Chapter 54: Wood Release.

Milestone hit: Additional 100 Powerstones in! Here come 5 bonus chapters as promised. Let's aim higher — send more, get more! ___ The golden, cross-shaped light bullet was kicked out by Zenkichi and shot straight toward Uchiha Madara. Madara, a battle-hardened warrior, remained calm under pressure. A light blue Susanoo materialized in front of him. Boom! Susanoo shook under the force of Zenkichi's kick. Madara was forced to reinforce it—soon, a Susanoo with a fully formed upper body stood between them. "You possess abilities that are quite unpredictable—and you're immune to nearly every attack," Madara said coldly. "You're fast, too. Even sealing techniques designed to restrain you don't land." "But you have a fatal weakness—your offensive power is lacking." "Against Susanoo's absolute defense... there's nothing you can do." With his hands behind his back, Madara stared at Zenkichi arrogantly. "How terrifying," Zenkichi replied with mockery. "This battlefield is ancient. Don't tell me you think you'll stay young forever." "How long can you maintain your current state? Half an hour? An hour?" He spoke casually—Madara wouldn't be able to defeat him. --- "Jiraiya-sensei, what should we do now?" Yahiko asked, completely at a loss. The sudden escalation left him stunned. Jiraiya made a quick decision. "We're leaving. This battle is far beyond our capabilities." Yahiko and Konan exchanged worried glances toward Nagato. "But I think we should take this chance to rescue Nagato," Yahiko insisted. "This might be our only opportunity!" Jiraiya hesitated. "That strange white creature and the black one aren't easy to deal with. Not to mention Uchiha Madara..." Yahiko's voice rose, frustrated. "Jiraiya-sensei! Even without the Rinnegan, Nagato is still your disciple! Are you really going to just let him be taken?!" He was clearly upset—Jiraiya's indecisiveness was deeply disappointing. Thanks to Zenkichi's earlier reminder, Yahiko now harbored doubts. He suspected Jiraiya had ulterior motives when he chose to train them—perhaps driven by Nagato's Rinnegan, rather than genuine care. Maybe that master-disciple bond only existed in their imaginations. Jiraiya seemed to sense Yahiko's anger and suspicion. With a sigh, he said, "Alright. Let's try—but we retreat immediately if things go south." With that, the three moved together, rushing toward Nagato, who was currently under the control of Black Zetsu. Because Tobi and Black Zetsu were both latched onto Nagato, the trio couldn't risk using high-impact attacks. They charged in, hoping to seize an opening and pull Nagato to safety. --- "Tobi, looks like we've got company," Black Zetsu's rasping voice said ominously. Tobi's goofy tone rang out: "Three versus three, huh? Doesn't seem too unfair!" "They're trying to take the body I'm possessing? No way! I haven't even figured out how to poop yet!" Suddenly, wooden spikes burst from Tobi's body, stabbing into the ground. Thick vines erupted from below. "Wood Release?!" Jiraiya exclaimed, stunned. Today had been full of surprises. First, the legendary Uchiha Madara had appeared in his prime—now, this bizarre clown was using Wood Release, a jutsu once unique to the First Hokage. --- "Paper Release – Paper Shuriken!" "Fire Style – Flame Bullet!" "Needle Jizō Technique!" Konan's paper shuriken sliced through the vines, their sharp edges severing the wooden tendrils. Jiraiya noted, relieved, It worked. Even though it's Wood Release, the user's strength still matters. --- "Madara-sama! Help me!" Tobi yelled shamelessly, calling for aid without hesitation. Madara remained expressionless. He pressed both palms together. "Wood Style – Deep Forest Emergence!" Massive wooden vines surged from the ground, charging toward Zenkichi. A smaller wave of vines lashed at the trio, easily capturing them and binding them with minimal effort. "No!" Jiraiya shouted, dodging rapidly. "This enemy is on a completely different level—we have to retreat!" Despite their reluctance, Yahiko and Konan understood—they had no choice. --- "You're running? At least tell me what a bowel movement feels like!" Tobi screamed as vines extended from his body and connected with Madara's massive forest. The combined vines whipped toward the trio like living creatures. Wood Release was infamous for overpowering numbers with sheer scale—most famously with the True Several Thousand Hands technique. Even though this was merely Deep Forest Emergence, hundreds of wooden vines attacked at once. Even two fists can't beat four hands! Madara frowned. Even this barrage had failed to injure Zenkichi. Zenkichi, however, wore a mocking grin. "The First Hokage's Deep Forest Emergence? So scary." Golden particles shimmered around him, forming his radiant silhouette. His entire demeanor ridiculed Madara's seriousness with vulgar flamboyance. Jiraiya and the others, who only faced a fraction of the assault, were wiped out—while Zenkichi, who bore the brunt, remained completely unscathed. The three were quickly tied up and hung from the tree branches. --- "Wood Release originates from the God Tree—it's the power tied to the source of chakra itself." "All chakra-based techniques should be suppressed by it." "Yet... The vines pass through your body?" Madara muttered. "That shouldn't be possible—unless your power doesn't come from chakra at all." "You're turning into light... but that's not chakra-based." Madara's eyes widened in realization. He stared at Zenkichi, truly shaken. --- Wanna read in ahead of everyone else? Join my p@treon to get access to 70+ chapters in advance [email protected]/Zphyr_ Change @ to a.