Chapter 23 23: Wood Style Secret Jutsu Breaks Kage-Level Berserk State

Akira casually flicked the blood off his hand and said two words in a calm voice:

"Akira Hane."

A repeated the name through clenched teeth, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.

"Akira Hane… Good. Today, we settle this—one fight, life or death!"

Just as Akira narrowed his eyes, staying alert for a desperate counterattack, A's hands suddenly blurred, forming a strange hand seal at astonishing speed.

"B—get back up. The fight isn't over yet!"

Those words made Akira's heart skip.

A powerful sense of danger surged through him.

His instincts screamed—killing intent was rushing at him from behind.

A crimson light flashed in his eyes, intricate patterns spinning rapidly within his pupils.

Buzz—!

A blade cut through the air—

But Akira vanished instantly.

The one who attacked—

was B.

The man who should have been dead had somehow come back to life. If Akira had been even half a second slower, the outcome would have been fatal.

Reappearing dozens of meters away, Akira frowned.

"His heart definitely stopped… What kind of twisted jutsu is this? Reversing death itself?"

B stood again—but his eyes were empty.

At the same time, his chakra surged wildly, breaking past the kage-level threshold.

Violent chakra leaked outward, cracking the ground and lifting rubble into the air.

The oppressive aura felt almost tangible, making it hard to breathe.

A flashed to B's side, laughing maniacally.

"Hahaha! Never seen this before, have you, kid?"

"As long as the body remains, I can forcibly ignite every last bit of chakra inside him!"

"For the next ten minutes—he's an unstoppable killing machine!"

Akira's expression cleared as realization dawned.

"So it's just a death-flash puppet jutsu. I thought you'd actually mastered resurrection. What a letdown."

In simple terms—

a pre-planted seal forcibly drained every bit of energy from the host's cells at the brink of death, trading life for a brief peak of power.

Such forbidden techniques weren't uncommon—

but they were troublesome.

At this moment, B had reached full kage-level capability in every aspect—speed, strength, everything had undergone a qualitative leap.

Even Akira had to take him seriously now.

"This just got a little tricky."

B seemed to retain the resentment from before death.

His hollow eyes locked onto Akira, filled with endless hatred.

This was Akira's first time facing a true kage-level opponent head-on—

And he might soon have to face two… or even three.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the other battlefield.

Guy, with the Sixth Gate open, was still at a disadvantage—completely suppressed by the berserk C.

The Seventh Gate could turn things around, but Guy's control over it wasn't stable yet. Using it recklessly was too risky.

As for Kakashi and Yamato—

both were injured. They couldn't be relied on right now.

Which meant—

Akira had to handle two kage-level threats on his own.

He took a deep breath, adjusting his rhythm.

B let out a beast-like roar and charged forward like a cannonball.

"ROAR!"

His speed was terrifying—at least ten times faster than before.

A sonic boom echoed as he vanished from sight.

Akira's sensory instincts blared warnings.

Bang!

Relying on pure instinct, Akira punched into empty space beside him.

The collision exploded outward as B reappeared—

The ground beneath them collapsed instantly.

Shockwaves spread in all directions, reducing massive boulders to dust midair.

Akira's fist clashed against B's sweeping kick.

The grinding of bone against bone was enough to make one's teeth ache.

B had completely lost his sanity, roaring incoherently:

"Die! Die! DIE!"

Before the clash even settled, his assault exploded into a storm.

Hundreds of punches in the span of a single breath.

Each one burned against the air like a falling meteor.

Yet Akira remained calm as still water.

His fists blurred, precisely intercepting every strike.

Even against a fully unleashed kage-level opponent—

he didn't retreat a single step.

In fact, he wasn't losing at all in raw power.

Watching from the side, A's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"How… how is this possible?!"

"That's power born from burning life itself—each strike can shatter mountains!"

"And this kid is tanking it with his bare body?!"

"A monster… he's definitely a monster!"

"But because of that—he has to die!"

"Otherwise none of us are getting out of here alive!"

At the center of the battlefield, the two figures moved too fast to track.

Only shockwaves exploding in the air marked their clash.

Yūgao had already retreated over a hundred meters, gripping her blade so tightly her nails dug into her palm.

"Akira… you have to hold on…"

"If you fall, we're finished…"

"I should've forced the Hokage to cancel this mission… If a genius like you dies here, I'll never forgive myself…"

Both Kakashi and Yūgao now fully understood—

just how terrifying Akira's potential was.

An enemy who had defeated Kakashi—

Akira not only held his ground, but was beginning to push back.

And he was only twelve.

Even the legendary Yellow Flash, the Fourth Hokage, might pale in comparison.

At the center of the battlefield—

After exchanging hundreds of blows, Akira suddenly drew his right arm back.

