"That wasn't a Mangekyō Sharingan technique?" Tobi murmured, observing Shisui, whose Sharingan still showed only three tomoe.
Yet, the chakra and danger emanating from him had suddenly soared to an entirely new level. This realization left Tobi feeling uneasy.
I can't take him back ! What will Lord Madara say?
As Shisui, shrouded in a blue glow, aimed his bow and arrow directly at him, Tobi's sense of danger exploded. At the same time, he let out a sigh.
How am I supposed to complete this mission without getting scolded when I return?
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
Even as he lamented in his mind, Tobi's actions didn't falter. Multiple conical layers of wooden barriers rose in front of him, encasing both him and the Root squad in layers of protection.
By now, Shisui had finished charging his bow. The brilliant arrow of light on the bowstring glowed even more intensely before being loosed with a snap.
The arrow unleashed such force that it carved a deep trench in the ground along its path before slamming into the Wood Locking Wall.
The arrow pierced through the wooden barriers with ease. Then, before the dark shadows could flicker into view, it erupted into a blinding surge of lightning.
The branches struck by the lightning swept across the members of the Root squad, causing them to fall from the air and collapse to the ground, convulsing violently.
Only the Nara clan member, who used shadows for protection, and the Aburame clan member, who enveloped himself with insects, managed to stand up quickly after being knocked down.
As for the Root squad captain, who still hadn't released the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, and another Root member skilled in sealing techniques, they were struck directly by the lightning. Their bodies emitted the distinct scent of charred flesh.
Tobi, with his keen senses, managed to dodge once again, thanks to his hypersensitive intuition that warned him beforehand.
"This is going to be troublesome," he muttered.
Tobi cautiously observed Shisui, who once again adjusted his bow and arrow, as if instantly sensing Tobi's location. A trace of unease flickered across his face.
Channeling chakra wildly into the trees born from the Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, the massive infusion caused the vegetation to grow and spread once again.
Thick tree trunks, adorned with lush branches, erupted from the ground one after another, spreading in clusters toward the surrounding area.
The clearing that had been opened up by Shisui's light-rain attack was quickly overtaken by the dense sea of trees. The entire revived forest began madly attacking any living beings within its vicinity.
Even the Root squad wasn't spared from the assault. They managed to resist for only a brief moment before being overwhelmed by layer upon layer of tree branches.
The squad members were eventually trapped within the crevices between tree trunks, bound and buried completely.
Shisui deftly evaded the oncoming branches attacking from all directions. His Sharingan and reflexes were operating at their peak, with the three tomoe in his eyes spinning rapidly.
"This isn't an opponent that can be taken down easily," Shisui thought.
The bow in his hand transformed into a sword resembling an arrow. While slicing through the encroaching branches, he analyzed the situation as he retreated step by step.
The opponent's mastery of Wood Release far surpassed that of any user in the Hidden Leaf Village. Shisui had never felt such pressure from any of the village's Wood Release ninjas.
The tree trunks were as hard as steel and incredibly resilient. Ordinary weapons could barely leave a white mark on them.
Even ninja proficient in Wind Release or equipped with chakra-enhanced weapons were swiftly engulfed by the ever-expanding sea of trees.
What made matters worse was that the tree sea possessed the ability to absorb chakra.
Once caught, any branch in the forest could function like a sealing technique, rendering its victim powerless.
Ninjutsu had little effect on the forest of trees.
Shisui, having used Fire Style ninjutsu, watched as the fiery jutsu was swallowed up by the forest, which continued to expand wildly, charging toward him.
After switching to a few other types of jutsu and finding they still had no effect, Shisui felt a bit helpless.
The destructive power of the Hogyoku mode was sufficient, but his opponent was sly, able to use the forest to move back and forth, making it impossible to determine their location.
At the moment, his opponent didn't even show their head, waiting for Shisui to be consumed by the expanding forest.
While in Hogyoku mode, Shisui wasn't concerned about his safety, but the real problem lay in his control over the mode and the time it lasted, which was a huge disadvantage.
If he couldn't defeat the enemy or break through the forest before the Hogyoku mode ended, his situation would become dire.
Should he activate the Mangekyō Sharingan and use Susanoo for a last-ditch effort?
Shisui felt the chakra and Hogyoku power within him, hesitating. If he activated Mangekyō Sharingan and Hogyoku mode together, and couldn't end the battle in a few moments, his situation would worsen.
His chakra capacity was not small, but the enemy's chakra was as overwhelming as a Tailed Beast!
Such powerful ninjutsu consumed chakra in massive quantities. Yet the forest was still wildly trapping him, keeping him firmly within.
Shisui's light rain and attacks could clear a large area quickly, but the next moment, the cleared space would be filled again by the rapidly growing trees.
In a battle of attrition, it was clear that Tobi had the upper hand. While Shisui hadn't shown any disadvantage yet, both fighters knew that the longer the battle dragged on, the more the balance would tip toward the one with abundant energy.
"Why fight? You won't survive if you return to Konoha," Tobi's voice came from a tree, and a head poked out from nearby.
A light sword swept across, turning into countless arrows that shattered the tree Tobi was hiding in. However, it was just a clone of Tobi.
Tobi kept creating more wooden clones and continued to verbally disturb Shisui's resolve.
As they faced off, a powerful force suddenly descended from the sky.
The shockwave cleared the surrounding trees, leaving a cleared space and creating a half-circle crater in the ground.
"Wow, looks like we've got a new player in the game," Tobi said, looking at the newcomer's attire and the familiar face, his expression turning cold.
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