Chapter 372 – Flying Thunder God and Wood Release
"So… you really want to test it against me?"
Standing in the middle of a training field, Kei looked with mild curiosity at Kenta not far away.
Early that very morning, this guy had shown up outside the Uchiha clan grounds.
That alone had surprised Kei.
For someone to come knocking so early—surely something important had happened?
What he hadn't expected, however, was that Kenta's reason was shockingly simple.
He wanted to test a technique he'd developed over the past half year.
Kei genuinely didn't know what kind of jutsu could excite this man so much that he'd rush over to spar.
Was it… the Flying Thunder God Technique?
Or had he finally mastered Wood Release?
Either way, after a moment's thought, Kei agreed without hesitation.
No matter how he looked at it, this promised to be entertaining.
He wasn't a battle maniac like Uchiha Madara or Might Guy—but his thirst for combat was still far stronger than Fugaku's.
Still, before fighting, confirmation was necessary.
Kei didn't believe that simply learning one—or even both—of those techniques would be enough to defeat him.
Of course, that depended on the user.
If it were Minato Namikaze, who had immersed himself in Flying Thunder God for years, Kei wouldn't dare think lightly of it.
And if it were Obito wielding Wood Release, he'd be just as cautious.
But Imai Kenta?
Though he'd absorbed White Zetsu cells, these techniques were clearly newly acquired.
"Of course," Kenta nodded seriously.
"I thought it through. You're the only one suitable."
"Your defenses and reactions are terrifying. Nothing will go wrong. And your strength is overwhelming—I need someone like you to help me find my limits."
"So that's how it is?" Kei tilted his head, then nodded.
"Fine. Even if it annoys me that you're using me as a sparring partner, I am interested in what you've achieved. Let me guess—Wood Release, or Flying Thunder God?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Kenta smiled, deliberately keeping the suspense.
But at that moment, his chakra suddenly grew heavy and oppressive.
Kei's brows furrowed slightly.
Impressive.
Very impressive.
That level of chakra intensity would be threatening even to him.
In an instant, Kei's eyes turned scarlet.
He never underestimated any opponent—especially now that Kenta was clearly abnormal.
"Then… please guide me well, Kei."
The moment his words fell—
Kenta burst forward at an astonishing speed.
In a flash of steel and lightning, the ninja blade in his hand was already slashing toward Kei's chest.
Kei shifted his body slightly.
The instant Kenta moved, Kei had already seen through everything.
This was the despair of facing a Sharingan user in taijutsu.
Kei reached out, aiming directly for Kenta's wrist.
But Kenta had fought Kei more than once.
He knew better than anyone how terrifying Kei's Sharingan truly was.
As Kei's hand closed in, a smile crept onto Kenta's lips.
And in that same instant, Kei's expression changed.
His Sharingan clearly detected a hidden formula carved into Kenta's wrist.
Kei's hand paused for a fraction of a second.
The next moment, he withdrew and kicked toward Kenta instead.
Kenta immediately tossed his blade into the air and blocked with both arms.
Even so, he cursed inwardly.
Kei's reaction speed was absurd.
And his bodily coordination was downright monstrous.
Still, Kenta wasn't shaken.
He'd prepared himself for this fight long ago.
Borrowing Kei's force, Kenta leapt backward, seemingly trying to widen the distance.
But as the blade he'd thrown earlier fell toward Kei—
A cold flash appeared.
Kenta suddenly materialized beside Kei, grabbing the falling blade and slashing down in one seamless motion!
And Kei—
Was cut cleanly in two.
"Flying Thunder God Slash!"
The severed body instantly changed color, dissolving into liquid and merging with water.
Not far away, Kei reappeared—arms crossed, watching Kenta with clear appreciation.
Just as he'd suspected.
Kenta had truly mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The formula on his wrist was deliberately placed, anticipating Kei's counterattack.
Throwing away a weapon mid-fight was unthinkable for a swordsman.
Unless it was intentional.
Unless it was bait.
Kei had gone along with it on purpose—just to see how far Kenta had reached.
And the result was impressive.
Against someone unfamiliar with him, that strike would have been fatal—without any chance to react.
