Wood Release: Advent of the Sea of Trees!
One of the most iconic techniques in Wood Release.
By using one's own chakra as a source of life, the user instantly creates an entire forest. Every branch, vine, and tree within this domain falls under the absolute control of the caster.
This jutsu shares similarities with another of the same style—Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence—but differs in terms of range and chakra consumption.
With Uchiha Haru's current chakra reserves, he could perform Deep Forest Emergence, but that technique demands an immense amount of chakra and is meant to be a finisher.
And even then, against someone like Uchiha Itachi, even a "finisher" may not be enough.
Considering the potential duration of the battle, Uchiha Haru decisively chose to deploy Advent of the Sea of Trees instead.
Vines and branches surged from all directions, thick and fast.
Itachi swiftly responded, using the Body Flicker Technique to evade. But inside this massive forest conjured by Wood Release, every tree was under Haru's command.
This was Haru's domain.
How could anyone expect to escape it with mere body flickers?
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Itachi quickly formed seals, inhaled, and exhaled a stream of scorching flames. A great fire dragon roared forth, crashing into the forest with devastating force.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion rocked the area as vines were incinerated, snapped, and reduced to ash. A temporary gap opened in the entangling forest.
But Itachi didn't have time to move.
The opening he had carved out was quickly resealed by more vines and branches, surging in like living creatures.
The destroyed vegetation regenerated at an astonishing pace, fed directly by Haru's chakra.
The forest closed in again.
So this is... the legendary Wood Release?
Beneath his ANBU mask, Uchiha Itachi frowned slightly.
Centuries ago, the legendary Uchiha Madara—wielder of the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—fought against Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, in the Valley of the End.
Madara lost.
Back then, it was this very power—Wood Release—that overwhelmed the Uchiha clan's strongest warrior.
It was believed that after Hashirama's death, the Wood Release would vanish from the world.
And yet today... he faced it again.
And its power was terrifying.
Under different circumstances, Itachi might have welcomed the chance to test himself against this jutsu. Could the fabled Wood Release truly suppress the Mangekyō Sharingan?
He had always doubted it.
After all, the Sharingan was the pride of the Uchiha clan. How could it be inferior?
But tonight was not the time for experimentation.
Tonight was the night of the Uchiha clan's annihilation.
He had more urgent tasks.
Lingering here would be unwise.
With that, Itachi made his choice.
He would prioritize the mission.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
One after another, Itachi unleashed a relentless barrage of Fire Style jutsu.
From afar, the forest seemed to explode into daylight as firestorms consumed everything.
The roaring heat warped the air. Flames surged high, licking the sky and devouring the trees whole.
Even the Wood Release regeneration couldn't keep up.
Soon, the forest was reduced to cinders, its ashes scattered in the wind.
The Sea of Trees was no more.
Yet Uchiha Haru remained calm.
Given Itachi's prowess, he had anticipated this result.
Still, he was deeply satisfied with his newly awakened Wood Release.
"The bloodline of the God of Shinobi really is something else."
Especially when enhanced by the Ōtsutsuki physiology coursing through his veins.
That divine bloodline pushed his chakra volume, physical regeneration, and sensory prowess to near-inhuman levels—amplifying the true power of Wood Release.
This was critical.
Hashirama Senju's terrifying strength came not just from his kekkei genkai, but also from his Sage Body—the source of his massive chakra reserves.
That allowed him to wield Wood Release with reckless abandon, unleashing its full potential.
There were others in the world who possessed fragments of the same bloodline, but lacking the physical endurance, their Wood Release fell short.
And in terms of raw physical constitution, Uchiha Haru's Ōtsutsuki lineage arguably surpassed even Hashirama's Sage Body.
The only gap now was in the realm of mastery.
Thus, while Haru's Wood Release hadn't yet reached the level of Hashirama Senju, it was still potent enough to go toe-to-toe with someone like Uchiha Itachi.
For someone like Haru, this kind of duel had only existed in simulation—until now.
Yet he noticed something curious.
Itachi hadn't used Tsukuyomi—his Mangekyō Sharingan's most dreaded illusion.
Was he cautious? Was he unsure?
Tsukuyomi was deadly, yes.
But if it failed, the rebound could be devastating. Even a minor miscalculation could spell defeat.
Unless he was nearly certain of success, Itachi would hesitate to activate it.
Itachi, breathing heavily now, finally showed a glimmer of tension.
Even for a Kage-level shinobi, unleashing a dozen large-scale fire jutsu was a taxing endeavor.
Wood Release…
This wasn't some elemental trick. This was Hashirama's legendary kekkei genkai.
And Uchiha Haru had mastered it.
No more underestimating him.
For the first time, Itachi recognized him as a true equal.
Swish, swish, swish!
Shuriken and kunai flew from Itachi's hands, a glittering arc of steel aimed directly at Haru.
"Wood Style: Domed Wall!"
Haru's hands blurred into seals.
Thick wooden pillars shot up from the earth, curving inward to form a protective dome around him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal met wood. The projectiles clattered harmlessly against the dome's surface.
But just as Haru dispelled the wooden dome—
Swish!
Another Itachi appeared behind him, seemingly from nowhere, shuriken already in hand.
He launched it at Haru's back.
But Haru didn't even flinch.
He spun, deflecting it with a kunai of his own—one, then two, then three strikes in rapid succession.
He had seen this trick before, during the earlier genjutsu.
He wouldn't fall for it again.
Or so he thought.
Wait… no!
Something felt off.
A surge of dread flooded his senses.
This wasn't just a shuriken.
This was…
The Windmill Triple-Bladed Shuriken—The Third Sword of the Sharingan!
What he deflected had only been bait.
The true attack came from the shadow—the hidden third sword—spinning at high velocity toward his flank.
With barely a second to spare, Haru activated the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from its path.
He reappeared some distance away, breath sharp, heart pounding.
That had been close.
Too close.
Even with his Ōtsutsuki resilience and rapid healing, an impact from that weapon could've been fatal.
Uchiha Itachi…
Not only did he possess the Mangekyō Sharingan and Kage-level strength.
He had the mind of a demon tactician.
A cold, calculating killer who missed nothing.
How terrifying.
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This Week Bonus Chapter - 150 Power stones