Qianyu Makes a Move

"Tracked us down that quickly? Damn..." Urashiki tilted his head, his scarlet Rinnegan lingering on Sasuke for a moment, but he did not pursue the matter further. His main target was still Naruto.

Qianyu, hiding in the corner after Tsunade had signaled for him to "stay put and don't move," felt his heart rise into his throat. He knew that this battle had already far surpassed anything ordinary.

Just then, Boruto, who had previously been shaken off by Sasuke's teleportation and had followed the fluctuations of the battle here, rushed out from around the street corner as well. The moment he saw the young Naruto being shielded behind the others, he blurted out in panic—

"Dad! Are you okay?!"

That single word, "Dad," was like a boulder crashing into a tranquil lake, instantly stirring towering waves in the hearts of Konoha's top shinobi!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted slightly, and his pipe nearly slipped from his lips. He looked in disbelief at the blond, blue-eyed boy dressed in bizarre clothes, then sharply turned to the young Naruto, whose face was full of confusion.

Tsunade froze as well, her amber eyes sweeping back and forth between Boruto and Naruto. Recalling his strange appearance and the possibility of time-space theory, a shocking guess began to take shape in her mind.

Even Sasuke, who was always calm, had the corner of his mouth twitch almost imperceptibly. I told you to protect your identity, and you just shouted it out loud.

He swung the red-glowing fishing rod in his hand again. This time, it was no longer a probing attack. The hook and line split into dozens of crimson phantoms, impossible to tell apart as real or false. Like venomous snakes striking from their lairs, they shrieked through the air as they simultaneously attacked Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, Sasuke, and Naruto behind them!

"Move!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted, forming hand seals in an instant. "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" Three blazing fire dragons roared forth, charging into the sea of crimson afterimages.

Sasuke's Rinnegan flashed purple, lightning bursting from his left hand. "Chidori Sharp Spear!" A spear of lightning condensed to the utmost extreme shot forth, precisely striking toward the core of another cluster of crimson phantoms.

Tsunade was even more direct. With a sharp cry, she gathered chakra into her fist. The ground cracked beneath her feet as she threw a punch, her terrifying strength shattering the air itself and warping even space along with the red hook phantoms headed toward her and Naruto!

"Boom! Rumble—!"

The collision between ninjutsu and the bizarre weapon erupted with an ear-splitting roar. The shockwave tore the ramen shop's awning clean off, scattering shattered bowls and plates across the ground. Amid the billowing dust, Urashiki's figure flickered as he easily evaded most of the attacks. Yet the fishhook strangely curved around the fire dragons and lightning spear, shooting at Tsunade from a treacherous angle!

Tsunade had just thrown a full-force punch. Her old strength was spent before new strength could rise, and she could only twist aside with difficulty. The hook grazed her arm, drawing a trail of blood droplets.

The blood was warm as it splashed before her eyes and slid down her fair arm.

The fury on Tsunade's face instantly froze, then turned deathly pale. Her amber pupils shrank violently, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. Her stomach churned violently.

The chakra that had been surging with overwhelming force just moments ago immediately fell into disorder and dissipated. The scene before her blurred and spun, crimson flooding her entire field of vision.

"Blood... blood..." Her throat tightened, her voice barely a whisper. Staggering backward, she could not even raise a finger as boundless cold and dizziness swallowed her whole. Hemophobia—the nightmare that had plagued her for years—had struck her down again at this most critical moment!

"Tsunade!" Hiruzen Sarutobi was shocked and wanted to support her, but several more elusive hooks from Urashiki forced him into a frantic defense. Sasuke frowned deeply as well. The skeletal frame of Susanoo had only just emerged when Urashiki interfered with that bizarre time-space ability of his, as though he could predict incoming attacks, preventing it from fully forming.

Urashiki seemed somewhat surprised by Tsunade's sudden collapse, but then he revealed a mocking smile. "Oh? Such an obvious weakness? How boring."

He no longer paid attention to Tsunade, who had temporarily lost her ability to fight. With a turn of his fishing rod, red light gathered, and several more solid hooks shot out like venomous snakes locked onto their prey. This time, they targeted Naruto, whom he had been focusing on all along, and Qianyu standing not far in front of him!

"Naruto! Get behind me!" Without a second thought, Qianyu yanked the still-dazed Naruto behind him, his hands rapidly forming seals. He knew his Wood Release was nowhere near enough to stop this, but even delaying it for an instant would be enough!

"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"

A row of curved wooden pillars hastily rose up before him.

"Crack! Splat—!"

The Wood Locking Wall was like paper before the red-glowing hooks, pierced through and shattered in an instant! One hook continued forward without losing momentum, carrying the aura of death as it stabbed straight toward Qianyu's chest! It was too fast, and its angle too vicious—far beyond the limits of his current reflexes!

Am I going to die? Qianyu's mind went blank. He could only watch helplessly as that point of red light rapidly expanded before his eyes.

"Qianyu—!!!"

