The Arrival of Wood Release

"What could I do? Since they'd delivered themselves to me as hired help, I might as well take them all in."

Chiba unclenched his fist and shot the ANBU ninja a sidelong glance.

The ANBU squad captain rested a hand on the ninja sword at his waist. His eyes beneath the wooden mask gleamed with chilling coldness.

"Chiba, you are suspected of desertion, murdering comrades, and stealing land deeds. Return to Konoha with us at once to stand trial."

Chiba curled his lip and rolled his wrist.

"A trial? That old man Hiruzen Sarutobi hasn't even cleaned up his own mess, and he wants to put me on trial? Since when did Konoha's laws become his family's toys?"

"Impudence! It is not your place to question the Hokage's decisions. Do you think you can escape the Land of Fire?"

"My legs work just fine. I'll go wherever I want. You lot, though—wearing masks and playing ghosts and demons. Has Konoha cut its budget so badly that it can't even afford to let you show your faces?"

"Stubborn to the end. Take him! Dead or alive!"

The ANBU squad captain made a hand signal, and the several subordinates behind him immediately spread out, faintly forming an encirclement.

The Yamato-ya owner shouted from behind them.

"That's right! Do it already! This brat is far too arrogant! If you kill him, Yamato-ya's businesses on Tanzaku Street will give you twenty percent of our annual profits from now on!"

The ANBU squad captain gave the Yamato-ya owner a cold glance.

"ANBU does not need your profits to carry out its missions. Watch your mouth, or we'll take you back to Konoha for questioning as well."

The Yamato-ya owner shrank back and did not dare say another word, but the vicious light in his eyes did not fade in the slightest.

The leader of the hired ninja quietly signaled to his subordinates.

"When the ANBU makes its move, we'll ambush him from the side. We must get that brat's head. That ten-million-ryō bounty has to be ours."

Listening to their plotting, Chiba laughed and shook his head.

"An ambush? You're so loud you may as well be thunder. Do you take me for deaf? With skills like yours, go back to school for a few more years."

Shizune tugged at Chiba's sleeve, her expression anxious.

"Chiba, don't take them head-on. They're ANBU elites, and there are too many of them."

"Shizune, relax. These few masked clowns aren't even enough for a warm-up. Auntie, don't you agree?"

Tsunade looked at the symbol on the ANBU masks. Her expression was conflicted, but she said nothing.

The ANBU squad captain stepped forward, his voice low.

"Tsunade of the Senju Clan, as one of Konoha's Sannin, are you going to shield this rogue ninja?"

"I..."

"Enough. She's my bodyguard now and has nothing to do with Konoha. If you want her, you'll have to ask me, her creditor, first."

Chiba directly cut off the ANBU captain and stepped in front of Tsunade.

"Chiba, you keep claiming that the village has been eroding the Senju Clan. Do you have any proof? The village has always entrusted the Senju Clan with important duties. The Second Hokage himself established Konoha's institutions. The Senju Clan is Konoha's cornerstone!"

"Cornerstone? So that means something you trample beneath your feet? The Second Hokage established the police force to push the Uchiha out; he established ANBU to bring power under the Hokage's faction. Members of the Senju Clan were sent to the most dangerous front lines again and again, all in the name of 'setting an example.' They kept setting examples until they were all dead. Is that what you call an important duty? If you gave that duty to the Sarutobi Clan, would you want it?"

"War is cruel. Sacrifices are unavoidable when protecting the village."

"Sacrifices are unavoidable? Then why did the Senju Clan die out while the Sarutobi Clan kept growing? Why did the Shimura Clan's influence keep getting stronger? Don't lecture me about the greater good. We're all old foxes here, so why play games? You were simply wary of the Senju Clan's bloodline and power, afraid another First Hokage would appear. That's why, in the name of the Will of Fire, you slowly bled us dry."

"Those are words of rebellion! The Will of Fire is about protection, not conspiracy!"

