No matter how A roared and struggled, his violent chakra was draining away at an astonishing rate, becoming nourishment for the forest.
“No! Impossible!”
To his horror, A discovered that his power was rapidly drying up.
These damned trees were the natural bane of chakra!
Puchi!
The instant A’s strength began to decline, a sharp bolt of lightning shot from Haruto’s fingertips and pierced straight through his heart from over twenty meters away.
Agony twisted A’s face.
He stared unwillingly at Haruto in the distance and let out one final howl.
“I refuse to accept this!!”
Haruto remained expressionless.
The dying cries of a loser meant nothing to him.
As the last trace of chakra was drained from A’s body, the forest that had sprung into existence became even more lush and vibrant.
Clearly, Haruto’s mastery of Wood Release far surpassed Yamato’s.
Although he lacked the ocean-like chakra reserves of the First Hokage, this Wood Release: Wood Binding Eternal Burial, which he had “borrowed” from Yamato, already possessed world-shaking power.
Yamato stared at Haruto as if looking at a monster.
“So someone really can obtain Wood Release through fusion…”
“And it’s even stronger than mine…”
Walking over, Yamato firmly patted Haruto on the shoulder.
“I can’t believe you actually did it.”
“The hardships behind this achievement are probably known only to you.”
As the sole surviving subject of the Wood Release experiments, Yamato understood better than anyone how dangerous that path had been.
Haruto merely smiled awkwardly.
There was no way he could explain that it came from a system—or absurd natural talent.
Kakashi and Yugao also came over.
Yugao immediately threw her arms around him, her voice trembling.
“We won… We finally won!”
Haruto gently patted her back.
“Don’t worry, Yugao-nee.”
“My life is tougher than it looks.”
By now Yamato had fully recovered from his shock.
Generously, he said:
“When we get back, I’ll organize all the Wood Release training materials I obtained from Danzō and give them to you.”
“Your Wood Release resembles the First Hokage’s more than mine does.”
“My experience should still be useful.”
Haruto’s eyes lit up.
This was an unexpected windfall.
It would save him quite a bit of trouble sneaking a look at the Scroll of Seals.
Kakashi added at just the right moment:
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle the mission report.”
“As for your Wood Release, until you have enough strength to protect yourself, I won’t let a word of it leak out.”
Haruto shot him a grateful look.
“Sensei really understands me.”
Yugao removed her outer robe and draped it over him.
The boy’s clothes were in tatters, yet he stood there like an insurmountable mountain.
With A’s death, the battle on the other side was nearing its conclusion as well.
Although Guy had been defeated, he had exhausted most of C’s strength.
When C saw the devastation here, his entire world collapsed.
“A lost?”
“How is that possible?!”
Driven by despair, he launched one final desperate attack.
Burning every last bit of chakra, he charged at the seemingly exhausted Haruto, intending to take him down with him.
“Even if I die, I’ll drag you with me!”
Unfortunately, his reaction speed couldn’t compare to Haruto’s.
Stepping in front of Yugao, Haruto formed seals at lightning speed.
“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!”
“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!”
Wind amplified the flames.
The combination transformed two B-rank techniques into a terrifying attack rivaling S-rank power.
RUMBLE!
A massive fire dragon roared into existence.
Enhanced by the gale, it expanded to over ten meters wide and completely engulfed C.
He didn’t even have time to scream.
His body was reduced to ashes by the scorching inferno.
Not a trace remained.
When the flames finally dissipated, a charred trench hundreds of meters long scarred the earth.
The sight was shocking.
Once again, Haruto shattered everyone’s understanding of him.
This wasn’t merely a genius.
He was an all-around monster.
After dealing with the enemy, Haruto teleported to Guy’s side.
Looking at the battered man, he smiled helplessly.
“Guy-sensei.”
“Stop trying to save it and eat the pill already.”
Guy stared at the crystal-clear pill in his hand with visible reluctance.
