The Shocked People of Konoha

"Kakashi, time's up. I'm done playing with you!"

Uchiha Ao left these words for Kakashi, his figure merging into the dense jungle and vanishing from sight.

"You want to leave? Not a chance..."

Kakashi attempted to intercept him, but he was met with a violent forest that seemed to possess a consciousness of its own, as endless vines lashed out to attack him.

Uchiha Ao did not look back.

He did not hold back either, despite the appearance of Uchiha Inabi and the others, nor did he worry about harming his own clansmen.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't even spare Uchiha Inabi and the others a single glance.

Because there was no need to.

These muddled Uchiha clansmen...

They weren't worth his time or energy.

Since these people chose to interfere in this matter, they should have been prepared to become enemies.

He would not abandon his original plan just because of these Uchiha clansmen.

Uchiha Inabi still intended to intervene in the battle, and the few men behind him wanted to give chase, but they were quickly ensnared by thick vines formed by Wood Release, unable to escape.

"Captain... what is this!?"

"Living trees—no, this is... this is Wood Release!"

"Captain! Save me..."

"Ah!"

"Arghhhhh!"

"The speed of these tree roots is terrifying..."

"It's over... I can't dodge it!"

The Konoha ninjas who had surrounded them, including the Uchiha clansmen, all fell into chaos, suffering heavy casualties in the dense forest in an instant.

Kakashi received the most attention, as dozens of root systems formed a dense web, trapping him firmly in place.

Although Kakashi possessed strong combat instincts and extensive experience, this was his first time encountering a Wood Release jutsu.

He couldn't find a way to break the deadlock in such a short time.

The violently growing forest of wooden roots transformed into a lethal hunter, circling all the enemies under Uchiha Ao's control and launching constant, deadly strikes.

Every Konoha ninja caught in the Deep Forest Emergence was already in a frantic scramble just trying to dodge the attacks.

A casual move from the First Hokage was enough to plunge ordinary ninjas into a life-or-death crisis.

Kakashi dared not delay any longer. Gritting his teeth, he quickly formed hand seals, channeling the little Chakra he had left, and brought his fingers to his mouth—"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, draining the last of his meager Chakra reserves.

The fireball quickly created a vacuum zone.

The scorching flames, however, did not affect the attacks of the tree trunks.

But the fire did effectively slow the spread of the jungle.

It controlled the expansion of the Deep Forest Emergence.

Fire Style was effective.

But Kakashi was in a sorry state at this moment.

To minimize the casualties of his comrades, he had given his all.

The price he paid was several holes pierced into his body by vines, and he could only watch helplessly as Uchiha Ao departed, unable to do anything about it.

The fate of the few Uchiha clansmen who had joined the battle midway was even more miserable; several of them were only at the level of Chunin and couldn't even dodge the attacks of the vines and roots.

Unable to effectively resist the sneak attacks of the vines, they were pierced through their bodies and left hanging from the tree trunks, bleeding to death.

The Chakra within their bodies was drained dry by the tree trunks until they perished.

This domain-level killing field formed by the Wood Release forest easily slaughtered all the weaklings.

Not far away, at the residence of Orochimaru.

Everyone's gaze was drawn to the commotion in the distance.

That is...

Wood Release!

Who on earth is fighting over there!?

Having just quelled the internal strife of the Anbu, the Third Hokage widened his eyes, his breath hitching and his pupils constricting as he looked toward the dense forest that had suddenly appeared.

As time passed, the forest had already spread to the Forest of Death, merging with its borders.

"This is... Deep Forest Emergence! I haven't seen it in over forty years... At this scale, it already possesses fifty percent of the power of the First Hokage..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up, shaking off the two subordinates who were tending to his wounds. His breathing grew heavy, and his entire body stiffened in an instant.

Scenes he had witnessed in his childhood involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

How long had it been?

The peerless power of the First Hokage...

To encounter it once again at this moment!

Who on earth could it be!?

"Could it be Orochimaru..."

He recalled the reports Anko had provided regarding Orochimaru's experiments, which involved research into the cells of the First Hokage.

Just now... had Orochimaru held back?

What exactly was this disciple planning to do!?

He hadn't been able to discern his intentions at all!

"Orochimaru, I never imagined you would truly commit such a blasphemous act against our predecessors... This time, I will absolutely not let you escape!"

