Wood Style: Pitcher Plant Technique

Hiruko's stench was overwhelming, and Obito and Ryūsetsu instinctively covered their noses.

Liao Wu took out the Flame Uchiha Gunbai and looked at Hiruko mockingly. "Hiruko, don't think I don't know you tried more than once to trick me out of the village so you could make a move on me."

"If I hadn't struck first, you would've killed me long ago."

"All right, enough nonsense. If it were Orochimaru, I'd still have to avoid his edge for a while."

"But you, Hiruko? Go die as far away as you can!"

"Bastard!"

Hiruko formed Hand Seals with both hands, then turned into a huge White Python and spat venom toward Liao Wu's position.

Liao Wu quickly dodged, then looked at the White Python Hiruko had become.

He guessed that Hiruko had used the Chimera Technique to devour Orochimaru's White Snake Cells, allowing him to transform into the White Scaled Serpent.

"Liao Wu, I'm going to catch you, tear you to shreds, and then bury you in a toilet."

Liao Wu formed Hand Seals with both hands. This time, he only needed one "Tiger Seal."

"Fire Style: Ghost Lantern Technique!"

Ghost Lantern was a secret Fire Style technique of Kusagakure's "Kusano Hana," and was not included among the Uchiha Clan's Fire Style scrolls.

When this Fire Style technique was cast, dozens of lantern-shaped fireballs with Hannya-like faces appeared all around.

And it only required one seal, making it far more convenient than ordinary Fire Style ninjutsu.

Liao Wu's Ghost Lanterns filled the Underground Space, and the White Scaled Serpent Hiruko had transformed into had nowhere to hide.

All the Ghost Lanterns burned onto him, blazing violently, like a snake being roasted.

But Hiruko did not scream. Instead, he let out a cold laugh. "Liao Wu, I'm already a Dead Person. You can't kill me again."

Hiruko was now a Reanimation Body. His Chakra was close to infinite, he was nearly immortal, and he could recover quickly. It was no different from running into a ghost.

Obito looked fearfully at Hiruko, who was currently regenerating. "What the hell is this? How is it even more sinister than your techniques, Liao Wu? Is he still a Leaf Ninja?"

Obito felt that his Worldview was currently being rebuilt.

Ryūsetsu stared in shock at Hiruko as he regenerated. Kusagakure was skilled at imitating the ninjutsu of Other Ninja Villages, but a technique like this was undoubtedly beyond Kusagakure's understanding.

This was... a Forbidden Technique!

Liao Wu was not frightened. Regular Ninja suffered greatly when facing Reanimation Ninja, because Sealing Techniques were secret arts, not cabbages you could buy anywhere, something everyone had on hand.

But Liao Wu's Fire Style: Heavenly Prison belonged to a type of Sealing Technique.

Even without using a Sealing Technique, in this cramped environment, if a pile of rocks fell and pinned Hiruko down, he would have No choice but to be unable to move.

Liao Wu formed Hand Seals. Spore Technique!

Three White Zetsu Clones suddenly sprouted from his body. White Zetsu Clones were the highest-grade Clone Technique.

If Clone Techniques were ranked from top to bottom...

Then the Clone Technique taught at the Ninja Academy was undoubtedly rock bottom.

Hashirama's Wood Style clone was difficult even for Madara Uchiha to distinguish, so it could be ranked at the top tier.

But the strongest clone was the White Zetsu Clone.

A White Zetsu Clone could absorb a ninja's Chakra and replicate their Chakra and ninjutsu. Even the Byakugan had difficulty seeing through it, and only Golden Body Naruto, with the help of Malice Perception, could tell them apart.

A White Zetsu Clone could also turn into spores and attach itself to a target without being noticed, continuously absorbing the target's Chakra.

Mayfly Technique, Root Concealment Technique, Rot and Decomposition—White Zetsu Cells could be said to be Hashirama Cells focused on support.

Liao Wu's White Zetsu Clones stood together and formed Hand Seals in unison.

Wood Style: Pitcher Plant Technique!

The three White Zetsu Clones instantly merged together, turning into one enormous pitcher plant.

The pitcher plant extended more than a dozen Vines, attacking like snakes and binding the White Scaled Serpent Hiruko had transformed into.

"W-what is this thing?"

Hiruko was bound by the pitcher plant's Vines, and he felt the Chakra throughout his Whole Body draining away.

On top of that, the pitcher plant gave off a rotten, foul stench, making Hiruko feel that it was a little too imposing.

If Hiruko had seen Hashirama Senju's Flower Tree World Descent before, he would have known that the technique Liao Wu was using now was a simplified version of Flower Tree World Descent.

Hiruko was forcibly controlled, and in a blink of an eye, the pitcher plant drained his Chakra dry and forced him back into human form. Then the pitcher plant took him into its calyx to Digest and Decompose him.

However, Hiruko was currently a Reanimation Body, with no blood or flesh to digest. The pitcher plant could only be used as a seal to restrain Hiruko.

