The wooden aesthetic—
Everyone knew what it meant. It was the hallmark of the Senju clan's unique bloodline ability.
Now, seeing it wielded by someone outside the Uchiha—it carried a hint of insult.
Especially when Wood Style was used in front of Hashirama Senju himself.
Madara found himself remembering the astonishment in Yukika's eyes when he first saw Wood Style in action.
But what shocked him now was—
When Deep Forest Emergence erupted, and countless trees surged from beneath the waterfall, roaring toward the boy, Yukika didn't flinch. He wasn't the least bit panicked. On the contrary, he sneered.
What had Madara missed?
That Wood Style was the pride of Senju Yukika's grandfather!
"Seriously now, why do you always hang around with the other Senjus?"
Yukika scratched his chin and sighed lightly.
"Hmph! Even a bald vulture thinks it can be a hatchet."
He was talking about sculpting techniques.
...And door handle installation.
Madara fell silent. That was Senju Yukika's critique of his Wood Style.
But what was he really trying to say?
"That whole Deep Forest Emergence—to me, it's just not that impressive."
"Wood Style evolution isn't uncommon either."
"Aside from True Thousand Hands, I think most Wood Style jutsu could use a little rework. That way, they'd be more... impactful."
"Take this one, for example—"
"Wood Style: Great Heavenly Dragon!"
With a single palm strike on the ground—
A massive tree twisted upward. But instead of spreading normally, its form completely transformed.
A wooden dragon, cloaked in a shroud reminiscent of Nine-Tails chakra, grew larger and more lifelike by the second. It even looked more real than the one Hashirama used.
With a roar like a living beast, the wooden dragon lashed its tail—shattering Madara's Deep Forest Emergence instantly.
This was no joke.
After destroying the forest, the dragon carefully avoided Madara and slammed into the nearby Madara statue.
Boom!
The entire cliff trembled.
Madara's face stiffened as his statue's face exploded into rubble.
Meanwhile, the wooden dragon soared upward again, hovering above Yukika as if guarding a god descending to the mortal world. It was an overwhelming sight.
"We're not done yet."
As Madara stood dumbfounded, Yukika gave him a casual backhand slap that sent him flying.
At that moment, all the broken tree fragments began to converge.
Palm.
Buddha.
A glowing Earth Treasury Bodhisattva slowly emerged!
Its head was even larger than the Wood Golem Jutsu, and its multiple arms, each wrapped in trees, moved with Yukika's command—
SLAM!
The giant palm was aimed directly at the broken Madara statue.
"This move is called Wood Style: Tathāgata Palm."
Yukika grinned, giving the attack a name that didn't exist in this world.
It was his own creation.
A type of Wood Golem spell—yet more domineering and awe-inspiring than the classic golem technique.
In terms of jutsu creativity, Senju Yukika was already outclassing his grandfather, Hashirama Senju.
The essence of ninjutsu was to transform one's chakra. Wood Style was no exception.
Even the so-called True Thousand Hands wasn't technically complex—its real requirement was quality chakra. Without Sage Mode, it couldn't show its true strength.
Yukika had never lacked talent.
As for immortality, the original story never explained where Hashirama's came from. But after absorbing Asura's chakra, Yukika could clearly feel the natural energy radiating from within him.
So he guessed—this so-called "Divine Body" was the basis for eternal life.
Still, Yukika wasn't in a hurry to study Sage Arts just yet.
Chakra came from the body. Natural energy came from nature itself.
They weren't like the powers in the world of the Shinigami—but they weren't as strong either.
If Master could absorb natural energy, maybe he could use it in the world of the Shinigami.
Eventually, he'd need to train in Senjutsu, but that wasn't urgent.
After all, in the ninja world, only senjutsu and taijutsu could harm beings beyond Six Paths level.
But Yukika wasn't worried about that.
His chakra was far from pure—it carried a kind of pressure known as Reiatsu. And his soul-based attacks were far more terrifying than any Senjutsu or Taijutsu.
He didn't fear the Otsutsuki at all.
Far off in the distance, Madara stared at his shattered statue—and the fading image of the Buddha.
Wood Style: Great Heavenly Dragon.
Wood Style: Tathāgata Palm.
He had never heard of either jutsu.
Not even during his final battle with Hashirama.
These two attacks shook him deeply.
But the most unforgivable part?
That kid had destroyed his statue—right in front of him.
Everything else aside...
That statue was proof that he had once existed in this world!
And—
Why could this kid use Wood Style?!
The Senju hadn't produced a Wood Style user in ages.
That was supposed to be Hashirama's exclusive power.
"You're wondering why I can use it?"
Yukika raised an eyebrow casually.
"In the current Senju clan, this isn't anything new."
New? What did he mean by that?
Could it be—were there other Senju using Wood Style besides Yukika?
Yukika only smiled, offering no explanation.
The answer lay in the existence of the dungeon system. It had been the foundation of the Senju clan's growth.
Over the years, besides loot from dungeons, Yukika had earned a lot of functional points.
In the system store, there was something called Bloodline Enhancement Potion. While not as powerful as directly absorbing Asura's chakra, it was cheap enough to be used as a clan reward.
With Yukika's massive yang chakra, he could imprint his energy onto clan members without any depletion.
When used together, those clan members could wield Wood Style too.
Madara wouldn't understand.
"Still smiling, huh?"
Madara glared coldly.
"You really think your fluke Wood Style awakening can compare to Hashirama's?"
"Or that reaching his level would be enough to defeat me?"
His Sharingan spun wildly. Unstable chakra surged out of his body.
When Susanoo's armor began to coat his limbs, the entire valley quaked from the sheer weight.
The Valley of the End couldn't withstand Madara's growing power—it began to collapse.
Blue chakra stabilized at last.
"Witness...!"
Madara leapt into the air.
"The ultimate power of the Uchiha clan—"
"Perfect Susanoo!"