Wood Style: Tree World Descends

"What is that?"

Orochimaru was baffled.

Sage Fukasaku explained, "It's the Ultimate Dojutsu unlocked when the Uchiha Clan awakens the Mangekyō Sharingan. It's called Susanoo, and it's hailed as the 'Power of God.'"

"It symbolizes destruction and devastation. There's a saying that 'anyone who sees it with their own eyes is doomed to die.'"

Wasn't that basically saying you'd explode if you looked at it one more time?

Orochimaru quickly looked away, beginning to doubt his own Ninjutsu.

Uchiha, Mangekyō Sharingan, Susanoo—was this still the Ninja World he knew?

Orochimaru felt he was about to uncover the cruelest truth of the Ninja World: hard work determined your baseline, while bloodline determined your ceiling.

Sage Shima was puzzled. "Honey, didn't Madara Uchiha lack the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

That was right. Madara's eye sockets were empty—he didn't have a single eye. How could he use a Mangekyō Dojutsu?

Sage Fukasaku shook his head. "I don't know!"

Liao Wu stared fixedly at Madara's Susanoo, his eyes reddening with envy. He was dying to get one!

He really wanted to sacrifice the floating wood and awaken Susanoo, but he didn't have any!

In the manga, Madara was caught in the Desert Great Burial sealing technique used by Gaara and Shukaku together. Just as it looked like Madara was about to be sealed, he summoned Susanoo instead?

Madara's eyes had already advanced beyond the Mangekyō Sharingan to the Rinnegan. At his level, Susanoo was a technique he could perform simply by using Yin Yang Release.

"Liao Wu, you're constructed, Liao Wu!"

Liao Wu snapped, "Who? Who dares insult me? I'll slaughter your whole village!"

Liao Wu turned around to see an orange cat dressed like a Ninja Cat dart out of the bushes and leap onto his shoulder.

"Fish Ball! You little bastard, who told you to run off just now? You made me look so bad in front of everyone."

Fish Ball retorted, "Did selling fake medicine make you look good? We're not done talking about how you sent me to the battlefield before. Unless you give me half a kilo of dried fish, don't even think about summoning me again."

Liao Wu grabbed Fish Ball by the head and vigorously rubbed him. "Useless cat! What can you do besides hiss?"

Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima called out to Jiraiya.

"Little Jiraiya, quit daydreaming! Use Senjutsu to deal with his Susanoo right now!"

"Got it!"

Jiraiya gathered the Senjutsu Chakra within his body as Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima formed hand seals together.

"Sage Art: Gama-Gama!"

Jiraiya spewed out a huge amount of Toad Oil, Sage Fukasaku exhaled Sage Wind, and Sage Shima breathed out Sage Flames.

The Combination Ninjutsu of wind, oil, and fire surged toward Madara's Susanoo like a rushing flow of molten rock.

In an instant, the flesh-covered Susanoo's defenses were breached.

Madara's interest was piqued. "You combined Wind Style and Fire Style with Mount Myōboku's Toad Oil? Interesting, interesting. This Combination Sage Fire Style..."

"I'd call it the strongest Fire Style."

Amaterasu was said to be an inextinguishable Black Flame that ordinary Water Style couldn't put out, but Sage Art: Gama-Gama surpassed it in sheer destructive power.

Madara's Susanoo was burned away in the blink of an eye.

Madara escaped from within it, looking at the armor plate burned off his right arm. The Sage Flames had burned his arm, too.

His flesh was charred, turning an ugly brown.

The Sannin's morale soared.

Sage Fukasaku praised him. "Well done, Little Jiraiya! You hurt him!"

Madara wasn't invincible.

Ninja still followed the most fundamental rule: Glass Cannon!

They could wield Ninjutsu that could destroy heaven and earth, but their bodies were still as fragile as paper.

In the Original Work, after Madara was revived and lost the advantages of his Reanimation Body, Shukaku's sand bullets were enough to break through his Flesh Defense.

If you bled, you could be hurt. If you were hurt, you could die.

Even a legendary figure like the Sage of Six Paths couldn't escape aging, sickness, and death.

