Flipping the Table

Senju Nawaki's face was full of smiles.

A question lingered in his mind: If I absorb Sarutobi Shinnosuke's bloodline, will it allow me to regrow my severed limb? Even if Sarutobi Shinnosuke alone isn't enough, adding the Ino-Shika-Cho jonin who are protecting him should yield a massive harvest.

He cast the thought aside; he needed to focus on the task at hand.

Beside him, Senju Tojian's eyes were filled with resentment. If he were stronger—strong enough to stand against the entire Hidden Leaf—Senju Nawaki wouldn't have to suffer like this.

Seeing Senju Nawaki in his current state made his heart ache.

To think that their Senju clan had to rely on their own patriarch self-mutilating just to escape the darkness of the Hidden Leaf; a wave of sorrow welled up from within him.

"Sixth Granduncle, you need anger, not sorrow. The Ino-Shika-Cho jonin coming in are my vital medicine, and I'm counting on you."

Senju Nawaki's mouth twitched as he struggled to maintain his smile, enduring the intense pain racking his body.

He didn't want Senju Tojian to carry too heavy a burden in his heart.

Thud...

Thud...

Footsteps echoed as the Senju clan jonin outside could no longer hold back Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo.

Bang!

The door to the infirmary was destroyed once again.

A group of people walked in.

Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo appeared at the forefront.

Behind them were Sarutobi Shinnosuke's loyal guards—the current Ino-Shika-Cho trio assigned to him by the Third Hokage.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru followed behind the others; they weren't as tense, for what could possibly happen within the Hidden Leaf's own camp?

The scene before them shocked everyone who entered.

Senju Nawaki was pinned to the wall, blood staining half the room.

His right arm had been severed at the root; according to standard ninja intelligence, his path as a ninja was over.

As for Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who had entered earlier, there was no sign of him anywhere.

"Running dogs of the Sarutobi clan! Die!"

Senju Tojian pressed his palms together and roared.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

The ground began to tremble, soil and stone churning as thick, vibrant tree roots erupted from the earth, surging toward the group that had just entered.

Dazed and shocked, the group's physical reactions slowed by half a beat.

On one hand, this was the Hidden Leaf camp, and they never imagined anyone would dare harm them here.

On the other hand, the technique Senju Tojian used was the very Wood Style wielded by the First Hokage.

Even though rumors of the Third Hokage's immense power had spread throughout the village, these ninjas always understood that the strongest Hokage would forever be the man known as the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.

Rumble...

Just as they stood stunned, several massive trees shot up from beneath their feet, surrounding them and cutting off their lines of communication as the infirmary was torn to pieces.

Viewed from afar, a forest half a kilometer in diameter had appeared within the Hidden Leaf camp, occupying half its area and drawing the attention of everyone present.

Wood Style?

Experienced ninjas stared at the scene in astonishment, making their own guesses.

Spies from other villages recorded the anomaly, preparing to transmit the intelligence back to their respective homes.

At the center of it all, where the infirmary had once stood, a cry for help rang out.

"Help... me..."

It was the Ino-Shika-Cho jonin.

Splorch...

The sound of flesh tearing echoed.

The three Ino-Shika-Cho jonin were bound by vines, their chests pierced through, their eyes wide with disbelief.

They coughed up blood, wanting to say something more, but Senju Tojian gave them no chance.

This was his first time unleashing such a large-scale Wood Style, and he could not yet control its power perfectly.

Swish...

A series of blade flashes tore through the restraints of the tree roots, clearing space where the infirmary had once been.

The scene reverted once more.

Everyone could see that the Ino-Shika-Cho jonin had completely lost all signs of life.

"Elder Tojian... you?"

Hatake Sakumo's expression was heavy; for a moment, he could not make sense of the situation on the field.

Senju Tojian's sudden outburst of hostility had caused such a grave incident.

The short blade already drawn in his hand emitted a chilling light.

When his gaze fell upon Senju Nawaki, he made a calculation in his heart, holding his broken blade across his chest to remain on guard.

He pondered how to deal with the situation before him.

If it were the Senju Tojian who had not awakened Wood Release, he would have been confident in suppressing him, but now, he did not believe he had the ability to capture Senju Tojian.

He cast his gaze toward the Konoha Sannin.

"You... you actually killed your own comrades..."

A roar erupted from the white-haired Jiraiya, his eyes bloodshot.

The Third Hokage's teachings to him were to protect his comrades at all times, especially the ninjas of the Sarutobi clan and the Ino-Shika-Cho families, who were the pillars of Konoha; Senju Tojian was merely an old fossil clinging to family glory.

The three Ino-Shika-Cho jonin were ninjas he knew well, and he shared a significant bond with them.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

He formed hand seals, gathering the chakra in his body, intending to attack Senju Tojian.

"Don't!"

Tsunade shouted, but Jiraiya ignored her.

"Fool!"

A cold glint flashed in Senju Tojian's eyes.

Jiraiya, who could not recognize the situation and was the disciple most severely brainwashed by Sarutobi Hiruzen, actually dared to attack him, and with Fire Style at that. It seemed Sarutobi Hiruzen had not imparted the basic knowledge of Wood Release to Jiraiya.

Wood Release, even a defective version, was based on Earth and Water attributes combined with the Yang attribute.

In the words of Senju Tobirama, Wood Release, filled with vitality, was the natural nemesis of Fire Style.

Jiraiya retreated, his cheeks puffing out, about to spew flames.

His target was none other than Senju Tojian.

Swish...

Swish...

Vines covered in leaves surged toward Jiraiya from all around.

They tightened around his limbs, binding him fast.

A vine thick with lush leaves shot toward Jiraiya's mouth, plugging it shut.

He was left like a slaughtered pig, bound to a tree trunk, struggling violently. The vines absorbed his chakra, rendering him unable to stir.

The others breathed a sigh of relief at this.

Given this display, it seemed there was still a possibility of communicating with Senju Tojian.

"Nawaki?"

Tsunade wanted to rush over to check on Senju Nawaki's condition.

She was blocked by newly sprouted trees.

A look of indignation appeared on Tsunade's face as she looked toward Senju Tojian, but fear flickered in her eyes, and she retreated in an instant.

Senju Nawaki watched everything before him.

From everyone's reactions, he could discern their stances.

The Ino-Shika-Cho families, no analysis needed, were blindly loyal to the Sarutobi clan.

Those close to them included the completely brainwashed Jiraiya, who was deeply loyal to this pathological version of Konoha.

Hatake Sakumo was a neutral party who tried to use his own "Way of the Ninja" to explain the filth before him, yet he could never truly grasp the darkness of Konoha and could only watch and wait.

Orochimaru was the most clear-headed; perhaps he had already seen through his arrangements but chose not to expose them, as this was also a form of reality.

His own sister was the most conflicted, still immersed in the lies woven by Senju Tobirama and the Third Hokage.

When the time came for a final showdown, what choice would she make?