"Kakashi-senpai…"
Yamato caught Kakashi and set him safely down at his side, pouring every ounce of chakra he could muster into his Wood Release. His trees surged upward, straining against the might of Senju Hashirama himself.
But no matter how desperately Yamato fought, he was only a fragment, a pale shadow born from transplanted cells. His Wood Release couldn't begin to match the original.
Within mere breaths, the towering forest he conjured was ripped apart, crushed under the overwhelming force of Hashirama's true power.
"Yamato…"
Even Orochimaru paused, momentarily distracted by the sight. His mind drifted to the past.
Back when Sarutobi Hiruzen still bore the title of Hokage, he had approved a project: the transplanting of Hashirama's cells into ordinary shinobi, hoping to revive the lost bloodline of Wood Release within the Leaf. But the experiment had been a string of tragedies—every subject had collapsed, consumed by the raw force of Hashirama's cells.
Eventually, Hiruzen had shut it down.
But Danzō had not given up. In secret, he and Orochimaru had continued the work, kidnapping children from other villages and using them as subjects.
Even then, every attempt had failed. Orochimaru had abandoned the idea… until now.
"So it's true," Orochimaru murmured, his serpentine smile curling across his lips. "Among those children… one survived. A living vessel of the First Hokage's power."
Yamato's existence intrigued him deeply.
But sadly, no matter how much Yamato strained against his fate, even a suppressed Hashirama was far beyond his reach.
"A replica is still just a replica," Orochimaru sneered. He was done toying with the Leaf shinobi.
"Enough. Let me show you what the true power of the First Hokage looks like."
Orochimaru's hands formed a sharp seal as he poured everything into controlling Hashirama, abandoning his grip on Tobirama entirely to channel every ounce of chakra into his greatest pawn.
"This is bad…"
Yamato's heart pounded. More than anyone else present, he knew how terrifying Hashirama truly was. If the God of Shinobi fought in earnest, then—outside of Senju Haruto—no one in the entire village could stop him.
"Kakashi-senpai…" Yamato gritted his teeth, desperation flickering in his eyes. "We need Haruto. Now."
"I know…"
Kakashi glanced quickly at Hiruzen, still maintaining the Three-Way Seal to contain Tobirama, then at Gai, collapsed in exhaustion. They were stretched too thin. Alone, they could never hope to resist Orochimaru at full force.
With no choice, Kakashi summoned his ninken, sending them racing across the village with an urgent message. Their one hope lay with Haruto, wherever he was.
"At the very least…" Kakashi whispered, steel in his voice, "we just have to survive until Haruto returns."
Across the battlefield, Orochimaru urged his puppet forward. Hashirama's palms slammed together, and an immense wave of chakra pulsed outward.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The ground shuddered. Thick vines as wide as a man's torso tore through the stone of the arena, swelling and coiling upward into a forest of ancient giants.
In the span of a few breaths, the entire Chūnin Exam stadium was swallowed, flattened, replaced by towering trees.
Not only Hiruzen and his allies—but ANBU, Root operatives, Sand shinobi, Sound shinobi—every fighter froze in place, awed and horrified by the sight.
One man. One man alone was reshaping the world.
It was no wonder they called him the God of Shinobi.
Orochimaru knew the truth, though. He had not unleashed Hashirama's peak strength—he couldn't, or he would lose control entirely. But even suppressed, the First Hokage's might was beyond comprehension.
"Incredible…" Orochimaru whispered to himself, even as his lips curved into a grin. "Even restrained, this power could raze Konoha to the ground in moments. I wonder… even Uchiha Itachi—could he stop this?"
No.
Not even him.
"This is… the power of the First Hokage…"
Yamato collapsed to his knees, trembling as despair washed over him. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he fought, he could never bridge the gap.
And this was only the beginning.
The Deep Forest Emergence had only been a prelude, a glimpse of Orochimaru's ambition.
Already, ANBU shinobi were being torn apart, their bodies crushed beneath the merciless weight of Hashirama's trees.
Then came the next blow.
Boom!
Hashirama's hands pressed together once more. The earth roared.
A sound like a dragon's cry split the heavens as an enormous wooden giant surged upward at his feet.
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
The colossal figure towered over the battlefield, nearly ten meters tall, eyes blazing with raw power. From its body, two massive wooden dragons uncoiled, roaring as they spiraled around the giant's frame, baring their fangs at Kakashi and the others.
Orochimaru landed lightly upon the giant's shoulder, looking down on the Leaf from above. His grin was cruel, his eyes glittering with delight.
Yamato's own Wood Release could manage only a sea of trees. Against this? Against the true Wood Release? He was nothing.
Unstoppable. Unfathomable.
Despair swept across the battlefield like a suffocating fog.
"Haruto… Haruto, hurry back!"
Kakashi's breath caught in his throat as he stared at Hashirama's towering figure, his eyes wide with fear. "Please… we need you."
Meanwhile, far from the village, Senju Haruto had his hands full.
He had used his Magnet Release to snare Shukaku, dragging the rampaging tailed beast away from Konoha. With a thunderous crash, he hurled the One-Tail into a dense sea of trees.
Gamabunta landed beside him with Sakura and Naruto on his back, the ground trembling under his weight.
"At last…"
Naruto's fists clenched in excitement as he gazed at the hulking form of Shukaku.
Now, he could fight without restraint. No arena. No rules. No innocent bystanders at risk.
This wasn't the Chūnin Exams anymore. This was war.
In a flash, golden light engulfed him as he entered his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode once more.
"Boss, let's take him down!"
But just as Naruto lunged forward, Haruto raised a hand to stop him.
"Leave this one to me. We need to end this fast—the village still needs us back there."
Even as the words left his lips, Haruto froze.
In his mind, the familiar voice of the System chimed:
Please proceed to the Chūnin Exam arena to check in. Completion will yield rewards.
"Tch…" Haruto clicked his tongue.
Across from him, Shukaku roared in fury, its eyes blazing.
"You bastards! Using my chakra against me?!" The beast's voice thundered across the forest, vibrating the air.
It had sensed it—the One-Tail's chakra surging from within Haruto.
The betrayal sent it into a frenzy.
"I'll kill you all!"