Waves of scorching heat rolled in, accompanied by a series of sounds.
The burning fragments, carrying powerful forces, plunged into the surrounding stone walls, leaving behind charred pits.
Some flew even farther, making a piercing sound as they hit the bronze gate.
Madara Uchiha couldn't help but shiver when he saw the shield made of intertwined wooden vines that appeared before him after the flames dissipated.
In his memory, only Hashirama Senju's Wood Release could have such great power.
But he was certain that Hashirama Senju was truly dead and had no possibility of resurrection.
Madara Uchiha raised two fingers.
His face turned slightly cold.
Let me see who's really playing tricks here!
His entire body was instantly filled with a massive amount of Chakra.
He was like a sword about to be drawn from its sheath, ready to strike.
The overflowing Force caused swirling winds to appear around him.
All the dust and debris floated outward.
Boom!
Madara Uchiha's head was on fire.
The scorching air and the flying sparks gathered to form a fireball as large as a meteor.
The fireball landed on the ground.
The airtight flames were like a huge furnace, enveloping the vines in front of him, seemingly trying to refine them.
Haruki stood in the center of the flames. The collision of Chakras made the surging waves rush upwards.
From a distance, he looked like he was standing at the crater of an erupting volcano.
Black eye shadows appeared at the corners of his eyes. His arms sprayed out countless vines and branches, covering his whole body and forming a giant tree.
The flames roared.
Madara Uchiha frowned. He was blocked again.
This person was starting to give him the feeling of being more and more like Hashirama Senju.
But unfortunately, he wasn't.
He had fought against Hashirama Senju his whole life and was already familiar with everything about him.
Although Haruki used Wood Release, both his behavior and personality were very different.
Even his response to Madara's Fire Release was very different from Hashirama Senju's.
Moreover, if it were really Hashirama Senju, his three - part clone would have been suppressed a long time ago.
He estimated that this person only had about thirty percent of Hashirama Senju's power.
The only thing Madara Uchiha was curious about now was who this person was.
Haruki's Wood Clone had hidden his real face.
And even if he hadn't hidden it, Madara Uchiha wouldn't have recognized him now.
But if he investigated, he would definitely be able to find out Haruki's status.
The sound of breaking wind rang out.
The giant tree in front of Haruki distorted again, and dozens of vines shot straight at Madara Uchiha.
"This kind of aura..."
Madara Uchiha's face tightened, and his doubts resurfaced.
It was actually [Sage Mode].
He subconsciously clenched his hands, recalling some unpleasant memories.
This person must be closely related to Hashirama Senju.
He should be one of his descendants.
Logically speaking, Madara Uchiha had also kept an eye on Hashirama Senju's descendants.
How could such a powerful guy suddenly appear out of nowhere?
The thought flashed by.
He took a step back and spat out four burning Fire Dragon.
Fire Dragon suddenly roared and rapidly expanded, almost filling the entire space from four directions.
Dozens of vines that protruded were immediately swallowed by the fire dragon and turned charred black within seconds.
Afterwards, the fire didn't show any sign of weakening and burned the giant tree that surrounded Haruki completely.
"What's your name?"
Madara Uchiha finally got a clear look at Haruki's face for the first time.
It was handsome but unfamiliar.
There was no resemblance to Hashirama Senju at all.
Only the Sage Mode had a bit of that familiar look.
Haruki remained silent.
Originally, he had left this Wood Clone to track down the White Zetsu.
But he didn't expect Madara Uchiha to show up, so he was immediately detected.
Although he didn't have the Rinnegan at the moment, he had a pair of Sharingan implanted.
Coupled with his strong strength, his clone really couldn't hide.
"Speak up!"
Madara Uchiha angrily snorted again in annoyance.
Apart from Hashirama Senju, no one dared to disrespect him like this.
"Heh, since you're not willing to talk, then I'll just grab you!"
Madara Uchiha pushed off hard with both feet, leaped forward in one swift motion, and his body appeared in front of Haruki. He propped his right foot on the ground and kicked straight at Haruki's temple with his left leg.
The wind from his leg was fierce.
Haruki recalled that during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Madara Uchiha could easily suppress the Allied Ninja Forces with just Taijutsu.
He instinctively threw a punch.
The tremendous force made his body slide backward several meters.
"Chakra Enhanced Strength?"
Madara Uchiha felt the impact on his left foot, which naturally made him think of Tsunade's Chakra Enhanced Strength.
He had been Hashirama Senju's comrade for some time, so he knew about Tsunade.
But Haruki couldn't be Tsunade.
Thoughts raced through his mind, but his actions didn't stop for a second.
While Haruki hadn't even steadied himself yet, Madara Uchiha leaped into the air, raised his right leg like lightning, and slammed it down right on top of Haruki.
The Chakra cut through the gale, making Haruki feel the crushing pressure like a mountain even before the attack landed.
His face darkened slightly. His body reacted immediately, falling backward like a cut wheat stalk.
He kicked off with his feet and spun out to the side like a Flying Swallow.
But Madara Uchiha had far more experience than Haruki. The moment Haruki flew out, Madara changed the motion of his right foot from a slam to a kick, suddenly expanding the range of his attack.
