Yōkō dodged another charge from the Wood Dragon, retreating further from Nagato.
He glanced at Uchiha Madara.
Uchiha Madara was dealing with the Uchiha group head-on, while simultaneously manipulating the Wood Dragon to attack Yōkō from the side. And he was over 70 years old!
Chakra was a mixture of physical and spiritual energy. Wouldn't Uchiha Madara's physical energy decline with age?
Wouldn't his spiritual energy weaken with senility?
Until Uchiha Madara showed signs of decline, Yōkō could only grit his teeth and continue charging the Wood Dragon.
Taking a hit from Tobi's Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs, Yōkō formed hand seals, and a Water Cutting Wave shot out.
The high-speed water line severed one of the Wood Dragon's claws, then sliced through half of the dragon's body.
The Wood Dragon's resilient body consumed much of the Water Cutting Wave's energy.
The first time he saw Uchiha Madara, using the inferior version of Water Cutting Wave given by Sarutobi Hiruzen, he could only cut through one-third of the Wood Dragon.
Now, after obtaining the correct version from Orochimaru, he could cut through half of it.
However, the severed parts of the Wood Dragon healed, and the lost claw regrew.
Wood Release possessed strong vitality; it was a Kekkei Genkai based on life force.
The temporary plan was to continuously consume Uchiha Madara's chakra, waiting for the right moment to seize Uzumaki Nagato.
The White Ram and Kika squads performed excellently. Using the Cross Seal, they continuously bombarded the flowering trees from a distance with combination techniques, clearing the encroaching Wood Release.
Wind-Fire combination techniques, Lightning-Water combination techniques, destroyed the wildly growing trees one after another.
The reconnaissance squad, led by Hyūga Koe, watched Squad Leader Fox nimbly maneuvering within the flowering trees, entangled with the Wood Dragon and the Spiral White Zetsu, and saw the powerful combination techniques of the two Anbu squads. Their admiration for the Anbu grew.
As expected of the Hokage's direct force, the Anbu's combat performance was outstanding.
The Uchiha group on the main battlefield was locked in a bitter struggle.
Uchiha Madara stood in the tree hollow halfway up the large tree. Every Great Fireball aimed at him was blocked by the trunks of the flowering trees.
Uchiha-Ryū: Grass Shuriken Technique, various shuriken and kunai connected with wires, weaved between the trunks but were ultimately intercepted.
Uchiha Madara knew the Uchiha's techniques too well. His Three Tomoe Sharingan continuously tracked, accurately predicting all the Uchiha group's movements.
Uchiha Mahiru and Uchiha Kirika stood back-to-back, panting heavily.
Both had poured their chakra into Fire Release, barely maintaining a stalemate with the surrounding trunks, unable to advance an inch.
Their chakra reserves were heavily depleted.
Wood Release was extremely flexible; the trunks grew arbitrarily, making it very difficult to deal with.
Just as the two were struggling to cope, Uchiha Mahiru suddenly noticed a thin branch growing from the broken stump of a nearby trunk.
What use was such a thin branch?
A brightly red flower bloomed on the thin branch.
Raindrops fell on the flower bud. A film of pollen formed on the bud, causing each water droplet to flow off it completely intact.
The next moment, the flower bud suddenly burst open.
Reddish-brown pollen exploded outwards.
Uchiha Mahiru's heart trembled. Could this pollen be problematic?
The battle is so intense, why is Wood Release flowering?
The pollen was knocked down by the rain, not spreading far, which relieved Uchiha Mahiru slightly.
The pollen fell to the ground, seemingly harmless for now.
However, a raindrop landed on his eyebrow, the water spreading near his eyelid. Uchiha Mahiru's vision turned bright red.
There's pollen in the rainwater!
He quickly looked up. Unnoticed, the Wood Release trees had connected high above, forming pointed arches a hundred meters in the air.
The pointed arches were covered in bright red flowers!
The flowers burst open, dyeing the rainwater a vivid red.
