"Wood Style!"
The sturdy roots of Wood Style successfully slowed Hatake Sakumo's pace. By the time he broke free from the bindings, obstacles had already sprouted all over the ground ahead, and Madara was rapidly closing in.
But that wasn't what shocked Sakumo most.
What truly stunned him was the jutsu itself—
It was Wood Style! A kekkei genkai universally known to belong exclusively to the Senju clan!
Yet that old man clearly possessed the Sharingan—and now he was using Wood Style? This completely shattered Sakumo's understanding of the ninja world.
Frowning, Nawaki spoke up.
"Keep going. I'll hold him off."
As he spoke, several wooden planks extended from Nawaki's body, landing on the ground and forming Wood Clones.
While creating the clones, Nawaki channeled a portion of his Life Source chakra into them, triggering a subtle yet miraculous transformation.
Even the Wood Clones could now draw upon the power of the Life Source within their bodies!
Under Nawaki's control, the clones spread out and began using Wood Style techniques as well, successfully hindering Madara's advance.
Whether Madara used the Body Flicker Technique to pursue them in a straight line or tried to weave through evasively, he was inevitably blocked by the entangling wooden roots.
And if he diverted attention to deal with the clones, he would still lose valuable time.
Although unwilling, Madara ultimately came to a halt, realizing he couldn't catch up.
Damn it...
If it weren't for this aging body, he could've crushed these obstacles with ease. He could've caught up to them in mere seconds and even launched powerful Fire Style techniques from afar to incapacitate them.
But there are no "ifs." Old age is the greatest enemy of even the strongest shinobi.
Gazing deeply at the two figures fading into the distance, Madara eventually chose to retreat.
Seeing Madara's silhouette disappearing, Nawaki finally let out a sigh of relief. His Mind's Eye confirmed that Madara had truly left and wasn't hiding nearby.
After all, Nawaki had designated Madara as a Reincarnator—he could track his movements in real time.
However, Hatake Sakumo wasn't aware of this. Still on high alert, he carried Nawaki for hours before finally slowing down as night fell.
What stamina. Nawaki genuinely thought Sakumo might carry him all the way back to Konoha at this rate…
Jumping down from Sakumo's back, Nawaki dusted himself off and looked over the man who would one day suffer a tragic fate—the famed White Fang of the Leaf—with a smile.
"Uncle, did the Third Hokage send you to protect me? You're really strong!"
"Strong? I don't think so. I couldn't even deal with one old man. All I could do was grab you and run—how is that strong?" Sakumo chuckled and shook his head, still filled with questions.
He still couldn't wrap his head around it. That old man had the Sharingan… and also used Wood Style?
Since when could the Sharingan replicate a kekkei genkai?
"No, you really are strong," Nawaki replied seriously.
"Because that old man just now… was most likely the man who once fought alongside the First Hokage. The God of the Uchiha—Uchiha Madara. Not beating him is nothing to be ashamed of."
"What? Uchiha Madara? Wasn't he defeated by the First Hokage at the Valley of the End long ago?" Sakumo gasped.
"Judging by his appearance and age, that elderly man looked to be on death's door. And yet he still possessed immense power, wielded the Sharingan, and carried the Uchiha clan's famed Gunbai. Who else could he be but the legendary Madara?"
Nawaki shrugged.
"As for how he didn't die at the Valley of the End… who knows?"
Sakumo fell silent. Based on Nawaki's analysis, there really seemed to be only one possible identity for that man.
It was a matter for the Hokage to determine now.
Seeing Sakumo deep in thought, Nawaki smiled but didn't elaborate further.
Everything he deduced, Hiruzen Sarutobi would likely be able to figure out as well. In fact, Hiruzen might even guess how Madara could use Wood Style.
After all, Konoha had been researching the First Hokage's cells for quite some time.
After a brief pause, Sakumo said,
"Let's return to Konoha as soon as possible. We need to report all this to the Hokage."
"No problem."
Nawaki had no objections.
Between camping in the wild and sleeping at home, he'd rather be in his own bed.
And with Sakumo's speed, it wouldn't take more than a few hours to get back to Konoha at full speed.
---
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, things were relatively peaceful.
For Nawaki, the biggest change was completing his promotion mission and officially becoming a Chūnin. That meant the next time he joined the war, he'd be leading a squad—quite the milestone.
However, when Tsunade found out Nawaki had been attacked by Uchiha Madara, she nearly lost control and punched through a wall.
Her strength had grown again… Thankfully, there were still no signs of hair loss.
Meanwhile, Kushina had been stopping by Nawaki's house every few days, receiving a warm welcome from the Senju clan members.
One other thing—Orochimaru had returned.
He came back with a group of Konoha ninja who had been deployed to the Land of Rain for several months. Their victorious return brought much celebration, and Konoha felt like it was in festival mode for days.
Naturally, this also contributed to the coming baby boom—seeing their wives after months away, many ninja didn't waste time "cultivating."
Nawaki even analyzed the lineup of next year's newborns, who would eventually play minor roles in the story: Sarutobi Asuma, Nohara Rin, Yūhi Kurenai, Uchiha Obito...
He couldn't help but sigh—there were quite a few "marksmen" this year.
These children were all future candidates to become Reincarnators, which was why Nawaki paid close attention.
Of course, the most important event of the new month was…
A new Reincarnator Mission.
Time for another exciting chapter. Who would join the ranks of the Reincarnators this time? Which world would they enter, and what missions awaited them?
Unsurprisingly, the first person to appear on Nawaki's Mind's Eye was already there.
Inside a pitch-black cave, an elderly man sat silently. He wore a long black robe, his face gaunt and aged, with long gray hair cascading down his back. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, one might think he was already dead.
Behind him stood a massive, terrifying statue-like structure.
Just then, a cold voice echoed beside his ear.
[Do you desire to be young again? Do you wish for a greater power?]
"…"
Uchiha Madara slowly opened his eyes, scanning the surroundings in surprise, but found no one there.
A moment later, his consciousness faded into darkness.
~~~~~
If You Wish To Support Me And Read 25-30 Advance Chapters, Consider Joining Me On This Journey!
p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin
Remove the parentheses btw