Chapter 177: Three People, Three Types of Wood Style!
The air on the battlefield seemed to freeze in an instant. Only three people remained between heaven and earth, their eyes locked on one another.
Uchiha Taiga hovered in midair, pale golden chakra flames burning around his body.
Senju Hashirama stood atop the Wooden Golem, his red armor gleaming with a dull light under the sun.
Uchiha Madara stood within the head of his Susanoo, the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spinning rapidly in his eyes.
All three raised their hands at the exact same time, and slammed them together in unison.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Three voices shouted almost simultaneously.
The next second, the earth split open.
Countless trees shot up from the ground, piercing through the soil like an endless swarm of giant green snakes bursting from the depths.
Thick trunks and intertwined roots surged upward, branches stretching in every direction, as if instantly covering the entire landscape in a massive green web.
The growth rate of the trees was astonishing. It took only a few breaths for them to break through the soil and mature into towering giants. Dirt was churned up by the roots, and rubble was shoved aside by the trunks. The color of the ground shifted from an earthy yellow to dark brown, and then to a vibrant emerald green.
The trees continued to grow, becoming taller and denser.
The trunks expanded from the thickness of an arm to the width of a waist, then to the size of a person, and finally as thick as massive barrels.
The canopies stretched high into the sky, completely blotting out the sunlight.
Roots bulged from the earth, winding across the ground like giant pythons, buckling the once-flat terrain into a rugged, uneven landscape.
Within a radius of several miles, the land transformed into a dense forest in just a few short breaths.
In this forest birthed by Wood Style, the trunks were several times thicker than normal trees, and the canopies were vastly denser. The entire woodland radiated a rich aura of chakra, filling the air with the heavy scent of wood and soil.
To the onlookers, this scene was nothing short of absurd.
Wood Style was Senju Hashirama's signature technique, the hallmark of the God of Shinobi, and a Kekkei Genkai utterly unique in the entire ninja world.
But now, it wasn't just Senju Hashirama using Wood Style. Uchiha Madara was using it, and even Uchiha Taiga was using it.
Three separate forests sprouted simultaneously from three different directions, violently colliding in the center of the battlefield.
Since when did Wood Style become a jutsu that everyone knew?
The Jonin standing in the distance watched the spectacle with their jaws dropped, completely speechless.
Some rubbed their eyes, thinking they were hallucinating. Others slumped to the ground, staring up at the towering trees with vacant expressions.
However, there were distinct differences between the three variations of Wood Style.
Senju Hashirama's Wood Style was the closest to nature.
The trees he created had light brown trunks with rough, clearly textured bark, almost indistinguishable from naturally grown trees. The leaves were a vibrant emerald green, thick and distinctly veined, gleaming with a glossy sheen in the sunlight.
The only difference was that these trees grew far too fast and far too large. They were several times taller than normal trees, with trunks so thick it would take multiple people to wrap their arms around them.
But aside from their massive size, they looked like perfectly ordinary trees.
The trees spawned by Uchiha Madara's Wood Style appeared much darker.
Their trunks were a gloomy shade, looking almost as if they had been scorched by fire. The bark lacked texture, smooth and hard like a shell.
The leaves were a deep, murky green, lacking the bright vibrancy of Hashirama's. His entire section of the forest gave off a dreary, oppressive feeling, as if a gray veil had been cast over it despite the sunlight.
The trees were just as tall and thick, but they didn't look natural; they seemed tainted by something sinister.
As for Uchiha Taiga's Wood Style, its form differed the most from naturally growing trees.
The vegetation he produced was incredibly diverse. There were broadleaf trees, conifers, towering arbors that pierced the clouds, and low-lying, dense shrubs.
Some trunks were dark brown, others grayish-white, and some even shimmered with a pale golden hue.
The leaves ranged from emerald green to a tender, bright green, while others were edged in red.
The ground wasn't just covered in trees; it was teeming with flora. Wildflowers, vines, ferns, and moss carpeted the earth.
His section of the forest looked as though an entire primeval jungle had been transplanted intact. The sheer variety of plant life was dazzling.
Three types of Wood Style, three distinct styles.
The three forests expanded from their respective directions, clashing violently in the center of the battlefield.
Trunks crushed against trunks, roots tangled with roots, and branches twisted around branches. It was like three green tidal waves crashing into one another, pushing, shoving, and devouring each other.
The crackling and snapping of breaking wood echoed endlessly, sounding like thousands of bamboo stalks snapping at once. When trunks broke, new ones grew in their place; when branches snapped, fresh ones sprouted. The borders of the three forests constantly shifted, surging forward one moment and being pushed back the next.
Uchiha Madara's forest was the first to show signs of weakness.
Initially, his Wood Style forest could hold its own against the other two. The three forces were deadlocked, with no one gaining the upper hand.
But as time passed, his forest began to be squeezed bit by bit. Its area shrank, and its borders were forced into a steady retreat.
Senju Hashirama's forest pressed in from his left, while Uchiha Taiga's forest pushed from his right. Squeezed by two overwhelming forces simultaneously, his forest was caught in a brutal pincer.
Trunks were snapped, roots were uprooted, and branches were shredded.
The dark, gloomy trees fell in swathes, swallowed up by the other two advancing forests.