With a loud boom.
Haruki had nowhere to dodge. Facing the torrential onslaught, he stretched out his arms.
The next moment, his arms went numb with pain, and his whole body crashed into the rock wall, leaving a deep pit in the shape of the Chinese character '太'.
"Your Wood Release is just so - so, but your Taijutsu is even worse."
Madara Uchiha shook his head and commented.
Haruki spat out a mouthful of blood and barely got up. His once - white clothes were now covered in bright red blood and mud.
He wiped the corner of his mouth.
Madara Uchiha was right. His Taijutsu was really not that good.
After all, he hadn't received any powerful rewards from the system so far.
To be honest, his Taijutsu was the result of his self - trained efforts with great difficulty.
But it definitely couldn't compare to Madara Uchiha's.
He simply hadn't had enough time.
Haruki thought for a moment. It would be easy for him to run away now.
Because Madara Uchiha didn't know he had the Flying Thunder God Technique, so naturally, he couldn't guard against it.
But this was a rare opportunity.
Haruki decided to use this Wood Clone to spar with Madara Uchiha.
By the way, when the fight got the most intense, he'd secretly draw the Jutsu Formation of the Flying Thunder God Technique on Madara's body.
Haruki charged forward again.
He engaged in a close - quarter fight with Madara Uchiha.
Taijutsu and Chakra clashed.
The sound of thuds echoed continuously in the narrow corridor.
Madara Uchiha recalled the time when he fought against Hashirama Senju.
He developed a slight respect for Haruki.
At least, Haruki caught his eye.
However, Haruki was just a Wood Clone after all, with limited Chakra and insufficient experience. As evening approached, he finally couldn't hold on.
"You're not bad, but it's a pity you met me. Otherwise, few in the ninja world would be your match."
Madara Uchiha adjusted his collar.
He spoke lightly, but defeating Haruki wasn't that easy.
But he felt unexpectedly exhilarated.
Maybe it was because he had stayed in the cave for too long, or perhaps it was rare to encounter someone of decent strength.
Madara Uchiha walked up to Haruki, pressed his hand on his head, and his Sharingan spun rapidly.
"Let me see your memories."
But immediately, a warning went off in his mind.
His body reacted accordingly and he stepped back neatly.
Suddenly, Haruki transformed into countless vines and lunged at him.
"Wood Clone?!"
There was an unmistakable shock in Madara Uchiha's voice.
If it was a Wood Clone, it meant that his real self's strength was comparable to that of Hashirama Senju.
...
At the inn in the Land of Grass.
Haruki's body trembled slightly.
The memories and experiences of the Wood Clone flooded into his mind.
"Teacher?"
Fuling noticed the change in his expression and immediately called out with concern.
"I'm fine."
Haruki shook his head. A mere clone wouldn't have any impact on him.
However, the process of fighting against Madara Uchiha was quite rare and interesting.
Moreover, he could sense the Flying Thunder God mark on Madara Uchiha.
The Flying Thunder God mark was an extremely long distance away.
If it were Minato Namikaze, he'd probably be drained completely.
But for Haruki, it was acceptable.
Now, with just a single thought, he could appear in front of Madara Uchiha and beat the crap out of him.
Let him relive those good old days with Hashirama Senju again.
But it didn't make much sense.
He wasn't confident that he could wipe out the White and Black Zetsu and Madara Uchiha once and for all.
Most likely, Zetsu would escape.
Once he alerted the enemy, it would be even more difficult to find him again.
Haruki didn't want someone lurking in the dark, spying on him.
Moreover, the Otsutsuki Clan also needed to be dealt with.
He sighed. His strength was still not enough.
"Let's continue."
Haruki took out another scroll of Medical Ninjutsu. "This is the Yin Seal. Memorize it first."
Fuling took the Yin Seal scroll and began to recite it carefully.
Since Haruki was waiting for Tanzo and there was no place for Fuling to practice for the time being, he assigned her the task of memorizing.
She was supposed to memorize the hand - seal sequences of all the Medical Ninjutsu. Also, she should remember the techniques and effects of these ninjutsu.
She could start learning after they returned to Konoha.
However, her foundation was average. Before learning Medical Ninjutsu, she still had to practice Chakra Control for some time.
Haruki frowned slightly.
Three days had passed. Why hadn't Tanzo shown up yet? Had he given up?
This doesn't seem to be in line with his personality.
But then he stopped brooding over it.
If he didn't come, so be it.
He looked at Fuling again.
Perhaps because she had endured hardships, she worked extremely hard, almost on par with Mikoto and Minato. In just a few days, she could recite most of the Medical Ninjutsu backwards.
This state reminded Haruki of the crazy few months before the college entrance examination in his past life.
He smiled. If she kept it up, Fuling's future achievements couldn't be too low.
As night approached.
Haruki and Fuling finished their meal and returned to their room.
The moon was high in the sky.
He opened his eyes.
In his Sensor, there were countless fine and weak Chakra in the next room.
"So it's the Aburame clan."
Haruki instantly identified the visitors.
