"Let's talk about the Watergate Incident—what exactly happened?"
"Yes, Lord Takayama."
And so, Minato began recounting the events. By the time he arrived, the battle had already ended.
Everyone wore expressions of disbelief.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were defeated—by Haru alone?
And a mere genin, Might Duy, opened the Eight Inner Gates and took down the Swordsmen?
Sarutobi's voice turned solemn: "Impressive. We've underestimated Might Duy's potential. When I return, take me to meet him."
Right now, however, Sarutobi had more pressing concerns—like stopping the Raikage and ensuring Danzo's safe return.
Soon after, Sarutobi Takayama stepped forward, with Orochimaru close behind.
Moments later, another ANBU ninja arrived in haste.
"Where is Lord Takayama?"
Shinto, who had been about to leave, stood up and said, "Lord Takayama had urgent matters. What is it?"
"My lord, something serious has happened in Kirigakure!"
"What's going on?"
"Lord Jiraiya has gone missing, and the Third Mizukage suddenly launched an attack on Haru's team!"
Mito Menen and Koharu froze at the news—then a slight smirk crept onto their faces.
They hadn't expected Takayama Haru to be this unlucky—facing the Third Mizukage himself. This time, he was surely doomed.
Shinto frowned deeply. "When did this happen?"
"They should arrive in less than thirty minutes."
Mito Menen immediately said, "That's unfortunate. Lord Takayama isn't here, and our top jonin are all out on missions. Konoha is stretched thin. All we can do is hope that Haru can escape. For now, we should turn back and regroup."
The ANBU's eyes widened in shock at Mito's cold response.
"Don't rush it!" Shinto interrupted.
"Y-Yes, my lord…"
The ANBU was nearly cursing aloud. That battlefield was a nightmare—what could he possibly do there?
These two former advisors were ruthless!
Mito Menen and Koharu smiled faintly.
In their eyes, Haru's fate was already sealed.
The Third Mizukage had personally intervened. Thousands of White Zetsu surrounded them. Haru must be eliminated.
Perfect. Without Haru, the rebellious thorn in their side, Konoha could return to the path they deemed "correct" once Danzo was back.
At the border between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire, half a bridge had collapsed into the sea, the waves crashing violently below.
Countless white energy beams were raining down on the Tree Realm, targeting Haru.
The outer trees creaked and then collapsed with a loud crash.
Next, the inner layer of vines and roots were shredded by the dense white energy.
Meanwhile, the Third Mizukage, after taking several punches from one of Haru's clones, had a swollen face—no longer the proud, handsome figure he once was.
Still, he managed to distance himself from Haru's clone and launched continuous Water Style techniques. Endless torrents of seawater transformed into massive water dragons, bombarding Haru's clone.
Boom!
The clone was obliterated.
But just as quickly, Haru reappeared—this time splitting into three clones!
He hadn't made more clones, as dividing into three already split his strength three ways. Any more would weaken each too much to be effective.
Haru pressed his palms together in a precise, mysterious hand seal. A massive surge of chakra erupted within him, his eyes flashing with light.
"He's performing... Wood Style: Art of the Wooden Colossus!"
RUMBLE!
The earth beneath Haru exploded. A giant wooden Buddha head emerged from the ground.
Haru stood atop it.
Then the rest of the massive Buddha rose from the earth, towering above the landscape, shaking the ground as it surfaced.
Behind the statue, dozens—no, hundreds—of wooden arms fanned out like a divine halo.
Not far away, a single eye behind a mask rotated—an Uchiha clone was watching silently.
This wasn't just Black Zetsu or White Zetsu—Uchiha's clone was here too.
His true body was linked to the Gedo Statue and could barely manage to project a clone.
He had come today to understand Haru's true power.
"So this is the true Thousand-Armed Kanon Buddha?!"
The towering figure with its crossed hands, surrounded by countless giant arms, left Uchiha's clone stunned.
He staggered back two steps, muttering, "Impossible. This can't be. He doesn't have the Sage Body—how could he manifest Sage-level Wood Style like this?"
"No... this isn't refined Sage Transformation. This is the Wooden Colossus!"
Uchiha was reeling, haunted by memories of Hashirama Senju's divine Wood Style.
And now, Haru had summoned a near-identical figure out of nowhere.
Indeed, Haru had used a variation of what the Uchiha once feared most.
A substitute for "True Thousand-Armed Kanon."
The key difference was that the original required the Sage Body transformation.
Haru's current fusion rate was still too low to achieve the full Sage Body—he needed 100% for that.
Even so, this display had stunned Uchiha's clone.
"Could it be that Hashirama, like me, only faked his death?"
Uchiha's clone squinted at Haru, his eyes nearly bleeding from strain. But no matter how hard he looked, Haru bore no connection to Hashirama.
"He's not Hashirama. While he's still young—kill him…"
Just as Uchiha was about to move, the earth shook again—this time even more violently.
Another colossal wooden Buddha rose from the land.
Atop its head—another of Haru's clones stood firm.
But the shaking hadn't stopped.
It only grew stronger.
A third giant wooden Buddha emerged.
Three towering statues now loomed over the battlefield.
Everyone present was left in stunned silence.