His territory shrank from a third of the battlefield to a fourth, then to a fifth, until only a tiny patch remained at the edge of the battlefield—like a cookie with only a single bite left.
Uchiha Madara scoffed coldly.
He cut off his chakra, no longer feeding power into his Wood Style.
The dark trees ceased their growth and stopped struggling, standing silently as they were completely enveloped by the other two forests.
The area around his Susanoo was already overgrown with trees.
Trunks coiled around the Susanoo's legs, branches clung to its body, and roots burst from the ground to bind its ankles.
Madara glanced at the encroaching vegetation before his Susanoo's deep blue chakra wings flared violently.
Boom!
A massive shockwave erupted from the Susanoo, shredding the entangling trunks into dust. Wood chips and leaves scattered in every direction like a flurry of snow.
The Susanoo soared into the air, breaking free from the forest's grasp. Its colossal frame hovered high above, looking down at the two still-expanding forests below.
Madara stood within the Susanoo's head, his arms crossed, the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spinning in his eyes.
His gaze fell upon the two forests below, watching as they continued to grow, expand, and relentlessly clash.
Down below, in the center of the battlefield, the remaining two forests had fully collided.
Senju Hashirama's forest surged from the left, while Uchiha Taiga's forest swept in from the right. The borders of the two forests crashed together like two colossal tidal waves. Trunks intertwined, and roots locked in a fierce embrace.
The two forces were locked in a stalemate. Neither could push the other back, like two equally matched giants arm-wrestling.
Standing atop his Wooden Golem, Senju Hashirama looked down at the ever-growing forest, then lifted his head to gaze at Uchiha Taiga hovering in the distance.
An appreciative smile formed on his face.
"Your Wood Style is quite strong too."
He paused, then added another remark.
"I can feel it. Your Wood Style Kekkei Genkai was achieved through your own power. It's much more impressive than that guy Madara's."
Hearing this from atop his Susanoo, Uchiha Madara snorted coldly. He pursed his lips, his expression remaining entirely stoic.
Hashirama continued to smile. He looked at Taiga, his eyes filled with genuine curiosity.
He desperately wanted to know how this young man had accomplished all this, and just how many more tricks he was hiding up his sleeve.
Hovering in midair, Taiga glanced down at the two deadlocked forests, then looked back at Hashirama's inquisitive face.
He flashed a wide grin.
"The Wood Style Kekkei Genkai is nothing more than fusing Water and Earth chakra, and then tossing in some Yang Style chakra. It's quite simple, really."
On the periphery, the distant onlookers had been forced to retreat time and time again.
The Wood Style forest was still spreading. Although its speed had slowed, its area continued to expand inch by inch.
The towering trees grew taller and denser. Their canopies had already blotted out half the sky, casting massive shadows that dyed the earth a deep, dark green.
The edge of the forest was rapidly closing in on the town behind them.
Mifune stood at the town gates, his expression grim as he watched the approaching trees. Without looking back, he waved a hand at the samurai behind him.
"Attack!"
With that command, he charged forward, taking the lead. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and the moment he reached the edge of the forest, he drew his blade.
The longsword carved an arc through the air, its edge coated in a layer of pale blue chakra.
Clang!
A razor-sharp slash flew from the blade, cleanly severing the foremost branches.
The sound of the snapping branches was crisp and loud. The cuts were perfectly smooth, as if a sharp knife had sliced through tofu.
The samurai followed closely behind, drawing their swords and hacking at the forest's edge. Dozens of slashes flew out simultaneously, striking the trees. Branches shattered and leaves scattered, temporarily halting the forest's advance.
Rasa stood beneath the town's outer wall. He raised both arms, and a wave of Gold Dust surged from beneath his feet, flowing toward the forest like a golden river. The Gold Dust wrapped around the encroaching trunks and violently twisted, shredding the wood into splinters that flew everywhere.
Raikage A stood beside Rasa. He raised a hand, his fist enveloped in a layer of blue Lightning Style chakra.
He slammed his fist into the ground, tearing open a massive fissure that extended all the way to the edge of the forest, violently snapping a large cluster of roots.
Onoki floated in midair, bringing his hands together. A white beam of Particle Style shot out from his palms.
The beam swept across the edge of the forest, and the trees vanished the instant they were touched by the light.
A large clearing was carved out at the forest's edge, leaving absolutely nothing behind but bare earth.
Yagura Karatachi stood at the rear. He formed a hand sign in front of his chest, then slammed his hands onto the ground.
A wall of water rose from the earth in front of him, blocking the roots that were still trying to creep forward. The roots plunged into the water wall, but the rushing current warped and distorted them, significantly slowing their advance.
The Kage each unleashed their techniques, ensuring the trees wouldn't breach the town behind them.
They had all come here for a summit. If the town was destroyed, they wouldn't even have a place to hold their meeting.
Meanwhile, Senju Hashirama blinked in surprise at Taiga's casual explanation. He scratched his head and burst into laughter.
"Ahaha, you're right! It really is that simple!"
With that, he changed his hand signs and called out, "Then let's increase the difficulty a bit!"
Seeing this, Uchiha Taiga mirrored him, changing his own hand signs.
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