After sneaking into the Hokage's office building, Yagyu headed straight for the Forbidden Jutsu Archive. This area not only housed a large collection of ninja technique scrolls but was also where the Scroll of Seals was kept.
However, if you observed closely, you'd notice that while Yagyu appeared to be heading toward the Forbidden Jutsu Archive, he wasn't hiding his presence with his Red Eye illusions. Instead, he walked openly through the Hokage building, as if deliberately drawing attention to himself.
As Yagyu approached the Forbidden Jutsu Archive, a faint smile curled beneath his mask.
The next moment, the ground beneath him gave way, transforming into a swamp, sealing off Yagyu's Body Flicker Technique. Before he could react, the mud under his feet suddenly collapsed, dragging him downward like quicksand.
Yagyu's perspective flipped as if he were falling. Below him was a seemingly bottomless pit, with wooden walls forming its perimeter.
Before long, Yagyu landed at the bottom of the pit. Beneath the Hokage building, there was a vast underground base.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The sound of rushing air filled his ears as several massive wooden vines, like serpents, struck at him. Even the ground beneath his feet sprouted vine-like tendrils attempting to bind him.
However, Yagyu had already seen through the incoming attack with his Red Eye. A simple Body Flicker allowed him to evade the vines with ease.
In his heightened perspective, Yagyu could see the dim underground base, and not far away stood a figure wearing a black cloak and a cat-faced mask. This was the person Yagyu had been targeting: none other than Tenzo, also known as Yamato in the original Shippuden series, the future leader of the new Team 7.
"Oh no, wait—he's still called Tenzo right now."
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
Seeing that his initial Wood Release attack had failed, Tenzo didn't bother questioning who Yagyu was. Instead, he immediately used a larger-scale Wood Release technique to gain the upper hand in the terrain.
Saplings burst from the ground, rapidly growing into towering trees over ten meters high, transforming the underground base into a miniature forest. Large amounts of wooden tendrils grew to seal the opening in the ceiling, which connected to the Hokage building above.
Clearly, Tenzo intended to trap Yagyu in the underground base, giving him no chance to escape.
While swiftly dodging the tendrils trying to bind him as they grew from the trees, Yagyu stood atop a tree branch, concealed within the sleeves of his cloak. With a quick series of single-handed hand seals, a thick white mist began to fill the air. In a few seconds, the dense fog turned the forest into a foggy woodland.
Tenzo, who had previously been able to sense his surroundings through his Wood Release connection, now found only a vague outline of a figure in the mist.
"This... this is the Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Tenzo's pupils contracted under his mask. "Isn't he supposed to be from the Sound or Sand villages? Or is this just a cover for his true identity?"
Meanwhile, Tenzo wasn't idle, quickly forming his own hand seals: "Wood Release: Silent Strangle Jutsu!"
In an instant, yellowing tree branches extended from the surrounding trees like serpents or whips, lashing out to bind and strike Yagyu.
Crackle, crackle, crackle...
The sound of electricity filled the air as arcs of blue-white lightning flickered around Yagyu's body.
Whoosh!
Yagyu's figure disappeared, leaving only the sound of the air being pierced behind. He had activated a technique he had learned from Kurosuki Raiga—Ninja Art: Lightning Armor.
Originally, this technique required Raiga's twin swords to use, but after mastering lightning-style chakra control, Yagyu could now use it at will. Yagyu even discovered that by combining this offensive and defensive lightning jutsu with the lightning chakra stimulation method, his speed could instantly jump to maximum, effectively creating his own version of the Lightning Chakra Mode.
"How is this possible?" Tenzo's expression changed drastically beneath his mask.
His senses were suddenly overwhelmed by numerous moving figures in the mist, and none of them seemed to be mere clones.
These figures quickly disrupted his perception, causing Tenzo to lose track of the mysterious intruder.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The sound of needles cutting through the air filled Tenzo's ears as a rain of senbon needles descended upon him.
In the thick mist, Yagyu used his Red Eye illusions to interfere with Tenzo's senses while deploying shadow clones to surround him. Together, they unleashed a barrage of ice needles created through his Ice Release technique, formed by mixing his chakra.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
Reacting swiftly, Tenzo summoned several wooden vines to form a cocoon-like shield around himself, blocking the oncoming ice senbon. Before long, the cocoon was riddled with holes, resembling a spiky hedgehog.
Seeing this, a small smile appeared on Yagyu's face.
One of his shadow clones, hiding nearby, quickly made hand signs, sending out a shadowy tendril.
It was the Shadow Imitation Technique—an ability Yagyu had acquired from his fight with Shikamaru during the earlier rounds of the exams.
That unexpected reward had led Yagyu to abandon the plan he'd spent a month preparing, opting instead to use this surprise ability to ambush Tenzo.
