The Shock of Deep Forest Emergence, a Miracle That Reshaped the Terrain in an Instant

At Sosuke's whispered words, an indescribably terrifying chakra erupted outward from him with a thunderous burst.

The chakra took on a tangible emerald-green form, like a breached ocean surge, instantly sweeping away the rain within a hundred-meter radius. The air filled with an overwhelmingly rich scent of vegetation, yet it carried a suffocating pressure.

Fugaku collapsed into the mud, his Sharingan weeping blood as his mind completely shut down.

What had he just seen? That sickly wretch who had acted meek and submissive before the Hidden Leaf higher-ups, who even covered his mouth to cough while walking, had erupted with chakra dozens of times greater than that of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi! The purity of that chakra made even the Uchiha bloodline within Fugaku instinctively tremble and submit.

"Quit playing tricks! Kill him!" Though the Hidden Sand jonin on the cliff wall felt his scalp go numb from the pressure, the arrow was already on the string. With a wild roar, he moved all ten fingers. The blades of the three specially made puppets were only half an inch from Fugaku's vital points.

Yet that half inch became an insurmountable chasm.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence."

Sosuke's thin lips parted slightly as he uttered those words, a command that sounded like a divine decree.

Rumble—!

The ground throughout Wind Canyon let out a groan of unbearable strain. The hard rock layers shattered inch by inch like brittle crackers, while countless dark-brown roots as thick as water vats burst violently from underground, brimming with savage life force.

The first massive tree to burst forth struck the three specially made puppets directly in front of Fugaku.

There was no clang of metal. Only pure crushing force. The refined steel shells, capable of withstanding explosive tags, were like paper toys before the massive trees infused with the Yang Release of the Sage Body.

Crack! The three costly puppets, along with their internal mechanisms and poison, were instantly crushed into a twisted heap of scrap metal. Precise gears and poisoned needles scattered everywhere.

The shockwave from the growing trees flung Fugaku away, sending him crashing heavily into the bloody water. Ignoring the agonizing pain throughout his body, he stared fixedly at the miracle before him.

This was not a single tree. It was an entire primeval forest growing madly at a speed that defied the laws of nature!

Thousands of giant trees, like enraged wooden dragons, crawled and strangled their way up both sides of the canyon walls. They entwined and interwove, their branches and leaves budding and flourishing at a visible pace. In the blink of an eye, they blotted out the sky above the canyon.

The formerly torrential rain was completely blocked by the dense canopy, plunging the canyon floor into a dim gloom thick with the scent of grass and trees.

"Th-this... what kind of monstrous ninjutsu is this?!" The Hidden Sand elite jonin's mad grin froze on his face, replaced by utter horror.

He frantically shot backward, trying to widen the distance. But to his despair, everywhere he looked was filled with thick vines twisting wildly.

"Aah—!"

Miserable screams rang out from every corner of the canyon.

The hundreds of Hidden Sand puppet masters concealed along the cliff walls and in the forest did not even have a chance to form hand seals and flee. The violent vines moved like giant pythons with eyes, effortlessly crushing the puppets they took such pride in before brutally wrapping around their limbs and torsos.

Squish! The barbs along the vines pierced their skin, and the chakra of the fully developed Sage Body began greedily devouring the life force of those Hidden Sand ninja.

In only a few breaths, the struggling Hidden Sand elites were drained into shriveled skeletons, hanging from the branches like ragged sacks.

In the shadows, the fifty Senju clan guards hidden around the outer edge of the canyon were all kneeling on one knee atop the canopy, their gazes fixed feverishly on the white figure at the center of the canyon. Their leader, Toka, trembled slightly with overwhelming excitement. This was the king of the Senju Clan! This was the absolute force capable of sweeping across the ninja world!

The Hidden Sand elite jonin desperately severed several vines, only to have both legs smashed by a huge tree descending from above. He howled miserably as he fell to the ground, staring in terror at the white-clad young man who slowly rose into the air atop a thick trunk.

Sosuke looked down at him from above. There was not a trace of pity in his eyes, only the cold indifference one reserved for an ant.