At this moment.

The Third Hokage dropped all pretenses. He grabbed a bandage, tightly wrapped his injured left hand, and swiftly rushed toward the location of the Deep Forest Emergence.

Meanwhile.

Shimura Danzō, having emerged from the Hokage's office, was nearing the battlefield.

Uchiha Ao was nowhere to be seen.

He left behind a battlefield ravaged by the Deep Forest Emergence, a scene of utter devastation.

Kakashi was binding his wounds with white bandages, his face deathly pale—a clear sign of significant blood loss.

Uchiha Ao...

He muttered the name silently, a flicker of wariness flashing in his eyes.

That little brat who used to follow Obito around; he never expected him to have become this powerful.

Wood Release...

Could this be the result of Orochimaru's research?

To actually bring the Kekkei Genkai of the First Hokage back into the world.

What kind of experiment could be worth Orochimaru abandoning his status in Konoha, and worth Uchiha Ao forsaking his identity as an Uchiha clansman to flee the village!?

Kakashi could not understand.

"Kakashi! What happened here!?"

Shimura Danzō appeared before Kakashi, his eyes vigilantly scanning the few Uchiha clansmen nearby, all of whom were wounded.

Very good, it was highly likely he wouldn't face much resistance when he made his move!

"Lord Danzō, you've arrived!"

"I was pursuing Orochimaru just now, but I was intercepted by Uchiha Ao..."

Seeing him, Kakashi immediately stood up to salute, gritting his teeth as he endured the sharp pain in his body to answer.

Danzō was the leader of the Anbu, his direct superior.

He was a man who could decide his future with a single word, so he had to be treated with caution.

Uchiha!

"So it was the Uchiha who caused this trouble!? In that case..."

Danzō caught the keyword, a smile of expectation flashing in his eyes.

Making a mountain out of a molehill!

That was his specialty.

Danzō raised his cane high and slammed it hard against the ground with a loud thud, his tone chilling as he declared:

"Arrest all the Uchiha clansmen present! They are suspected of aiding the S-rank missing-nin Orochimaru in escaping Konoha..."

"Do not let a single one go!"

"If they resist, kill them without mercy!"

As soon as his voice fell, the accompanying Anbu members immediately moved, surrounding the few surviving Uchiha clansmen.

Not far away, Uchiha Inabi, who was helping his subordinates bandage their wounds, noticed the hostile gazes of the Anbu around him, and his expression changed drastically.

In this mission to support the Anbu, their three Uchiha squads had lost seven clansmen, with only four left alive...

He never expected that after the village's Anbu arrived, they wouldn't even ask a single question, but instead move against them without the slightest hesitation.

Uchiha Inabi stood up with a look of grievance and unwillingness, looking toward Shimura Danzō.

"Lord Danzō! We are the Police Force; we only came over to take a look after noticing the battle here, we certainly weren't planning to help Orochimaru defect..."

Uchiha Inabi was still trying to reason with him.

But what greeted him was the iron fist of the Anbu; surrounded by over a dozen Anbu members, Shimura Danzō did not give them any face at all.

He was not even willing to listen to a single word of their explanation.

Danzō listened as Kakashi reconstructed the battlefield, his heart jolting violently.

Orochimaru... that guy had been hiding his research even from him.

After being pursued by the Third Hokage and hunted by the Anbu, he still had the strength to resist, even playing Kakashi for a fool.

And this Uchiha clansman who appeared later to help Orochimaru... was he also a secret pawn left behind by Orochimaru?

"So, this Wood Release is the masterpiece of Uchiha Ao!? That name sounds very familiar!"

Danzō muttered, his fingers subconsciously rubbing the handle of his cane as he fell into deep thought.

"Lord Danzō... that is the Uchiha clansman who was by Orochimaru's side; he only recently started following Orochimaru."

Yamanaka Fu stepped forward to answer.

"You had someone investigate his background last time, and the report was just received this morning."

He pulled a scroll from his pocket and handed it over.

The investigation had been completed a long time ago and had been kept on his person, but since Lord Danzō hadn't asked about it, he had been busy and forgotten to submit it.

He had assumed Uchiha Ao was just an insignificant minor character, and had intended to have the men deal with him while they were sent to retrieve the Kinoe test subject.

He hadn't paid any further attention to him after that.