The combination of the Hidden Mist Jutsu and Red Eye illusions was a terrifying combination, one that had even fooled the likes of Naruto and Guy's team in the original series, rendering Neji's Byakugan ineffective.
Lacking an advanced sensory technique like the Kagura's Mind Eye or the Byakugan, Tenzo didn't notice the shadow creeping toward him.
After defending against all the ice senbon, Tenzo didn't immediately dispel his wooden shield. Only after sensing that no one was nearby did he cautiously release the shield, preparing to use Body Flicker to change positions.
Ding, ding...
Suddenly, the faint sound of bells filled the air.
Just as Tenzo prepared to move, he found himself frozen in place.
"A... a Paralysis Jutsu!"
Gritting his teeth, Tenzo tried to disrupt the flow of chakra in his body.
But the next second, his body truly became immobilized.
Due to the mist's cover, Tenzo failed to see the black shadow extending under his feet, robbing him of control over his body.
Whoosh—
With a sharp sound of electricity, a lightning-wreathed figure darted toward Tenzo. Yagyu's hand, glowing with lightning, cold energy, and blue chakra, struck a precise pressure point on Tenzo's body.
Thud...
Tenzo coughed up blood and immediately lost consciousness.
That strike was known as the "Shock Point Strike."
In Boruto, Himawari had used this technique to knock out Naruto, making him miss the Seventh Hokage's inauguration ceremony.
After acquiring the Red Eye, Yagyu had begun studying human pressure points, even asking Hinata for advice under the guise of developing medical ninjutsu. He learned which pressure points would induce unconsciousness.
Since the technique required pinpoint accuracy, it was only effective if the target was immobilized. Until now, Yagyu had never used it.
After all, if you could immobilize your opponent, why bother using a knockout technique when you could just kill them with a Water Release: Hard Whirlpool Slash?
However, Yagyu didn't want to kill Tenzo, so the Shock Point Strike was the best option.
Flash—
The moment Tenzo lost consciousness, a red glow emitted from his body.
Within seconds, a red beam of light emerged, coalescing into a floating red orb nearby.
"It dropped on the first try. Looks like my luck's holding up."
As the mist dissipated, Yagyu's true body emerged from the forest, smiling in satisfaction at the floating red orb.
This was the advantage of having a rich arsenal!
Yagyu's original plan had been to expose his Sharingan and Water Release techniques, using Ice Release as a cover for his identity.
However, after obtaining the Shadow Imitation Technique from Shikamaru, Yagyu quickly changed his plan, choosing to continue hiding his Sharingan and devising a new strategy for the Shadow Imitation.
The sound of bells had come from a sound-based genjutsu Yagyu had modified after obtaining the technique from Kin of the Sound Four. The technique had been adapted into a bell-triggered Paralysis Jutsu.
After all, even in the mist, Yagyu needed to activate either the Byakugan, Red Eye, or Kagura's Mind Eye to see Tenzo.
If he had relied on his Sharingan like Kakashi did against Zabuza, Tenzo would have remained invisible.
Unable to locate Tenzo, Yagyu wouldn't have been able to use the Paralysis Jutsu or other binding techniques.
Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique had come at just the right time, allowing Yagyu to avoid exposing his Sharingan or Water Release.
Aside from using the Hidden Mist Jutsu and Red Eye illusions, Yagyu hadn't needed to make any moves himself. His shadow clone had done the work of immobilizing and knocking out Tenzo.
Thanks to the genius of Shadow Clone Jutsu, Yagyu had succeeded in one attempt.
Soon, the red orb was automatically collected, floating toward Yagyu.
As it merged into his body, Yagyu's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Once the orb was fully absorbed, Yagyu immediately summoned his virtual panel to check the highest rarity red item occupying the first slot.
[Spatial Inventory: Bloodline Limit – Wood Release (Red)]
The Bloodline Limit he had coveted for so long was finally his!
Yagyu clenched his fist, nearly shouting aloud in excitement.
In Yagyu's mind, no Bloodline Limit below the level of the Six Paths could compare to Wood Release in terms of its synergy with the Sage of Six Paths body.
If Naruto had possessed Wood Release, he wouldn't have suffered the fate he did after losing Kurama in Boruto.
With Wood Release and Sage Mode, Naruto would still be among the strongest in the ninja world.
Even Tenzo, a mere Wood Release experiment, could only wield about 20% of Hashirama Senju's power.
But once Yagyu's Sage of Six Paths body fully matured and he learned Sage Mode, his Wood Release would have the full 100% power of Hashirama.
And if he could master all of Hashirama's Wood Release techniques, Yagyu would surpass even the most powerful shinobi below the Six Paths, becoming a near-invincible figure.
When Yagyu's Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyo Sharingan, and he could summon the Complete-Body Susanoo, he would finally bring to life the legendary meme from his previous life:
"Susanoo on top of the Great Buddha, one man destroys four nations!"
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