Cheat Mode

Meanwhile, in the Root division of Konoha.

An elderly man with his entire right side wrapped in bandages leaned on a cane, his only visible eye exposed.

A Root member knelt on one knee before him.

"Lord Danzo, we have received news from Orochimaru."

"Speak!"

"Every Root member we had monitoring Orochimaru has fallen victim to his hand. Only one survivor was left to return and report! From him, we learned that Orochimaru has left the Sound Village with his subordinates!"

Thump!

After hearing this, Danzo struck the floor with his cane.

He then muttered to himself: Hiruzen's disciple, Orochimaru, is it? The ties between master and student remain, it seems! This is a good opportunity for me.

I do all the dirty work! Hiruzen's life as Hokage has been far too comfortable.

Hmph!

Hiruzen, I have wanted to be Hokage for a long time!

Besides, you are so old already, why haven't you left yet? I am dying to attend your funeral!

"Pass down the order: all Root members are to depart immediately, head to the nearby Land of Grass, and go into hiding! Stay silent and wait for my further commands."

I, Shimura Danzo, do everything for the sake of the village. Orochimaru, you had better make good use of this!

"Lord Danzo, there is one more piece of news: Tsunade has returned to the village!"

"Tsunade?" Danzo asked calmly.

"Yes, Lord Danzo. Tsunade also brought a man back with her. Judging by their behavior, they are in a romantic relationship!"

"Understood, you may leave. Also, dispose of the survivor Orochimaru left behind! With so many others dead, it would be suspicious if he were the only one to live!"

"Yes, Lord Danzo!"

After the Root member left, Danzo cursed inwardly.

Tsunade, why did you have to come back at a time like this!!!

As long as you weren't here, as long as you hadn't returned, the position of Hokage would have been mine!

I am not a fool; I can move against anyone, but I cannot touch Tsunade.

If I cross her, my dream of becoming Hokage is finished.

In this world, you need power and you need backing.

I can only say that Tsunade's power and background are things I, Danzo, cannot afford to provoke!

She has the influence of the Daimyo's Mansion! And the backing of the Senju clan.

The position of Hokage will have to wait for another opportunity!

A man? Just how capable must this man be for Tsunade to take a liking to him!

Under Tsunade's shadow, I fear this man's future path is destined to soar!

However, if he dares to stand in my way!!!

I will make Tsunade a widow!!!

Why can't I be younger? If only I were younger.

If I could win Tsunade over, with her influence and background...

Hmph! The position of Hokage would have been mine long ago!

Ninja Academy.

On the training arena, Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at Shao Nan!

How does this young man know so much about me? Who exactly is he? What is his objective!

I do not believe his appearance in Konoha at the same time as Tsunade is a coincidence!

While Hiruzen was still deep in thought, Shao Nan's voice echoed from across the stage.

"Old man, since you have set up the ring, I might as well add some flair to it!"

As Shao Nan spoke, he condensed his chakra. The massive surge of energy startled Hiruzen.

"Not only does he possess the brute strength of Lord Hashirama, but he also wields chakra even more potent than a monster's?"

Hiruzen wore an expression of disbelief.

Every teacher and student below the stage was drawn to this display of chakra.

"Who is the man confronting the Hokage!?"

"Is that the First Hokage?"

"Konohamaru, look! There's a superhero up there!"

Shao Nan slammed his right hand onto the stage.

Rumble!!!

The entire arena shook violently as massive swaths of wood erupted from the ground.

At the four corners of the stage, giant wooden pillars emerged.

Immediately following, dense wooden ropes appeared, encircling the four sides of the arena!

Shao Nan laughed loudly, "A ring should look like a ring, right? Hahaha!"

Shao Nan's display refreshed the perceptions of everyone on the field.

Tsunade finally seemed to understand why she felt such a strong affinity for Shao Nan.

So everything he said was true! Couldn't he have just used Wood Release back then? Bad man!

She then moved little Chino from Shizune's arms into her own.

"Little Chino, is your brother handsome?"

"Brother is the most handsome, and big sister is also beautiful! Tee-hee." Chino cooed in Tsunade's arms.

Tsunade couldn't help but plant a firm kiss on Chino's cheek.

"Our little Chino has such a sweet mouth." She then returned her gaze to the arena.

"Is that Wood Release? Am I seeing things? Kurenai, did you cast a genjutsu on me?" Asuma asked Kurenai Yuhi in shock.

Kurenai rolled her eyes at Asuma: "No!"

Hiruzen exclaimed in alarm: "He can even use Wood Release? Could it be that Lord Hashirama has been reincarnated?"

"Hey! Old man, if you aren't going to attack, I will. I won't go easy on you just because you're old—you're the Hokage, aren't you!?"

Shao Nan slammed his right hand down on the ground.

He shouted.

"Release."

"Wood Release: Wood Binding Technique."

Striped wooden pillars shot up from beneath Hiruzen's feet.

In a single instant, they seized Hiruzen.

However, the moment he was caught, Hiruzen's entire body transformed into mud.

