The waves of chakra flooding Yuichi's body were terrifying.
Chakra gathered rapidly in the palm of his right hand.
Rasengan!
Bang!
The swirling Rasengan struck Orochimaru squarely in the chest.
His clothes were shredded instantly by the high-speed rotation of chakra.
A bitter sweetness rose in Orochimaru's throat as a spiral mark burned across his body.
The air itself trembled.
Orochimaru was blasted away, his body thrown back by the Rasengan's impact.
All eyes turned skyward.
At the point where the two shadows clashed—
Orochimaru.
One of Konoha's legendary Sannin.
Being beaten down by a mere Genin.
The crowd of shinobi who witnessed it were struck speechless.
What one sees with their own eyes always carries more weight than rumor or imagination.
Orochimaru's body hurtled downward, crashing into the earth from a height of twenty meters.
The impact shook the ground, gouging out a massive crater.
Swish! Swish!
"It's not over yet, Orochimaru!"
Hovering above, Yuichi spread both arms wide.
Chakra surged along his limbs.
The surrounding mist and vapor seemed to be drawn toward him, pulled unnaturally against the wind.
The air whirled furiously around him.
Water Style: Hard Vortex Water Blade!
Two torrents of water condensed into sharp, javelin-like blades.
With a flick of his arms, Yuichi hurled them down.
Boom! Boom!
Twice in succession, Orochimaru's body was struck, slamming deeper into the earth.
Water vapor exploded outward like a raging sea storm.
Two spiraling waterspouts, each towering fifteen meters, twisted violently before colliding together.
Roar!
The sound was deafening, like thunder splitting the sky.
The shockwave rippled through the air, sweeping across the battlefield.
"So strong… could Orochimaru—one of the Sannin—actually be killed!?"
"If Yuichi really kills Orochimaru, then Lord Third will finally have his revenge…"
The waters roared on, raging for several more seconds before finally subsiding.
The battlefield grew quiet.
On Orochimaru's side, there was no sign of movement.
But elsewhere—
Manda was still locked in combat with the wooden dragon.
The wooden beast's claws tore through the serpent's scales as though they were paper.
Blood gushed forth in torrents.
Manda shrieked in agony, writhing desperately to escape the dragon's grip.
But the wooden dragon's coils were unyielding, its strength absolute.
"Damn it, Orochimaru! You dare leave me to deal with this monster!? I'll make you pay for this—next time…"
Bang!
In a puff of smoke, Manda vanished.
The wooden dragon crashed heavily to the ground.
The First and Second Hokage, caught within its jaws, dissolved into ash, scattering into the wind.
"You… a child of the Senju clan… why choose such a path?"
As he faded, Hashirama's voice carried with it both sorrow and reproach.
Yuichi, standing atop the dragon's head, looked down coldly.
"Because Konoha under the Third's rule has rotted."
At this, Tobirama's gaze hardened. "So your aim is to seize control of the village?"
"Yes."
"To think the Senju produced one such as you… it is a disgrace to our name."
"Heh. The Senju will be remembered with pride because of me."
"Does a man who kills Hokage deserve admiration?"
"Why can't Hokage be killed? Your time has ended. I will show you a new era, one that even you—First and Second Hokage—will witness."
Yuichi smiled.
"I look forward to our next meeting."
The two brothers stiffened at his words. Next meeting? Did he truly intend to summon them again with Impure World Reincarnation?
They carried this unsettling doubt with them as their souls slipped free, fading back into silence.
Yuichi's eyes returned to the battlefield.
Orochimaru—after taking a Rasengan and two Hard Vortex Water Blades—still hadn't reappeared.
Even as one of the Sannin, he lacked the overwhelming speed needed to counter such relentless attacks.
There had been no time for him to weave hand seals.
In the smoking crater below, blood mingled with the water.
Orochimaru's body floated limply.
Was he dead?
No.
The system hadn't issued Yuichi the "end reward" that signaled a character's demise.
Orochimaru wouldn't die so easily.
Escaped? Or was that just a discarded body?
For Orochimaru to truly die, every vessel bearing his cursed seals would have to be destroyed.
That included Sasuke.
Yuichi sighed. "A pity. I thought I'd even earn the end bonus for killing him."
Uncle Snake's survival skills were still unmatched.
Killing him outright was no simple task.
The silver dragon coiled beneath Yuichi, glaring across the ruined battlefield.
From the distance, a tide of black shadows approached swiftly.
They revealed themselves—shinobi, one after another, leaping atop the towering wooden vines.
Each gaze fixed upward, toward Yuichi standing upon the dragon's head.
The oppressive aura rolling off him was undeniable.
Even greater than that of the aging Third Hokage.
Konoha had lost its Hokage…
But perhaps gained something greater.
Another wielder of Wood Style.
Nagano Yuichi.
Wood Style, the power that had not graced Konoha since the First Hokage, had returned.
"Once, Lord Shodai used Wood Style to bring peace to an age of chaos. Now, Konoha once again has a Wood Style shinobi to rely on."
"And he defeated Orochimaru, avenging the Third Hokage in the process."
Their gazes shifted.
Doubt and fear melted away, replaced by reverence.
The silver wooden dragon gleamed brilliantly beneath the light.
And atop its head stood Yuichi, youthful but imposing, his presence overwhelming.
Strength makes age irrelevant.
The runaway—his display of unrestrained power—had achieved its purpose perfectly.
Without showing them his true strength, how could they ever grasp it?
This was never about dividing Konoha's shinobi, as Orochimaru had believed.
It was about showing them…
That Wood Style had returned.
That Yuichi's strength rivaled the First Hokage.
That Konoha's future still shone with promise.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the ruined village—
Danzo stood upon the tilted roof of a half-collapsed building, hauled out from the ground by Yuichi's Wood Style.
He looked around.
Huge vines had devoured nearly half of Konoha.
Entire streets lay in ruin.
"Wood Style… this power… how could anyone wield something so terrifying, just like the First Hokage…"
Behind him, Kakashi's face was streaked with blood, while Might Guy struggled to catch his breath.
But neither paid Danzo any mind.
Their eyes were fixed on Konoha's devastation—
And on Yuichi—
Plunged into endless doubt.