The Land of Grass was filled with thriving plants.
Huge mushrooms, taller than a house, and trees reaching the sky were everywhere.
Even the grass often grew as tall as a person.
In such a thick, green world, hiding and finding others became important for both attacking and defending.
A small group of ninja from Iwa walked along a forest path.
Their leader had wild hair and a thin face. His large, black eyes made him look like a scary ghost.
"That's Gari of the Explosion Release..."
Yamanaka Hui knew who it was right away.
Gari was a typical ninja from Iwa. He grew up step by step, from being born to joining the Ninja Academy, graduating, and becoming a Jonin, one of Iwa's best ninja.
Because of his amazing explosive power, the Explosion Release ability, Onoki put him in charge of demolitions, making him Deidara's senior.
Explosion Release was a special ability that could blow things up instantly.
The three Jonin behind him were also strong.
They came from different groups, like the scouting team, the supply team, and even the Anbu, the secret ninja force.
Usually, when Iwa had important missions, they would send skilled ninja led by strong leaders to scout ahead.
Before this big Iwa operation, Gari and his team were sent to clear the way.
They had to watch out for Konoha's moves and any traps Konoha might have set.
Because they were so strong and important, all four could do what they thought was best during the war, making decisions based on what was happening.
"Hmm?!"
Suddenly, Gari stopped and turned his head.
He could hear five strong heartbeats.
Normal people couldn't hear them, and even most Jonin would have trouble.
But Gari was as strong as Kakashi with the Sharingan in the original story.
Just like Kakashi heard many heartbeats in Sasuke's hospital room, Gari clearly heard the heartbeats of these unwanted guests.
This showed he was the strongest of the four.
Right away, a storm of weapons flew at them.
Since they were already discovered, Sarutobi Ryo decided to attack.
He ordered Yamanaka Hui and the others to charge.
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
The weapons stuck into the ground, separating the four Iwa ninja.
In a flash, Sarutobi Ryo moved like lightning, using his Swift Release to attack.
Bang!
Gari raised his arm to block Sarutobi Ryo's punch.
Normally, even Jonin wouldn't dare to take Sarutobi Ryo's punch head-on.
Gari's block could have easily been a fatal mistake.
But when the loud crash rang out, things changed.
There was an explosion, like a bomb going off in the air.
A wave of force spread out from where Sarutobi Ryo's fist hit Gari's elbow.
The power shot out in every direction, shaking the grass and trees.
Many blades of grass flew into the air.
After the punch, Sarutobi Ryo stumbled back.
The knuckles on his right hand were bruised and purple, and his arm was shaking.
There's something strange about his arm...
When he punched, it didn't feel like hitting a person, but like hitting hard steel.
"Black Grim Reaper, Sarutobi Ryo?"
Gari slowly lowered his bluish-black arm and spoke calmly.
Seeing the color of Gari's skin, Sarutobi Ryo's eyes narrowed. He realized something impossible: "This is... some kind of special ability?! Is it Steel Release?!"
Because he also had Steel Release, Sarutobi Ryo knew what it was like.
But Gari's Steel Release looked different from his own.
It was more like the Steel Release that Hiruko had taken.
The skin was bluish-black, like a smooth piece of metal.
It was worth remembering that in the movie, the Steel Release ninja Hiruko took was Gari.
But in the manga, Gari had Explosion Release.
Now this is getting interesting.
Sarutobi Ryo knew that when he came to this world, things would change.
Even small changes could cause big differences.
The fight began.
Yamanaka Hui and the other Konoha ninja fought the three Iwa ninja.
In the forest, Gari stood ready, facing Sarutobi Ryo.
With a sound like metal scraping, Gari's whole body turned a dark, deep color.
He had covered himself in Steel Release, making himself nearly impossible to hurt.
As someone with Steel Release, Gari could use his power to harden his skin into metal.
In this state, his defense was better than Earth Style: Hardening Technique, and even better than Kakuzu's Earth Style: Earth Spear!
In the original story, Kakuzu's Earth Style: Earth Spear could break barriers with one punch and even block attacks from the Two-Tails.
Gari's Steel Release was even stronger!
Bang!
There was a loud crash, the ground cracked, and the earth shook.
Gari took a step, and his whole body charged forward like a tank.
His thin body, combined with the bluish-black Steel Release, looked strangely powerful.
"Crushing Palm Strike!"
Sarutobi Ryo jumped back and sent out a palm strike from a distance.
The attack that could kill a cow was like a gentle breeze to Gari.
He ignored Sarutobi Ryo's attack, not slowing down at all.
Bang!
With a palm strike, a huge, old tree had a large hole in it.
It was like a tank had crashed into it.
"Hmm?"
Gari looked at Sarutobi Ryo, who had dodged, with surprise.
"Body Flicker Technique? No Sign Body Flicker Technique? I heard you were a student of Konoha White Fang. It seems the rumors are true..."
A worthy opponent.
Sarutobi Ryo looked at Gari, whose attacks and defense were unmatched. Gari hadn't even used Explosion Release yet, and he was already so strong.
Sarutobi Ryo wasn't scared; he was excited.
He wanted to challenge the strong.
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[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 119 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
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