"Old man, I feel like you don't respect me. Is it appropriate to use Substitution Technique and Clone Technique in a duel of our level?"

Hiruzen did not answer Shao Nan, instead removing his Hokage robes.

The moment the robes hit the ground, several shuriken appeared before Shao Nan without warning.

It was impossible to tell from which direction the shuriken had been launched.

Hiruzen quickly formed hand seals.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."

"Earth Release: Tile Shuriken Technique."

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

A dense swarm of shuriken and the tiles generated from the arena floor attacked Shao Nan from every angle.

There was also a massive fireball.

Burning with raging flames, it flew fiercely toward Shao Nan.

Just as Shao Nan had slammed his hand onto the ground, Hiruzen released another ninjutsu.

"Don't think you'll succeed, Earth Release: Earth Core Technique."

Just as Shao Nan intended to use a Wood Locking Wall to defend against the shuriken and tiles, he and the stone beneath him were rapidly thrust upward.

Rumble!!

This old man is just spamming techniques because he knows so many, isn't he?

No choice, I won't hit the floor then.

The moment the ground rose, Shao Nan slapped his right thigh.

"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall Technique."

An enhanced version of the Wood Locking Wall!!!

Thick, striped wooden pillars surged forth from the stone beneath his feet.

Using Shao Nan's feet as the center point, a sphere formed to protect him.

Crackle, crackle!!!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's attacks struck the wooden sphere.

Under the force of the impact, the wooden sphere fell from the air.

As if he had spotted an opening, Hiruzen Sarutobi began weaving hand seals.

"Lightning Release: Heaven-Shattering Thunder Technique."

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet."

A blue orb of electrical light appeared in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands, emitting a buzzing sound.

It was clear that this current was incredibly powerful.

He then hurled the orb of light into the air.

In an instant, lightning strikes the size of fingers erupted rapidly from the orb, blasting toward the wooden sphere where Shao Nan was hiding.

Although the lightning looked formidable, its effect on the wooden sphere was negligible. Wood does not conduct electricity!

Next, a ferocious, mud-like dragon head emerged from beside Hiruzen Sarutobi.

It launched a dense barrage of earth bullets at Shao Nan's wooden sphere.

Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi drew a deep breath and exhaled forcefully.

A scorching fire dragon nearly five meters wide roared as it followed the earth bullets, charging toward Shao Nan.

It wasn't over yet; after finishing his Fire Release, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued weaving seals.

His speed was incredibly fast!

He formed three seals in a single blink.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique."

Suddenly, a massive amount of water appeared on the arid arena.

It soaked the entire arena and began spreading downward!

A colossal blue water dragon rose from the arena floor.

Its dragon head glared menacingly at Shao Nan's wooden sphere.

Inside the sphere, Shao Nan heard Hiruzen Sarutobi call out the names of these techniques.

He couldn't help but tremble; the old man was trying to kill him.

If he hadn't disdained using other elemental ninjutsu, given the talent of this body, there wasn't a technique he couldn't unleash.

Since that was the case, he wouldn't play house with him anymore!

Inside the wooden sphere, he pressed his palms together!

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!!!"

A massive amount of chakra erupted from Shao Nan!

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!

The entire Ninja Academy, and even the whole of Konoha, began to shake.

It was like an earthquake, and a significant one at that!

Huge cracks appeared in the ground, and the school walls also developed numerous fissures.

Seeing this, all the teachers immediately began evacuating the students.

Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma were no exception!

Boom!!!

The tremors continued as thick tree roots rose from the ground and climbed up the walls.

They formed towering, dark, thick trees reaching fifty or sixty meters in height.

These giant trees instantly suppressed and disintegrated the techniques Hiruzen Sarutobi had unleashed with their sheer power.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was astonished; this was just a sparring match, yet you went all out with Lord Hashirama's Deep Forest Emergence.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could even speak, he was pursued by thick branches formed by the trees.

The branches acted as if they had a consciousness of their own, chasing him and attempting to entangle him.

Unfortunately, the aging Hiruzen Sarutobi's mobility and reaction speed had already declined.

Before long, he was ensnared by the branches, pulled toward a tree trunk, and bound tightly.

The thick vines constricted around Hiruzen Sarutobi, making it difficult for him to breathe!

Shao Nan dispelled the wooden sphere and stepped out.

He saw that the entire school was now overgrown with towering trees!

"Oh no, it seems I overdid it!"

Tsunade could no longer ignore their sparring match. After handing Chino over to Shizune, her graceful figure landed on the arena.

The young ninja of Team 8 and Team 10 watched in awe.

Shikamaru: "The Hokage was in control the entire time, but that man managed to turn the whole situation around with just one technique!"

Shino: "My bugs are terrified of these trees!"

Kiba: "Is this guy not an enemy?"

Choji: "With all this wood, how much meat could I grill?"

Ino: "What a powerful man! I wonder what kind of flowers he likes!"

Hinata: "My Byakugan... I can't see through him at all."