Wood Release Appears, and Kakashi's Sharingan Nearly Popped Out

"Make sure you keep your footing!"

Sen's voice had barely fallen.

The green chakra storm shooting into the sky grew even more violent!

Kakashi stood at the center of the storm, his clothes whipping loudly in the wind.

His scarlet Sharingan was contracting violently from overwhelming shock.

With the Sharingan's practically bug-like perception.

He clearly saw what lay inside Sen's body.

Those were not chakra pathways at all. It was clearly a boundless green ocean composed of pure life energy!

The total amount of chakra was several times more terrifying than even when Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, went berserk!

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Kakashi's heart sank sharply.

Was this kid really human?!

This amount of chakra had completely surpassed the level of a Kage!

"I can't hesitate any longer! I have to strike first!"

Kakashi knew very well that against a monster with this level of chakra, the longer the fight dragged on, the worse it would be for him.

He bit his finger open and rapidly formed hand seals before his chest!

His speed was so fast that ordinary eyes could not catch it at all!

"Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Kakashi drew a deep breath and spat out a terrifying fireball, even larger and denser than the one Sasuke had used earlier!

Carrying searing heat capable of burning everything, the fireball roared toward Sen's face.

He wanted to force Sen to move with this attack and expose an opening!

However.

Faced with the Great Fireball capable of melting steel.

Sen did not even bother to dodge.

He simply stood where he was and gave a low shout.

"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The ground exploded.

Rows of curved wooden pillars, each more than half a meter thick, burst from the earth in an instant like the hands of giants reaching out from hell.

They locked tightly together, forming an impregnable hemispherical defensive barrier before Sen.

Boom!

The massive fireball slammed brutally into the wooden wall, erupting with an ear-splitting blast.

Violent flames scattered in every direction, scorching the entire training ground black.

Naruto, tied to the wooden post, screamed in fright, while Sasuke, buried in the earth, wore a look of utter horror.

"What an incredible Fire Release!"

"Big brother, be careful!"

As the smoke cleared.

A scene that left everyone dumbfounded appeared.

That enormous wooden barrier was completely unharmed!

There was not even the slightest scorch mark on it!

A faint green glow even flowed across its surface, as though mocking the Great Fireball's helplessness.

"Th-That's impossible!"

Kakashi's eyes nearly popped out.

His Great Fireball had not even broken through the other side's defense?

What terrified him even more was this.

In that instant, his proud Sharingan had desperately tried to copy Sen's ninjutsu.

But the result was...

A complete blank!

The Sharingan could copy ninjutsu only if it could clearly see the opponent's hand seals and chakra flow.

But just now, Sen had not formed any hand seals at all when he used Wood Locking Wall!

It was as instinctive as eating or drinking. With a mere thought, the technique took shape!

A ninjutsu of this level was beyond copying. He could not even begin to comprehend it!

"Kakashi-sensei, my turn now."

Sen's voice drifted leisurely from behind the wooden wall.

The Wood Locking Wall slowly descended and retracted into the ground.

Sen stood in place, completely unscathed.

He rolled his wrist, a dangerous curve lifting at the corner of his lips.

"Secret Wood Release Technique..."

He suddenly spread both arms wide.

"Deep Forest Emergence!"

The moment the words fell.

Sen's arms suddenly began to grow and twist in an extremely bizarre manner!

In the blink of an eye, both his arms transformed into dozens of enormous wooden spears, incomparably thick and sharp at their tips!

Like living tentacles, these wooden spears shrieked as they tore through the air and stabbed at Kakashi like a torrential storm!

The attack covered such a vast range and came so quickly that there was simply no avoiding it!

"Damn it!"

Kakashi's expression changed drastically.

He did not dare take it head-on and could only desperately use the Body Flicker Technique, dodging miserably around the training ground.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless sharp wooden spears grazed past his body, piercing the ground and nearby trees full of holes and leaving behind bottomless craters.

The longer Kakashi fought, the more alarmed he became.

The strength and attack speed of this Wood Release had far exceeded his imagination.

He felt as if he was not fighting a genin, but risking his life against an entire primordial forest gone berserk!

Every dodge consumed massive amounts of chakra and stamina.

Yet Sen, on the opposite side, had remained standing where he was from beginning to end, without moving so much as a step!

As though all this was merely a warm-up exercise for him.

"This won't do. I'll be worn to death!"

Kakashi backflipped, narrowly avoiding a strike aimed through his heart, and opened up distance from Sen.

He panted heavily, a trace of resolve flashing through his scarlet Sharingan.

He could not hold back any longer!

He had to use his strongest attack and finish this in one strike!

"Looks like I can only use that move..."

Kakashi slowly crouched and pressed his right hand against the ground.

An incomparably violent, dazzling blue lightning began to gather crazily in his palm.

Crackle...

The piercing sound of electric current rang through the air, as if a thousand birds were chirping at once!

A dangerous, heart-pounding smell of scorching filled the air.

Naruto, tied to the wooden post, saw this and shouted in terror.

"Big brother, watch out! That's Kakashi-sensei's ultimate move!"

Sasuke, buried in the earth, widened his eyes and stared fixedly at the ball of lightning in Kakashi's hand.

"Th-This is..."

"Chidori?!"

Kakashi slowly rose to his feet. His right hand was now wrapped in a visibly condensed sphere of blue lightning.

The violent electricity even scorched the ground around him black.

This was the S-rank assassination technique he had created himself: Lightning Cutter!

It was also the ultimate trump card he was confident could forcibly break through Wood Release's defenses!

"Sen Senju!"

Kakashi's voice became hoarse and grave, his scarlet Sharingan locking tightly onto Sen's heart.

"To die beneath this move is your honor!"

He suddenly stepped forward.

His entire body, along with that destructive lightning, instantly transformed into a bolt of blue lightning!

"Lightning Cutter!"

At this moment, Kakashi's speed reached its peak.

Trailing a long streak of lightning, he charged straight for Sen's chest with unwavering resolve!

He would use this ultimate penetrating force to pierce through this monster before him, along with his impregnable Wood Release!

However.

Faced with this S-rank ninjutsu capable of piercing through anything.

Sen, standing in place, showed not the slightest trace of panic.

Instead, a...

Deeply interested, eager smile even appeared on his face.

"Lightning Cutter, huh..."

Sen murmured as he watched the blue lightning rapidly approach.

"Perfect. The new move I just developed needs a target to test its power on, too."