Chapter 96: Wood Release Exposed, The Gambler's Moment

Chapter 96: Wood Release Exposed, The Gambler's Moment

"Here he comes!"

The Sound Ninja Five had barely emerged from the forest when they spotted a figure soaring toward them midair.

"Flight-type ninja—it's Izayoi, the one who defeated Gaara of the Sand at the Chūnin Exams!"

"Stay alert! That guy has Storm Release—it's long-range and extremely powerful!"

Sound Ninja Four immediately recognized Izayoi hovering above and raised a warning. Kimimaro Kaguya pulled a photograph from his robes, glanced at it, then at the airborne Izayoi. Confirming the target wasn't Sasuke Uchiha, he tossed the photo aside. "You find Sasuke Uchiha. I'll handle him."

As he spoke, Kimimaro extended his fingers and whispered, "Corpse Bone Pulse!"

Shshshsh!

Tiny holes opened in his fingertips, firing segments of his finger bones like bullets. The bones launched in rapid succession, regenerating instantly after each shot. Within moments, a barrage of bone projectiles swarmed toward Izayoi like a hornet's nest.

The Sound Ninja Four wasted no time. The moment Kimimaro attacked, they split into four blurs, scattering left and right to bypass Izayoi's aerial position and intercept Sasuke Uchiha's chakra signature still approaching from behind.

Izayoi made no move to stop them. His gaze remained locked on Kimimaro below, eyes narrowing with focus.

Suddenly, several bubbles materialized around Kimimaro—two purple, three blue.

[Bloodline Limit (Purple)]

[Kage-Level Potential (Purple)]

[Chakra Control (Blue)]

[Martial Arts Prodigy (Blue)]

[Otsutsuki Lineage (Blue)]

Izayoi's expression turned wistful as he studied the Kage-Level Potential bubble.

Thanks to the Earth Cursed Seal—or more precisely, natural energy—Kimimaro had already defied fate's limitations. At just fifteen, he'd entered a period of explosive growth.

If not for his terminal illness, by the time of the Shippuden era, he might have become a top-tier ninja in the entire shinobi world. Anyone connected to the Ōtsutsuki and possessing genius talent was never ordinary.

Unfortunately, Kimimaro was now in his final hours. His current power was merely a dying ember. Even if he did nothing, he'd likely collapse before reaching Otogakure.

But for Izayoi, this was his golden opportunity.

Time to gamble!

Izayoi raised his hand and struck. "Fist of the Gust!"

A hurricane-force wind erupted, twisting air currents forming a massive palm that swatted the bone barrage aside.

Then Izayoi descended rapidly.

Kimimaro hesitated briefly as Izayoi abandoned his aerial advantage. But with time slipping away, he charged forward.

Black markings suddenly surged across his body like spreading ink, glowing crimson before fading. His pale skin darkened to a muddy brown, black tribal markings appearing on his face. His spine arched grotesquely, sprouting massive white bone spines and a tail. He'd transformed into a humanoid lizard—Cursed Seal Level 2 activated.

Sensing Izayoi's overwhelming presence, Kimimaro unleashed his full power.

Tearing a rib from his chest, he manipulated it like a whip, lashing toward Izayoi.

As Izayoi landed, he smirked at the bone whip. "Yours isn't big enough. Let me show you something bigger."

He slammed his palm down. "Wood Release!"

Vines erupted from his arms, bursting from the earth like striking serpents. They deflected the bone whip, then rapidly coiled and expanded into a towering tree, attempting to engulf Kimimaro's shrinking form.

But the lizard-like Kimimaro moved with shocking speed, dodging the tree's grasp. Using it as cover, he Body Flickered to Izayoi's left, extending his rib into a spear aimed at Izayoi's head.

Without turning, Izayoi summoned a massive root upward, deflecting the bone spear and blocking Kimimaro's vision.

"Wood Release!"

"Too weak."

Izayoi's voice echoed from behind, making Kimimaro's eyes widen. He instinctively manipulated his bones to erupt from his back like quills, transforming into a spiky humanoid porcupine.

Boom!

The bone quills barely emerged before a thunderous explosion shattered them.

Izayoi, having Body Flickered behind Kimimaro, punched through the bone defenses. The impact collided with a sudden blue aura surrounding his fist, shattering Kimimaro's bones like glass.

The shockwave tore through Kimimaro's body, sending him flying.

"Unbelievable... how strong!"

Blood poured from Kimimaro's mouth as his internal organs churned violently. Even forming bone armor failed to stop the devastating force.

Crashing to the ground, he stared at Izayoi with pure despair.

This opponent existed in an entirely different dimension. If even his Cursed Seal Level 2 form couldn't compete, the Sound Ninja Four stood no chance either.

But he made a decision.

Just a little longer! According to Kabuto's intelligence, Sasuke Uchiha had only recently awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan. That power level wouldn't threaten the Sound Ninja Four.

All he needed was time!

"Aaaaaa!"

Kimimaro roared like a beast, his body glowing crimson again. Channeling nearly all his chakra—previously used to suppress his illness—into the earth, he screamed, "Shikotsumyaku... Dance of the Early Fern!"

The ground trembled violently.

"What's happening?"

"Are we near the Naka River?!"

"Is Sasuke Uchiha practicing ninjutsu?"

A sinister chakra surged, instantly drawing attention from the Hidden Leaf's Perception Squad.

Even sensory-type shinobi at the village outskirts abruptly turned toward the forest where birds scattered in panic.

Soon, squads of ninjas mobilized via radio commands, streaking toward the Uchiha Clan's grounds like shadows.

