This Person Excels at Wood Release

Uchiha Retsuo exploded forward at an unprecedented speed amid a wave of startled cries like the roar of the sea. In the distance, he saw Minato standing atop Gamabunta. After their shock, the Konoha ninjas erupted in cheers.

The fierce battle had raged for a long time, and countless ninjas had fallen forever. Those still alive had finally held out until the Fourth Hokage appeared, and they all wept tears of joy at surviving the catastrophe.

But Minato's expression was extremely bitter. Genuine suffering was etched across his face, mixed with exhaustion and bewilderment.

That expression even left Retsuo confused as he sprinted forward. Minato was an incurable optimist, always brimming with confidence. In all his memories, Retsuo had never seen Minato look so bitter, much less so bewildered. Now he had managed to display both expressions at once. Why?

As it happened, Minato Namikaze also spotted Retsuo running over from the distance.

Minato's heart trembled, and the hand seal he was forming paused.

He had not wanted to say anything in the first place.

Not only because the Tailed Beast Bomb had taken shape and he had to teleport the Nine-Tails away immediately, but also because he had just suffered an unexpected psychological blow. His unyielding heart had been broken through.

But Retsuo's appearance filled him with complicated emotions, and an indescribable sorrow welled up within him.

There was no time left, however. Minato shouted, "Retsuo, I've killed the Masked Man. You can't imagine it—he's actually—"

The words reached his lips, but the gentleness in Minato's heart suddenly refused to let him tell Retsuo this cruel truth.

He exhaled sharply. With a "Ha!" he vanished with the Nine-Tails, leaving Gamabunta and Sarutobi Hiruzen staring at each other in stunned silence.

Gamabunta hit the ground, kicking up clouds of dust, while Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen was left in disarray within the haze.

Then he turned and saw a youth in a long Uchiha robe rushing toward him, wearing an utterly despairing expression.

Retsuo looked as if he had eaten two pounds of bitter herbs. He was even more miserable than Minato, so bitter that he could not get a word out.

"Don't go! Big brother, I'm begging you! Don't you know about Izanagi?"

"It looks like Minato really doesn't know. This is bad. He definitely thinks Obito is dead. He feels his life is complete and can sacrifice himself for the village without regrets..."

"Damn Shimura Danzō! Damn Root! You bastards! I was this close! Ah—"

The driving force supporting Retsuo vanished in an instant. His speed kept dropping as his breath escaped him, and cold sweat drenched his entire body.

He heard Sarutobi Hiruzen mutter, "Minato! He flew away with the Nine-Tails?"

In the distance, a thunderous explosion erupted behind the mountains, followed by another mushroom cloud!

"There!" Sarutobi Hiruzen stared blankly, then turned his eyes toward Retsuo. "You are... from the Uchiha Clan?"

"My name is Uchiha Retsuo. I have extremely important classified information to report to you."

"The Masked Man Minato mentioned was... Forget it, we'll talk on the way!" After looking around, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded at Gamabunta.

With a "Puff," Gamabunta transformed into white smoke.

At the same time, outside the village, at the Root base.

A ninja who had hurried over knelt on one knee and said with his head bowed, "That's the situation. By the time I reached Hokage Rock, the Fourth Hokage had already flown away. Only that Uchiha boy knows what happened."

After hearing the report, Danzō tapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair, producing a rhythmic "tok, tok, tok."

His right eye was covered by a thick bandage, while his exposed left eye was filled with icy coldness. Only after a long while did he speak in the standard voice of a villainous boss: "You did well. We are the roots supporting Konoha, so crucial information should naturally be in our hands. The action you took was also commendable. In an emergency, one must act decisively instead of being as rigid as Hiruzen's subordinates, reporting everything upward and then waiting helplessly for orders while letting the opportunity slip away. What a pity..."

The many Root members kneeling before him naturally knew what their leader regretted. For such crucial information, so what if they had falsely claimed to be acting on the Third Hokage's orders? Lord Danzō could easily deal with the Third Hokage afterward.

What a pity that the mighty experts of Root had been played by a mere Ninja Academy student! Completely useless!

Now they had no choice but to let Sarutobi Hiruzen obtain the information first, leaving them only whatever scraps he did not take. Everyone sensed that this information was powerful enough to shake heaven and earth.

The Root member continued with his head lowered, "That Uchiha boy also said..."

"What else did he say?"

"He also said—you're not ANBU. The ANBU ninjas should be fighting the Nine-Tails desperately right now. You. Are. Root!"

The man perfectly imitated Uchiha Retsuo's tone, making Shimura Danzō's gaze turn extremely dangerous. It was not the kind of ferocity that frightened people, but contempt—the danger of being treated as trash and disposed of at any moment.

However, not a single Root member dared meet their leader's eyes.

