"What kind of jutsu is this? These vines… it's like they're alive. Damn it!"
Rat swung his blade, cutting through the vines that coiled around him while scanning for a safe retreat point.
But it wasn't just the vines that were troublesome—they were covered in sharp barbs.
By the time he managed to escape their attack range, his clothes were already torn in several places.
Blood trickled from his wounds, especially around his ankles, where the barbs had cut deeper. His legs were now soaked in blood.
"Is this… Wood Release?"
Another shinobi stumbled out, his face filled with disbelief as he stared at the dense vine-covered forest ahead. His voice carried a hint of fear.
"Wasn't Wood Release supposed to be a lost Kekkei Genkai? How is someone still able to use it?"
He couldn't wrap his head around it.
"Wood Release…?"
Rat's pupils shrank as he muttered the words under his breath.
Wood Release.
They had only heard about it in legends.
In the entire history of the shinobi world, only the First Hokage—the founder of Konoha—had ever possessed such a power. It was overwhelming.
Mysterious.
Konoha had spent years trying to replicate the First Hokage's abilities. The Hokage himself had ordered secret research into recreating it, but no breakthroughs had ever been made.
And yet—
The person before them could use Wood Release.
Fear gripped him for a brief moment.
But then, just as quickly, that fear turned into excitement.
If he could bring this person back, Lord Third would definitely reward him. After all, this was the power the Third Hokage had always dreamed of.
Another person, covered in blood, managed to escape, his heart filled with fear.
In just an instant—
The three confident Jōnin had already been injured.
As for the tracking ninja and his ninja dog, they were tightly bound by vines. The vines coiled around them like unbreakable chains, their barbs piercing deep into flesh, trapping them completely.
"Only two?"
Standing atop a tree, Hayashi looked down at the restrained tracking ninja and his dying dog. He shook his head, a little disappointed.
This Wood Release: Hell's Bind was a technique he had created by combining the Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs and Wood Release: Hell's Chaos, both techniques passed down to him by Genya. The modifications made the vines even more aggressive.
Unfortunately—
With his current strength, he could only cover a small area with this technique. If his range was larger, or if the vines grew even faster, none of them would have escaped!
No wonder… Genya said he was still too weak.
"One is missing?"
Rat suddenly realized that one of the tracking ninjas hadn't escaped.
His gaze snapped toward the dense vine forest, where he spotted the missing ninja, tightly bound and struggling.
"It hurts—! Rat, help me!"
The captured ninja let out a pained cry, watching his own blood drip to the ground. A deep sense of fear crept into his heart.
He regretted everything.
Why did he listen to Rat and join this pursuit? If he had stayed in Konoha, he wouldn't be in this life-threatening situation.
Why did he let himself be convinced so easily?
The excruciating pain was driving him mad. He screamed desperately:
"Rat! Save me! Please!"
Beside him, his dog was barely breathing. The summon looked up weakly at its master and spoke in a strained voice:
"Release me… Send me back!"
The heavily injured ninja dog no longer had the strength to return on its own. The only way was for its summoner to cancel the summoning contract.
But—
The tracking ninja was already consumed by despair and fear, completely unable to care about his summoned beast.
He kept shouting for help!
"I'm sorry!" Rat took two steps back, afraid to step into the tangle of vines to save him.
After all, they had just barely escaped from that vine-filled jungle moments ago.
The other two glanced at the thick, writhing vines, shuddered, and also backed away. None of them had any intention of going in to help.
The trapped ninja was furious, his eyes bloodshot. "Rat! I came here for you, and you're just going to leave me!?"
"So noisy. Since you came to kill me, you should've been prepared to die."
Senju Hayashi snorted coldly, twisting his wrist.
In an instant—
The vines, which had stopped growing, suddenly surged forward once more. Like giant pythons, they struck like venomous fangs, piercing into their bodies. The roots, like the coils of a serpent god, crushed them completely!
In the end—
Both the ninja and his summon were reduced to a bloody mist, becoming nourishment for the vines.
"Good thing we didn't rush in to save him… Otherwise, we'd all be dead in there right now." Rat was in shock, staring at the towering vines that now stood as tall as the trees, his heart still pounding in fear.
That scene just now had been terrifying.
As they stood frozen in shock, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared at the top of the vines, looking down on them. A calm yet chilling voice echoed through the night—
"Why did you come to attack me?"
The voice wasn't loud, but in the silence of the night, it carried an undeniable weight, making their hearts tremble.
All three looked up at once.
There, a figure in a ox mask stood, watching them.
"You are… Senju Hayashi?" Rat hesitated as he stared at the masked figure who had just attacked them.
Logically, a ninja dog's sense of smell could never be wrong. This person had to be Senju Hayashi. But… that terrifying strength made him doubt himself.
Hayashi chuckled. "You came to kill me, but you don't even know who I am?"
He neither confirmed nor denied his identity. After all, he wasn't sure if he could eliminate all three of them, and recklessly revealing himself would be unwise.
"This might just be a misunderstanding! We could have mistaken him for someone else!"
The ninja beside Rat quickly stepped forward to apologize. After all, they didn't want to provoke such a powerful ninja while on a mission.
"We'll leave right away!"
After speaking, he exchanged a glance with Rat, signaling for a retreat.
"Hmph, you attack me and think you can just leave? Stay right here!"
Senju Hayashi knew they were targeting him, so he wasn't about to let them escape.
Genya often said, 'A wildfire may burn endlessly, but with the spring wind, it will rise again.'
If someone harbored hostility toward you and you had the power to crush them, then you must eliminate them completely to prevent future threats.
Since they were enemies, there was no turning back!
With that, Senju Hayashi formed hand seals once more. Countless vines surged from the ground, and a faint blue glow surrounded his body.
"Damn it! He's not letting us go! Attack together!"
Rat gritted his teeth and shouted to the two Jonin beside him, "He might not be a match for all three of us! If we can capture this Wood Release user and bring him back, Lord Third will definitely reward us! This is way better than chasing after that Senju Hayashi trash!"
With that, Rat charged forward, and the other two Jonin followed after exchanging a glance.
"A group attack? Perfect—I can test the power of the Eight Gates again!"
Senju Hashirama let out a low growl and rushed in as well.
Last time, his Eight Gates didn't do much against Genya. Now, he wanted to see how it fared against these three.
Boom!
His whip-like kick clashed directly with Rat's fist.
In an instant—
Rat's wrist twisted at an unnatural angle. His face contorted in pain, and his body shot backward like a cannonball.
Right after, the other two Jonin were forced back with just two moves from Hayashi!
"Huh?"
Senju Hayashi looked at Rat, who had been sent flying, and frowned slightly.
"Weren't they supposed to be Jonin? Why are they so weak?"
****
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