In Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village), a large number of masked ANBU operatives quickly gathered.
Within the ruins, Madara Uchiha gradually revealed his form. His once jet-black hair had turned mostly white, draping over his shoulders. He wore a black tight-fitting combat suit underneath a red-layered armor.
As he moved, the clinking of his armor echoed clearly.
One had to admit, this older gentleman had quite the classical appearance.
Ignoring the chiseled wrinkles on his face, he must have been a strikingly handsome and dashing figure in his youth.
Not far away, the Third Mizukage frowned deeply. While issuing orders to the ANBU behind him, he cast sidelong glances at the dust rising from the ruins.
His gaze was filled with both desire and apprehension.
"Notify Master Gen and all active shinobi. Have everyone head towards the Mizukage Tower immediately!
Organize a group of ANBU to stay with me and block this audacious attacker!"
After issuing a few simple commands, the Third Mizukage's Byakugan-enhanced pupils slightly dilated, locking onto Madara Uchiha's chakra.
It had to be said, the transplant technique developed by Inagomaru and his research team was truly remarkable.
The Byakugan was indeed powerful—not only could it penetrate the mist obscuring vision, but it could also see the flow of chakra within a target's body.
This alone was an incredible advantage.
Knowing the direction and quantity of an opponent's chakra concentration allowed one to:
First, estimate the power of their jutsu.
Second, roughly predict the method of its release.
For instance, most Fire Release and Water Release jutsu are expelled from the mouth.
While not absolutely accurate, this foresight provided a one-to-two-second advantage.
Do not underestimate those one or two seconds. War isn't a montage; there are no slow-motion scenes. A sudden battle often ends within mere seconds.
As the Third Mizukage issued his orders, his Byakugan vision revealed Madara Uchiha's chakra gathering massively beneath his feet.
Judging by the scale, the next jutsu was going to be devastating.
Seeing this, the Third Mizukage immediately stomped the ground and retreated with a group of ANBU.
Just as they left their original position, a calm and icy voice resonated from the dissipating smoke.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees!"
In an instant, thick tree roots burst out from the ground beneath Madara Uchiha's feet, twisting and sprawling in all directions.
Above, Rinjin lay flat on his Iron Sand Cloud, peering through the mist at the scene below before shrinking his head back.
There it was—the legendary Wood Release: Unleash the Pants!
In his field of vision, massive tree roots extended far into the distance, growing upward into trunks and sprouting green leaves.
In no time at all, a lush and ancient-looking forest appeared.
Damn, this reforestation technique was something else.
If solid wood flooring costs 331 ryo per square meter, how many hardwood floors could this forest produce?
It could only be said that while others take off their pants to pee, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha take off their pants to urinate gold—piles of it, thrown to the ground.
However, the Third Mizukage clearly didn't see it that way.
To him, Madara Uchiha's tree-planting antics were a blatant insult to his authority as Mizukage.
The Land of Water already had limited territory, and now you're planting trees in the middle of the village?
This is the core CBD of my village—an area integrating commerce, culture, scenery, and leisure into one major traditional hub.
And you're turning it into an all-eco park?! No basic infrastructure, no relaxation facilities—how is this supposed to help the surrounding property values?!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became!
In stark contrast, Madara Uchiha, holding his war fan and scythe, stood atop a massive tree in the forest's center, his gaze sweeping indifferently across the surroundings.
The shinobi of Kirigakure were of little concern to him. The only one he needed to guard against was Rinjin, that unpredictable and dishonorable rogue.
The primary reason he chose Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees was to disrupt the existing terrain and prevent Rinjin's sneak attacks.
Of course, dividing the battlefield was another key objective.
Around the massive forest spanning nearly a kilometer, countless Kirigakure shinobi were rapidly gathering.
But! They ultimately failed to converge around the Third Mizukage to form a cohesive fighting force.
Watching the stalemate below, Rinjin felt a bit helpless.
If they didn't start fighting, how was he supposed to fish in troubled waters?
After pondering for a moment, Rinjin's eyes suddenly lit up. Forming a single-hand seal, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In the next second, his figure blurred, and when he reappeared, he was holding a dazed White Zetsu in his hand.
He then casually tossed White Zetsu to the ground and pulled out a palm-sized scroll from his ninja pouch, spreading it on the ground.
"Seal, release!"
Poof!
White smoke erupted, and seven or eight transparent bottles and jars appeared on the scroll, each labeled with tags like "Four-Tails Jinchuriki," "Second Raikage," and "Second Tsuchikage Mū."
After some consideration, Rinjin selected a transparent syringe, his eyes filled with a nostalgic glint.
Carefully, he took out a blank scroll and let a few drops of blood from the syringe fall onto its center.
Then, picking up a brush, he began to draw.
It seemed he was preparing to summon reinforcements again.
Before long, a giant seal resembling the upper torso of a human took shape on the Iron Sand-covered ground.
Setting down the brush, Rinjin quickly formed a series of hand seals.
"Reanimation Jutsu!" he murmured.
A familiar scene unfolded. Gray dust enveloped the struggling White Zetsu on the ground.
In the next second, a familiar face appeared before Rinjin.
With short silver hair, a black tight-fitting combat suit, a blue-layered armor draped over his shoulders, and stylish sandals, the figure glared at Rinjin.
It was none other than the long-deceased Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Seeing Tobirama's murderous expression, Rinjin instinctively shrank back and awkwardly greeted him.
"Yo~ Long time no see, Second Hokage-sama."
"Who... are you?"
The just-revived Tobirama seemed a bit sluggish.
But in the next moment, his reflexes kicked in. Raising a kunai, he hurled it at Rinjin with lightning speed.
He had already deduced his situation.
Summoned by the Reanimation Jutsu, and the summoner was not someone he recognized—even if they greeted him with "long time no see."
This was a shinobi from Kirigakure, and in Tobirama's eyes, that meant one thing: an enemy.
And enemies were meant to be eliminated!
As the creator of the Reanimation Jutsu, Tobirama knew exactly how it worked.
It was clear that this summoner was an amateur who hadn't imposed any restrictions on him. Moreover, he had been summoned with the majority of his original power intact.
Killing the summoner would release the jutsu.
Whatever this person intended to make him do, Tobirama had no intention of complying!
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