Pollen fell on their bodies, seeping into their skin.
Uchiha Mahiru felt his skin go numb, losing sensation, followed by his muscles, which also became numb.
Uchiha Mahiru slowly collapsed, falling with a thud into the mud.
Conscious, but unable to control his body.
Uchiha Mahiru saw his brother, Uchiha Kirika, had also succumbed to the pollen toxin, collapsing into the mud.
Their teacher, Uchiha Michi, nearby, could still move.
Uchiha Michi stabbed a kunai into his own thigh, using the pain to stay conscious.
Uchiha Mahiru was filled with chagrin; why hadn't he thought of that?
Uchiha Michi rushed to their side, grabbed his and his brother's shoulders, and with great effort, threw them both towards the outside.
Mahiru could only hate his own weakness, unable to move a muscle.
His teacher was stronger, but instead of fleeing himself, he gave this chance of survival to the two brothers!
Mahiru's mouth was numb. He wanted to shout something, but nothing came out.
His eyes, the only part he could move, tracked his teacher through the air, hoping he would quickly escape these terrifying trunks and poisonous pollen rain.
However, several trunks shot towards Teacher Michi.
Uchiha Michi was at the end of his strength, deeply poisoned. The poisonous pollen rain flowed into the wound on his leg.
The pollen seeped into the flesh of the wound, paralyzing his thigh.
Two trunks wrapped around Uchiha Michi's waist, instantly crushing his hip bones.
"No!"
Uchiha Mahiru watched his teacher in agony!
The air was filled with the sickening crunch of breaking bones, like a beast chewing its prey.
Blood vessels crowded Uchiha Mahiru's eyes, converging towards his crimson Sharingan.
In the tree hollow halfway up the large tree, Uchiha Madara slowly turned his head, looking towards Uchiha Mahiru.
"Hmm? Some talent, but still lacking that final step... Let me help you. Without me, you will always be missing that last push, never able to awaken it in your lifetime."
Seeing a potential candidate, Uchiha Madara's interest was piqued. He formed hand seals, finely controlling the trunks.
The two trunks that had crushed Uchiha Michi's hips coiled upwards, like twin snakes, crushing his abdomen.
Uchiha Mahiru's eyes widened further, the red veins multiplying.
He could accept Teacher Uchiha Michi dying in battle, but not such a cruel death.
Bones being crushed inch by inch, ground finely.
"Ah! Teacher!"
More trunks appeared, crushing Uchiha Michi's chest.
Uchiha Mahiru saw a broken stub of one of Uchiha Michi's ribs protrude from between the trunks.
Fresh blood was washed from the white rib by the rain, growing paler until it was bloodless, a stark white.
Finally, two trunks wrapped around Uchiha Michi's head.
Uchiha Michi's skull shattered like a watermelon.
A Three Tomoe Sharingan eyeball was squeezed out from between the trunks, trailing strands of flesh and nerve fibers.
"No! NO!"
Uchiha Madara shook his head inwardly. Mediocre trash, still unable to awaken the Mangekyō?
He formed hand seals, using a genjutsu.
Powerful ocular power passed through the gaps between the trunks, directly entering Uchiha Mahiru's eyes.
The slow and cruel death of Uchiha Michi replayed over and over in Uchiha Mahiru's eyes through the genjutsu.
"NO!"
On the flanking battlefield, Yōkō saw the Advent of a World of Flowering Trees and noticed Uchiha Madara using several techniques in succession, unsure what he was busy with.
Uchiha Madara lowered his hands, his breathing somewhat labored.
For someone like Uchiha Madara who loved to show off, beginning to lose control of his image indicated he had expended a significant amount of chakra.
Yōkō thought, Perhaps this is the chance.
He abruptly abandoned the Wood Dragon and the Spiral White Zetsu, charging towards Uchiha Madara!
"White Ram! Kika! Cover me, hold them off!"
In mid-air, Yōkō formed hand seals, using his own technique.
Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!
***
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(End of Chapter)