Chapter 154

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"Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu!"

Yamato extended his right hand, and multiple wooden tendrils shot out from his arm, aiming to capture Sasuke, who had just dodged Kurotsuchi's Doton: Dosekibari and leapt into the air.

"Mokuton?"

Sasuke, having witnessed Gensou's battle with the Edo Tensei version of Senju Hashirama, was no stranger to Mokuton. He just hadn't expected that the legendary Wood Release would be wielded by a relatively unknown Konoha shinobi, who had replaced Kakashi as the leader of Team 7.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and his body twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding the pursuing wooden tendrils.

However, the wood still relentlessly followed, bending and stretching towards him again.

Clang!

Sasuke landed on the ground, unsheathing his sword. Infusing it with Raiton chakra, he unleashed a Chidori Blade, slicing through the incoming wood effortlessly.

"Doton: Gōremu no Jutsu!"

Kurotsuchi charged at Sasuke, her right hand covered by a massive stone fist, ready to deliver a heavy punch.

A figure flashed before her.

Clang!

A short blade blocked her stone-covered punch. Izumi stood before her, smiling faintly as she said, "I'll be your opponent from here on."

On the other side of the battlefield, Yamato prepared to engage further, only for a massive Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu to suddenly fly at him from close range.

Yamato didn't hesitate and pressed his hands to the ground.

"Mokuton: Mokujoheki!"

Wooden pillars erupted from the ground, curving to form a dome that shielded him. The fireball collided with it, scorching the wood black but ultimately dispersing.

Watching his Gōkakyū fail, Jin wasn't disappointed. Instead, he smirked, intrigued. "So, this is Mokuton? Interesting. Let's see if it's really as powerful as the legends say."

"Leave this guy to me, Sasuke. You should go catch up with your old friends," Jin said with a casual nod.

Given their camaraderie, Sasuke had no objections. But at this moment, he was already surrounded by Naruto, Sakura, and the unfamiliar young boy who seemed to have taken his place in Team 7, leaving him no room to respond.

"Do these people really think they're so invincible?" Yamato couldn't understand the confidence of Sasuke's teammates. Two of them were facing him and Kurotsuchi, while the last one was single-handedly dealing with Akatsuchi, Bunya, and Ichiha. Yamato couldn't fathom where their self-assurance came from.

But soon, Yamato understood.

To his surprise, the first disruption in the battle didn't come from the smaller group but from Akatsuchi's side, despite their numerical advantage.

"Well, I guess since I'm the captain, they gave me the bigger challenge," Yuikei muttered, looking at the three Iwa shinobi waiting in formation. He clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.

He had wanted to test his skills against Mokuton, but unfortunately, Jin had beaten him to it.

"Oh well, let's get this over with." Yuikei's hands moved, his chakra surging.

As a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths, the Hagoromo Clan was known to rival the Uchiha and Senju clans, thanks to its unique heritage.

Unlike the Uchiha, who inherited Indra's Sharingan, and the Senju, who inherited Ashura's physical prowess, the Hagoromo Clan inherited the Sage's profound understanding of chakra.

This meant that members of the Hagoromo Clan had an easier time comprehending and manipulating chakra nature transformations and shape transformations, giving them superior control over the seven chakra elements compared to other shinobi clans.

Coupled with their naturally large chakra reserves, members of the Hagoromo Clan could adapt to various situations by using different elemental ninjutsu, making their fighting style both elegant and versatile.

This was why, during the Warring States period, the second most feared enemy after an Uchiha with a Sharingan wasn't a member of the Senju Clan but someone from the Hagoromo Clan. After all, if an opponent excelled in Katon, the Hagoromo shinobi would immediately counter with Suiton. If the opponent used Raiton, they would counter with Fūton, and so on.

For most shinobi, facing an opponent with elemental superiority made victory nearly impossible, unless the difference in power was overwhelming.

Gensou's ability to create so many kekkei genkai and his deep mastery of the seven chakra natures was certainly aided by his Hagoromo Clan bloodline.

Of course, not all members of the Hagoromo Clan were equally gifted.

Yuikei, though not as prodigious as Gensou, had still mastered all seven chakra nature transformations to a significant degree, thanks to his bloodline.

"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku!"

"Fūton: Tatsumaki Kyūfū!"

Yuikei's hands moved rapidly, combining Katon and Fūton techniques in quick succession. The fire and wind fused into a massive, devastating combo technique that surged toward the three Iwa shinobi.

In an instant, a sea of flames roared to life.

The firestorm was so intense that both Uchiha Jin and Yamato had to momentarily retreat to avoid being consumed by it.

"Did the captain have to start with such overkill?" Jin sighed as he glanced at the rolling inferno. Understanding Yuikei's power well, Jin didn't need to look any longer. Instead, he flashed back toward Yamato, resuming their fight.

Yamato, now more concerned, refocused on the battle ahead.

"Doton: Doryū Jōheki!"

Faced with the massive sea of flames, Akatsuchi and the others quickly reacted. Together, they slammed their hands into the ground, summoning towering earth walls to block the incoming fire.

Boom!

The clash of powerful techniques created an explosion of dust and debris.

Feeling the strain as their earth walls finally held back the flames, Ichiha exhaled in relief. But before he could fully relax, a hand shot up from the ground.

Boom!

In an instant, Ichiha was yanked underground, the force of the earth's compression knocking him out cold.

"One down."

Yuikei rose from the ground and immediately charged toward Bunya.

Bunya, not taking any chances, activated Doton: Kōka Jutsu, encasing his body in hardened stone for a close-quarters brawl.

Seeing this, Yuikei quickly formed hand seals.

"Raiton: Kaminari no Yari!"

A blinding lightning spear formed in his hand, shooting forward with incredible speed and piercing through Bunya's hardened skin.

Crack!

A hole opened in Bunya's stone armor.

"That's two."

Yuikei pressed his advantage, blood spraying as he prepared to finish off his injured opponent.

Suddenly, a massive fist came barreling toward him.

Yuikei blocked the attack, but the sheer force of the blow pushed him back several steps. He looked up to see Akatsuchi, his large, seemingly gentle frame now imposing.

"This one's not so simple," Yuikei muttered, shaking his reddened hand, his expression becoming more serious.

(End of Chapter)