Liao Wu was busy running for his life and had no time to deal with Hiruko.

He took Obito and Ryūsetsu with him, activated the Root Concealment Technique, and fled underground with Earth Escape.

Inside the belly of the great snake that had swallowed Tobi.

Black Zetsu suddenly appeared and attached himself to Tobi.

"Tobi, stop playing. It's time for us to go after Liao Wu."

Tobi sounded a little disappointed. "I still wanted to try what it feels like to be pulled out."

"..."

Black Zetsu didn't know what to say. This White Zetsu must have been surnamed Mitarai back in ancient times!

With a thought, Tobi directly absorbed the white snake that had swallowed him into snake jerky, then chased after Lord Liao Wu's position.

Madara's entire base was surrounded by the pythons of Ryūchi Cave, and the White Zetsu Army was guarding the perimeter. Lord Liao Wu couldn't escape at all.

The main chamber of Madara's underground base.

Orochimaru drove Orochi charging inside, and saw the Yama Demon Statue he had seen before, as well as the withered one-eyed elder in front of the statue.

Joy rose in Orochimaru's face. Sure enough, it matched his guess. Madara was already a withered wood body, with only one breath left keeping him alive.

"Junior Ninja Orochimaru greets Lord Madara Uchiha!"

Madara slowly opened his Sharingan.

White Zetsu merged into Madara's body. Madara's white hair slowly regained its luster, and in a blink of an eye, he straightened his back, while color gradually returned to his skin.

Madara reached the appearance of a sixty-year-old, and a vast aura erupted from his body.

"Junior, how dare you bully me!"

Orochimaru suddenly stopped smiling!

"Damn it, did I run into a snake den? Why are there snakes everywhere!"

Lord Liao Wu spat out a Great Fireball, burning a batch of poisonous snakes that charged up.

Obito and Ryūsetsu had been put down by Lord Liao Wu, and the two were casting ninjutsu to wipe out the overwhelming poisonous snakes.

Obito was still hung up on what had happened with Hiruko earlier. "Liao Wu, what exactly is going on with Hiruko? Why can't he be killed?"

Lord Liao Wu ignored Obito. "Why are you asking so much? Right now, you should be praying Minato can come save you!"

"Teacher Minato, huh..."

Obito felt a little melancholy. After so much time had passed, he didn't even know whether Minato would still recognize him.

"You two move aside a little. I'm going to use a wide-range Fire Style!"

"Okay!"

Lord Liao Wu formed hand seals with both hands and used Great Fire Annihilation, spraying out surging flames that burned all the poisonous snakes charging up to death.

"All right, keep running!"

All of a sudden, Lord Liao Wu felt a violent pain in his heart, and Obito and Ryūsetsu were the same.

Lord Liao Wu could still endure it, but Obito and Ryūsetsu were already clutching their heads and rolling on the ground.

It was the curse mark!

The thing Lord Liao Wu had worried about most had still happened. No matter how heroic and magnanimous Madara's constructed façade had seemed, once he got old, he started playing dirty.

He had placed curse marks on everyone in this base.

"Lord Liao Wu, where are you preparing to go, Na'er?"

Black and White Zetsu appeared. No, it wasn't Black and White Zetsu. It was Black Zetsu and Tobi Combination.

White Zetsu couldn't perform Tobi's lively personality.

"Lord Liao Wu, hurry and help Lord Madara! Lord Madara's body is already at the end of its rope. He won't be able to hold on for long."

Lord Liao Wu activated the White Zetsu Cells in his body to suppress the curse mark in his heart area.

"Good, good, good. Madara really is an old thief who refuses to die. He made it sound so nice, but he even put a curse mark on children like Ryūsetsu. How am I supposed to trust him like this?"

Black Zetsu said, "Lord Liao Wu, you're so cunning that Lord Madara never trusted you either."

"Let's make a deal. You help Lord Madara restore his strength, and I'll help you remove the curse marks."

Lord Liao Wu looked at Obito and Ryūsetsu, who were clutching their heads and howling in pain, his expression dark.

Obito slammed his head hard against the nearby wall, as if he wanted to kill himself. "...Liao Wu, don't listen to him. We absolutely can't let Madara Uchiha restore his youth, or everything will be over."

"As a Leaf Ninja, you have to have the awareness of sacrifice for the village!"

"Enough—"

Lord Liao Wu grabbed Obito's head and said viciously, "Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Why are people like you so unafraid of death? Once you die, there's nothing left."

Obito said weakly, but without lowering his head, "Because... I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"

Lord Liao Wu's pupils shrank.

Hokage. When Lord Liao Wu was little, he had looked up to the radiant Third Hokage just like Obito did.

He can be replaced!

Thirty years had passed, and Lord Liao Wu was no longer the hot-blooded youth he had been. The bullet fired in his childhood had killed his present self by his own hand.

Hot blood had never been recklessness, ignorance had never been an original sin, and the young should charge ever forward, breaking through every fate.

Lord Liao Wu roared, "I'm not running anymore. I'll never run again!"