Tatsuma Aburame.
An outstanding member of Root.
In the eyes of Tanzo Shimura, his status was no less than that of Orochimaru.
During The Third Great Ninja War, Tatsuma Aburame and Orochimaru served as Tanzo's guards as teammates.
He was a very Omnipotence guy.
He was especially prominent in infiltration.
"Is he trying to capture Fuling to blackmail me?"
Haruki snorted softly but didn't stop them.
There was no sound at all.
Tatsuma Aburame controlled the insects to carry Fuling away.
Haruki followed closely like a shadow.
Hanging behind them.
His hiding jutsu would be detected by Madara Uchiha, but it wouldn't be noticed by Tatsuma Aburame and a bunch of insects.
He leaped over several small hillsides and landed in a forest.
Haruki saw Tatsuma Aburame.
He wasn't wearing the Root mask, dressed in a black cloak and wearing sunglasses, with a purple mark on his right cheek.
This chapter isn't finished yet!
Because of the particularity of the Aburame clan, there were many Ninja of the Aburame clan in Root.
Haruki then looked at his teammate.
Nonou Yakushi.
He sighed.
If hard methods didn't work, they'd try soft ones.
It seemed that Tanzo Shimura wasn't a stupid man.
Haruki's body swayed, and another him appeared.
The Wood Clone holding a camera disappeared in front of him, ready to find a good angle to film the upcoming exciting scene.
"Nonou, remember Lord Tanzo Shimura's order. You pretend to be on a mission in the Land of Grass, accidentally rescue this girl, then get close to Haruki and kill him."
Tatsuma Aburame's voice was devoid of any emotion.
He waved his hand and threw Fuling to Nonou.
"I know."
Nonou caught Fuling and said indifferently, "Actually, there's no need to be so troublesome. I've had some acquaintance with Lord Haruki anyway."
Tatsuma Aburame glanced at her and warned, "Precisely because of your acquaintance, Lord Tanzo Shimura doesn't trust you."
Nonou remained expressionless and didn't say another word.
Tatsuma Aburame continued, "You know that Lord Tanzo Shimura won't show mercy. If you want the children in the orphanage to survive, you must complete the duties (mission)."
"Don't need you to remind me."
Nonou tightened her grip.
"Brilliant!"
Suddenly, there came a round of applause.
It made the two of them on high alert.
Haruki's figure emerged from the shadows.
"I didn't expect to hear such an exciting conversation."
Haruki looked at the two, whose faces had changed drastically, and couldn't help laughing. "Long time no see, guys."
The atmosphere suddenly fell into a dead silence.
Tatsuma Aburame instinctively leaned towards Fuling.
He was aware of Root's several setbacks.
Since no one had returned alive, naturally no one had witnessed the process.
Root had two speculations.
One was that the Bounty Hunter Kakuzu was too powerful, and the other was that Haruki had someone secretly protecting him.
After all, Haruki was incredibly wealthy.
With money, one could hire almost any ninja.
Kakuzu's defection proved this point.
"Lord Haruki, your apprentice is now in our hands. Just give up quietly."
Tatsuma Aburame's eyes showed a wary look, and he threatened in a low voice.
Haruki simply ignored him.
He looked at Nonou and asked, "Nonou, what about you?"
Nonou's body trembled, and a complex expression appeared on her face.
"Lord Haruki, I..."
"Nonou, recognize your status!"
Tatsuma Aburame immediately interrupted her, "You're a ninja of Root. That'll never change. Think about the consequences!"
Nonou immediately fell silent.
Haruki didn't care.
Her reaction was enough to prove herself.
"By the way, how does your Root evaluate me?"
Haruki asked unhurriedly. He knew Root's operating mechanism. After a failed assassination, they would analyze the reasons.
"You hired a ninja for protection."
Tatsuma Aburame looked around and said, "It's getting late. Why not let him come out?"
"Oh, so that's it. Well, it's quite reasonable."
Realization dawned on Haruki's face.
He stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers.
The Wood Clone turned off the camera.
The remaining scenes shouldn't be recorded.
Otherwise, the evidence of Tanzo's crimes would become his own.
Moreover, it was too gory for a movie.
Tatsuma Aburame noticed Haruki's movement and immediately looked around.
He thought Haruki was communicating with the secretly protecting ninja.
But after waiting for a long time, no one appeared.
He couldn't help sneering, "Lord Haruki, could it be that the ninja you hired didn't want to be an enemy of our Root and ran away?"
Haruki sighed.
Without any other movement.
Suddenly, vines sprouted from the trees around Tatsuma Aburame. They tied up his body at an extremely fast speed.
"Wood Release?!"
Tatsuma Aburame stared wide - eyed and struggled, "How can you use Wood Release? It's impossible!"
"You're too noisy."
Haruki hooked his finger, and the vines immediately climbed up and cover his mouth.
Nonou stared at him blankly, not knowing how to react.
Just then, Haruki's Wood Clone threw the camera to him and then disappeared.
Holding this precious video information from the early days of the Hokage, he looked at Nonou and smiled. "Would you like to be a witness?"