction.

The rest of the spikes pierced Zabuza's body in an instant!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Blood sprayed through the air like a burst of ghastly flowers.

Zabuza froze in place.

He looked down at his body, riddled with holes.

Countless spikes jutted through his chest, stomach, and limbs, pinning him firmly in place.

"I can't believe... I'm going to die at the hands of a brat..."

Zabuza's eyes quickly dimmed. Kubikiribōchō slipped from his grasp and crashed onto the bridge.

The bridge fell silent!

At some point, the thick mist had cleared. Only a newly grown miniature forest remained, swaying gently in the breeze.

Trapped inside the Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals, Naruto and Sasuke saw what had happened and stood frozen, mouths hanging open.

"Lord Zabuza!"

Haku stumbled toward Momochi Zabuza, who was pinned in place by the wooden spikes.

He fell to his knees beside Zabuza's corpse, trembling violently.

Tears slipped silently down his cheeks, from eyes filled with tenderness and grief.

To Haku,

Lord Zabuza was the sole meaning of his existence.

Now that Lord Zabuza was dead, Haku had no reason to go on living.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Naruto and Sasuke broke free and hurried over, eyeing Haku warily.

Haku suddenly raised his hand. A senbon had appeared in it, and he plunged it into his own throat.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto cried out in alarm, staring at Haku in disbelief. He couldn't understand why Haku would suddenly kill himself for no reason.

Sasuke and Naruto watched in silence, their feelings complicated.

What a shame!

Yao felt a quiet pang of regret.

He hadn't planned to kill Haku, but he wouldn't stop him from taking his own life, either.

As far as Yao was concerned, people like Haku and Kimimaro, who had been completely brainwashed by others, were better off dead.

What kind of life would that be?

It was a shame the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai might vanish with him!

"Let's bury them."

Kakashi sighed.

Yao, Naruto, and Sasuke nodded and prepared to bury the bodies.

Just then,

a brazen voice shattered the heavy silence.

"Useless! What a bunch of useless trash! That worthless Zabuza took my money and then died just like that?"

Everyone turned toward the voice.

The merchant Gato had appeared at the head of the bridge, surrounded by a large gang of thugs armed with swords and looking like a pack of bloodthirsty fiends.

Gato looked at Zabuza's corpse, its eyes still open, and spat out an insult.

Then his sinister gaze swept across Yao and the others, lingering especially on Tazuna.

"Hmph! Get them! Kill them, and tear down this damn bridge!" Gato waved a hand.

The dozens of thugs behind him immediately charged forward, shouting and jeering.

"Damn it!"

Naruto and Sasuke's faces changed. They immediately assumed defensive stances.

Faced with so many enemies, they felt immense pressure.

Kakashi tightened his grip on his kunai, ready to fight at any moment.

"Honestly... what a nuisance!"

Yao looked at the rabble, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. A bunch of ordinary people dared to act so brazenly?

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

Boom!!!!

A vast sea of orange-red fire surged forth with the force of annihilation, swallowing Gato and his men.

They didn't even have time to scream. The moment the flames touched them, they were vaporized and reduced to ash.

"No! Please!!"

The arrogance vanished from Gato's face, replaced by fear and horror. He turned to run, but the flames had already swallowed him.

A moment later,

the fire died away.

The entrance to the bridge was empty.

Gato and the dozens of bloodthirsty thugs he had brought with him had vanished completely, as if they had never been there.

All that remained was a horrifying stretch of scorched earth.

Naruto and Sasuke stared at the charred ground, frozen once more.

That Fire Release jutsu had been enormous, and its power was terrifying. Was that really Fire Release?

Kakashi's mouth twitched slightly. He was deeply shocked.

He realized that Yao had held back far too much when they'd fought.

Could he withstand a Fire Release jutsu of that caliber?

Yao dusted off his hands and looked at Haku and Zabuza's bodies. "Naruto, Sasuke, bury them."

"R-right!"

Naruto nodded repeatedly.

Sasuke said nothing. He only glanced at Yao, lifted Zabuza's body, and walked off the bridge.

Naruto carried Haku's body away as well, leaving Yao and Kakashi alone on the wide bridge.

"Yao, why can you use Wood Release?" Kakashi stared at him.

Yao shrugged. "Oh, that? It was after I came to the Land of Waves."

"I used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique Naruto taught me to create several hundred Shadow Clones and study Wood Release."

"Just a few days ago, I got lucky and mastered it."

He said it so casually, as if it had been a simple matter.

But to Kakashi, those words were like a thunderclap.

After coming to the Land of Waves?

It had only been... how long?

A month?

Using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to speed up training was theoretically possible.

But that was a Forbidden Jutsu! It placed an immense strain on the mind and chakra!

He'd used several hundred Shadow Clones to study it day and night... and succeeded?

How was that possible!!!

If Wood Release were so easy to master, the First Hokage wouldn't have been the only one to wield it since the age of the hidden villages began.

So...

Why could Yao use Wood Release?

Although Gato had been reduced to ashes in a single blaze, the bridge of hope leading to the Land of Waves was still unfinished.

After weighing things up, Kakashi decided not to return to Konoha just yet. He would stay and continue protecting Tazuna.

He'd remain until the bridge was completely built. It was only right to see the job through.

Yao's formidable strength had deeply shaken Naruto and Sasuke.

The two hounded Kakashi, demanding that he teach them powerful jutsu.

Kakashi was getting a headache from their persistence. "Before you learn any new jutsu, you need to build a solid foundation."

"So starting today, you'll train by climbing trees and walking on water!"

"These are the most effective ways to train precise chakra control."

"Climbing trees? Walking on water?"

"What's the point of training like that? Kakashi-sensei, are you just refusing to teach us jutsu?"

"Cheapskate!"