“Sigh…”
“I wanted to keep this as a family heirloom or maybe save it for a life-or-death situation…”
“If you don’t eat it now, you’ll become crippled.”
“How are you supposed to spread the power of youth after that?”
After much persuasion, Guy finally swallowed the pill.
A miracle occurred.
Within a single minute, his shattered bones and torn muscles completely healed.
Even old hidden injuries disappeared.
Guy immediately jumped up and performed an energetic martial arts routine.
“This medicine is incredible!”
“My youth has returned!”
Haruto simply smiled, quietly taking credit.
Afterward, the group searched the ruins for survivors.
Sadly, out of a city of thirty thousand people, only a few hundred remained alive.
The massacre shocked the entire shinobi world.
Once again, the names of Kakashi, Guy, and Yamato spread throughout the nations.
As for Haruto and Yugao—
Thanks to deliberate efforts to keep a low profile, they remained little-known: merely a genin and a tokubetsu jōnin.
Everyone believed the greatest credit belonged to Konoha’s elite jōnin.
The boy named Haruto was merely a lucky follower.
Obviously, to outsiders, the mission looked like little more than a casual outing for the elite shinobi.
Even the Third Hokage himself didn’t believe Haruto had been the key to success.
Which suited Haruto perfectly.
He wanted the matter to end quietly.
Still, he had completed the mission flawlessly.
According to the rules, the Third Hokage generously rewarded him with the opportunity to choose one S-rank forbidden technique.
In the dim Hokage Archives, the air carried the musty scent of old paper.
Haruto slowly unfolded the heavy Scroll of Seals.
He had only ten minutes.
Within that limited time, he needed to select a technique. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe and thought to himself:
What can ten minutes accomplish?
Most people wouldn’t even finish reading those complicated formulas, let alone memorize them.
Inside the silent chamber, Haruto’s eyes moved across the scroll like a scanner.
What the crafty old Hokage didn’t know was that this seemingly harmless boy possessed photographic memory.
One glance was enough.
Complex chakra pathways became permanently engraved in his mind.
Thus, within the span of a single cup of tea, half the contents of the Scroll of Seals had already been secretly copied into Haruto’s brain.
Of course, remembering something and mastering it were entirely different matters.
A technique called a forbidden jutsu for a reason carried risks severe enough to cost one’s life.
Deep down, the Third Hokage hoped someone could inherit these arts.
Unfortunately, they were simply too dangerous.
Most shinobi would cripple themselves before learning them.
Even he—the famed Professor of Ninjutsu—had never fully mastered everything within the scroll.
Partly because of the risks.
Partly because they were absurdly difficult.
Meanwhile, Haruto had already absorbed every Wood Release secret recorded there.
At the same time, he quietly memorized Flying Thunder God, Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags, Impure World Reincarnation, Reaper Death Seal, and several other terrifying techniques.
Closing the scroll, he casually left the archive.
Returning to the brightly lit Hokage Office, Haruto looked at the Third Hokage and calmly announced:
“Hokage-sama, I’ve decided.”
“I choose the Flying Thunder God Technique.”
The Third Hokage nearly dropped his pipe.
Clearly, he hadn’t expected the boy’s ambitions to be so enormous.
Since the Fourth Hokage’s death, no one had successfully recreated that divine technique.
Still, the choice was Haruto’s.
The old man smiled and formed a few seals.
“If you have that kind of ambition, then I’ll give you the detailed training notes.”
A small, exquisite scroll appeared on the desk with a puff of smoke.
“This contains everything related to Flying Thunder God.”
“But let me warn you first.”
“This technique is extraordinarily difficult.”
“Since the Second Hokage created it, only the Fourth Hokage truly mastered it.”
“You should prepare yourself for the possibility of failure.”
Haruto obediently nodded.
“That’s fine.”
“I’ll treat it as an opportunity to expand my knowledge.”
“I won’t force myself to master it.”