Madara was injured, but that only excited him more.

"That's it! It's been so long since I felt the thrill of bleeding!"

Madara laughed uproariously, looking almost crazed.

What Madara wanted was a battle where every punch landed, where he could bleed and sweat. That was what it took to awaken the dormant fighting spirit within him.

Watching Madara's madness, Orochimaru thought he was even more twisted than himself. Who felt blessed to be injured?

But this only made the Sannin fear Madara even more. He was enjoying the battle, while they remained tense and uneasy.

Tsunade suddenly noticed steam rising from Madara's charred arm. Buds of flesh writhed beneath the surface, and in an instant, Madara had recovered from the burns inflicted by the Sage Flames.

"This—"

Tsunade was horrified. His regenerative ability was already on par with her Creation Rebirth.

She had never heard that Madara was a Ninja with remarkable regenerative powers.

Liao Wu watched Madara recover in an instant. Those were Hashirama Cells within Madara's body.

The Creation Rebirth that Tsunade had developed through painstaking effort was Hashirama's passive ability.

Hashirama Cells possessed the strongest regenerative powers.

Madara was the person most compatible with Hashirama Cells. In the Original Work, Yamato needed Tobi to attach himself to him before he could use Wood Style at the level of a Forbidden Technique.

But Madara didn't. He was a perfect match for Hashirama Cells.

If Madara and Hashirama fought again at the Valley of the End, Madara would surely win decisively.

Madara didn't have the Rinnegan now, but he had Hashirama Cells within him. In other words... Wood Style on Hashirama's level!

Madara clasped his hands together, a mischievous smile curling his lips. "I think you'll all find this familiar."

Tsunade's pupils contracted. That was... a Wood Style hand seal!

"Wood Style: Tree World Descends!"

As Madara formed the seal, the ground beneath him split apart. Countless thick tree trunks burst from the earth, growing and spreading rapidly. The trees engulfed the Sannin and their Summoning Beasts.

Orochimaru's Summoning Beast was bound by a massive tree. Before even its passive Reverse Summon Technique could activate, its Chakra was instantly absorbed, leaving it shriveled like a dried snake.

This wasn't Yamato's half-baked Wood Style. It was Domain Type Wood Style. Any branch or vine that touched you would drain your Chakra.

"Damn it, Wood Style!!"

Orochimaru ran for his life through Tree World Descends, slashing at the encroaching vines with his Kusanagi Sword.

He felt like Madara was constantly shattering his understanding of the world.

First Susanoo, now Wood Style. Was this still a normal Ninja battle?

You throw a few Shuriken, I spit out some water, and we can all just play along!

What hand seals did Wood Style use? It didn't even need hand seals.

You didn't even bother forming seals to use this Ninjutsu. You just clasped your hands together, and whatever you shouted appeared!

Wasn't this just a complete breakdown of the setting?

Orochimaru deeply felt how the power creep at the end of a series utterly overwhelmed the carefully constructed rules from its beginning.

They weren't even Ninjas from the same genre anymore.

Fine, fine. You're all powering up?

Then I'll power up too!

"Forbidden Technique—"

Slug avoided the control of the branches and vines by splitting into countless pieces and slipping around like an eel.

The three giant toads—Gama Bunta, Gama Ken, and Gama Hiro—had no chance of dodging. They were the first to have their Chakra drained by Madara's Tree World Descends.

Seeing this, Jiraiya quickly released the summons of the Toad Three Brothers, sending them back to Mount Myōboku.

Sage Fukasaku reminded him, "Little Jiraiya, burn it with oil!"

"Got it!"

"Sage Art: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"

The Senjutsu Chakra in Jiraiya's body transformed into a surging torrent of Toad Oil, while Sage Shima used Sage Fire Style to form the Toad Oil Flame Bullet.

This move wasn't as powerful as Gama-Gama, but it was still a Combination Ninjutsu on the level of Senjutsu.

As the blazing flames roared, Sage Flames destroyed the Tree World Domain Madara had created.

Standing atop a towering tree with his arms folded, Madara offered a cool assessment. "Not bad. Hashirama's village isn't completely worthless."