Naruto: As the Strongest Ōtsutsuki!

[Ding! You have obtained the talent trait [Kekkei Genkai: Wood Release (Purple)]. Fuse or decompose?]

"Fuse."

Though the system's voice lacked emotion, to Izayoi, it rang like heavenly music.

Without hesitation, he fused the hard-earned trait.

The next moment, a new entry appeared in his trait panel: Kekkei Genkai: Wood Release (Purple).

Behind Wood Release was a bracket with a "+," indicating it could be upgraded.

Izayoi's point balance had surpassed 100,000, enough to upgrade ten purple traits to gold or one gold trait to red.

Upgrading Wood Release required only 9,999 points, but Izayoi held off—it'd be a waste.

Danzo Shimura, Uchiha Obito, Yamato, and Black-and-White Zetsu had proven that Wood Release wasn't the true strength. The real power was Hashirama Senju, whose chakra nearly matched half a Nine-Tails plus Naruto Uzumaki's combined.

Hashirama, having mastered the Sage Body, could make any ninjutsu or kekkei genkai shine.

If he'd wielded Dust Release, it would've been the ultimate ability, truly befitting a kekkei tota above kekkei genkai.

Without Sage Body-level Yang Release chakra, Wood Release was merely a solid kekkei genkai, capable of producing aces like Yamato, nothing more.

With his Tenseigan, Izayoi didn't really need Wood Release.

But to accelerate Sasuke's growth—his prized leek—and to counter Black-and-White Zetsu's Mayfly Technique, Wood Release was essential.

Now that he'd finally obtained it, Izayoi could deal with those pesky intruders, turning Konoha into a clean slate.

Wearing colored contacts, Izayoi activated his Tenseigan, his perspective shifting to a villa on Sakura Street. He controlled a puppet guarding the place, opened a safe, and retrieved a red scroll.

Unfurling it, a array of Wood Release ninjutsu met his eyes.

This was the scroll Danzo gave Yamato in the original story, one of Danzo's prized possessions.

However, it lacked Hashirama's signature trio: Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique, and Wood Release: Wood Human Technique.

Naturally, it also omitted Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands—Buddha on High.

Izayoi wasn't bothered. He skimmed the scroll, focusing on Wood Release's three basic techniques.

If Black-and-White Zetsu's Impersonation, Mayfly, and Spore Techniques were the ultimate evolutions of Substitution, Body Flicker, and Hiding Techniques, then Wood Release's three basic techniques were the pinnacle of Substitution.

While not matching Zetsu's three divine skills, they far surpassed standard Substitution and Shadow Clone Techniques.

Izayoi mastered the three Wood Release basics with a glance.

He then learned two practical Wood Release ninjutsu before closing the scroll.

Rod in hand, Izayoi stepped into the courtyard, calling to Sasuke, who sat cross-legged on the engawa reading. "Sasuke, wanna go fishing?"

"Nah, you go with Hinata and Hanabi."

Sasuke didn't look up. "I've got a feeling the C-rank and above mission system will restart soon. We might head out on missions then. While I've got time, I want to read more."

He suddenly glanced at Izayoi, waving his book. "By the way, that S-rank technique you mentioned—is it medical?"

"It's sort of a support type, between medical ninjutsu and sealing," Izayoi mused, waving with a grin. "You'll love it, trust me. Keep at it."

Flickering away from Sasuke's house, Izayoi didn't seek out Hinata or Hanabi, instead heading alone to the Naka River.

He pulled a beach chair from a sealing scroll, baited a hook, and cast his line with a perfect swing, settling into an angler's afternoon.

Minutes passed with no bites, so Izayoi started chumming.

He tossed a handful of bait into the water, using a float to lure fish closer.

A pro angler through and through.

Unnoticed, among the bait was a white seed, drifting downstream with the current.

A drenched figure crawled ashore downstream—a Wood Clone Izayoi had transformed into.

The clone flickered away the moment it surfaced.

Reappearing atop a cliff overlooking the Naka River, it hid in a tree hollow, pressing a hand to the ground. Wood Release chakra seeped into the earth, not sprouting branches but spreading through roots, connecting to plants and underground streams within a kilometer radius.

Without Kagura's Mind's Eye or Tenseigan, the clone's Wood Release chakra detected a unique signature underground.

This chakra clung to a tree root, perfectly blended, undetectable by even the strongest sensory techniques. Even x-ray vision would see only the root.

But no ninjutsu was flawless.

Like elemental counters, every technique had a weakness.

Wood Release, born from Water and Earth chakra, countered the Mayfly Technique, which relied on merging with plants and underground networks for high-speed movement.

Locating the White Zetsu clone, the Wood Clone whispered without seals, "Wood Release: Silent Killing Binding Technique!"

Instantly, the root hosting the Zetsu clone came alive.

It grew rapidly, wrapping the chakra mass like a dumpling, a terrifying suction devouring it completely, leaving no chance for high-speed escape.

Black tadpole-like curse marks emerged on the root, sealing the clone's consciousness.

"Damn, I've been found!"

The moment the clone was sealed, White Zetsu clones across Konoha—and the shinobi world—felt a mental ping, instantly knowing which clone was compromised.

The next second, every White Zetsu clone in Konoha fled without hesitation.

Black-and-White Zetsu, prowling the shinobi world in Mayfly state, popped their heads from the ground.