At that moment, a slight commotion arose among the Root ninjas, who had been as motionless as rocks. Although Root had no past or future, no names or emotions, they themselves knew perfectly well whether they had fought the Nine-Tails.

Indeed, they had not. Not one of them had.

No matter how thoroughly they had been brainwashed, they were still ninjas who had grown up in Konohagakure. Many came from various Ninja Clans and still regarded themselves as members of the village.

Shimura Danzō immediately let out a laugh as cold as ice:

"ANBU is indeed fighting the Nine-Tails, but Root has guaranteed Konohagakure's safety!"

"What could a mere Ninja Academy student possibly understand?"

"Ninjas take pride in remaining unknown to the world. We are the roots buried deep beneath Konoha. Without our powerful support, given the village's condition tonight, it would be destroyed whether by an attack from outside enemies or by internal instability taking advantage of the situation."

"It was our 'Root' that eliminated every unstable factor! Heh, for example, the Uchiha Clan..."

Amid that icy, bone-chilling laugh, Danzō abruptly rose to his feet. "Minato Namikaze is far too young. Hiruzen made an absolute mistake by letting him become Hokage. He actually believes in the Uchiha Clan's Will of Fire. Come! Let's see what Minato Namikaze is up to!"

Soon, surrounded by several Root ninjas, Danzō raced all the way to the site where the mushroom cloud had erupted.

A pale-blue barrier covered the area. It was hazy, making it impossible to see what was inside.

Outside the barrier, Sarutobi Hiruzen was pacing back and forth. The two Hokage Guards stood far away, guarding the small forest, while the boy in the long Uchiha Clan robe was the only one speaking with Hiruzen.

Shimura Danzō cast an annoyed glance at him. That must be Uchiha Retsuo. Despite his young age, he was even more irritating than Fugaku!

What was even more irritating was that when this brat saw him appear, he stared at him blankly, as if flowers had grown on his face.

"This brat!"

Danzō's right eye suddenly twitched.

"Hmm, Danzō, you've come..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was dressed in a battle suit, both eyes fixed intently on the barrier. Then he said to Retsuo, "Continue. This is Elder Shimura Danzō."

"Yes." Retsuo pretended not to recognize Danzō and continued, "The Masked Man could make his body intangible, causing Teacher Minato's attacks to pass straight through him. He could teleport over long distances and could also use Space-Time Ninjutsu to enter a vortex and disappear. In addition, he used Wood Release."

"Wood Release!" ×2

Retsuo spoke calmly, but when the two men heard his final words, their expressions changed drastically!

Seeing Shimura Danzō stride over, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen felt rather regretful. He should never have generously allowed Danzō to hear this...

"You mean Wood Release? Are you sure? How do you know it was Wood Release?"

Danzō fired off his questions like a string of beads, while Retsuo looked puzzled. "He shouted it himself. 'Wood Release: Cuttings Technique,' and then his hands and arms turned into sharp wooden spikes."

As he spoke, he began gesturing, poking the air again and again with an absurdly exaggerated air. "He kept stabbing Teacher Minato, but Minato dodged every attack."

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō both furrowed their brows deeply. If it had been the Cuttings Technique, it would be difficult to confirm the traces left on the battlefield.

As two men who had already become ninjas before Konoha was founded, they had witnessed the First Hokage's battles and possessed a profound understanding of Wood Release.

Most Wood Release techniques created forests over a wide area, leaving behind a great deal of timber at the very least. The traces were extremely obvious.

The Cuttings Technique was different, however. If the spikes failed to hit anyone, it might not leave behind any trace at all.

The two men simultaneously imagined anyone else facing Wood Release. They would probably have had little chance of survival, leaving behind countless traces. Only Minato Namikaze's incredible speed could neutralize it—and even without the Flying Thunder God, Minato Namikaze's Body Flicker Technique was the fastest in the Shinobi World!

"Impossible! How could anyone have mastered Wood Release?" Shimura Danzō muttered, unwilling to accept it.

Ever since Minato Namikaze had become the Fourth Hokage and Orochimaru had gone to extremes, the two of them had hit it off and secretly carried out the Wood Release Experiment. They had even gone so far as to violate Konohagakure's taboos, yet the results were still highly dependent on chance.

Some inexplicable Masked Man had appeared from who knew where and actually mastered Wood Release? How was that even possible? Then what did that make him and Orochimaru?

Unexpectedly, Retsuo casually asked in return, "The Masked Man can even use the Sharingan. Why couldn't he master Wood Release? The Sharingan is a Kekkei Genkai ranked alongside Wood Release as the strongest in the Shinobi World."

Shimura Danzō: ...

Uchiha Retsuo: I just love seeing Danzō extremely annoyed but unable to do anything about it. How about it? Wasn't that very reasonable?