Sage Art

Fire Release: Flame Bullet!

Tobirama Senju formed hand seals, opened his mouth, and spat an enormous fireball at the towering trees before him.

Huge—far too huge!

The fireball was nearly twenty meters in diameter. As scorching heat waves swept outward, it howled forward, incinerating everything in its path with blistering heat.

Only after piercing several hundred meters did the fireball lose momentum and dissipate into the air.

At least a dozen skyscraper-sized trees had been reduced to ash, and a charred black corridor had been burned through the forest.

Within that corridor, lingering sparks gave off trails of hot smoke that drifted through the air.

"Hiss..."

Standing at the start of that path, Tobirama Senju could not help but look moved.

"So powerful. Is this the might of ninjutsu infused with natural energy? It's at least three times stronger than ordinary ninjutsu."

Tobirama ran along the path, using Water Release to extinguish the remaining sparks.

A ring of black markings had appeared around his eyes.

Even Tobirama had not expected the system to be so generous this time. Simply having Sasuke Uchiha join the ANBU had earned him the reward of Sage Mode.

Tobirama Senju's Sage Mode looked different from those of Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave, but it was quite similar to his elder brother Hashirama Senju's.

The moment he activated Sage Mode, he hurried to the forest outside Konoha to test it out.

This Flame Bullet alone must be approaching Madara Uchiha's ninjutsu in power, right?

After silently comparing them, Tobirama grew eager to try more.

Right, I've never used Wood Release since obtaining it. I might as well test it now.

Having made up his mind, Tobirama Senju took a breath. He also wanted to see just how powerful the already formidable Wood Release Bloodline Limit would become with the enhancement of natural energy.

Sage Art: Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!

The instant he pressed his palms together, countless trees erupted from the ground in every direction around Tobirama Senju, taking root and growing at an astonishing speed before his startled eyes.

Boom!

Accompanied by a thunderous rumble.

In distant Konoha, countless civilians felt the earth trembling.

"Is it an earthquake?!"

"Get down!"

Mistaking it for an earthquake, ordinary people scattered in every direction to take cover.

But the tremor came quickly and faded just as quickly, stopping soon afterward.

Everyone throughout Konoha craned their necks in confusion.

"Damn."

Even Tobirama Senju, who had seen his share of Gundam battles in Naruto, could not help but stare in astonishment.

Before him stretched a boundless sea of trees, lush and dense. Wooden spikes hidden within the forest were evenly distributed, sharp enough to pierce steel.

The range of the ninjutsu was so vast that even the Forest of Death, ten kilometers in diameter, looked as though a missile had been dropped into the middle of a city under Tobirama Senju's Wood Release—impossible to miss.

However, such a massive ninjutsu was also difficult for Tobirama to sustain. His Sage Mode automatically deactivated after he cast it.

The Senjutsu Chakra refined within his body was nearly exhausted.

"Looks like I'll have to use this as a trump card. Its power is immense, but the consumption isn't small either."

Tobirama Senju let out a breath of turbid air and slowly rose to his feet.

"Swish." "Swish."

Just then,

several Konoha ninja burst from the dense forest behind him.

The moment they saw Tobirama Senju, their expressions changed.

"Lord Hokage, we were ordered to investigate the disturbance in the Forest of Death. Since you are here, may we ask what happened?"

A middle-aged ninja at the head of the group stepped forward to ask.

"Ah, well, I lost control a little while practicing ninjutsu. Tell the village not to panic."

Tobirama Senju wiped his forehead and explained calmly.

"Th-this, this, this!"

"Was this ninjutsu cast by Lord Hokage?!"

"The First Hokage's Wood Release!"

Only the Jonin and upper ranks who had attended the original meeting knew that Tobirama Senju had awakened Wood Release. It remained classified among the middle- and lower-ranking ninja, so their shock was only natural.

The group stretched their heads out, looked at the endless sea of trees behind Tobirama, then looked at Tobirama Senju standing beside it.

Immediately, they lowered their heads.

"As expected of Lord Hokage! Your Wood Release must have surpassed even that of the legendary First Hokage..."

"Heh, not necessarily." Tobirama Senju shook his head, turned, and slowly walked away.

"Right, don't spread this around." After instructing the ninja, Tobirama Senju flashed away and vanished from the area.

Only the few ninja remained where they stood, praising his miraculous feat.