Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!
Lin Mu had known about Senju Hashirama's iconic technique for a long time.
But seeing it from such a close distance still left him deeply shaken.
And Lin Mu knew full well that Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation was imperfect. Hashirama's abilities had been restricted.
His true strength went far beyond this!
At his peak, Senju Hashirama's power could be described as moving mountains and overturning seas.
When Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands appeared, even a massive mountain could be leveled in an instant!
Before he crossed over, every time he watched the iconic battles between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, his blood would surge with excitement.
That power could even reshape the map!
While Lin Mu was still wildly imagining how awe-inspiring he would be once he had completely mastered Wood Release,
an Anbu member wearing a wild-dog mask walked beneath the stands. He glanced over the many students on the platform and said coolly,
"The crisis in Konoha has been brought under control for now. Most of the enemies from Sunagakure and Otogakure have already been defeated by the elite Jonin and Anbu. Return home and stay hidden immediately. Don't go out without orders from a superior!"
At those words, the students on the stands got up and headed back.
Lin Mu wanted to keep watching the battle, but he had no choice but to leave with the others.
"Forget it. I already know how it ends, and I've learned a lot from watching this long."
As Lin Mu headed home with the other students under the Anbu member's guidance,
Senju Hashirama, fighting the Third Hokage on the rooftop, seemed to sense something. He murmured to himself,
"Wood Release..."
But at that moment, Orochimaru was forcibly controlling Hashirama's body. Though he was curious about why he could sense the presence of Wood Release, he couldn't investigate further.
After parting from the others, Lin Mu didn't go home to take shelter. Instead, he headed straight for the outskirts of Konoha.
From what he remembered, Sasuke Uchiha should be pursuing Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara from Sunagakure at this time.
After receiving orders from Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru were chasing Sasuke alongside Pakkun, Kakashi's summoning Ninja Dog.
Lin Mu didn't know exactly where they were, but he knew roughly which way they had gone.
If he hurried over now, he might still be able to help.
He couldn't get involved in a battle between Kage-level fighters, but he was confident he could handle a fight at Chunin level.
It was the perfect chance to try out the Wood Style Jutsu he had just acquired!
When he reached Konoha's gate, he found the ground strewn with ruins.
The three giant snakes had leveled the village wall and many of the surrounding buildings.
In every corner of the rubble lay shinobi who were badly injured and unconscious, or already dead.
Lin Mu didn't stop. He rushed through the gate, got his bearings, and sprinted ahead.
Twenty minutes later...
Lin Mu was surprised to find that, despite running at full speed for about twenty minutes, he was only slightly out of breath.
Then he understood.
The powerful recovery of his Wood Style Body had greatly improved his stamina.
Feeling the benefits of his strengthened body, Lin Mu didn't hesitate. He went all out and raced ahead even faster.
In a forest, Shikamaru watched an Otogakure shinobi standing with his back to him, examining footprints on the ground, and sighed helplessly.
Then a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he formed Hand Seals.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
This was a secret technique passed down through Konoha's Nara Clan!
It could use shadows to immobilize an opponent.
Whoosh—
The shadow beneath Shikamaru's feet swiftly changed shape, extending forward like a black rope.
In a few breaths, it had connected with the shadows beneath several Otogakure shinobi ahead.
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The shinobi jolted and tried to move.
But they discovered that some strange force seemed to be binding their bodies, making it almost impossible to budge.
The Otogakure shinobi's hearts pounded as they strained to turn around.
Shikamaru Nara was looking at them with a helpless expression.
"Sorry. I'm usually the best at running away, but it seems my role has changed a little this time."
While Shikamaru Nara kept the enemies talking, he quietly reached behind him with one hand.
Holding so many people at once took a tremendous amount of chakra.
What's more, he had just fought a fierce battle in the Chunin Ninja Exams!
"One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight."
Shikamaru glanced over and counted eight enemies.
His already furrowed brows creased even more.
Ninja Dog Pakkun had just said he smelled nine people!
That meant one enemy was still hiding nearby.
But Shikamaru Nara couldn't worry about that right now. There was only one way to find out where the enemy was hiding.
"Shing, shing, shing..."
Several Shuriken flew from Shikamaru Nara's hand.
But just before they could hit the enemies, several Kunai shot out and knocked the Shuriken aside.
Shikamaru Nara hurried toward the direction the Kunai had come from. A figure was barely visible there.
"Heh heh heh..."
A sinister laugh rang out.
"So what if you know where I'm hiding?"
Cold sweat trickled down Shikamaru Nara's face. At this distance...
He couldn't hit the enemy!
A faint sense of helplessness welled up inside him, leaving Shikamaru Nara feeling even more defeated.
"Sorry. I'm usually the best at running away, but it seems my role has changed this time. There are things I have to face."
But then his gaze sharpened, and his eyes grew resolute.
Chakra surged and blazed inside him!
In this situation, if he wanted to survive, he had no choice but to fight with everything he had!
Just as Shikamaru Nara was preparing to fight to the death,
"AAAAAAAAAAH!"
A desperate scream came from the enemy hiding in the shadows.
The shinobi who had been watching Shikamaru coldly from hiding stared in disbelief at the wooden spike protruding from his chest. Despair shone in his eyes.
Swish—
Someone pulled the wooden spike from his chest, and the last glimmer in his eyes faded.
"Heh. Picking on one student with so many people doesn't seem very fair, does it?"
A lazy yet chilling voice came from the bushes.
Lin Mu, who had been hiding in the shadows, gave the enemy's rigid corpse a shove, and it fell to the ground.
Several Otogakure shinobi and Shikamaru were all startled at the sight of Lin Mu walking out.
Then Shikamaru shouted,
"Lin Mu, what are you doing here? Do you have a death wish? Run!"
Shikamaru Nara knew that Lin Mu had only been an average student at school. Staying here now would be no different from throwing his life away!
Lin Mu looked at Shikamaru Nara and smiled at him.
He understood Shikamaru Nara's concern, but things were different now.
If he had come here a day ago, he would only have added another corpse.
But now, he was strong enough to turn the tide of this battle!
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