A shrill scream, as though it had broken through some invisible barrier, burst from Tsunade's mouth as she lay slumped beside the broken wall!

She saw it! She saw the resolve in the child's eyes as he stood before Naruto. She saw the flash of panic on his face when the Wood Locking Wall shattered. And she saw the moment that deadly hook was about to pierce his slender chest!

No! It can't! She had only just accepted this child as her disciple! She had only just decided to protect this lonely child who carried her grandfather's power! She had only just tasted, in the food he made, a long-lost warmth and vitality that belonged to home!

The crimson haze still filled her vision. The dizziness still battered her mind. But this time, an even stronger, fiercer torrent born from the deepest part of her will to protect violently smashed through the dam of fear!

"Get... lost!!!"

Tsunade suddenly bit through her tongue. The sharp pain and metallic taste of blood jolted her awake. She was no longer the fugitive trapped by the nightmares of the past. She was Tsunade Senju! The First Hokage's granddaughter! One of the Sannin! This child's teacher!

Terrifying chakra erupted from her body like a volcano, golden light temporarily driving away the crimson illusion before her eyes. The ground beneath her exploded as her figure became a bolt of golden lightning, moving after the attack yet arriving before it, faster than the eye could follow!

"Monster Strength: Crushing Punch!"

Her fist, wrapped in tangible golden chakra, no longer struck the air. Instead, it smashed with incomparable precision into the side of the red hook flying toward Qianyu!

"Clang—!!!"

A thunderous boom like a great bell being struck! That bizarre hook, seemingly indestructible and capable of absorbing chakra, was forcefully knocked off course by Tsunade's punch, a punch filled with boundless rage and the will to protect. It plunged into the ground beside them, its red light rapidly dimming.

Tsunade stood before Qianyu and Naruto, breathing lightly. The wound on her arm, torn open by the hook, was still bleeding, but she stood perfectly straight. Her gaze was as sharp as a blade, without the slightest trace of hesitation or fear. At this moment, she had forcefully suppressed her hemophobia with an even stronger will!

"Teacher..." Qianyu looked at the back before him—slightly trembling, yet as dependable as a mountain—and his nose stung.

"Well done, Tsunade." Hiruzen Sarutobi's spirits lifted.

Sasuke nodded inwardly as well. The purple light in his Rinnegan intensified, and he finally seized the faintest instant of hesitation Urashiki showed after Tsunade's outburst. The purple skeletal frame of his Complete Body Susanoo instantly solidified and rose, a massive bow appearing in its hand!

A purple giant suddenly appeared in the middle of Konoha.

The teasing look on Urashiki's face finally vanished.

"Interesting... truly interesting! The insects on this planet always manage to surprise me!" He licked his lips, scarlet light surging in his eyes. "Then... the warm-up is over."

Before everyone's horrified eyes, Urashiki raised two fingers and, without hesitation, viciously stabbed them into his own Rinnegan!

"Splat!"

He tore his own eyeballs out alive! Yet an eerie smile of satisfaction spread across his face. Then, he swallowed the still-bleeding Rinnegan in a single bite!

"Urrrghhh—!"

A pained roar burst from Urashiki's throat, yet his aura rose madly at a terrifying speed!

Black patterns emerged beneath his white skin. The skin at the center of his forehead split apart, and a brand-new Rinnegan radiating brilliant golden light slowly opened!

A golden Rinnegan!

An indescribable pressure swept outward like a tsunami, making the air itself thick and heavy. Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a muffled groan and staggered back several steps, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Tsunade's hemophobia, which she had only just suppressed, seemed on the verge of flaring up again, and her face went pale once more. Even Sasuke's Complete Body Susanoo swayed slightly beneath the pressure of that golden Rinnegan.

"The game should be over," Urashiki said indifferently as his golden Rinnegan slowly turned.

He did not even use his fishing rod. He merely raised a hand and made a grasping motion toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Pfft—!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was struck as if by a massive blow, sent flying like a ragged sack. He crashed through the wall of a shop behind him and was buried beneath the rubble. His Hokage robes were torn apart, his pipe had flown off somewhere, and blood instantly dyed his graying beard red. His aura had withered to the extreme—he was on the verge of death!

"Old man!" Tsunade cried, her eyes splitting with fury.

"Grandpa Hokage!" Naruto shouted in alarm.

"This is bad..." Sasuke's expression darkened to the utmost. He knew he had to risk everything! The Complete Body Susanoo drew its enormous bow, condensing a purple chakra arrow aimed at Urashiki.

"A dying struggle." Urashiki did not even glance at the fearsome purple arrow. His golden Rinnegan locked onto Sasuke, and an invisible, terrifying force that seemed capable of imprisoning space itself spread outward, slowing even the Susanoo's movements!

Just as the purple arrow was about to be released, and Urashiki's fatal attack was about to descend upon Sasuke and the others—

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

A clear, cold shout rang out—not from anyone on the battlefield!

A colossal azure wooden dragon, several times larger than Sasuke's Susanoo, suddenly burst from the ground at their side without warning. Lifelike and covered in grim scales, it stretched across Urashiki's attack path with a deafening dragon's roar and boundless life force!