"Did that old woman Chiyo never teach you that before Wood Release, all your fancy mechanisms are nothing but scrap metal?" Sosuke tilted his head slightly, his tone calm.

"Y-you... who exactly are you? How could the Senju Clan possibly still have a monster like you..." The Hidden Sand jonin spat out mouthfuls of blood, his eyes filled with fear.

Sosuke did not answer. He merely snapped his fingers casually.

A sharp wooden spike instantly pierced up from the ground through the Hidden Sand jonin's chest, pinning him firmly to the cliff wall. Blood ran down the spike, only to be greedily absorbed by the trees moments later.

In less than a minute.

The terrain of the entire Wind Canyon, stretching for several kilometers, had been completely reshaped. The once-barren cliff walls had vanished, replaced by a forest of giant trees radiating terrifying pressure.

Hundreds of Hidden Sand assassination squad elites, along with the puppets they had been so proud of, were wiped out to the last man.

Not a single survivor remained.

All was silent. Throughout the forest, only the faint rustling of leaves brushing against one another could be heard, along with Fugaku's harsh breathing, like a broken bellows.

Fugaku knelt in the muddy water, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

The three tomoe Sharingan in his eye sockets had already faded back into ordinary black pupils. He could not squeeze out enough chakra even to maintain his Sharingan anymore.

Yet his mind replayed nothing but that apocalyptic scene from moments ago.

He finally understood.

Damaged chakra pathways, terminal illness—it had all been an act!

Senju Sosuke, the young man the Hidden Leaf higher-ups had regarded as trash, was actually a terrifying beast that had been lying in wait in the shadows, watching everyone perform with cold eyes!

And he, Uchiha Fugaku—even the entire Uchiha clan—had been nothing but cannon fodder used to test Hidden Sand's firepower, bugs that this beast could crush at will!

How laughable. He had boasted arrogantly by the Naka River and caused trouble in the Hokage's office, hoping to stomp Sosuke beneath his feet. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō believed they had everything under control, yet they had no idea what kind of monster they had provoked.

"Y-you intended for us to die here from the start..." Fugaku raised his head and looked at Sosuke, who was slowly descending before him. His voice was hoarse beyond recognition.

Not a drop of mud stained Sosuke's white haori. He walked up to Fugaku and looked down at the clan head of Hidden Leaf's foremost noble family.

"Fugaku, you think far too highly of yourself." Sosuke's voice was soft, yet every word struck Fugaku's heart like a sledgehammer. "Uchiha pride is worthless before absolute power. That Sharingan you are so proud of does not even qualify as a decoration in my eyes."

Fugaku opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but could not force out a single word. His conviction had been completely shattered at that moment. Before this godlike wielder of Wood Release, he had lost even the courage to draw his blade.

"I spared your life because you still have some value as a dog." Sosuke bent down slightly, his icy gaze piercing Fugaku's soul. "Go back and tell those old fools that the Senju Clan has never declined. From this day onward, I make the rules in Hidden Leaf."

Fugaku lowered his head dejectedly. His fists clenched, then weakly loosened as he completely submitted to that absolute violence.

Just then.

Boom—!

Without warning, the ground began to shake violently. The tremor was several times more intense than when Sosuke had used Deep Forest Emergence.

Then, from deep within the canyon, in the direction of the heartland of the Land of Wind, an incomparably violent, evil chakra filled with destructive intent erupted into the sky like a volcanic explosion.

The raging sandstorm instantly blotted out the daylight. Even the forest of giant trees Sosuke had created swayed violently in the gale.

Accompanying that chakra was a shrill roar that shook everything within a hundred miles.

The sound carried endless madness and killing intent, as though it wanted to tear the entire world apart.

Fugaku's eyes widened abruptly, filled with uncontrollable terror.

"This chakra... this pressure... could it be..."

Sosuke narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze piercing through the layers of wind and sand toward the center of the chakra eruption.

At last, an extremely dangerous smile appeared on his usually placid face.

"They released the tailed beast early? That old woman Chiyo has some nerve." Sosuke rolled his neck, his bones cracking sharply. "Perfect. Some high-grade nourishment for my unborn child."