"Not bad," Kei nodded.
"Much more interesting than I expected. But if this is all you've got… it's still not enough."
As he spoke, Kei slowly drew his own blade.
His expression turned serious.
"Because you can't touch me—while I've already seen every path you can take."
The moment he finished—
Kei vanished.
His speed exploded as he finally became fully serious.
Kenta had only just learned Flying Thunder God, but his execution and timing were already frightening.
That alone demanded respect.
Kei wanted to see just how far Kenta could go.
He wanted a benchmark—to compare him with Minato.
Not because he intended to oppose Minato.
But because one must always be prepared.
If it were a full-power frontal clash, Kei wasn't afraid.
With Susanoo enveloping him, anyone entering without his chakra protection would be torn apart—especially by chakra laced with Amaterasu.
But he couldn't rely on Susanoo forever.
"Wood Release: Wooden Locking Wall!"
Blue chakra erupted from Kei's blade as Kenta rapidly formed hand seals.
In the next instant, rows of wooden pillars burst from the ground, curving inward to form a massive barrier.
They blocked Kei's strike completely.
Wood Release…
So this kid really was fully prepared.
Kei wasn't surprised.
Kenta had admitted long ago that he could already use Wood Release at Yamato's level—but had refused to show it.
Apparently, he hadn't believed it was good enough.
Now?
This was more than adequate.
Such defensive power would stop almost anyone.
Even Kei himself would need to exert real strength to break through.
"Wood Release: Great Spear Tree!"
A surge of chakra rippled.
From the wooden wall, four massive spikes suddenly shot outward—sharp, twisted, and infused with strange chakra.
Kei tilted his head slightly.
Then, with a flicker, he used Body Flicker to retreat a safe distance.
Kenta was hiding behind Wood Release.
Perfect.
Kei wanted to test its limits anyway.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Kei did not hesitate in the slightest.
His hands flashed through seals as massive chakra erupted from within his body.
Fire Release had never been his weak point.
Everything worth learning—everything that could be mastered—he had already mastered to perfection.
A gigantic mass of flames burst from his mouth, the scorching heat warping the very air itself.
Great Fire Annihilation, like Great Fire Destruction, was technically only a B-rank jutsu—but both possessed absurdly high ceilings.
The Wooden Lock Wall that Imai Kenta had carefully protected ignited instantly.
Not just the Wood Release itself—even the surrounding ground and air were swallowed by raging flames.
Still, the defensive strength of that Wood Release was undeniable.
Wood feared fire, but this was no ordinary wood.
It swayed violently beneath Kei's flames… yet did not immediately collapse.
Seeing this, Kei nodded slightly and formed seals once more.
"Wind Release: Divine Wind!"
If fire alone wasn't enough—then he'd simply make it stronger.
A roaring tempest descended from above.
Fanned by violent winds, the already-surging flames exploded outward, firelight scattering in all directions.
In an instant, the battlefield transformed into a sea of fire.
And at last, the sturdy Wood Release could no longer endure.
The wooden barrier ignited completely, cracking and collapsing under the overwhelming pressure.
But at that very moment—
Kei felt a fatal threat surge from behind him.
He reacted without thinking.
Black chakra flared across his body.
"Flying Thunder God Slash!"
Dark chakra surged as a massive hand, gripping Imai Kenta's blade, smashed into Kei's form.
On the surface, Kei still looked calm.
Inside, however, he was already cursing.
If his reaction speed hadn't been fast enough—and if his Susanoo hadn't been constantly kept in a partially activated state—this strike would have ended badly.
Kenta's strategy had been simple.
Use the Wood Release to block Kei's vision.
Then, reinforce the illusion by attacking from within it using sensory perception—making Kei believe Kenta was still hiding inside.
The moment Kei committed to destroying the Wood Release, Kenta would strike.
Kenta knew Kei too well.
When faced with an unfamiliar technique and no immediate danger, Kei always tested its limits.
And sure enough—Kei had done exactly that.
Fire Release first.
Then, something Kenta never expected—
Wind Release.
When did Kei learn Wind Release?
