Spiral Zetsu sprouted tree roots all over his body to block the lava, carrying Madara's corpse into a small tunnel before descending continuously.
The entire underground of the Land of Grass had already been hollowed out by them, filled with dense, ant-hill-like tunnels; even Madara himself wasn't sure exactly how many there were.
Makiya sensed a soul aura suddenly plummet and then rapidly head downward, vanishing from his perception in the blink of an eye.
He wasn't sure if Madara could control the Gedo Statue yet. After some thought, he abandoned the idea of a full pursuit. Madara must have used Izanagi in the end, though he wondered if that old geezer's body could handle it.
'It would be best if he couldn't handle it and just died.'
The skeletal structure dissipated and the flames receded as Makiya landed on the ground to wait for Minato.
Swoosh!
A moment later, Minato appeared beside Makiya holding Obito, his gaze filled with awe.
His shadow clones had been accidentally caught in the crossfire when Makiya clashed with the Wood Dragon. The battle between Makiya and Madara was so grand that many items marked with Flying Raijin formulas had been destroyed, making the battlefield environment very unfavorable for Minato.
"Makiya, did you kill that Wood Style ninja just now?" Minato looked at the remains of the Wood Golem and couldn't help but click his tongue. Whether in terms of destructive power or sheer scale, Makiya's combat was more spectacular—he was a true humanoid Tailed Beast.
"No, the opponent probably isn't dead. They have a technique that allows them to merge into the earth and trees, and they move extremely fast underground." Makiya shook his head regretfully. The Mayfly Technique was definitely the ultimate escape skill, but he had already gauged the opponent's speed underground. He would surely catch them next time.
Minato thought of the mysterious person he had seen and nodded in agreement. "And it didn't require hand signs, somewhat like your signless ninjutsu."
"Essentially, they're just secret techniques." Makiya pointed at Obito. "They rescued Obito, but I don't know if it was out of kindness or some other conspiracy. I suggest you leave a Flying Raijin mark on him."
Obito was still asleep, his face currently flushed with a mysterious redness as he muttered incessantly, "Hehehe, Rin, Rin..."
Looking at Obito's silly expression, Minato pondered for a moment before nodding. "I'll discuss it with Obito."
After a brief stay, the two sped back to the Konoha defense line to bring news of the Wood Style to Jiraiya and the village.
The massive remains of the Wood Golem left behind were naturally very conspicuous. The Grass Ninja who first discovered them reported to the leader of the Hidden Grass Village, and soon the Tsuchikage, Ohnoki, was informed.
The old man's expression changed repeatedly upon hearing the news. He flew to the Land of Grass overnight to confirm it, and only when the Wood Golem, sliced in half, appeared before him did he have to believe the reality of Wood Style's reappearance.
He was very concerned about the cooled lava around the Wood Golem. It was clear the Wood Style ninja had fought a great battle with someone. The final result was unknown, but the other person was clearly a top-tier powerhouse as well.
'Who could it be? Cooled lava... could it be...'
'The Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi?!'
Ohnoki shook his head. Roshi had been right under his nose; it was impossible for him to suddenly appear in the Land of Grass in secret.
He connected it to the latest intelligence. The combat style was very similar to Makiya Uchiha, the rising star from Konoha.
"Hiss... Konoha really has many talents. Makiya Uchiha, is it? I've remembered you." Ohnoki clutched his lower back, which had been strained during the journey, feeling a wave of envy and jealousy.
Now, the entire Land of Grass made him feel very insecure. Ohnoki immediately returned to his village, and Iwagakure began a full-scale contraction in the Land of Grass, keeping only a portion of garrison troops to guard the defense line. Until he figured out the truth about the Wood Style ninja, he would never go to full-scale war with Konoha again.
After Ohnoki left, a large number of ninjas arrived one after another, including spies from various countries and villages. News of the Wood Style's appearance swept through the ninja world like a hurricane, even causing the heat of the war itself to subside significantly.
Combined with the news released by Iwagakure, Makiya Uchiha's name reached the front pages of every village. Iwa, Suna, and Kiri successively issued orders: if Makiya Uchiha is encountered during a mission, the mission can be abandoned immediately without punishment.
The Cloud Ninja were more stubborn. It was said they specifically sent people deep into the Land of Grass to find the battlefield ruins. They tested the strength of the Wood Golem's remains and concluded that Wood Style was nothing special, something that could be smashed with a single punch; it was just a bit large and not worth worrying about.
