"That is..." Uchiha Kagami sat limply on the ground, lifting his head to stare at the towering wooden giant.
It stood an imposing five to six meters tall, its face fierce and monstrous. And the most outrageous thing—it had caught a flying Tailed Beast Ball with just one hand!
'What kind of terrifying jutsu is this?!'
And even more shockingly— This jutsu came from Kazekaze!
"The First Hokage...?" A flicker of disbelief flashed in Kagami's eyes. His gaze dropped from the wooden hand down to the ground, where a figure stood with his hands clasped together.
For a moment, it looked like Hashirama Senju himself! The man known to all as the God of Shinobi. But reason quickly returned to Kagami—there's no way the First Hokage would appear so conveniently.
He blinked again—and realized.
The one he was seeing wasn't Hashirama. It was— Kazekaze. But in that instant when Kazekaze unleashed Wood Release, Kagami saw the shadow of Hashirama in him.
"Kazekaze... inherited the First Hokage's Wood Release..." The realization left Kagami utterly shaken.
He and Sarutobi and the others had once speculated about whether Kazekaze would inherit Wood Release—but now, seeing it with his own eyes… He was still shocked!
Truly— Senju Kazekaze.
A genius so monstrous, he defied all logic. An existence that couldn't be judged by common sense.
Meanwhile, Jonin Masakawa arrived with his team to reinforce the battle. Their timely arrival was all thanks to Sakumo and Kosuke, who had sprinted nonstop to call for backup. By the time they returned, the two were panting heavily, having drained nearly all their stamina.
They collapsed to the ground with a thud—eyes immediately drawn to the massive Wood Human standing before Kazekaze. And it wasn't just them— Masakawa and his entire squad were dumbfounded.
"The First Hokage's Wood Release?!"
"Kazekaze can use Wood Release?!"
"What's that chakra in the Wood Human's hand?!"
To Masakawa and the others, what they were witnessing was beyond belief. This was Wood Release! Kazekaze hadn't just inherited the First Hokage's vast chakra— He had inherited his Wood Release too! Masakawa instinctively stepped back and warned those around him:
"If Kazekaze has awakened Wood Release, then his strength already far surpasses ours. The only thing we can do now—is not get in his way."
Several other shinobi glanced at Kazekaze's opponent— Kinkaku, in his Six-Tails Chakra Mode. Though they didn't want to admit it, Masakawa was right.
This fight— Was far beyond their level.
The only way they could help Kazekaze— Was to get as far away as possible. So they wouldn't become a burden.
As for Kinkaku, his eyes locked on Kazekaze— All he could feel was cold dread creeping up his spine. He couldn't help but remember the stories. Hashirama Senju had subdued the Nine-Tails with his Wood Release.
"Even the strongest tailed beast was defeated by Hashirama… Now Kazekaze has inherited his Wood Release… And I've inherited the Nine-Tails' chakra..." Kinkaku muttered to himself. This situation felt ironically poetic.
"Kinkaku!" Kazekaze ignored Masakawa and the others.
Right now— He didn't need help. He deactivated the Eight Gates, then kicked off the ground and leapt high into the air. With chakra focused beneath his feet, he landed atop the Wood Human's left shoulder, towering over Kinkaku.
To eliminate all threats— Kazekaze had decided to finish this fight. Completely.
SLAP!
Standing on the Wood Human's shoulder, Kazekaze clapped his hands and shouted:
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Part of the Wood Human separated and transformed into a lifelike wooden dragon. It coiled around the giant's waist, opened its massive jaws, and roared at Kinkaku. Then, the Wood Human moved—charging straight at him. Seeing the massive form rushing forward, Kinkaku's eyes went wide with disbelief.
'Unimaginable.'
'Incomprehensible.'
Was this really...the power of a seven-year-old brat?! Even Hashirama Senju, at that age, couldn't have been this terrifying!
Yes— In Kinkaku's mind, only one word could describe Kazekaze: Terrifying. Utterly terrifying.
He just couldn't understand— 'Why does Kazekaze have this kind of power?!'
If Kazekaze had simply used Transformation Jutsu to become Hashirama— Then followed it up with this Wood Release— Kinkaku felt he would have believed it without hesitation. He'd think: "He's really Hashirama!"
He even wished Kazekaze would just smile and say: "Kinkaku, you've been fooled. I'm actually Hashirama!"
ROOOOAR!
The wooden dragon let out another roar, then lunged toward Kinkaku. Before he could react— It had already wrapped tightly around his body.
Then— The Wood Human leapt, bringing Kazekaze right up to him. Its massive hand—still clutching the Tailed Beast Ball—slammed it straight into Kinkaku's face under Kazekaze's direction.
After all— Kazekaze was from another world. And in his homeland— There was a saying: "Courtesy demands reciprocity."
BOOM!
The Tailed Beast Ball slammed into Kinkaku's face. The force knocked him off balance and sent him crashing to the ground.
"DAMN IT AHHHHH!!"
Kinkaku howled in rage, unleashing his chakra tails to stab at the Wood Human— But at this point— He was no match for the Wood Human or the Wood Dragon. The six chakra tails couldn't even scratch the surface. Instead— Kinkaku was pinned to the ground. Truly pinned down and rubbed into the dirt.
Meanwhile, the Tailed Beast Ball began to destabilize. Cracks webbed across its surface. Kazekaze immediately retreated nearly twenty-five meters away. A bright flash radiated outward.
BOOOOM!!!
The Tailed Beast Ball exploded in the Wood Human's hand, unleashing a horrifying shockwave that uprooted every towering tree in the area.
Uchiha Kagami, the Kumogakure shinobi, Masakawa and his team— None of them had expected the explosion alone to be so devastating. All of them were blasted back nearly eight lengths by the shockwave!
Only Kinkaku— Took the full brunt of the Tailed Beast Ball.
WITH HIS FACE.
BOOOOOM!!!
The explosion echoed like thunder. Thick black smoke surged into the sky, rolling upward like a giant mushroom cloud.
"So this is... the power of a Tailed Beast Ball." Kazekaze blinked, slightly impressed by the power even Kinkaku's version carried.
As for everyone else— They were frozen in stunned silence. No one could believe it. Kazekaze's Wood Release was this powerful?! He had caught a Tailed Beast Ball… WITH HIS BARE HANDS.
This kid...Was the real monster.