Kill Zabuza!

Wood Release!

In the eyes of every Konoha ninja, it held a special status.

Because Wood Release belonged to the power of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.

It was the ultimate Kekkei Genkai that pacified the warring era and suppressed the Tailed Beasts!

Without exaggeration.

Every Konoha ninja grew up hearing tales of the First Hokage and the legends of Wood Release.

But the problem was.

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

He was clearly an Uchiha!

This was too absurd!

As absurd as if the Hyuga Clan suddenly awakened the Sharingan!

Kakashi stared at Yao, his eyes filled with nothing but shock and confusion!

The Third Hokage had told him to observe whether Yao had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Now this—Flying Thunder God hadn't shown up yet, but Wood Release had been discovered first.

Kakashi could imagine that when the Third Hokage learned Yao had mastered Wood Release, his expression would be absolutely priceless!

"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!"

Zabuza was trapped in a dense encirclement of trees, like a cornered beast.

He swung the Kubikiribōchō wildly, cutting down one tree after another, yet the trees kept coming endlessly.

His chakra was being drained violently, and countless bloody gashes were carved into his body by the sharp branches.

Yao watched Zabuza struggling amid the entwining trees and raised his other hand: "Wood Release: Insertion Technique!"

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!

Countless sharp wooden spikes instantly burst forth from the wildly growing tree branches.

The wooden spikes shot at Zabuza from all directions—above, below, left, and right.

"No!!!"

Zabuza let out a furious roar as he swung his blade to block.

But the Kubikiribōchō could only deflect a tiny fraction.

More wooden spikes pierced through Zabuza's body in an instant!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Blood sprayed through the air like blooming, tragic flowers.

Zabuza froze in place.

He looked down at his body, nearly turned into a sieve.

Countless wooden spikes jutted out from his chest, abdomen, and limbs, pinning him firmly to the spot.

"This old man... actually died at the hands of a brat..."

Zabuza's eyes dimmed rapidly. The Kubikiribōchō slipped from his hand and crashed heavily onto the bridge.

A dead silence fell over the Great Bridge!

The thick mist had dissipated at some point, leaving only the newborn miniature forest swaying gently in the breeze.

Naruto and Sasuke, trapped inside the Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals, stood frozen in place, jaws wide open.

"Zabuza-sama!"

Haku staggered and rushed toward Momochi Zabuza, impaled by the wooden spikes.

He knelt before Zabuza's corpse, trembling violently.

In his gentle, sorrowful eyes, tears silently streamed down.

To Haku.

Zabuza-sama was the entire meaning of his existence.

Now that Zabuza-sama was dead, he had no reason to exist either.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

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

Haku suddenly raised his hand—a senbon had appeared in it—and stabbed it into his own throat.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto was shocked, staring at Haku in disbelief, unable to understand why he would kill himself for no reason.

Sasuke and Naruto watched in silence, their feelings complicated.

"What a pity!"

Yo felt a quiet regret.

He hadn't intended to kill Haku, but if Haku chose to die by his own hand, Yo wouldn't stop him.

In Yo's eyes, people like Haku and Kimimaro—completely brainwashed by others—were better off dead than alive.

What meaning was there in living?

It was just a shame about the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai; it would probably vanish from the world now.

"Let's bury them."

Kakashi sighed.

Yo, Naruto, and Sasuke nodded, preparing to get to work.

Just then.

A brash, arrogant voice shattered the heavy atmosphere.

"Useless! Absolutely useless! That worthless Zabuza, took my money and died just like that?"

Everyone turned to look.

They saw the wealthy merchant Gato standing at the head of the bridge, flanked by a large group of vicious-looking henchmen wielding swords and blades.

Gato spat a curse at Zabuza's unseeing corpse.

Then his sinister gaze swept over Yo and the others, lingering especially on Tazuna.

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

The dozens of thugs behind him immediately charged forward with a roar.

"Damn it!"

Naruto and Sasuke's expressions shifted as they quickly assumed defensive stances.

Facing so many enemies, they felt immense pressure.

Kakashi also gripped his kunai tightly, ready for battle.

"Really... so noisy."

Yo looked at this rabble, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. A bunch of ordinary people, daring to act so recklessly?

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

Boom!!!!

A vast sea of orange-red flames, as if to annihilate everything, engulfed Gato and his men.

They didn't even have time to scream before they vaporized on contact with the fire, burning to ash.

"No! Don't!!"

The arrogance on Gato's face twisted into terror and shock. He turned to run, but the flames had already swallowed him.

A single breath later.

The flames dissipated.

The bridgehead was empty.

Gato and the dozens of vicious thugs he had brought seemed to have never existed, completely erased.

Only a shocking patch of scorched black remained.

Naruto and Sasuke stared at the charred ground, frozen in place again.

That Fire Release Ninjutsu just now—its scale was enormous, its power terrifying. Was that really a Fire Release technique?

Kakashi's mouth twitched slightly, his heart shaken with shock.

He realized that when Yo had fought him earlier, he had still been holding back.

Could he even block a Fire Release Ninjutsu of that level?

Yo clapped his hands, then looked at the bodies of Haku and Zabuza. "Naruto, Sasuke, bury them."

"R-right!"

Naruto nodded quickly.

Sasuke said nothing, just shot Yo a glance before lifting Zabuza's corpse and leaving the Great Bridge.

Naruto hoisted Haku's body and followed. On the wide bridge, only Yo and Kakashi remained.

"Yo, how did you get Wood Release?" Kakashi stared at Yo.

Yo spread his hands. "This? It happened after we came to the Land of Waves."

"I used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique Naruto taught me to split into hundreds of shadow clones and research Wood Release."

"A few days ago, I got lucky and successfully mastered it."

He spoke as if it were a trivial matter, something light and effortless.

But to Kakashi's ears, those words struck like a thunderbolt.

Come to the Land of Waves?

How long had it been?

A month, right?

Using multiple Shadow Clones to accelerate training... theoretically feasible.

But that was a Forbidden Jutsu! The burden on the mind and Chakra was immense!

Hundreds of Shadow Clones studying day and night... and he succeeded?

How is this possible!!!

If Wood Release were that easy, it wouldn't have been mastered only by the First Hokage since the era of the ninja villages.

So...

Why does Yo have Wood Release?

Though Gato had been burned to ashes in a single blaze, the Bridge of Hope leading to the Land of Waves was still unfinished.

After weighing his options, Kakashi decided not to rush back to Konoha for now, staying behind to continue protecting Tazuna.

Until the Great Bridge was fully completed—seeing things through to the end.

Yo's overwhelming strength deeply stirred Naruto and Sasuke.

The two pestered Kakashi, demanding he teach them powerful jutsu.

Kakashi, a bit troubled by their persistence, said, "Before learning new jutsu, you must first build a solid foundation."

"So starting today, we'll train in tree climbing and water walking!"

"This is the most effective way to refine precise Chakra control."

"Tree climbing? Water walking?"

"What's there to practice? Kakashi-sensei, are you just unwilling to teach us jutsu?"

"Cheapskate!"