Wood Style?

"Phew... phew..."

Uchiha Nen panted heavily, crystal-clear sweat beading on his forehead. He stared at his hands, his eyes trembling slightly. Something seemed to have happened that was beyond his expectations.

"This... this is... Wood Style!!"

Zhi Li's beautiful eyes widened. She had already lost track of how many times Nian had shocked her today.

First, there was his calm demeanor, then his initiative in breaking the Illusion Technique, then restraining the puppet himself, and now Wood Style... Just what other secrets did he have?

As for Tong Ren, he had long since been stunned. For a moment, he had even doubted whether he was still trapped in an Illusion Technique.

What kind of joke was this?

Who exactly was the ninja here?

Had they gotten the wrong script?

In fact, aside from the siblings, the Shop Assistant's expression was equally remarkable.

"This is... a Wood Release Secret Technique?" The Shop Assistant frowned deeply. "Have I been imprisoned for too long? Has the world changed this quickly?"

At this moment, within Nian's Mental World.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to inherit even this." Shin'yu Senior chuckled, clasping his hands behind his back as he could not help clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Senior, do you know where this power of mine came from?" Nian hurriedly asked.

"Of course. Wooden Style Power—this is the power your Father left you."

"My... Father..."

"Now isn't the time to dwell on that." Shin'yu Senior pondered for a moment. "With the amount of Chakra you have now, you should only be able to use a few minor tricks."

While the two spoke, the Shop Assistant from the Chinoike Clan did not remain idle. Though he was shocked by Nian's Wood Style, he did not hesitate.

He raised a hand and condensed a Blood Spear from the blood on the floor. Aiming at Nian's head, he hurled it viciously.

At the critical moment, Shin'yu took control of Nian's body, but he did not block Nian's perception of it.

"Kid, watch carefully. I'll only demonstrate this once."

The Blood Spear became a streak of red and arrived in an instant!

"Wood Style: Wooden Dome Wall!"

"Uchiha Nen" formed Hand Seals with practiced ease. A row of wooden pillars burst from the loosened earth, bending and closing one after another to form a sturdy arched wall in the blink of an eye.

"Bang!"

The ground trembled slightly as the Blood Spear shattered against the wooden wall, scattering into droplets of blood.

But "Nian" did not stop forming Hand Seals. His fingers shifted through seals in rapid succession before one hand pressed against the ground.

"Wood Style: Adamantine Entangling Trees!"

Ripples spread across the ground as several crimson wooden pillars burst from the earth. Like hunting spirit snakes, they stretched toward the distant Shop Assistant.

The man's expression tightened, and he retreated repeatedly. His blood-controlling eye technique had suffered twice against Wood Style already. He did not dare touch this strange wood carelessly.

He stomped heavily on the ground and shot into the air. The wooden pillars wove together as they chased after him, like a rising tentacle.

Just as his ankles were about to enter the pillars' range, the man's expression turned savage. He drew a blade and sliced his wrist, using his own blood to form a slender sword before swinging it at the wooden pillars.

With a "clang," blood droplets splattered!

Using the recoil, he finally escaped the wooden pillars' grasp and swooped down onto the street some distance away.

"Nian, since when did you become this strong?!" Tong Ren gaped, his face filled with shock.

"Uchiha Nen" did not respond. He continued forming Hand Seals, then brought his palms together and clasped them tightly. "Wooden Style: Splinter Technique!"

In mid-air, the tips of the wooden pillars turned slightly with a rattling sound. Like cannon muzzles, they aimed at the enemy's position. As Chakra erupted from Nian's entire body, dozens of sharp wooden spikes tore through the air!

The rain-like barrage left the man in a miserable state. Rows of wooden spikes shot into the ground, resembling a newly grown grove of saplings.

"Your strength puts my mind at ease!" Tong Ren gave a thumbs-up.

After releasing the third Ninjutsu, Shin'yu relinquished control and returned the body to Nian.

"Take it in properly. Just these three moves—defense, control, and attack—if you can study them thoroughly, they'll be enough for you for several years." Shin'yu's Spirit Body reclined backward, hands behind his head, looking ready to watch a show.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Nian panted heavily. Once he regained control of his body, he suddenly realized that more than half of his Chakra had been consumed!

"Take deep breaths. Feeling dizzy is normal," Shin'yu said. "You're still very young. Once your Chakra reserves increase, you'll be able to learn stronger Wooden Style Ninjutsu."

