Just as Rasa was lost in thought, all the ninjas around him stopped what they were doing.
They stared blankly at the dense forest that had suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
"Is this Wood Release?" a Konoha Ninja asked, his voice trembling slightly. His tone carried a mixture of doubt, excitement, confusion, and elation, making one marvel at the richness of his emotions.
"It really is Wood Release," a Konoha Ninja nearby said, swallowing hard as he looked at the dense forest that suddenly appeared on the battlefield. Although he said it in a statement of certainty, there was still a hint of uncertainty in his tone.
Not far away, Inoichi Yamanaka, with his blond hair, stared dumbfounded at the figure that had suddenly emerged from the forest. "Hey, Shikaku, is this what you meant by 'something special'?"
This was completely unexpected. However, he didn't hear a reply from his friend after he finished speaking, which puzzled him. He then turned to look at Shikaku Nara beside him. What he saw next was even more surprising.
His friend Shikaku Nara, who had always presented himself as calm and wise, also showed a surprised expression, which shattered his long-held perception of Shikaku Nara.
Seeing Shikaku Nara's stunned expression, Inoichi Yamanaka nudged him on Shikaku Nara shoulder and teased, "This is the first time I've seen you make such an expression. Didn't you say you had something special? This is different from what you said."
Hearing his friend's teasing, Shikaku Nara could only give an awkward, wry smile. "Yeah, that really makes me blush."
Shikaku Nara had no idea that Kōki possessed Wood Release; Orochimaru hadn't told him either.
He remembered Orochimaru telling him before they set off, " Shikaku, I will be stationed at the camp as part of the defense force and will not appear on the battlefield. However, don't worry, Sunagakure Rasa definitely have someone to hold them off. You just need to ensure that Konoha can launch a normal attack."
" Lord Orochimaru, I wonder who will make a move. I need to prepare my teammates accordingly."
"This person is Kōki."
Upon hearing Kōki's name, he panicked for a moment, "But, Lord Orochimaru, Kōki, he..."
Before he could finish speaking, Orochimaru interrupted him, "Don't worry, Kōki already has some Kage Level strength. Just trust him. Besides, I won't let Konoha Ninja die."
It was through that conversation that Shikaku Nara gained a preliminary understanding of Kōki's strength, and he closely monitored Kōki's actions on the battlefield.
Only after seeing Kōki easily kill many Sunagakure Jonin and later defeat the Chikamatsu Three did he finally believe Orochimaru's words and acknowledge Kōki's strength.
This is why he confidently told his two friends that Kōki was quite something.
However, little did anyone expect that in addition to the Taijutsu and Ninjutsu skills that Kōki initially displayed, he also possessed hidden Wood Release abilities.
This was completely different from what he had imagined. In his mind Kōki would use Taijutsu and Ninjutsu to hold off Rasa, and then they would lead the Konoha Ninja to defeat the Sunagakure ninja forces and ultimately win the victory. In other words, in his plan, Kōki's role was merely to hold Rasa back.
But now Kōki has shown the strength to be able to fight Rasa head-on, and might even be able to defeat him.
"I never expected that even Shikaku, who is always so shrewd and resourceful, would be surprised by Kōki. It seems he really is different."
Hearing Inoichi Yamanaka's exclamation, Shikaku Nara nodded, "Yes, he is indeed very different; the Shinobi World will be shaken by him."
Kōki couldn't hear Shikaku Nara's lament from afar; he was now completely focused on Rasa.
This was his first time facing a true Kage Level opponent, unlike the Chikamatsu Three.
Facing the Chikamatsu Three, he could break through their encirclement with his Superhuman Strength Technique, which was effective against puppets, so he wasn't under much pressure.
His Taijutsu was still very threatening against Rasa, but it was not very effective against Rasa's large-scale Gold Dust, and he was afraid that his Ninjutsu would not be powerful enough.
Only Wood Release could give him the confidence to fight Rasa head-on.
As expected, the results of using Wood Release did not disappoint him. He easily broke Rasa's Release Technique and even managed to inflict damage on Rasa, living up to the name of Wood Release.
Now that he had used Wood Release Wood Release it had achieved the desired effect, Kōki no longer hesitated and continued to use Wood Release against his enemy.
" Wood Release: Tree Binding Eternal Burial "
Under Kōki's control, in an instant, many vines grew from the ground beneath Rasa's feet, winding and twisting towards Rasa.
Whether the attack came too quickly or not, it only took a short while to successfully bind Rasa firmly. Then, countless vines intertwined and gradually transformed into a towering tree.
Only Rasa's head remained outside. The pressure inside the tree increased rapidly, crushing Rasa into dust within seconds.
Just as Kōki was about to kill Rasa with all his might, he discovered that Rasa, who was bound by the trees, was slowly turning into flowing Gold Dust. What he had caught was actually just Rasa's Gold Dust Clone; the real body had already disappeared.
This scene made Kōki wary, and he looked around, searching for Kōki 'Rasa whereabouts.
"Call out"
Suddenly, a loud whooshing sound came from behind.
A sharp spear made of Yusa flew from not far away.
Kōki reacted quickly, dodging to the side.
Then several more gold-plated Gold Dust came at him, but he dodged them all.
Just as Kōki was wondering why Rasa was wasting his Chakra on such a pointless endeavor, Rasa once again manipulated the Gold Dust spear and shot it at him.
As he prepared to dodge using his previous strategy, the Gold Dust- flecked spear suddenly disintegrated halfway through its flight, transforming into countless Gold Dust Senbon instantly enveloped all of Kōki's dodge space before shooting towards Kōki at an even faster speed.
It turns out that Rasa's actions weren't in vain; they were intended to lull Kōki, so that once Kōki had adjusted to the attack, Kōki could suddenly change tactics and catch him off guard.
It must be said that Rasa's plan was very successful. The densely packed Gold Dust Senbon shot towards Kōki, who was caught off guard, with lightning speed.
The next second, countless Gold Dust Senbon pierced through Kōki, and the Gold Dust continued its momentum as Kōki hit the ground, creating countless small craters.
The precision of the timing and the power of this attack were enough to prove Rasa's rich combat experience.
In comparison, Kōki was somewhat inferior, falling for Rasa's scheme so easily.
Fortunately, Kōki's strong talent was enough to make up for his lack of experience.
Suddenly, the Kōki that had been pierced by countless Gold Dust Senbon transformed into a human-shaped piece of wood.
The real Kōki appeared beside Kōki with a minor injury.
Fortunately, he had already become vigilant when he saw Rasa's strange movements and secretly used his Wood Clone. However, Rasa's change of tactics was too fast, and he was still unable to hide in time when he tried to dodge to the ground and was injured by the Gold Dust Senbon Bones.
"As expected of the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, his strength is indeed formidable."