Chapter 9: The Forest Descends

As before, the three Chu Yangs merely stayed briefly in the palace before being swallowed by the mist.

When they awoke again, they had returned to their respective worlds.

In the Pirate World, Chu Yang was receiving cheers from his crew aboard a pirate ship; in the Magic World, Chu Yang was preparing for his new school’s enrollment.

In the Ninja World.

A massive war, capable of reshaping the ninja world’s balance of power, was about to erupt.

In this era, no ninja villages had yet emerged; it was an age dominated by clans, where chaos and war were the prevailing themes.

Within the ninja world, the two most renowned clans were mobilizing their forces, preparing for a decisive battle.

The Senju Clan.

The Uchiha Clan.

The war between these two clans had lasted for many years; in a sense, their war history was the history of the ninja world.

As the war dragged on, both sides’ frontlines stretched ever longer, creating growing supply demands.

Chu Yang, having just returned from the Soul Palace, immediately received orders from his clan: join a small squad to ambush the Uchiha Clan’s supply unit.

This had become routine in this war.

The Senju Clan’s supply lines were frequently targeted by Uchiha raids.

Both sides traded blows, gradually adapting to these attacks, turning ambushes into a contest of reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance.

Chu Yang’s squad and the enemy supply unit had chased each other across the grasslands for two full days before finally pinning down the enemy’s position.

Night fell; the Uchiha supply unit had set up camp downstream of a small river, while Chu Yang’s squad lay in ambush among the trees nearby.

“Although the Uchiha’s Sharingan is inferior to the Hyuga’s Byakugan in reconnaissance, it still possesses formidable observational power.”

“During the operation, be sure to control your chakra flow and avoid drawing the enemy’s attention.”

The squad leader repeatedly warned the members.

Because all of them were very young and had little experience fighting the Uchiha.

One of them was even a boy who had just joined the war.

The leader’s gaze lingered on Chu Yang, then he silently shook his head—someone so young and inexperienced was most likely to die.

Under cover of night, the squad swiftly slipped into the river and slowly swam toward the enemy camp.

Chu Yang, lagging at the rear, sensed something was wrong.

The number of night sentries was minimal, failing to fully encircle the camp—especially along the riverbank, where not a single shadow could be seen.

Moreover, the camp was unnaturally silent, as if everyone inside had fallen into a deathlike slumber.

These two behaviors were extremely dangerous in the wild.

Chu Yang wanted to warn the leader, but the man had already swum far ahead, leaving a great distance between them.

After reaching shore, Chu Yang finally had a chance to whisper his concerns into the leader’s ear—but the leader, seeing his youth, dismissed it.

Chu Yang sighed. Since he couldn’t convince him, he’d just have to be more careful himself.

The leader stealthily crept into a tent…

The other squad members scattered around, waiting for the leader’s signal to strike and eliminate the resting Uchiha.

But instead of the signal, they heard only a piercing scream!

Damn it!

At the same moment, flames erupted from all directions; the entire camp blazed with light, and dark figures surged everywhere—Uchiha ninja were everywhere!

The next instant…

Chu Yang saw the leader dragged out of the tent like a dead dog by Uchiha warriors.

Chu Yang’s squad had walked into an ambush!

“Find a way to break out!”

Someone in the squad suddenly shouted, and immediately many ninja panicked, scattering in different directions to flee.

“Fools! Splitting up now is suicide—they’ve already set traps waiting for us!” Chu Yang couldn’t help shouting in fury.

As expected, the Senju ninja attempting to escape were slaughtered by hidden enemies.

This forced the remaining Senju warriors to quickly assess the situation and converge toward Chu Yang’s position.

“Attack!”

The leading Uchiha clearly didn’t want the enemy any breathing room.

Both sides erupted into fierce combat!

After several clashes, Chu Yang realized their strength was far too high—they couldn’t possibly be a supply unit.

This so-called supply unit had been a trap from the start!

“We’ll make the Senju Clan pay!”

The enemy had prepared thoroughly; in both strength and numbers, Chu Yang’s side was overwhelmed and quickly fell into disadvantage!

But!

The Uchiha Clan had still miscalculated.

Chu Yang, having returned from the Soul Palace, had his innate abilities tripled.

His proficiency in Wood Release and his chakra reserves were now sufficient to partially activate an S-rank Wood Release technique.

As the Senju Clan reeled from retreat, Chu Yang stepped forward and began forming hand seals.

The earth trembled.

Countless thick trees erupted from the ground, forming a vast forest within moments, engulfing all the Uchiha ninja.

[Wood Release: Tree Graveyard]

This was the only S-rank technique Chu Yang knew—but it wasn’t the full version of Tree Graveyard; even if he drained all his chakra, it would only reach half the power of the original.

It resembled a low-tier version of Yamato’s “Forest Graveyard.”

Its power didn’t reach S-rank, only between A and S level.

Even so, it was more than enough to deal with these Uchiha ninja.

Under Chu Yang’s control, the entire forest became a ravenous demon, relentlessly strangling or imprisoning Uchiha ninja.

They were drowned in the forest, with no ground to stand on—every patch of earth they’d ever touched had become a battlefield.

Among the Uchiha were masters of Fire Release who refused to surrender; they unleashed torrents of fire techniques, trying to burn down the forest.

Clearly, they had never witnessed the true power of Wood Release.

The speed at which the flames destroyed the trees was far slower than the forest’s regeneration.

No matter how hard they tried, they were always swallowed by an endless sea of trees, filling them with despair.

And this was only the incomplete version of [Tree Graveyard]!

The enemy was utterly suppressed; the Senju warriors seized the moment to counterattack!

With help from other Senju ninja, most Uchiha were slain within the forest; in an instant, Chu Yang reversed the tide of battle!

This was the true power of Wood Release on the battlefield—it could decide the outcome of a small-scale war!

After the Wood Release ravaged the field, the few remaining enemies fled under Chu Yang’s terrifying presence; exhausted, Chu Yang did not pursue.

The surviving Senju warriors gathered around Chu Yang, their eyes filled with gratitude.

“Yang! Without Itachi, we’d all be dead here!”

“I didn’t know Itachi could use the Hokage’s Wood Release!”

“I heard the Hokage took a group of young disciples and taught them his unique Wood Release techniques—could Itachi be one of them?”

The clan members stared at Chu Yang in shock.

Brothers, give me some follow reads—it’s Monday.

(End of Chapter)