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Chapter 126: The Power of Wood Release!
🕑 Added 2025-08-12 13:45:13 +0000 UTCChapter 126: The Power of Wood Release!
"Hehe..." Hearing Nara Keisuke's doubt, Orochimaru was not angered in the slightest, only letting out a light laugh. "Nara-kun, the God of Shinobi, when all is said and done, was just a ninja. Back then, the First Hokage-sama swept through the ninja world with his Wood Release, manipulating and toying with one Tailed Beast after another as he pleased. There was no one in the world who did not submit to his Wood Release. As long as I can also master the power of Wood Release... I will become the new generation's God of Shinobi!"
Faced with Orochimaru's display of arrogant spirit, Nara Keisuke's response was just two words. "Heh heh."
It wasn't that he didn't believe in the scientific research capabilities of Orochimaru, the great scientist of the ninja world. It was that from his words just now, it was clear that the current Orochimaru had obviously gone down the wrong research path!
Was the true strength of Senju Hashirama, whom Keisuke often jokingly called "the Great Pillar," really his Wood Release? Absolutely not.
There was a widely circulated saying that proved this point well: The First's Wood Release conquered the world; Yamato's Wood Release does landscaping.
Wood Release was a Kekkei Genkai exclusive to Senju Hashirama. But its power was built on the foundation of his massive chakra reserves, which surpassed even those of the Tailed Beasts! With the support of a sufficient amount of chakra, the vast majority of Kekkei Genkai could display a transcendent power that could turn the rotten into the miraculous.
For example, the few Kekkei Genkai Keisuke had encountered before. Scorch Release—could burn mountains and boil seas. Explosion Release—could destroy the heavens and extinguish the earth.
Even if you were to lower the chakra amount from "infinite" to "Great Pillar level," the Kekkei Tōta passed down from the Second and Third Tsuchikage of the neighboring Iwagakure—Dust Release—in Keisuke's view, the power it could display would absolutely not be inferior to Senju Hashirama's Wood Release!
Even if Orochimaru really did research Wood Release, did he have enough chakra to drive it? At best, he would just be a bigger version of Yamato. Or perhaps a Yamato enhanced with a layer of the White Zetsu-version cheat code from the Fourth Great Ninja War? No more than that.
"Orochimaru." Keisuke gazed at him with perfect calm. "I didn't come looking for you today to listen to your nonsense."
"Who said this is just nonsense?" Orochimaru opened his mouth, and a lump of snow-white flesh surged from his throat, landing on his left palm. "Nara-kun, those who have not witnessed the power of Wood Release can never feel its strength. Let me show you the power of the legendary God of Shinobi!"
Keisuke looked at the lump of flesh in Orochimaru's left hand, a sense of astonishment in his heart. 'Is that... a Hashirama Cell?!'
Orochimaru held the Sword of Kusanagi in his right hand. A stream of chakra gushed from his body, transmitting through the sword's blade and into the lump of flesh. One after another, deep brown branches began to grow from the white flesh. "Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
It was unknown what method Orochimaru had used, but he had successfully harnessed the chakra energy contained in this strange white flesh and, through it, released a Wood Release ninjutsu of no small quality. The deep brown tree trunks, following the injection of flesh into the ground, caused the earth to rumble and then immediately swell and crack. One after another, incomparably thick wooden vines grew out from the depths of the earth. In the blink of an eye, a small, lush forest was formed, which rushed towards Keisuke's position like a tidal wave.
"This is Wood Release!" Looking at this lush forest, Orochimaru's expression was incomparably fervent. At this moment, he was like a lonely researcher, eagerly displaying his research results to the outside world.
And faced with this level of Wood Release, the corner of Keisuke's mouth twitched. That's it? I'm afraid even Yamato is better than this...
However, a [Shadow Creature] emerged from his shadow, carrying him as it flew into the high sky, avoiding the surging forest below. He looked down from above at Orochimaru, who was surrounded by the forest. To be precise, his gaze was on the piece of white flesh in Orochimaru's hand, which was now almost gone.
Keisuke asked, knowing the answer, "That piece of flesh... what is it?"
"Hehe, you are Tsunade's man." Orochimaru released his left hand, letting the piece of white flesh "merge" into the forest. "How could I tell you such important news? Or perhaps, Nara-kun, you wish to come under my command? Then this question..."
"Even if you don't tell me, I can guess a thing or two." Keisuke interrupted Orochimaru, his eyes cold. "In all of Konoha—no, in the entire ninja world, the only ninja who can use Wood Release is the legendary First Hokage. It seems you haven't just been targeting comrades from your own village. You've even extended your hand to the remains of the First Hokage-sama!"
"An ordinary ninja would not be able to deduce that this flesh and blood came from the First Hokage-sama's cells just by looking at it..." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, concealing the shock in his heart. "Nara-kun, your deductive and judgment abilities are even more outstanding than I imagined! However, please allow me to correct one point. I have not personally touched the remains of the First Hokage-sama. I only obtained some of his scattered cells and used my own means to proliferate and cultivate them."
