Chapter 116: Wood Against Wood
On the Fourth Division battlefield, a deathly silence fell.
The entire Allied Shinobi Force stared at the blue-clothed figure who had just appeared in the center of the devastation.
Uchiha Madara narrowed his eyes. Flying Thunder God. A very familiar, and very annoying, ninjutsu.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: 1,000,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: 1,000,000]
[Chakra (311,165,000 / 400,000,000)]
"I'm not late, am I, Naruto?" Renji asked, a calm smile on his face.
He had always wanted to steal that line.
The light returned to Naruto's eyes. "Waaah! Renji!"
The clone lunged, clinging to Renji like a gorilla. "That's great! You're not late! You're just in time! Thank goodness you're here!"
If Renji hadn't come, they would have all been annihilated.
Gaara rolled his eyes.
The surviving ninja, crawling out from behind dunes, looked up in stunned relief.
"Survived?"
"What happened? Why did the meteor disappear?"
"It didn't disappear," Temari explained, her voice shaky. "It was transferred. That was the Flying Thunder God Ninjutsu! What a great man!"
"He's the first choice for a husband, isn't he!" a kunoichi next to her said, sighing dreamily.
Temari edged away from her.
Renji let the clingy Naruto clone hang on him and walked toward the Tsuchikage. Ōnoki was severely injured, trying to heal himself, but his old bones were shattered.
"I'm fine!" the old man said stubbornly. "Go see the other ninja! I don't need treatment... I am the Tsuchikage..."
Renji ignored his protests—his mouth was clearly harder than his bones—and placed a hand on his shoulder. A powerful, gentle medical chakra quickly knitted the Tsuchikage's wounds.
Ōnoki's eyebrows shot up in surprise. This kid's medical ninjutsu was on a completely different level.
With Renji's appearance, the Allied Forces' fighting spirit, which had been utterly extinguished, flared back to life.
"I never thought Renji would grow to this extent," Kabuto's voice, full of excitement, came from Mu's mouth.
Uchiha Madara looked at him. "Renji?"
"Yes. He will give you a surprise," Kabuto said.
Madara snorted. "He already has." His gaze fell on the blue-haired ninja. That jutsu... it was developed by Senju Tobirama.
"There's something I need to confirm." Madara made a hand seal and placed his hand on the ground. "Summoning Technique!"
"Ah!"
Naruto, who was still clinging to Renji, suddenly collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach. "It's so hot! My stomach is burning!"
Madara watched the reaction. "You haven't captured the Nine-Tails yet. This war is being fought for that."
"The Nine-Tails is still inside its Jinchuriki," Kabuto pointed. "That boy is the current Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto. But he's not easy to deal with. That's just his clone."
"Uzumaki?" The surname reminded Madara of Mito. "Should we go find the original body now?" Kabuto asked.
"No," Madara denied, walking forward, a trace of excitement in his voice. "There's a ninjutsu I want to try. There are a lot of people here, and it always looks best when there are many people."
He formed a new hand seal.
Kabuto's mouth curved into a smile. He had a premonition.
"What does he want to do?"
"Everyone, get ready! Be ready for an attack!"
The army tensed, and the battlefield once again fell silent.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The ground suddenly vibrated violently. Thick, massive vines and trees broke through the sand, growing at an astonishing speed, surging toward the allied army like a green ocean.
"Wood Release!" someone shouted in horror. "It's the First Hokage's jutsu!"
"Uchiha Madara has even mastered Wood Release! How can we fight this?!"
The golden desert was instantly transformed into a dense, hostile forest. The army's brief hope shattered. This repeated cycle of hope and despair was exhausting them, breaking their will to fight.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Renji made the exact same hand seal.
An identical wave of massive trees erupted from the ground beneath the Allied Forces, rising up to meet Madara's attack. The two green tsunamis collided, wood splintering and cracking as they fought for dominance.
"Wood... Release..." Naruto stared blankly at Renji.
"Lord Hokage had a premonition, so she injected the First Hokage's cells into my body," Renji said, his voice just loud enough for those nearby to hear. Since Tsunade was his clone, he could push any blame onto her.
Naruto's expression became complicated, his eyes welling with tears. "Isn't that... human experimentation?"
He had heard from Captain Yamato how terrifying those cells were.
"Lady Tsunade did it for the sake of the war," Renji said, maintaining his hero image.
"But... did you have to suffer that much?" Naruto asked, his voice cracking.
"What a big surprise!" A hint of genuine excitement leaked from Uchiha Madara's eyes. A ninja who could completely withstand Hashirama's cells and even use Deep Forest Emergence with a strength rivaling his own?
This world was much more interesting than he had imagined.
"I also want to try other ninjutsu!" Madara began forming new seals.
Just then, three(and a clone Renji) figures appeared in a flash in front of Renji.
"I can't wait any longer!" Tsunade (the clone) slammed her hand on the map in the command center miles away, and her real self, along with the Raikage and Mizukage, appeared on the battlefield.
"No one knows better than me how powerful Uchiha Madara is!" Tsunade declared. "It's time for us to make our move!"