As the news of Wood Style continued to spread, in a certain large city in the Land of Fire, the Legendary Sucker was gambling heavily. Upon suddenly hearing nearby guests discussing information about the Wood Style, she pricked up her ears to listen for a moment and then grabbed her chips.
"Shizune, I'm done playing."
"Eh? Lady Tsunade, wait for me! Where are we going?"
"Back to Konoha!"
On the front lines, Jiraiya was also quite shocked. He dispatched an elite squad to set out overnight and escort Obito back to the village.
Konoha, the Hokage's Office.
Danzo stood before the desk once again, staring eye-to-eye with Hiruzen Sarutobi. Neither spoke, waiting for the other to open their mouth first.
Because one eye was no match for two in a staring contest, Danzo helplessly admitted defeat after a moment, blinking his dry eyes. "Hiruzen, why did you call me here?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was momentarily exasperated. 'Still asking me what the matter is? You're feigning ignorance and playing dumb!'
"Who is the Wood Style ninja? Which phase of the successful experimental subjects is he from?" Hiruzen asked crossly.
Danzo: "..."
A black pot of blame was suddenly thrust upon him, leaving him unsure how to answer.
He wanted to say this really had nothing to do with him and that he was also confused about the Wood Style ninja who appeared in the Land of Grass. Perhaps... maybe... could it be one of Orochimaru's people?
"I don't know. He's not one of mine," Danzo answered truthfully.
Root did indeed have one surviving experimental subject from the Wood Style trials whom Danzo had hidden from Hiruzen, but that child could hardly build a three-bedroom apartment, let alone use something like the Wood Golem Technique.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply and said earnestly, "Hand him over. Wood Style is of great importance and must be cultivated by the Anbu. This time, even Homura and Koharu won't support you."
"He's really not my person!" Danzo uncharacteristically did not get angry but explained repeatedly, "Hiruzen, you know me. If he were my subordinate, he would never have appeared in the Land of Grass with such fanfare."
Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe and gazed at Danzo. "Then why would he fight Makiya Uchiha and secretly transplant Hashirama cells into Obito Uchiha? Besides you, who else meets the three conditions of possessing Hashirama cells, wanting to kill Makiya Uchiha, and wanting to use Uchiha clansmen for experiments?"
Danzo: "..."
Indeed, from an objective perspective, he also believed he was the most suspicious.
But putting aside the hidden Wood Style experimental subject, Danzo felt he was being wronged; someone was definitely setting him up with careful deliberation.
As the two went back and forth, Danzo bit down and refused to budge. Hiruzen's anger gradually built up until it finally exploded. "Danzo, I am the—"
"I know you're the Hokage, but the Hokage can't frame an innocent person!"
The conversation ended on a sour note. Hiruzen watched Danzo's departing back, his eyes flickering as if he were hesitating about something.
They had been old friends for so many years; to put it bluntly, as soon as Danzo stuck his tail up, Hiruzen knew what he had eaten yesterday. Danzo was very obviously lying just now!
Root definitely had a Wood Style ninja!
'Hiruzen, oh Hiruzen, you must not hesitate again this time!' Hiruzen Sarutobi took a heavy puff of his pipe as if he had made a certain decision. Before he resigned from his position as Hokage, he had to resolve the trouble that was Root; he couldn't leave the filth for the Fourth Hokage.
The storm didn't affect Makiya for the time being. Aside from the people around him becoming more respectful, his life didn't change much. He transferred to the northern part of the Land of Fire with Minato to guard against the Cloud Ninja while working hard on his cultivation.
At his strong request, Kakashi and Rin also stayed by his side. Under the guise of guidance and discussing medical ninjutsu, Makiya left a shadow clone to stay by Rin's side long-term, making the young girl feel overwhelmed by the attention.
It was said that Obito woke up in the Konoha Hospital, and after hearing what Makiya had done, he made a huge scene about wanting to go to the front lines, annoying the doctors responsible for his treatment.
That night, in the mysterious space.
As soon as Makiya appeared, his eyes lit up.
"Whoa, newcomers are finally here! Let me see, one, two, three, four..."
Counting Navy Makiya and Soul Reaper Makiya, a total of six people were gathered in a circle, whispering with their heads bowed.
To think four newcomers came all at once!
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