"BOOM!!!"

Urashiki's invisible spatial-binding force collided head-on with the wooden dragon, unleashing a devastating shockwave. Yet it failed to destroy the dragon completely, merely making its enormous body sway violently as wood chips scattered everywhere.

As the dust began to settle, a tall, upright figure slowly stepped out from the shadow beneath the coiled wooden dragon.

He looked to be in his early twenties, dressed in a simple dark combat uniform. His long black hair was casually tied behind his head, with a few loose strands brushing across his forehead. His features were so handsome they bordered on sharpness, and between his brows lay a faint weariness born from having seen the world's countless changes, along with a restrained pride that looked down upon all beneath heaven.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi barely managed to raise his head from the rubble and saw the newcomer's face clearly, the Third Hokage—who had weathered countless storms and now stood at death's door—looked as though he had seen a ghost. His pupils shrank to pinpoints, and his entire body began to tremble violently. He even forgot to breathe. All that remained was boundless horror and disbelief as a name tore from the depths of his soul:

"U... Uchiha... Ma, Madara?!"

No! That was not right! Though he looked astonishingly similar, his temperament was completely different! He lacked Madara Uchiha's wild, domineering arrogance and the cold indifference of one who treated all living beings as pieces on a board. And besides, he was using Wood Release.

Hearing this, the young man tilted his head slightly and glanced at the barely conscious Hiruzen Sarutobi. His gaze was calm and undisturbed, as if he were looking at an irrelevant stranger.

He sighed softly, his voice clear.

"What a pain... having to come save myself." He paused, sweeping his gaze across everyone present before it finally landed on Qianyu, whose pupils were shaking violently. The corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.

"But, Third Hokage, you have mistaken me for someone else." The young man's tone was casual. "I do look a little like a certain troublesome fellow... but I'm not him."

The young man offered no further explanation. He turned to face Urashiki, whose expression had finally become truly grave for the first time. Bringing his hands together before his chest, he moved smoothly and naturally, as though he had practiced the motion tens of millions of times.

An indescribable natural energy, far surpassing anything anyone had displayed before, began to gather around him wildly. Red markings quietly appeared beneath his eyelids, while a point of glistening green light flickered at his brow.

"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"

The earth thundered! Countless gigantic wooden arms roared up from the ground behind the young Qianyu, converging and rising! In the blink of an eye, an enormous thousand-armed wooden Buddha, vast enough to blot out the sky over half the street, rose from the earth!

The wooden Buddha wore a solemn, sacred expression. Its mere existence exuded such overwhelming pressure that it nearly crushed space itself, greatly diminishing the oppressive force of Urashiki's golden Rinnegan!

The young Qianyu stood atop the Buddha's head, his black clothes fluttering and long hair whipping in the wind. He glanced at Sasuke, who was shocked but still maintained his Susanoo as he searched for a chance to attack, and said blandly:

"You there, Sunshine Pillar, don't just stand around watching. Put that purple Gundam of yours on my wooden giant. Against a thief who steals time, we need to use something heavy."

Sasuke: "..." Sunshine Pillar? Gundam? Although he did not understand the words, judging from the context and the man's gesture toward the Susanoo, he roughly understood what was meant.

This person seemed to know a great deal, and he was... absurdly strong! Sasuke did not hesitate. His Rinnegan flashed with brilliant purple light!

"Susanoo Armor!"

The Complete Body Susanoo instantly broke apart, transforming into the purest chakra energy and flowing over the enormous wooden body of the True Several Thousand Hands like water. It formed an incomparably solid suit of energy armor shimmering with purple light! The union of the wooden Buddha and Susanoo gave off a terrifying aura where holiness and destruction intertwined, enough to drain the very heavens and earth of color!

Feeling the unprecedented, surging power beneath his feet—a fusion of senjutsu, Wood Release, and Susanoo's strength—the young Qianyu calmly looked down at Urashiki, whose face had finally changed drastically. Yet it was as though he were looking through Urashiki, toward the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was barely clinging to consciousness farther away.

His voice was not loud, yet it echoed clearly in the ears of every survivor, carrying an unquestionable sense of judgment—as though it had come from the future:

"Watch closely, Third Hokage."

"This is... the power Konoha's future should possess. It is protection, it is inheritance, it is the path forged by breaking fate with one's own hands."

At last, his gaze sharpened like a blade, piercing straight into Hiruzen Sarutobi's cloudy yet stubbornly open eyes. His words struck the aged Hokage's heart like heavy hammers:

"So, that old friend at your side—the one who only hides in the shadows, toys with schemes, creates tragedies, and brings nothing but harm to the village's future..."

"Get rid of him."

The instant his words fell, the Sage Art Wood Release Susanoo Thousand-Armed Buddha's countless arms blazed with radiant light and crashed down upon the Otsutsuki Urashiki, who was attempting to activate the golden Rinnegan's ultimate ability and flee!