Lightning surged wildly around it, twisting into violent arcs.

"ROAR—!"

With a thunderous shout, both Akira and B threw their final punches at the same time.

The air cracked like fragile glass under the strain.

The sheer force distorted light itself.

Their fists collided head-on.

The ground beneath them surged like waves before shattering completely.

Spiderweb-like cracks spread dozens of meters outward, plunging deep into the earth.

A violent energy storm swept across the battlefield, reducing everything within hundreds of meters to dust.

No tricks.

No techniques.

Just pure taijutsu.

RUMBLE—!

The stalemate lasted only an instant.

B was sent flying like a broken kite.

Like a cannonball, he smashed through multiple ruins before slamming into a small mountain dozens of meters tall—embedding himself deep into the rock.

Even then, the monster struggled to crawl back out.

Akira's eyes flashed coldly.

He wouldn't give him a second chance.

A crimson streak flickered across his vision.

In an instant—

he vanished.

Almost simultaneously, he reappeared in front of B.

Lightning erupted in his hand.

"Chidori."

Without hesitation, he drove it straight through B's body again.

The raging current tore through flesh and tissue.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

But since B was essentially a reanimated corpse—

as long as his chakra remained, physical damage alone couldn't fully destroy him.

Akira frowned.

"Physical destruction isn't enough?"

"Then I'll detonate your chakra from the inside."

With a thought, he mobilized his massive reserves of chakra—

pouring it into B like a flood breaking through a dam.

Crackle—!

Akira's eyes sharpened as he growled:

"Detonate."

The violent lightning chakra exploded inside B's body.

Countless tiny currents annihilated his remaining active cells with precision.

Without cells to sustain it, his chakra lost balance—

triggering a chain reaction.

BOOM—!!!

B let out a dull groan as the last light in his eyes faded.

His body became a high-yield bomb, the explosion instantly flattening the entire mountain.

---

Meanwhile, Akira had already retreated to safety using the space-time ability of his Mangekyō Sharingan.

The massive shockwave swept outward, leveling everything within hundreds of meters into barren wasteland.

Akira reappeared at the edge of the blast with Yūgao.

Though his clothes were torn, his expression remained calm.

Yūgao stared at the apocalyptic scene before turning to him, her voice filled with shock.

"Akira… that just now… was that space-time ninjutsu?"

Akira simply tilted his head and smiled—

offering no answer.

Seeing that Akira had no intention of explaining, Yūgao wisely chose not to press further. Everyone had their own hidden cards.

As the dust settled, A's figure emerged from the flattened remains of the hill.

B's presence had completely vanished—there wasn't even the faintest trace of chakra left.

A's expression darkened to the extreme.

"Damn it… B was actually killed… and at full power!"

By all logic, unless his chakra was completely exhausted, B in that state should have been virtually unkillable.

Not far away, C and Guy were both pushed back dozens of meters by the aftershock of the explosion.

Guy panted heavily, steam rising from his body. The strain of the Sixth Gate had already pushed him to his limit.

Kakashi supported Yamato as they retreated to safety. Both of them were at the end of their rope.

Without hesitation, Kakashi pulled out one of the special healing pills Akira had given him and forced it into Yamato's mouth.

"I can still hold on for a bit. You're more seriously injured—recover and go help Akira."

"Right now, he's the only one who can deal with those lunatics in kage-level mode."

Kakashi's eyes held both pride and curiosity.

He still had no idea just how many trump cards Akira was hiding.

---

A stared at Akira and Yūgao from afar, killing intent practically solidifying in his gaze.

"This is all because of you, you bastard."

"B is dead… and now my escape route is gone."

"If that's the case… then we're all going to hell together!"

"I've spent thirty years building this—there's no way I'm letting it all fall apart here!"

Despair and rage twisted together, completely shattering his sanity.

As long as Akira lived, there was no way he could escape.

"All of you Konoha trash—die!!"

"Limiter… release!"

With a hysterical roar, A's chakra erupted completely out of control like a volcanic explosion.

This was power even more terrifying than B's—

It broke past the peak of kage level, climbing toward something even higher.

Everything within dozens of meters was crushed under the sheer pressure of his chakra. The ground sank several meters as if pressed down by an invisible force.

His long hair stood on end, his eyes glowing with an eerie blue light.

The air around him warped under the density of his chakra.

Even from a distance, Akira frowned.

"This level of chakra… it's not even human anymore."

Yūgao felt the overwhelming pressure and instinctively drew her blade, ready to step forward—

But Akira stopped her with a hand.

"Save your strength, Yūgao."

His voice was calm, but absolute.

"This level of fight… you'd just be throwing your life away."

"Even I can't guarantee a win against him right now."

Yūgao froze.

It was the first time she had ever heard such seriousness from Akira.

