Wood Release Mastery, Zabuza Returns

Wood Release Mastery, Zabuza Returns

After Team 7 arrived in the Land of Waves, they temporarily moved into the camp beside the bridge construction site.

Kakashi's injuries were not severe, but the Sharingan had drained too much of his chakra, so he needed several days of rest.

Naruto and Sasuke were not idle either. Every day, they trained their chakra control nearby.

Chenshu Senju sat alone in his room and opened the system interface.

Fifty-eight regular draws, and one rare draw.

Saving up for a hundred draws in a row would certainly be safer, but Zabuza could return at any time.

Compared to a guaranteed reward he could see but not use, immediate combat strength was more important.

"Draw forty times first."

[Draw successful. Obtained Basic Taijutsu Enhancement.]

[Draw successful. Obtained Wood-Attribute Chakra Enhancement.]

[Draw successful. Obtained Sage Body Fragment.]

Amid the continuous prompts, a warm current swiftly surged into his limbs.

When the third set of ten draws ended, an even more intense change suddenly came from within his body.

[Sage Body Fragment fusion progress has exceeded 50%.]

[Host's vitality and chakra recovery speed greatly increased.]

[Basic Wood Release control automatically upgraded to Wood Release Mastery.]

[Wood Release unlocked: Wood Locking Wall.]

[Wood Release unlocked: Wood Clone Jutsu.]

Chenshu Senju raised his hand, and a tender sprout quickly emerged from his palm.

The sprout did not continue growing wildly. Instead, it bent under his control and eventually became a small wooden figure.

His previous Wood Release had been more like forcibly accelerating plant growth. Now, he could control every branch.

"Eighteen regular draws left."

Chenshu Senju did not continue. He pushed open the door and walked into the open space, pressing one hand against the ground. Several wooden pillars immediately burst from the earth and joined together before him, forming a semicircular barrier.

Boom.

Naruto, who was climbing a tree, slipped and fell straight from the trunk.

"Chenshu Senju, can't you give us a warning before you train?"

Chenshu Senju glanced at the leaves on his face. "Next time, I'll warn you before you fall."

Naruto: ...

Sasuke stood on another tree, his gaze fixed on the wooden wall. The barrier had no cracks, and its chakra fluctuations were far stronger than those of the vines from before.

This guy's rate of improvement had become absurdly fast.

The following afternoon, a white-clad youth carrying a bamboo basket entered the camp.

He said he had gotten lost while gathering herbs in the mountains and wanted to ask for a bowl of water.

Sakura Haruno did not suspect anything and turned to go inside for water.

But the youth remained where he was, his gaze seemingly sweeping casually over the surroundings before finally stopping on Chenshu Senju.

"Are you a ninja too?"

Leaning against a wooden post, Chenshu Senju studied him for a moment. "You wear a Hidden Mist bracer while gathering herbs. Aren't you afraid people will misunderstand?"

The youth paused slightly, then quickly covered his wrist with his sleeve.

"I bought it at a market long ago."

"I see."

Chenshu Senju did not press further. He merely took the water Sakura Haruno had brought and held it out to him. "Leave after you finish drinking. It's not safe around here."

Haku accepted the bowl and thanked him quietly. After leaving the camp, the gentleness on his face gradually disappeared.

The other party had already noticed something.

Inside the camp, Chenshu Senju watched the direction Haku had left. Several tiny roots silently burrowed into the soil beneath his feet, spreading continuously through the forest.

Haku's disguise was indeed convincing, but Chenshu Senju had sensed that chakra presence once before by the river.

Since the other side had come to scout the area himself, Chenshu Senju would leave a net waiting for him when he returned.

Three days later, Tazuna led Team 7 toward the bridge.

When thick fog rose, Kakashi immediately stopped walking.

Workers lay scattered across the bridge deck, while ahead came the grating sound of the Executioner's Blade dragging across the ground.

Zabuza emerged from the mist, his left shoulder still wrapped in bandages. The white-clad youth stood beside him.

Naruto's eyes widened. "It's that guy who was gathering herbs?"

Haku raised a hand and removed his mask. Several senbon had already dropped between his fingers.

Just as Sasuke moved forward, an ice mirror suddenly rose from the bridge deck.

More ice mirrors appeared in succession, trapping him and Naruto inside.

"You two are my opponents."

Haku's figure merged into the ice mirrors, and senbon immediately shot from every direction.

Sasuke swung his kunai to block them, while Naruto created several Shadow Clones. Dense sounds of collision soon rang out within the ice mirrors.

Zabuza ignored the two of them, lifting the Executioner's Blade as he charged straight toward Tazuna.

Just as Kakashi tried to intercept him, several senbon flew out from the ice mirrors and sealed off his path.

Chenshu Senju had already stepped forward, blocking Tazuna.

"I let you run last time, and you still dared to come back?"

Zabuza gripped the hilt tightly, his eyes turning cold. "Kid, knowing a few Wood Release techniques doesn't mean you're really the First Hokage."

The Executioner's Blade swept toward him with a piercing whistle.

Chenshu Senju did not dodge. His hands swiftly formed seals.

Thick roots smashed through the bridge deck and intertwined before him.

"Wood Release, Wood Locking Wall."

Boom.

The blade struck the wooden wall heavily, sending wood chips flying, but it left only a shallow mark.

Zabuza's arm shook, and the Executioner's Blade was actually bounced back.

"How is that possible?"

Those vines from last time had been troublesome, but they could still be cut apart with his blade.

The hardness of this wooden wall was on an entirely different level.

Chenshu Senju stepped out from behind the wooden wall, and another identical figure appeared alongside him.

A Wood Clone.

One charged toward the ice mirrors, while the other blocked Zabuza head-on.

The bridge deck cracked open at the same time. Thick roots burst out one after another, instantly sealing off both escape routes.

Zabuza's expression finally changed.

The Silent Killing Technique and pincer tactic he had prepared had already become useless against the ever-expanding Wood Release.

Chenshu Senju raised his palm, pouring chakra fiercely into the bridge deck.

"This time, where can you run?"

The next moment, a massive tree burst through the stone bridge and slammed straight toward Zabuza.

At the same time, far away in the Hidden Leaf Village, an ANBU delivered an urgent sealed letter to the Third Hokage's desk.

And deep within the Root base, an extremely confidential dossier was placed on the desk of its leader, Danzo.

There were only five words on the first page.

"Wood Release Awakener."