Back on the battlefield, Kimimaro's roar triggered a new horror.

Rows of massive bone spines erupted from the earth—each one a terrifying length and thickness—surging toward Izayoi like a white tidal wave.

The speed was so blistering, the distance so short, that even Izayoi’s flight couldn’t let him escape the bone spikes’ range instantly.

Yet Izayoi showed no sign of dodging.

He simply gazed at the massive, lightning-fast white tidal wave—so enormous and devastating it would be a killing move for any non-flying ninja—and clapped his hands together, grinning. “What a magnificent technique! Such a masterpiece deserves this counterattack from me.”

Then, blue chakra erupted from his body like flames.

With a thunderous roar, he unleashed the legendary jutsu that had once pacified a warring world.

“Wood Release: Forest Rebirth!”

Boom!

A more violent tremor shook the battlefield, spreading to the Uchiha Clan Grounds and the surrounding forest.

Sasuke Uchiha and Karin, already locked in battle with the Sound Ninja Four and dominating them, along with the Leaf Village ninjas racing toward the Uchiha Grounds, all felt the earth shudder.

Before they could react, an unbelievable sight unfolded.

Huge trees, like ancient serpents awakening from beneath the soil, burst upward, their colossal trunks rising like rivers.

The forest’s existing trees were already massive—wide enough for several people to embrace. Yet compared to these erupting titans, they looked like saplings beside adults.

As the trees towered far above the forest canopy, still growing and spreading, the Leaf ninjas’ eyes widened in shock.

One of them stammered, “Th-This is… Wood Release?!”

Before others could gasp, a ninja suddenly shouted, “The technique’s range is too wide! Fall back now!”

More trees erupted ahead, their massive forms claiming space and forcing later ones to tilt sideways. The forest surged like a green tidal wave, transforming open ground into woodland, swallowing the existing trees and the Uchiha Clan Grounds, toppling buildings.

Even Sasuke, Karin, and the Sound Ninja Four mid-battle were engulfed by the green deluge.

Thankfully, the technique’s main force surged toward the Naka River. Had it spread toward the Uchiha Grounds, the entire compound would’ve vanished. As it was, a tenth of the grounds were already destroyed.

The forest’s smaller trees were uprooted, animals fleeing in panic—yet none could escape the relentless growth.

When silence finally fell, the scene was staggering.

From the Leaf ninjas’ perspective, a forest of colossal trees—like the Forest of Death—now loomed ahead. The original woodland beside it looked like a patch of chives next to rice paddies, dwarfed in comparison. Even villagers and ninjas on the village outskirts could see the monstrous new grove.

“Look! What is that?!”

Before the Leaf ninjas could recover, someone pointed skyward.

Through the crimson sunset, a tiny figure soared above the forest—a speck compared to the trees.

“A bird? No… that’s a person!”

“A flying ninja! It’s him—the jutsu prodigy who mastered Storm Release!”

“He’s the red-jonin’s disciple, Sasuke Uchiha’s classmate and close friend!”

“They say his chakra is monstrous, like a bloodline’s inherited awakening!”

As recognition dawned, their faces froze in unison.

Then, their expressions turned to gaping disbelief.

“Could it be…?”

A ninja gawked at the figure above the forest, now forming a swirling blue-white sphere in his hand.

Though he didn’t finish, everyone knew his meaning.

In that moment, their gazes burned with frenzied admiration, like perverts staring at a goddess.

Unaware of their reactions, Izayoi infused his Super Hurricane Barrage with water, lightning, and fire natures, transforming the energy sphere into a glowing cyan orb.

“Trinity Barrage!”

Channeling his ultimate move as Kimimaro Kaguya’s funeral rite—and gambling for a rare drop—he shaped the orb into a cyan beam and fired.

Unlike Storm Release’s scattered energy, this beam wasn’t just electric or thermal. It was a torrent of destruction, its flames swirling within. Though adding only one more nature transformation, its power eclipsed Storm Release entirely.

The beam struck the forest, hitting Kimimaro Kaguya—bound by branches like a helpless target beneath a colossal tree.

Boooom!

The explosion thundered across the battlefield. Even on Central Street, people heard the deafening roar.

Outside the village, a mushroom cloud billowed skyward.

Izayoi, his rinnegan glowing beneath the dust, stared at where Kimimaro had been.

Now, both the Kaguya and the surrounding titans were reduced to dust—or part of the cloud itself.

He’d gambled away a top-tier human puppet. If he lost, he’d waste chakra and a powerful weapon.

But if he won…

He’d gain a new talent trait, one perfectly compatible with the Otsutsuki bloodline. When that bloodline evolved, it might even become a Kekkei Tota—a rare, essential core trait for fusion.

His heart pounded like a gambler going all-in.

Seconds later, his lips curled upward.

Hit!

Through the dust, two glowing threads—one purple, one blue—floated toward him, vanishing into his body.

He clenched his fist, awaiting the system’s verdict.

“Ding! Talent Trait [Otsutsuki Lineage (Blue)] acquired. Overlaps with existing traits. Fuse or Dissolve?”

“Ding! Talent Trait [Bloodline Limit (Purple)] acquired. Fuse or Dissolve?”

“Fuse! All of them!”

Afraid of hesitating, Izayoi sacrificed a blue-tier entry to fuse everything.

He swung his arm triumphantly.

He’d won!

50% chance—either a jackpot or nothing.

Since graduating, he’d only ever gotten two blue-tier drops from Rock Lee. Now, his luck had finally turned.

Joy surged through him.

Meanwhile, Sasuke Uchiha and Karin had just finished off the Sound Ninja Four.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end