Note : Chapter 52 is just a notice chapter so it is skipped.
"What was that?"
Shisui, sprinting down the path, suddenly glanced back. A towering pillar of light shot skyward and exploded across the sky.
The shockwave surged in all directions, even blasting through the thick clouds, leaving behind a vast gaping hole in the sky.
Kagetsu?
Shisui looked at Kagetsu, unconscious on his back, and hesitated for a moment before dashing forward again.
He had no idea what jutsu Kagetsu had used or the risks involved. All Shisui knew was the bitterness he felt—resenting his own powerlessness and fear.
Both Kagetsu and Anko were people Shisui had come to trust, comrades he saw as true friends.
But now, in the face of danger, the team's medical and support ninja had to stay behind and fend off the enemy. The thought weighed heavily on him.
If it weren't for Kagetsu lying unconscious on his back, Shisui would have stayed behind no matter the cost—to face those Hidden Cloud shinobi together.
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In the forest, a crazed blue beast raged, scattering blue flames with every movement. The inferno consumed everything it touched, spreading destruction uncontrollably.
It was as if a massive monster, born of fire, had been unleashed, venting its power without restraint.
"Yugito has lost control!" Yasuie's expression darkened as he observed the rampaging blue cat-like beast. The wild display of power reminded him too much of the Eight-Tails' many outbursts.
The Hidden Cloud feared their jinchūriki and tailed beasts precisely because of such moments of instability.
When a tailed beast goes berserk, only the village's most powerful shinobi—usually the Kage—can stop it. Just like when the Third Raikage single-handedly brought the Eight-Tails under control each time it went on a rampage.
"You deliver the message. I'll stay here and keep an eye on the Two-Tails," Yasuie said grimly to his exhausted, injured companion, who had narrowly escaped the beast's destruction.
They dared not approach the Two-Tails. A tailed beast in a frenzy wouldn't care if they wore Hidden Cloud headbands—it would attack indiscriminately.
"And one more thing—tell Lord Raikage," Yasuie added through gritted teeth as his comrade prepared to leave, "Konoha has another ninja who can use Wood Release."
He didn't fully understand what that kid had done, but one thing was clear: someone from Konoha had mastered Wood Release.
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Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!
Curved wooden structures erupted from the ground one after another, forming a protective dome around Kagetsu at the center.
In the next instant, flames rained down from the sky, landing on the wooden walls. For a brief moment, the fire burned quietly—then the explosions began.
Though the Wood Locking Wall was sturdy, it couldn't withstand the relentless explosions for long. The barrier cracked, and shards of wood burst into the air as the wall crumbled under the force of the blasts.
Pant! Pant!
Kagetsu was gasping for breath. He felt that this body still had a lot of physical strength, but controlling it was becoming heavier and more difficult.
This puppet body, cloned from the First Hokage's cells, was the result of the combined knowledge of Kagetsu and Orochimaru, his sensei.
Strictly speaking, it was a failed prototype.
Or rather, it was a modified, flawed product created after the cloning failed.
It lacked consciousness and had various defects. The only reason it hadn't fallen apart was because of the heavy sealing techniques used to contain it.
Once those seals were broken, this clone would quickly lose balance and transform into a giant tree.
Kagetsu could currently use this clone to perform Wood Release techniques because he was carefully maintaining the balance of the body's Yang chakra with his Yin Release chakra and medical ninjutsu, preventing it from going out of control and changing into a tree, which would cause it's chakra to spill out.
But this balance couldn't last long.
With the power of the First Hokage's cells, it was hard for Kagetsu's Yin chakra to maintain that balance for an extended period.
In critical moments, he would have to immediately abandon this body and return his soul to his original body.
That's why he had used the massive and wide-ranging technique, "Wood Release: Deep Forest Bloom," from the very beginning.
However, the continuous bombardment from the Cloud ninja, especially the Two Tails, made his hopes of quickly ending the battle completely vanish.
After all, it was just an immature prototype, not the true First Hokage.
Weighing his current state, he estimated the distance that Shisui and the others had retreated while looking at Two-Tails, who was fixated on him.
With determination, Kagetsu shouted, "Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
As the blue monster rushed at him like the wind, Kagetsu retreated while quickly forming hand seals in the air.
When his feet hit the ground, hard trees erupted from the earth in front of him. Under his control, these trees coiled in the air like agile snakes, binding the rampaging tailed beast.
The Two-Tails struggled violently, but for every tree it broke, two more would take its place. Soon, the Two-Tails was bound tightly within a wooden prison made of incredibly sturdy trees.
From a distance, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the rampaging Two-Tails broke free. But what Kagetsu needed was just a moment to catch his breath.
He started forming hand seals again, extending his right hand forward. In his palm, the character for "Sit" began to materialize, appearing darker as it developed.
Taking advantage of the Two-Tails not having completely escaped the bindings of the Great Forest Technique, Kagetsu charged forward. His palm, marked with the "Sit" character, struck the Two-Tails directly through the gaps in the Wood.
Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique — Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands!
This was a technique created by the First Hokage, specifically designed to counter the Nine-Tails. However, this technique also had a strong hypnotic effect on other Tailed Beasts, and it would likely work even better against them.
It was aimed at the Nine-Tails simply because it was far too powerful compared to the others, who didn't require such specialized treatment.
When Kagetsu's palm hit the Two-Tails, it shook momentarily, and its struggling body paused. The two blue tails that burned brightly behind it suddenly drooped and fell to the ground.
Kagetsu quickly retreated in a series of small jumps, pulling a chakra line from the Two-Tails.
He noticed that the Jinchuriki's consciousness was rapidly returning to normal. He opened the gate for the Wood Release technique to absorb the Tailed Beast's chakra, disregarding the depletion of his Yin chakra.
Just as he was running low on chakra and the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki was about to regain full consciousness, Kagetsu severed the extracted chakra and used a sealing technique to bind it within this body.
After completing this step, Kagetsu immediately withdrew, ignoring Yugito Nii who had returned to her human state and regained her consciousness.
With a series of Body Flicker Techniques, he quickly vanished into the distance.
Noticing that things were amiss, the approaching Yasuie didn't pay attention to Kagetsu's departure. Instead, he rushed to protect the weak and unconscious wooden figure.
For the five great ninja villages, the safety of the Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki was of utmost importance!
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