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After Uchiha Haru unleashed Wood Release: Birth of the Sea of Trees, the entire Uchiha clan compound transformed into a vast and oppressive forest, thick with vegetation and shadow.
To an outsider, it might've looked like a paradise — green, lush, teeming with life. But only those caught inside knew the truth: this place was a nightmare.
Every tree, every leaf, every twisting vine was an extension of Uchiha Haru's will. They weren't just part of the terrain — they were his eyes, his ears, his limbs. Here, within this monstrous forest of chakra-infused wood, Haru was omniscient. Every tremble in the air, every heartbeat, every ounce of movement — he felt it. He saw it. He controlled it.
Within this domain, Haru reigned supreme. No movement escaped his notice. No escape was possible — unless one had overwhelming power capable of obliterating everything, or a defense so absolute it rendered attacks irrelevant. Otherwise, there was no way out.
Danzo Shimura was now running for his life within that living maze.
Despite being well into his sixties, Danzo's speed and reflexes were still formidable — sharp as any elite shinobi's. He darted through the vines with surprising agility, more fluid than even the two Root operatives flanking him.
But even for a Kage-level shinobi like Danzo, Haru's relentless assault was beginning to show its toll.
Vines shot out from every direction, slithering like serpents, striking with precision and speed. If it had just been one or two vines, they wouldn't have posed a threat. Even a genin could evade them with ease.
But this?
Hundreds. Thousands. A living tide of branches and thorns and limbs surged toward him, blotting out the light and choking the air with the scent of bark and bloodlust.
Danzo and his two elite guards fought desperately, casting jutsu after jutsu to clear a path. But the moment they created space, more vines rushed in like a wave crashing over rocks. They didn't stop. They didn't hesitate.
Even Danzo's power was starting to falter. As for his two guards — they were faring worse. One had already sustained a deep slash across his arm, barely avoiding being entangled completely. If the other hadn't intervened, he would've been shredded.
Danzo's face twisted with frustration.
He had underestimated this.
He thought he had come prepared — elite Root operatives at his side, and the knowledge that Uchiha Haru was "just" an individual with strong taijutsu.
But that intel was worthless. Lies, or at best, dangerously outdated. This wasn't just a physically skilled shinobi. This was someone on the level of a Kage, and he wielded the legendary Wood Release of the First Hokage himself.
Danzo gritted his teeth. If he had known it would be this much trouble, he never would have come.
Still, escaping was the priority now. He had options — techniques that might reverse the situation — but they came with a cost. Danzo wasn't ready to burn through his trump cards yet.
There were other ways.
"Itachi. I know you're there."
Danzo's voice cut through the chaos, calm but firm, as he dodged another lash of branches.
"Come out. Kill him. Kill Uchiha Haru!"
There was no response — just the rustle of leaves, the snap of splintering wood, and the hiss of vines dragging across the earth.
Danzo's expression darkened, his voice low and threatening.
"Itachi... don't forget our agreement."
"The massacre of the Uchiha was part of your deal, wasn't it?"
Still, silence.
Then, Haru's eyes suddenly narrowed.
He sensed something — a powerful chakra presence, colder than steel and darker than the forest itself.
In the distance, deep in the shadows, two blood-red eyes lit up.
Three tomoe spun slowly, connected like a blade.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Claw!"
"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
One after another, the fire-style ninjutsu came in a blur. The hand seals were executed at a speed beyond human comprehension. Barely had one jutsu completed before the next ignited in its wake.
A dozen jutsu burst into existence simultaneously, releasing a maelstrom of fire across the forest.
Flames roared with a vengeance, devouring everything they touched. The once-vibrant forest was swallowed by a raging inferno, every branch igniting in a flash of orange and red.
The firestorm raged with such intensity that even the ground cracked from the heat.
Danzo watched from within the inferno, his forehead beaded with sweat, his jaw clenched tightly.
He had lost too much in this battle already.
His physical strength was waning. Age was catching up. Even for him, the continuous strain of battle was beginning to hurt.
And now, from the smoke and fire, a figure emerged. Silent, red eyes still glowing.
Uchiha Itachi.
"Itachi, well done," Danzo muttered without turning to look.
"Kill him. Kill Uchiha Haru."
"Konoha will honor its promise to you."
Itachi said nothing but stepped forward, moving to face Haru directly.
Haru's expression changed. Amusement flickered in his eyes.
They had fought countless times before.
In previous simulations, he had been crushed almost instantly. Then he had resisted. Then dominated. Now, he held the Eighty Gods Vacuum Fist in his arsenal — a god-tier technique. This was no longer the same battlefield.
Itachi stood still, and Haru mirrored him. Neither moved. But everyone around them knew: the fight had already begun.
When Uchiha clash, it is not with fists or blades.
It is a war of eyes.
Illusion against illusion.
Genjutsu versus genjutsu.
Uchiha Itachi — a prodigy among prodigies, the one shinobi who had mastered illusion to a terrifying level. To call him a genius in this field would be an understatement.
Danzo, watching carefully, answered before anyone asked, "Will Itachi win?"
"Of course," he said, voice hard and assured. "In the art of illusion, no one is a match for Uchiha Itachi."
This wasn't a boast. This was fact.
For decades, no shinobi had ever approached Itachi's level in genjutsu.
Whatever advantage Uchiha Haru might have in ninjutsu or taijutsu didn't matter here.
This was Itachi's domain.
Danzo's two subordinates nodded silently. They believed it. They'd seen Itachi's illusions in battle. The absolute control. The untraceable attacks. The way enemies collapsed without even understanding what had happened.
This was Uchiha Itachi — a specter of death wrapped in calm and silence.
Even Haru's power couldn't change that.
None of them intervened. They wouldn't dare.
In a battle like this, their interference would only be a liability — an invitation to die.
Their only job now was to watch... and wait.
Danzo's eyes narrowed. After a long pause, he said softly, his voice low and ominous:
"The winner has already been decided."
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