When Yako arrived at the battlefield, the first thing he saw was the Advent of the Wood World.
Twisting trunks creaked endlessly, a dense chorus of grinding wood that made one's scalp crawl—like countless arms cracking their joints as they stirred.
Madara Uchiha had arrived.
Why did Madara love using Wood Release so much? Was it nostalgia—for someone long gone?
If Nagato weren't in mortal danger, Madara wouldn't intervene personally.
Any danger Nagato faced was usually engineered by Madara himself—to sharpen the boy's strength. But the sudden appearance of Konoha's ANBU had disrupted those plans.
With Lynx leading two ANBU squads and K commanding four Root operatives, the force assembled here far exceeded Nagato's current limits.
Nagato had only just begun learning elemental techniques. He was barely ten years old. His chakra reserves had yet to mature, and the unique abilities of the Rinnegan remained undeveloped.
If Root and ANBU had found him first—
Nagato would have died.
Madara stood atop a towering arch formed by massive tree trunks. His hair was pale, body stooped with age, one hand resting on a sickle—but his eyes were filled with contempt.
"Konoha's ANBU… vermin crawling through filth. A creation of Senju Tobirama—just as detestable as its creator."
Two Root shinobi and three ANBU were already dead, crushed by the Wood World's relentless growth.
Yako glanced at the corpses. The Root bodies had been flattened and squeezed out between trunks like pulp—completely useless now, even for Uzumaki Yuka's experiments or studying the Tongue Eradication Seal.
Jiraiya had summoned Gamaken and Gamahiro. With oil from the toads and his own fire techniques, he blasted a path through the forest.
From afar, Madara evaluated calmly.
"Oil and fire… a good combination. Much better than the common wind-and-fire approach."
There was a strange martial obsession in him—he enjoyed judging others' techniques from the position of a superior observer.
Through the burning corridor, ANBU and Root shinobi emerged, carrying an unconscious Nagato.
Jiraiya focused—and finally realized Nagato hadn't killed anyone.
The white-haired old man had.
He exhaled in relief. If Nagato had unleashed some unknown power and killed Konoha ANBU, Jiraiya wouldn't know how to explain it to the village.
The ANBU ignored Jiraiya completely, retreating with Nagato.
"Put him down!" Jiraiya shouted. "And where are Yahiko and Konan?!"
Only then did he realize—they hadn't taken the other two children.
Behind him, ANBU were fleeing with Nagato.
Ahead, Yahiko and Konan remained trapped within the Wood World, their fate unknown.
After a brief hesitation, Jiraiya charged into the forest.
The ANBU wouldn't kill Nagato immediately.
But Yahiko and Konan would die if left behind.
He chose to save them first.
Gamahiro's twin blades hacked through trunk after trunk.
Soon, Jiraiya found the unconscious pair.
Thankfully, the ANBU hadn't bothered finishing them off.
As he lifted them onto his shoulders, Lynx crashed nearby—struck by a massive branch and sent flying.
"Jiraiya-sama! That's Madara Uchiha! He's here to save the Uzumaki survivor! We need your help!"
Jiraiya froze.
Madara Uchiha?
That was a legend from the Warring States era—early village history.
It was now Konoha Year 40. Madara should be over seventy…
He handed Yahiko and Konan to Gamaken and ordered the toad to retreat.
Before he could ask more, a Wood Dragon surged overhead.
Madara stood atop its head, racing directly toward Nagato and the fleeing ANBU squad.
"Damn it!"
Both Jiraiya and Lynx felt dread.
K and two Root shinobi pursued from behind, shouting:
"Retrieve the Uzumaki survivor! Don't let him go!"
Madara Uchiha… Lynx thought grimly. No one is capable of stop him except Jiraiya.
Then the battlefield trembled.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear Barrage!"
Yako released chakra from the Ten Seal—enough for three full-scale techniques at once.
Spikes erupted across hundreds of meters, thorn-like pillars surging toward the low-flying Wood Dragon.
One after another, they shattered—reduced to rubble.
Yako's eyes narrowed.
So tough… Each spike barely pierced a few centimeters. Like acupuncture needles against that thing.
Still, the sheer number slowed the dragon.
Until finally—
It stopped.
Yako released his hand seals, exhaling.
Lynx stared in shock.
Fox's Earth Release was this powerful? The Wood Dragon was one of the First Hokage's signature techniques!
Madara turned toward him.
"Your Earth Release is mediocre. But your hand seals are impressive. If I used this technique… what would you do?"
The ground split open.
Countless trees burst forth, destroying the remaining earth spikes.
Yako was forced back.
Then he saw crimson flower buds blooming throughout the Wood World.
"Flowering Wood World…!"
Once those flowers opened, they would release deadly poison pollen.
He immediately retreated.
Just as he turned, Nagato's body changed.
Spores emerged—White Zetsu's technique.
Not to drain chakra—but as a final layer of protection.
Four ANBU were forced back as White Zetsu emerged, freeing Nagato.
Yako's eyes gleamed.
White Zetsu possessed one of the greatest infiltration abilities in the shinobi world. Even Jiraiya had never noticed the spores attached to Nagato.
Maybe this full-moon cycle… I should steal some of its abilities.
He had already died once to Madara. He couldn't risk it again. Jiraiya wasn't at his peak yet. Nagato was still fragile.
White Zetsu… that was interesting.
He needed more subtlety. More concealment.
He was ANBU—not a walking tank.
More than a dozen White Zetsu emerged from surrounding trees.
Yako rushed forward.
One punch shattered a Zetsu attached to Nagato.
The others attacked immediately.
Testing them carefully, he noted their reliance on taijutsu, occasionally using simple Wood Release techniques like Piercing Stakes.
He deliberately allowed himself to be affected by the spore technique—his chakra draining, movements slowing.
A wooden spike pierced forward—
Straight into his heart.
Yako died at White Zetsu's hands.
[Host death detected.
Moonlit Arc System activating…]