White Zetsu, no longer playful, said gravely, "The Mayfly Technique's been cracked. One of our clones in Konoha was spotted and caught."

Black Zetsu, linked mentally to the clone, learned the same. His dark face seemed to darken further.

"The Mayfly Technique blends with earth and plants, invisible to even the strongest sensory skills," Black Zetsu intoned. "No barrier can block its movement. Even if pinpointed, quick reactions make Earth Release useless against it."

"To catch a clone silently—it's not ninjutsu. A secret art or kekkei genkai?"

"No clue. It was sealed instantly, no intel shared," White Zetsu shook his head. "Send more clones?"

Black Zetsu fell silent.

White Zetsu waited, not interrupting.

Moments later, a sly smile crept across Black Zetsu's face, his voice rasping, "No need. This might be good news."

"Good news? How?" White Zetsu asked, puzzled.

"We overlooked something crucial," Black Zetsu said, gazing skyward with a playful smirk. "Hamura, that unfilial son, only took one branch of his clan. Another stayed in the shinobi world, shedding their original name over a millennium."

White Zetsu's eyes widened. "You mean… the Hyuga clan?"

"It's possible," Black Zetsu analyzed. "Few abilities can crack the Mayfly Technique—I've seen none in a thousand years. But even I avoided those unfilial sons. If it's the Rinnegan or that unknown dojutsu, it might see through it."

"If so, that mysterious figure isn't from the moon but a Hyuga whose bloodline… awakened ancestrally!"

"I see…" White Zetsu nodded, excited. "Should we investigate the Hyuga? Who's most likely to awaken that dojutsu—Hyuga Hiashi?"

"A dojutsu wielding universal power needs vast chakra," Black Zetsu said sharply. "If a Hyuga's chakra is abnormal, they're the prime suspect."

"What if no one fits?"

"Then consider that branch secretly sent their best to Konoha. Watch those with white hair."

"Hatake Kakashi fits—he had monstrous chakra before the Sharingan transplant."

"He's not the one! If he were, the Sharingan would have no side effects, even without Uchiha blood," Black Zetsu said firmly.

"Fair…" White Zetsu nodded, then frowned. "But with the Mayfly Technique exposed, clones can't infiltrate Konoha."

"If Mayfly fails, use Impersonation," Black Zetsu sneered.

"Right!" White Zetsu's eyes lit up. "We can pose as Konoha ninja, even steal a Hyuga's identity. If caught, it's just one clone lost."

No sooner said than done—White Zetsu sprang into action.

Izayoi was oblivious to Black-and-White Zetsu's response.

If he knew, he'd marvel: A millennium-old schemer is no small fry.

Yet he held the edge.

Black Zetsu's thinking was still bound by logic.

He'd never guess an outsider could perfectly mimic an ancestral Otsutsuki bloodline—without white hair!

Konoha's leaders and White Zetsu clones assumed Izayoi's flight came from Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique or similar, not linking him to Akatsuki's Leader or the mysterious figure.

His background was too clean.

Even his vast chakra could be chalked up to a latent Uzumaki or Senju awakening.

Both were Yang Release Sage Body descendants, unrelated to Yin Release dojutsu or Rinnegan.

Back at the Naka River.

After sealing the White Zetsu clone, the Wood Clone used Wood Release to unearth the bound "dumpling," then flickered elsewhere to probe for more clones in Konoha.

Izayoi rose, floating to the cliff, and approached the dumpling.

To avoid mishaps, he used Wood Transformation to become an ordinary middle-aged man before unwrapping the roots.

The White Zetsu clone inside was unconscious.

"Let's see if your brain's empty or not," Izayoi muttered, placing a hand on its head. "Ninja Art: Mind Reading Technique!"

As Yin Release chakra probed the clone's mind, Izayoi's face fell with disappointment.

As expected, the clone's brain was empty.

He couldn't extract the Mayfly or Impersonation Techniques.

With those, paired with chakra-absorbing, self-sustaining Wood Clones, Izayoi could rival ten thousand White Zetsu.

Then, the hunter would truly become the hunted.

But this was within expectations.

He had other methods.

A transmigrator's greatest edge was always knowing the plot!

Sealing the clone and double-locking it in a cave, Izayoi dove into the river, caught a few fish, and returned to brag to Sasuke.

Anglers never go home empty-handed!

Time rolled to August 22, Year 60 of Konoha.

Half a month since the Konoha Crush.

Konoha ninja were limited to two tasks: D-rank village chores or intel-gathering on Orochimaru and the Sound Village.

Beyond these, the Hokage Tower halted the mission system, rejecting all outsider requests.

Without a new Hokage, the system stayed offline.

The lack of missions flooded Konoha's streets with ninja.

Though morale was at its lowest, panic hadn't set in.

But that day, Konoha buzzed with excitement.

Someone claimed they'd seen two legendary ninja at the gate—one the granddaughter of the First and Second Hokage, the Fire Country's princess, the shinobi world's medical sage—Lady Tsunade!

Soon, word—nobody knew from whom—spread that Tsunade was returning to become Hokage.

Morale soared instantly!

---

Every 200 power stones 1 bonus chapter will be uploaded faster.

And if you want to read 30 chapters early, you can visit: Patre on . com / KangTL (REMOVE SPACE)