"Protection? Protecting whom? Protecting Hiruzen Sarutobi's seat as Hokage, or protecting Danzō's underground Root? My granduncle must have been blind to build this village with Madara Uchiha. If he had known the Senju Clan would end up like this, he would have smashed Konoha to pieces with True Several Thousand Hands."

The ANBU squad captain's face turned livid, yet he could not refute a single word.

Tsunade stood behind him, gripping the hem of her clothes tightly enough that her knuckles bulged.

Every word Chiba spoke was a blade stabbing into her deepest wounds.

How could she not know these things? But she had chosen to run away, while this seventeen-year-old boy before her had bloodily ripped away that thin veil of shame.

Shizune looked at him pleadingly.

"Chiba... stop..."

"Shizune, I'm not complaining. I'm only stating the facts. Since Konoha wants me dead, I'll show them who dies first."

"Words are useless. Since you insist on betraying the village, stay here forever!"

The ANBU squad captain shouted.

"Move!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—

The sound of air splitting suddenly rang out.

More than a dozen kunai carrying burning explosive tags flew toward Chiba from every direction.

At the same time, three ANBU ninja rapidly formed hand seals and spewed blazing flames from their mouths.

Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!

The three streams of fire converged into a massive wall of flames. Accompanied by a fierce gale, it sealed off every possible route of escape for Chiba.

Heat rolled through the air, and the atmosphere in the inn's lobby instantly became scorching hot. The wooden tables and chairs began to smoke black, filling the room with the stench of scorching wood.

"Chiba, get out of the way!"

Clutching Tonton, Shizune desperately retreated up the stairs.

As Tsunade watched the overwhelming blaze, images of Nawaki's mangled body in an explosion and the sight of Dan struggling in a pool of blood suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Her breathing stopped in an instant. Her face turned paper-white, her body shook violently, and she slumped weakly against the wall.

Her vision began to blur as crimson overlapped again and again before her eyes.

Chiba stood before the flames without retreating a single step.

The sage chakra within him surged wildly, resonating with the Senju bloodline in his body.

Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!

Chiba let out a low shout and slammed his hands together before his chest.

Rumble—

The ground abruptly split apart, and countless thick green shadows burst up from underground.

Those shadows were massive vines and tree trunks. Carrying violent force, they instantly shattered the stone floor and wrapped around every incoming explosive tag and flame.

The blazing fire died amid dense green leaves. The explosive tags gave muffled booms under the crushing pressure of the trunks, unable to produce even a single spark.

The giant trees continued to grow, charging wildly through the inn's lobby like enormous green dragons.

"Wh-what is this?!"

A hired ninja watched a giant trunk crash toward him. Before he could even scream, he was sent flying and left hanging from a branch.

"Wood Release! It's the First Hokage's Wood Release!"

The ANBU squad captain's pupils contracted as he stared at the thick tree trunks.

He tried to escape with the Body Flicker Technique, but the surrounding space had already been sealed by dense branches and leaves.

A thick vine lashed around his legs like lightning, hoisting him into the air before smashing him heavily against the wall and binding him tightly.

The other ANBU ninja and hired ninja were no exception. All of them were bound by vines in midair, unable to move.

The once magnificent inn lobby had now become a dense green forest.

Sunlight streamed through the shattered ceiling, falling across the verdant leaves in an especially eerie sight.

Other than the rustling of growing trees, not another sound could be heard in the entire lobby.

Shizune stared blankly at everything before her, her mouth hanging open. Even Tonton in her arms was too frightened to make a sound.

Tsunade collapsed onto the floor, staring at the familiar expanse of green as tears welled in her eyes.

"My granduncle's... Wood Release..."

She muttered to herself, her voice trembling beyond recognition.

Chiba lowered his hands and steadied the churning chakra within him.

Then he turned his head, looked at Tsunade, and smiled.

"Auntie, snap out of it. This is only the beginning."

Tsunade stared at him fixedly.

"Y-you... who exactly are you?"