The Third Hokage blinked, then chuckled.
“That’s actually a healthy attitude.”
“Still, forbidden techniques are dangerous.”
“If you encounter difficulties, consult Kakashi.”
“He can’t use Flying Thunder God, but he can offer plenty of advice regarding safety.”
“And if that isn’t enough, come directly to me.”
After Haruto’s outstanding performance on the mission, the Third Hokage had already decided to invest heavily in nurturing him.
Haruto nodded again.
“I’ll remember that.”
With those words, he vanished from the Hokage Office.
Watching the empty doorway, the Third Hokage inhaled deeply and released a thick cloud of smoke.
“I wonder…”
“Will that child one day reach Kakashi’s level?”
Though Kakashi was only a jōnin, his overall ability made him one of Konoha’s pillars and the leading candidate for Fifth Hokage.
Unfortunately, he still lacked political experience and couldn’t compete with the village’s old schemers.
Truthfully, the Third Hokage’s preferred successor had always been Jiraiya.
But that old pervert loved freedom too much to be tied down.
Tsunade suffered from hemophobia.
As a result, Kakashi remained his best option.
Had Kakashi not been trapped by the trauma of Obito and Rin’s deaths, the Third Hokage would have long ago placed him in line for succession.
Sadly, that emotional knot had kept Kakashi stagnating at elite jōnin level for years.
A tragic waste of his immense talent.
Looking across Konoha, there truly wasn’t a better candidate.
As for Danzō—
The Third Hokage would rather die than let that old vulture take power.
The moment Haruto returned home, he eagerly unrolled the Flying Thunder God scroll.
He immediately buried himself in the difficult theories of space-time manipulation.
Although his Mangekyō Sharingan already granted him a bug-like teleportation ability, Flying Thunder God was more than simple movement.
It could transfer objects as well.
Its tactical value was extraordinary.
That support capability was precisely what his eyes lacked.
After a quick read-through, Haruto frowned.
“As expected of the pinnacle of space-time ninjutsu.”
“The entry barrier is on an entirely different level from ordinary S-rank techniques.”
But Haruto had never been the type to give up.
The more difficult the challenge, the more determined he became.
Not long afterward, a figure silently landed in his courtyard.
Yamato.
Opening the door, Haruto looked surprised.
He hadn’t expected the straightforward man to actually visit.
“Captain Yamato?”
“What brings you here?”
Yamato wasted no time.
He pulled out a thick scroll and handed it over.
“These are all the Wood Release materials I’ve compiled.”
“Take a look.”
Haruto paused before smiling warmly.
“You really brought them.”
“I thought you were just being polite.”
Yamato scratched his head sheepishly.
“A promise is a promise.”
Taking the scroll, Haruto chatted briefly before Yamato departed.
During his time with the Scroll of Seals, Haruto had already learned the large-scale Wood Release techniques.
Yamato’s materials perfectly filled in the gaps, covering foundational and intermediate applications such as Wood Clones.
With those valuable resources in hand, Haruto entered full hermit-training mode.
His life became a simple routine between home and the mountain behind the village.
As for routine missions—
He dumped them all onto shadow clones.
For more than three months, Haruto absorbed the nourishment of these forbidden techniques like a sponge.
Most were S-rank forbidden arts.
One mistake could blow him to pieces.
Naturally, he trained with absolute focus.
After over three months of brutal cultivation, his spiritual energy multiplied several times over.
As a direct result, his chakra reserves exploded.
More than tenfold.
Not only had the quantity increased, but the quality became denser and more refined.
At this point, Haruto estimated that his total chakra reserves could rival Naruto plus half of Kurama.
Of course, he was still nowhere near Hashirama Senju, that human tailed beast.
Even so, his Wood Golem Technique had already begun displaying hints of the First Hokage’s former majesty.
As for the map-destroying Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands—
His chakra pool still wasn’t large enough.
At the same time, he completely mastered every technique he had secretly copied from the Scroll of Seals.