When Renji left, I asked him to leave a clone so I could teleport to his location," Tsunade explained.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
Madara unleashed his next jutsu, and the colliding forests began to bloom, massive flowers opening to release a thick, yellow mist.
"It's poison pollen!" Renji shouted. "Don't breathe it in!"
"Katsuyu!" Tsunade summoned the giant slug, which immediately split into thousands of smaller versions, perching on every ninja's shoulder to provide a protective barrier.
"Longevity is a good thing," Ōnoki said, floating up to join the other Kage. "To think I'd live to see the Five Kage fighting side-by-side!"
"Renji!" Tsunade ordered. "I'm giving you command of the Fourth Division! This is a war between the Five Kage and Uchiha Madara! You lead the Fourth Division and support the other battlefield! Don't forget, there's another man claiming to be Madara!"
Renji nodded. "Lady Tsunade, if you need support, contact me immediately through Katsuyu!"
"Retreat!" Renji gestured. The Fourth Division followed him, dashing away from the Kage's battlefield.
The Naruto clone beside him was looking fatigued. "Naruto," Renji said, "hurry back to your original body and rest. Leave this to me."
Naruto gritted his teeth but nodded. "Okay!" With a crisp "pop," the clone vanished in a puff of smoke.
…
At the same time, on the second battlefield, the fight against Obito was raging.
The Gedo Mazo was rampaging wildly. Kakashi and Might Guy stood side-by-side, confronting the masked man. Behind them, carefully protected, was the real Naruto.
And behind Obito stood the six Edo Tensei Jinchuriki, already partially transformed.
Renji and the Fourth Division charged into the fray.
"Renji!" Naruto's eyes lit up. He immediately began sharing information. "That guy has a Sharingan, a Rinnegan, and... a nail stuck in his left chest, and..."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: 500,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: 500,000]
[Chakra (311,665,000 / 400,000,000)]
Renji patted Naruto's shoulder. "Calm down, Naruto."
"His right eye is a Sharingan, his left is a Rinnegan, and he has chakra receivers in his chest just like Pain," Kakashi summarized calmly. "He's using them to control the other Jinchuriki."
Renji nodded. "I understand."
The ground trembled as the Five-Tails charged them.
"Lightning Blade!"
"Eight Gates: Sixth Gate of View, Open!"
Kakashi and Guy shot forward to intercept.
"Let's go too, Renji!" Naruto said, full of fighting spirit.
"Don't rush," Renji stopped him. "Do you see the iron nails on their chests? That's the key. Don't clash head-on. Your job is to pull out those nails. The Tailed Beasts need you, Naruto. They have telepathy. Even if they're controlled, you and Bee can communicate with them. I'll handle the masked man."
Before Naruto could argue, Renji sped towards Obito.
The short blade in Renji's hand slashed through the air, only to be blocked by the Uchiha's giant Gunbai fan.
"Can you still distinguish your identity..." Obito's lowered voice entered Renji's ears.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: 200,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: 200,000]
[Chakra (311,865,000 / 400,000,000)]
Renji ignored the taunt, sweeping his leg toward Obito. "Of course I can distinguish."
Obito blocked the kick. "Then what are you waiting for?"
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: 100,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: 100,000]
[Chakra (311,965,000 / 400,000,000)]
Renji's figure flashed, appearing instantly behind Obito. Obito reacted just as fast, pulling his Gunbai in front of his chest to block the Rasengan that slammed into it. The impact sent both of them stumbling back.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Renji's playful voice entered Obito's ears.
"You look as if you've completely forgotten who you are!" Obito said coldly, phasing as Renji's fist passed through his body. Obito materialized, slashing a kunai at Renji's neck.
A thick layer of ice instantly solidified around Renji's neck, blocking the fatal blow.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: 30,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: 30,000]
[Chakra (311,995,000 / 400,000,000)]
"Don't reveal your trump cards until everything is settled," Renji said, his own Lightning Blade slashing through Obito's sleeve just as he materialized.
Obito retreated, landing on top of the Gedo Mazo. "Then let me show you if there are still variables."
He raised his hand. The six Tailed Beasts roared, gathering powerful chakra. Five Tailed Beast Balls, emitting dark purple light, streaked across the sky toward the Allied Forces.
Just at this critical moment, four Wood Clones appeared beside Renji. As the clones charged forward to engage the Jinchuriki, Renji himself swiftly formed hand signs.
The space in front of the Tailed Beast Balls began to violently twist. Five black holes quietly appeared, swallowing the five destructive orbs. In the blink of an eye, they vanished, reappearing as distant explosions in the mountains miles away.
Before could breathe, the five Tailed Beasts once again simultaneously condensed Tailed Beast Balls, even larger than before.
Renji's face turned extremely pale, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, acting as if he couldn't handle the strain.
Just then, a golden figure appeared like lightning in front of him.
It was Naruto, radiating a dazzling golden light, with nine tails swaying wildly behind him. He had entered his complete Tailed Beast form.
------
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