At that moment, the "future Three Ninja" hiding outside also noticed the commotion from the battle. With a flash, they landed beside Zhi Li.

"A Wood Release Secret Technique!" Tsunade covered her small mouth and stared at Uchiha Nen's back in disbelief. "This... how is this possible?!"

This was her Grandfather's unique secret technique, the pride of the Senju Clan. Even her Father had failed to inherit this unique Kekkei Genkai, yet now it had been inherited by a youth from the Uchiha Clan!

Looking at the grove that had appeared from nowhere, Jiraiya sucked in a cold breath. For the first time, he looked at Nian with reverence. Even Orochimaru's eyes showed surprise.

"Kid! You're out of Chakra, aren't you?!"

A shout suddenly came from ahead. The Shop Assistant charged over with a ferocious grin. With a wave of his hand, the blood pool churned and surged. Amid bubbling gurgles, blood flowed upward against gravity, spiraling continuously around him.

"Blood Hail!"

His eyes widened, and his pupils instantly turned into blood-red horizontal slits. This was the true appearance of the Blood Dragon Eye!

Like the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, members of the Blood Pond Clan needed intense stimulation to awaken their eyes. Among those who awakened them, those capable of mastering powerful eye techniques were even rarer. This ordinary-looking Shop Assistant was clearly among the finest of them.

The blood rippled and transformed into a sky full of bloody rain, pouring down in sheets. It blasted countless tiny pits into the ground, clearly carrying formidable destructive power.

"Everyone, whatever questions you may have about Nian, let's deal with the enemy first," Zhi Li said calmly. "We are all members of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Of course!" Tsunade knew those words were meant for her. She immediately shouted and smashed the ground with a fist. The powerful impact tore up a slab of earth, raising it above everyone's heads like a shield.

Jiraiya formed Hand Seals at the right moment. "Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Return!"

The slab of earth abruptly expanded and was reinforced more than tenfold, becoming as hard as rock and rendering all the bloody rain ineffective.

At that moment, the blood pool surged, splashing up towering waves. A four-headed blood dragon slowly took shape, and the Shop Assistant stood atop one of its heads as it charged forward menacingly.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"

"Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane!"

Tong Ren and Orochimaru worked together with remarkable coordination. As their combined wind-and-fire Ninjutsu erupted, blazing crimson flames roared forth, and a massive fire dragon rushed toward the blood dragon!

"Boom!"

The blast wave exploded with a thunderous roar, and thick blood energy drifted through the air. The bloody scent was nauseating.

Seizing the chance, Zhi Li gripped her Short Sword in one hand and charged fiercely into the blood mist.

"What?!" the man cried out. A pair of scarlet Sharingan appeared before him. She was incredibly fast, and he immediately condensed a blood blade to meet Zhi Li in close combat.

Zhi Li was every bit a Jonin. Her Taijutsu was fierce and swift, and with the Sharingan's dynamic vision, she cut off one of the enemy's hands in only a few exchanges.

Suddenly, a Spirit Body silently entered the Shop Assistant's brow, making his expression freeze slightly.

Zhi Li seized the opportunity and swung her sword, cleanly taking off his head with a horizontal slash.

With a "puff," the man's body turned into blood and seeped into the earth.

Amid the scattering bloody rain, Nian's Spirit Body was exposed with a bewildered expression. "I miscalculated. It was a Blood Clone!"

At the same time, a figure appeared beside Nian's Physical Body. With a savage grin, he raised the blood blade in his hand high.

At this moment, Nian's Spirit Body had left his body, and his Physical Body was completely asleep. His face was peaceful, and he had no ability to resist at all.

This was the fatal weakness of the Spiritualization Technique!

Nian had studied the secret scrolls thoroughly, so he naturally knew this weakness. The reason he dared to be so confident was because...

One hand tightly seized the man's wrist. Nian's eyes snapped open strangely as air currents surged and a loud hum filled the air. He slammed a rapidly spinning ball of Chakra into the man's chest!

Blue light blossomed. The man screamed as immense twisting force sent him flying, smashing through three houses in succession.

By the time everyone arrived, he had already lost consciousness.

Nian's Spirit Body returned to his body, but his mind jolted. Shin'yu Senior, who had been "watching the show" in his Mental World all this time, had vanished.