Kakashi and Yamato arrived just in time to hear that.

Their expressions immediately darkened.

"This chakra… it's far beyond normal kage level," Kakashi muttered.

"Even the Hokage would have trouble dealing with this."

Yamato, though partially recovered, knew full well—

he would be nothing more than cannon fodder if he stepped in.

"If he's allowed to rampage for ten minutes, we're all dead."

"And Guy… he's reaching his limit."

They looked toward the battlefield.

Guy's body was already trembling. His bones clearly couldn't withstand much more.

Kakashi turned to Akira, eyes sharp.

"If you're still calm… that means you have a plan, right?"

Years of trust told him—

Akira's seriousness didn't mean despair.

All three of them fixed their gaze on him.

A faint smile appeared on Akira's lips.

"Kakashi-sensei… weren't you always curious what kind of bloodline I fused?"

Kakashi and Yamato were both stunned.

"You mean… that bloodline can solve this?"

Akira nodded slightly.

"In theory… it counters him perfectly."

"Should work."

In truth, even Akira wasn't completely certain.

If this failed, he would have no choice but to reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Compared to Wood Style—which could at least be explained through cell transplantation—

the Sharingan was far harder to justify.

In just those few seconds of conversation, A had already completed his final transformation.

Now, he resembled a demonic god radiating destruction.

There was only one thought left in his mind—

Kill everyone.

RUMBLE—!

A merely flexed his limbs—

and the air itself exploded under the pressure.

Akira turned to Yamato and took a deep breath.

"Yamato-sensei. Work with me."

"We're going in."

Yamato didn't understand, but his body instinctively prepared for battle.

At the same moment, Kakashi's eyes widened.

He had figured it out.

Before Yamato or Yūgao could react, he was already moving alongside Akira.

As they charged forward, Akira lowered his right hand.

No hand seals.

Violent lightning instantly gathered in his palm.

"Chidori!"

The piercing cry of a thousand birds echoed across the battlefield as Akira surged forward like a bolt of lightning.

Yamato followed closely, rapidly forming hand seals.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

From the barren ruins, massive trees erupted instantly, forming a dense forest.

Akira weaved through the forest, a red flash crossing his eyes again—

Then—

he vanished beside Yamato.

At the same time, A charged forward at extreme speed, carrying overwhelming destructive force.

BOOM!

Two streaks of light collided midair.

Dozens of meters in front of Yamato, the clash exploded violently.

The shockwave uprooted the newly formed forest, sending debris flying.

Kakashi, Yūgao—even Yamato himself—

were stunned.

Yamato realized his Wood Style couldn't even keep up with their speed.

He had been meant to assist—

but now he was just a spectator.

Kakashi stared at the lightning streak and murmured:

"This kid… has already stepped into the realm of Kage."

"And if he really has that power…"

Yūgao looked confused.

"That power? What exactly does Akira have?"

Kakashi took a deep breath.

"Then why do you think he specifically called Yamato to assist?"

"There's only one answer—"

"He has Wood Style too."

Before his words even finished—

a streak of lightning descended.

Akira and A separated.

A stood unharmed.

Akira's clothes were further torn, but his gaze remained sharp.

Akira's chakra began to surge as well.

It wasn't as violent as A's—

but in sheer volume, it was deeper… more vast.

A laughed wildly.

"Kid, your chakra reserves are impressive—but it won't change the outcome!"

"If I die—you're coming with me!"

His chakra overflowed so intensely it even caused faint distortions in space.

Akira looked at him coldly.

"You want to drag me down with you?"

"You're not qualified."

A laughed even harder.

"Am I not? You'll find out soon enough!"

He transformed into a streak of blue light and charged forward again, carrying apocalyptic force.

Akira's expression hardened.

He no longer held back.

Clapping his hands together, he roared:

"Wood Style: Tree Bind Eternal Burial!"

Kakashi and Yamato's jaws nearly dropped.

"Wood Style?!"

Even though they had suspected it—

seeing it with their own eyes was still shocking.

Yūgao was completely frozen.

"No wonder… he's been so mysterious…"

The ground exploded.

Several seemingly fragile saplings burst forth—

then rapidly grew.

In an instant, they became towering trees that blotted out the sky.

Massive vines surged like living creatures, wrapping toward A.

CRACK!

Caught off guard mid-charge, A was slammed to the ground by dozens of thick vines and bound tightly.

"ARGH!!"

He struggled wildly, trying to break free—

but Akira roared, pouring chakra into the jutsu without restraint.

RUMBLE—!

The trees doubled in size, their trunks reaching over ten meters in diameter.

More vines coiled around A like a nest of serpents.

Dozens of massive trees rose from the ground, forming a giant wooden prison—

greedily draining the chakra from A's body.