Deep Forest Emergence

Click, click...

Hard wooden stakes erupted from the ground, rapidly forming a barrel-like shape to shield Nadeshiko and the clansmen behind her.

As the raging storm dissipated, the entire shrine was overturned, collapsing with a thunderous roar.

Yet, that several-meter-tall Wood Dome, despite its exterior being scorched pitch-black, stood firm against the onslaught, remaining unmoved where it stood.

In such a situation... anyone hiding inside would surely be roasted alive by the intense flames.

Obito pondered this, running over to phase through the Wood Dome to confirm the status of those inside.

At this moment, Yamato arrived with Sakura by his side to join Jiraiya. Seeing them, Naruto asked happily:

"Captain Yamato, you arrived just in time! That was your Wood Release, right? Did you manage to save them?"

Yamato, who had been intending to report the failure to clear out the enemies, assumed Naruto was referring to the Four-Pillar Prison Technique he had used nearby. He nodded and said to Jiraiya:

"Lord Jiraiya, there are too many enemies from Iwagakure, and the one leading them seems to be the son of the Third Tsuchikage."

So, the one who used that powerful Earth Release jutsu earlier was Kitsuchi?

Jiraiya's expression turned grave. Before he brought Naruto here to save the captives, he had already clashed with the leader of that group, and he was indeed a difficult opponent.

"Yamato, did you save the people in the shrine..."

As they spoke, Obito had already emerged from the Wood Dome.

The interior was completely empty. It was unclear whether they had been reduced to ash by his Fire Release, or if... they had escaped unscathed.

After breaking through the Four-Pillar Prison, Kitsuchi from Iwagakure arrived at the shrine with about a hundred men, standing behind Obito.

The Mangekyo beneath Obito's mask rotated slowly. Confirming that no other survivors from the village were detected nearby, he immediately unleashed his killing intent toward Naruto's group:

"I don't know how you managed to get here so quickly, but other than the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, all of you will die here today."

How could there be such powerful killing intent?

The sensitive Sakura perceived the killing intent radiating from Obito in an instant. Terrified, her eyes widened, and her legs trembled as she involuntarily stepped back.

This horrific aura was exactly the same as the one she and Sasuke had encountered from Orochimaru during the Forest of Death exam...

Could the four of them really win?

After his declaration, Obito turned to signal Kitsuchi. Kitsuchi nodded with a stern expression, and in the next second, he performed hand seals and slammed his palms onto the ground:

"Earth Release: Rock Statue."

A stone giant, comparable in size to a Tailed Beast, erupted from the earth. Kitsuchi stepped onto its shoulder, and the giant began to charge toward Jiraiya's group with heavy, thundering strides.

The heavy sound of the Rock Statue's massive feet hitting the ground seemed to further shatter Sakura's confidence.

Seeing this, Jiraiya and Naruto both bit their fingers:

"Summoning Jutsu."

The Gamabunta summoned by Jiraiya blocked the charging Rock Statue. As for Naruto's...

"Ahhh... why is it you again, Gamakichi?"

Naruto clutched his head in agony, his mouth twitching as he looked at Gamakichi, whom he had been summoning since he was a child—

Although it had grown to nearly twice the height of a man, it still couldn't fight such a massive stone statue!

Gamakichi was quite happy to see Naruto and greeted him: "Naruto, what do you need my help with this time?"

Seeing Gamabunta and Jiraiya to the right, it became even more cheerful: "Hi, Dad! Looks like you and your master want to have a father-son reunion."

"Gamakichi, can't you see we're in the middle of a battle? And Jiraiya, why do you always make me do such difficult things?"

Gamabunta struggled to hold back the stone statue and called for his son to take the others and jump out of the combat zone.

Gamakichi nodded, scooped up Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato, and leaped away from the clash between the two titans.

But the moment they landed, they were immediately surrounded by the hundred or so Iwagakure ninja.

Obito, standing at the front, drew his Gunbai and issued an order:

"I'll handle this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. You lot take care of the other two."

With that, he lunged at Naruto.

Obito was afraid that Naruto might lose control of the Nine-Tails at this moment and slaughter all the Iwagakure ninja collaborating with the Akatsuki.

If he handled it himself, he could use the Sharingan's genjutsu to suppress the Nine-Tails.

"Damn it! Gamakichi, help Sakura and Captain Yamato deal with these guys. I'll hold off the masked one."

Naruto finished speaking, performed hand seals to create a dozen Shadow Clone, and began engaging Obito in taijutsu. However, just like before, every strike hit nothing but air, and slowly, his Shadow Clone were picked off one by one.

Although Yamato and Sakura had Gamakichi's assistance, they were facing over a dozen jonin and eighty chunin, and they soon began to lose ground.

On the field, only Jiraiya was able to temporarily suppress Kitsuchi, but he couldn't spare the effort to help the others.

"It's been so long, why are you cursing me the moment we meet again?"

Nadeshiko thought she had arrived in the legendary underworld, still muttering: "You bastard, Uchiha Qiu Yang."

Seeing her scold him yet again, Uchiha Qiu Yang helplessly flicked her forehead. Noticing the many gruesome wounds on her body, he summoned his cloak from a scroll to cover her alluring figure.

"Don't be afraid, I've rescued you all."

The Wood Dome from just moments ago hadn't been cast by Yamato, but by him; in that critical instant, he had used the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport to her side and deploy it.

He had then used the few seconds of cover provided by the Wood Dome to activate the Spatial Formation Flag via the Yushenji, teleporting Nadeshiko and the others away from the path of the incoming Fire Release.

"You... didn't I die?"

Nadeshiko stared blankly at the tall man before her, tears finally spilling uncontrollably from her eyes.

Since the day they parted, she had seen his figure in her dreams countless times at midnight; she never expected to see him again today: "Uchiha Qiu Yang, my village..."

"Silly girl, everything will be fine soon."

Uchiha Qiu Yang patted her head comfortingly, then leaped to the highest building in the ninja village, his Mangekyo locking onto the locations where fires were raging.

At the same time, he noticed his companions were in a disadvantageous position—

One of the Iwagakure jonin had grabbed Sakura by the hair and was dragging her face-first across the ground.

Uh, why did that feel so satisfying to watch??

Uchiha Qiu Yang shook his head to dispel the strange thought, not rushing over to help immediately.

What he needed to do now was extinguish all the fires in this village first.

Taking a deep breath, he clapped his hands together to form the Wood Seal, channeling all his chakra:

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence—"

Down below, Nadeshiko, who was clutching Uchiha Qiu Yang's cloak tightly, witnessed a scene she would never forget for the rest of her life:

With Uchiha Qiu Yang at the center, thick, sturdy trees rapidly erupted from the earth, covering the entire village in less than a minute.

The raging flames were quickly absorbed and smothered by these trees, and the village, which was on the verge of being reduced to ruins, was saved just like that.

Everyone currently fighting had their attention diverted by the commotion caused by the Deep Forest Emergence.

This... this was power on the level of a creator!

Naruto stood with his mouth agape, looking around at the surroundings now covered in a green forest, before turning to look at Yamato, stuttering:

"Captain Yamato, is your Wood Release really this powerful?"

Yamato, who had been beaten black and blue by dozens of Iwagakure ninja: ?

Help, if I had such powerful Wood Release, why would I have been beaten into this state by these people?

Who on earth is it??