"It seems I have still underestimated the bottom line of some people," Keisuke sighed. But his sigh was not for Orochimaru, or the person who gave him the Hashirama cells. It was for Princess Tsunade.
After knowing that Orochimaru had targeted comrades from their own village, Tsunade had already shown such an out-of-control emotional state. If she were to find out that her good teammate, who had fought alongside her for many years, was secretly researching her own great-grandfather's corpse... who knew what she would do!
"Lord... Orochimaru." Keisuke reined in his stray thoughts and looked down at the man below. "In doing so, have you not considered Lady Tsunade's feelings at all?"
"Tsunade..." Orochimaru was silent for a moment, then chuckled again. "This is war. In order to win the Third Great Ninja War, to let fewer people die... Tsunade, she can understand."
This sentence seemed to be an answer to Keisuke's question, and also seemed to be him trying to convince himself.
"If you had just said something like 'this is a necessary sacrifice on the path of scientific research,' I might have barely understood. But I didn't expect such a high-sounding reason." Keisuke sneered. "Orochimaru, you truly disgust me."
"Nara Keisuke." An astonishing cold light burst from Orochimaru's eyes. He called out the other's full name for the first time, and an astonishing killing intent gushed from the body of this veteran powerhouse. "My repeated kindness, have you mistaken it for weakness? Did you think... I really wouldn't dare to do anything to you?"
"Then, are we going to settle this right here?" Keisuke did not show any weakness and retorted head-on. "Orochimaru?"
Considering the problem of the Iwagakure front, he had not originally planned to have a showdown with Orochimaru so soon. His original plan was to just farm an A-rank mission from Orochimaru tonight. After the war was completely over, he would have a final settlement with him! But if both sides couldn't hold back at this moment... then a direct fight was not out of the question!
Facing the high and mighty Nara Keisuke, the cold light in Orochimaru's eyes grew even more intense. The next moment, his hands quickly formed hand signs, and his entire person instantly drilled into the ground, disappearing from the surface.
"Planning to hide underground and wait for a chance to launch a sneak attack?" Keisuke expanded his sensory abilities as much as possible, while also raising his mental vigilance to the highest level. "I won't..."
[Target has disengaged from the combat range. A-rank miss—]
'Speed-run!' Keisuke was stunned for a moment, then erupted with his maximum nerve speed. 'Speed-run!'
[You have speed-run the A-rank mission [Orochimaru]!]
[You have obtained one B-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!]
"You shameless snake, do you have to be such a poor sport?!" Keisuke was on the verge of going crazy. "What the hell is running away without fighting? And you even talked so tough before!"
He activated his [Lacquer Eye]. The eye, which had integrated the Yamanaka clan's [Sensing] technique, peered into the earth below, intending to find Orochimaru's spiritual energy. A pity, there was nothing.
"He really ran away? He's not planning to go after the soft persimmons first, is he?" Keisuke thought of a possibility. He immediately controlled the [Shadow Creature] to return to the Konoha camp at top speed.
Uchiha Shisui, Hyūga Retsu, and Shizune were gathered in the same small tent as last time, not yet asleep. Seeing that his three team members were all safe and sound, Keisuke secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Captain." The three team members nodded in greeting.
Shisui and Shizune were completely unaware that their captain had just had a conflict with the supreme commander in the camp. But Retsu knew about the "small conflict" between Keisuke and Orochimaru. Seeing him return safely now, she also put down her worries.
"It's getting late. Rest early. There will most likely be a mission tomorrow." Keisuke stretched and, pretending that nothing had happened, lay down beside Uchiha Shisui. "Oh right, Shisui, don't forget about accepting missions. Well, if you don't accept them, that's fine too. Everyone can rest for a few more days."
"Captain." Shisui finally couldn't help but ask the question. "Are you always this lazy?"
"How is this being lazy?" Keisuke said with righteous indignation. "I'm just conserving unnecessary energy consumption. In short, energy conservationism."
However, energy is neither created nor destroyed out of thin air. You're conserving energy, but in reality, you're just completely transferring that energy consumption to me, aren't you?
The honest Uchiha Shisui had finally figured out this relationship. But what could he say? "You truly are worthy of being a ninja of the Nara clan! Captain!!"
"Thank you for the compliment."
Amidst the banter, Keisuke took the opportunity to open the B-rank secret scroll he had just obtained. 'That Orochimaru!'
[Opening...]
[Contents of this B-rank Shinobi Secret Scroll: Technique]
[B-rank Barrier Sealing Technique: Four Black Fogs Formation]
[Technique Description: A dark fog that can even seal death!]
[Technique Effect: From four directions, simultaneously form hand signs and release a high-density black fog of chakra to envelop the target. By doing so, completely cut off the connection between the target and the outside world. Even death can be temporarily sealed.]
[Technique Evaluation: There's nothing to be afraid of anymore.]
(End of Chapter)