Even Impure World Reincarnation was no exception.
Granted, he only knew the original version.
Not Orochimaru’s or Kabuto’s improved versions.
Then again, “improvement” depended on perspective.
The Second Hokage originally designed the technique solely to pair with Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags for suicidal assaults.
He had never intended it as a summonable army.
Thus, Haruto learned it for much the same reason.
To throw explosive tags around without restraint.
After more than three months of seclusion, he finally integrated all his abilities into a cohesive whole.
At times, Haruto felt that his current combat power might already surpass the Third Hokage at his peak.
Of course, that was only his own estimation.
No one alive truly knew how powerful the young Third Hokage had been.
The rumors surrounding him bordered on mythology.
Some even claimed he surpassed both the First and Second Hokage.
Haruto remained skeptical.
Exaggeration was hardly uncommon in the shinobi world.
Still, he was confident.
Against a prime Third Hokage, his chances of victory were very high.
As he strolled back from the mountain, he noticed something strange.
Despite his tremendous increase in power, his heart remained calm.
Most people would become arrogant.
Yet he felt almost nothing.
As though all of this were simply natural.
The evening sky burned crimson.
Street lamps flickered on one after another.
Watching the bustling crowds, Haruto finally relaxed after three months of tension.
Then, just as he was enjoying the moment—
A group approached from ahead.
Kakashi.
Sasuke.
Sakura.
Naruto.
And…
His own shadow clone.
Most importantly—
Their eyes met at that exact moment.
Kakashi already knew Haruto had spent the last three months slacking off through shadow clones.
The three genin, however, had absolutely no idea.
Things instantly became awkward.
The air seemed to freeze.
Haruto hadn’t activated his sensory abilities.
This was truly a chance encounter.
After several seconds of silence, he rubbed his temples.
Well… my cover’s blown.
The shadow clone beside Kakashi looked equally helpless.
Poof!
It vanished into smoke.
Sasuke and Sakura’s eyes nearly popped out.
Instantly, they understood.
Sasuke clenched his fists tightly.
His gaze burned.
“So this bastard has been using shadow clones to fool us the entire time?”
Kakashi covered his face.
“Haruto.”
“Your luck really is something else.”
Even he hadn’t expected the original to appear at such a terrible moment.
There was no explaining this away now.
Naruto’s slow-moving brain finally caught up.
Pointing at Haruto, he shouted:
“YOU!”
“Haruto!”
“You’ve been using shadow clones to slack off?!”
Then his eyes widened.
“Wait!”
“Why didn’t I think of that?!”
After yelling, Naruto immediately felt regret.
He wanted to be lazy too.
But then he thought about it.
If I don’t do missions personally, how will I gain experience?
And if I don’t gain experience, how will I become Hokage?
Instantly, he felt much better.
Haruto didn’t even try to run.
He simply walked over with a smile.
“Yo, Kakashi-sensei.”
“What a coincidence.”
Kakashi shrugged.
“Since the real one is here, come with us.”
“That’ll save me from having to explain.”
Haruto nodded.
The memories returned by the dispelled clone informed him that Kakashi was treating everyone to Ichiraku Ramen in celebration of a successful mission.
Throughout the entire walk, Sasuke’s eyes never left him.
His fighting spirit burned intensely.
He had wanted to challenge Haruto for a long time.
To see just how much the guy was hiding.
Unfortunately, the past few months had been nothing but garbage collection, weed pulling, and lost pet missions.
There had been no chance to fight.
No way to gauge Haruto’s true strength.
Sitting on a stool at Ichiraku Ramen, Haruto calmly waited for his bowl.
Meanwhile, three pairs of eyes swept over him like searchlights.
After slurping down a few mouthfuls of noodles, he finally couldn’t endure the strange atmosphere any longer.
Looking up with a grin, he said:
“Why are you all staring at me?”
“Your noodles are going to get soggy.”