Danzo: I'm Konoha's... Biggest Old Snake

"You useless fools! You can't even handle such a simple task! Wind Style: Vacuum Great Ball!"

"Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!"

"Chaotic Gale Swordplay!"

Just as the Wood Golem's fist was about to come down on the Root members, a low shout rang out.

Danzo, with bandages wrapped around his face and body, appeared from the shadows with two guards. Each of the three unleashed a signature technique.

Danzo puckered his lips and sucked in a sharp breath, then let out a huge breath that reeked of garlic.

It wasn't a pretty sight, but the attack was certainly powerful.

His breath transformed into an oval whirlwind. Wherever it passed, the trees created by Wood Release were sliced to pieces.

The two guards behind him were no slouches, either. One was clearly from the Aburame Clan, and with a wave of his hand, he unleashed a vast cloud of insects.

The cloud swept through like a swarm of locusts, devouring every tree at a visible pace.

The other guard was an exceptional swordsman. He swung his Tachi like he was scribbling strange symbols, surrounded by a mass of sword energy. He sliced through Wood Release as easily as tofu.

The moment the three attacked, they cleared a large swath of the surrounding Forest Creation.

One guard relied on insects, the other on speed. Before long, they had rescued the Root members.

With a deafening crash, the Wood Golem's fist finally came down—but hit nothing.

"That old snake finally decided to show his face?" Mo Chen showed no reaction to his attack missing. Then again, it had all been within his expectations.

"Forgive us, Lord Danzo! We have failed!"

Once the Root members had been rescued, they immediately dropped to one knee and begged Danzo's forgiveness.

Danzo's face darkened as he waved a hand. "All of you, stand down!"

He had sent those men out only to test Mo Chen's skill.

Of course, he had expected to suppress Mo Chen with ease and force him to reveal every technique he had.

Who could have guessed things would turn out this way, with the men he sent getting effortlessly crushed by Mo Chen?

But what Mo Chen had just used was probably his strongest technique for now, right?

Either way, Mo Chen had only been training for a few days. His current strength was already absurd.

Only after the Root members had withdrawn did Danzo look up at Mo Chen, towering above him, and call out, "I am Konoha's—"

"Biggest old snake!" Mo Chen cut him off, making the Wood Golem swing its palm down.

I am Konoha's biggest old snake?

Danzo's already dark face grew even darker.

"Save your breath. A technique of this level won't work on me!" Danzo waited until the Wood Golem's attack was almost upon him, then easily dodged its palm with a sidestep.

Then Danzo leapt up and swiftly climbed the Wood Golem's arm.

His two guards followed right behind him, completely unaffected by the Wood Golem's attacks.

Riding a giant mech sure was fun, but a Wood Golem of this size could be a hindrance against nimble opponents.

"If you won't talk things out peacefully, then I'll show you my strength. You'll come to your senses soon enough," Danzo said coldly, still posturing as he ran. "I'd also like to see what you're made of."

"If you're not up to the task and disappoint me, I won't hesitate to erase you right here!"

Mo Chen was speechless. What did he mean, Mo Chen wouldn't talk things out peacefully? Who trapped someone inside a barrier to have a peaceful conversation?

"Pah! You shameless old dog!" Mo Chen spat and made the Wood Golem swing its arm hard.

Danzo was so furious he nearly saw red. He cursed inwardly. How long had it been since anyone had treated him like this?

The two guards were furious, too. An insult to their master was an insult to them. If they could get close right now, they'd teach this brat how to speak properly!

But once the Wood Golem's arm started swinging, even they struggled to keep their footing and nearly fell off.

Danzo and his guards no longer had the energy to trade insults with Mo Chen. They poured more Chakra into their feet and leapt from the Wood Golem's arm to other parts of its body.

"Weren't you going to show me your strength? Is this it?" Mo Chen sneered. "Is your strength just playing at being fleas? I have to admit, you're certainly making things difficult for me!"

Mo Chen made the Wood Golem's hands swing at them again and again, keeping the three from getting close.

They managed to climb quite a way up, only to be driven back down again.

Mo Chen's arrogant attitude was too much for the two guards to bear.

"Lord Danzo, we'll cover you! Push ahead!"

The Aburame guard gave a low shout and transformed into a vast cloud of black insects, which swarmed around the Wood Golem's descending hand.

"Secret Technique: Insect Devour!"

The black cloud enveloped the Wood Golem's palm, and it visibly began to shrink—or, more precisely, the insects were chewing through it layer by layer.

The Wood Golem's attack grew weaker and slower.

Taking advantage of the opening, Danzo darted past and climbed a long way up in a few quick bursts.

At that moment, the Wood Golem's other hand swung at him.

This time, it wasn't a slap. It was a punch.

"Sword Technique: Swift Light Slash! Keep slashing! Again! I'll slash and slash!"

The Swordsman Guard leapt high into the air and flashed to the side of the Wood Golem's elbow, swinging his Tachi at the joint.

One strike wasn't enough to cut through, so he followed up with several more. At last, he severed the arm before the Wood Golem's attack could land.

Danzo ignored all of it. He had complete confidence in his guards' abilities and didn't even glance back as he continued climbing. Before long, he had reached the Wood Golem's shoulder, just one wooden head away from Mo Chen.

He was now within striking distance.

A wicked smile curled Danzo's lips, and a trace of disdain showed on his face.

In his eyes, Mo Chen was still far too young.

If Danzo had mastered an ability like Mo Chen's, he could have destroyed an entire nation on his own. How could anyone have gotten close to him so easily?

"Submit to me, and I can give you—" Danzo opened his mouth to start posturing again, but the next moment, he nearly blurted out, "What the hell?!"

Mo Chen grinned and clapped his hands. "I've been waiting for you! Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"

A giant wooden dragon with a long, hooked nose and spikes all over its body coalesced from the trees that had grown during Forest Creation.

Mo Chen had started preparing the technique as soon as Danzo and his two guards began climbing the Wood Golem's arm.

The Wood Dragon spiraled up from beneath the Wood Golem and slammed into Danzo's two guards, who were suspended in midair with nowhere to brace themselves. They spewed blood as they were blasted away.

The next moment, the Wood Dragon's head emerged over the Wood Golem's opposite shoulder and stared straight at Danzo.

Danzo hadn't finished his sentence. He'd even forgotten what he'd meant to say next.

The Wood Dragon was far more agile than the Wood Golem. At such close range, Danzo would have little chance of surviving an attack.

Cold sweat slowly trickled down his forehead. Without thinking, Danzo took a step backward.

That step seemed to trigger the Wood Dragon. It instantly opened its jaws and lunged at him.

"Damn it! He's mastered Wood Release to this extent?!" Danzo's expression changed drastically. Without another word, he turned and ran.

He sprinted along the Wood Golem's shoulder, ducked under its arm to evade the Wood Dragon's lunge, then quickly slid down to its waist.

He kicked off hard, picking up speed, and slid into the cleft of the Wood Golem's backside, dodging another lunge from the Wood Dragon...