Kenta was momentarily stunned.
But then again… Sharingan users saw everything.
Copied everything.
And Kei's displayed strength made it clear—multiple chakra natures weren't strange at all.
Suppressing his confusion, Kenta locked onto the Flying Thunder God mark he had planted earlier.
The instant the Wood Release was breached—and Kei's focus fully committed—
He activated Flying Thunder God.
Yet even then, Kei still blocked the ambush.
Missed.
Kenta instantly formed seals with one hand and disengaged, retreating from Kei's range.
He had no intention of facing Kei head-on.
"Not bad," Kei said calmly, staring at him.
"When did you place the mark?"
"Look at the ground," Kenta replied after a brief pause, choosing not to hide it.
"As expected." Kei nodded.
"When you used Violent Spear Trees inside the Wooden Lock Wall, you extended a branch near me. Using that as a medium for sealing… your fuinjutsu improves quickly."
"Not fast enough," Kenta sighed.
"Still not enough against a serious you."
His hands flew through seals once more.
"Continue—or stop here?"
"You're already forming seals," Kei replied flatly.
"What's the point of asking?"
"Then let's continue."
Tiny sprouts suddenly emerged from the ground all around Kei.
They looked harmless.
Kei knew better.
Combining Wood Release with Flying Thunder God marks—turning an entire area into a personal teleportation battlefield.
Absolute freedom of movement.
Absolute attack control.
A fighting style that bred despair.
The demands were absurd—chakra quantity, control, physical conditioning.
But Kenta had White Zetsu cells.
He wasn't evolving toward "chakra" anymore—
He was evolving toward "chakra tons."
As for physical strength…
Kei sighed internally.
In raw durability, he might actually lose.
His advantage lay in control and coordination—not brute endurance.
Kenta finished setting his battlefield.
He inhaled slowly as his blade began glowing blue.
Kei focused fully.
He was already considering activating his Mangekyō.
Kenta's displayed combat power demanded respect.
This was no easier than facing Minato.
More importantly—
Kenta had found a path perfectly suited to himself.
Suddenly—
Kenta vanished.
Kei instantly felt killing intent behind him.
Susanoo expanded reflexively, fully enclosing Kei as Kenta's blade slammed against it.
A screeching metallic grind tore through the air.
When Kei turned—
Kenta was already gone.
Another strike rang out behind him.
For the first time in his life, Kei experienced being outpaced.
It felt deeply uncomfortable.
Still—
Kenta couldn't break through even the initial stage of Susanoo.
Yet Kei didn't underestimate him.
Because Kenta still had Wood Release.
And from the earlier intensity—
Offensive Wood Release might penetrate Susanoo.
And naturally—
The worst possibility became reality.
After several lightning-fast strikes, Kenta stopped using taijutsu.
He reappeared at a distance—seals already completed.
Powerful chakra surged.
The sprouts near Kei pulsed violently.
"Wood Release: Thousand Core Piercing Technique!"
The sprouts exploded outward, transforming into vicious wooden spikes that stabbed toward Susanoo from every angle.
Kei recognized this jutsu.
Obito had used it before.
But Kenta's version was stronger.
Much stronger.
Kei took a slow breath.
He now fully understood Kenta's strength.
He could have burned the sprouts earlier.
But he wanted to see the full tactic.
And now he had.
The sprouts were the core.
Teleport anchors.
Wood Release triggers.
A brilliant fusion of tactics.
"Excellent creativity. Excellent execution," Kei thought.
"If this were anyone else, they'd already be dead."
His eyes transformed into the Mangekyō.
"Burning them now is too late," he thought calmly.
"And ordinary fire probably wouldn't work anyway…"
So—
Kei got serious.
His right eye began to rotate.
A distorted power surged outward.
The advancing wooden spikes slowed.
Then slowed further.
This was enough.
He had once attempted to reverse time itself.
Slowing movement was trivial.
As everything decelerated, Kei moved.
With a single Body Flicker, he appeared before Kenta—blade slashing down.
But Flying Thunder God activated at that exact moment.
Kenta vanished.
Kei didn't pause.
His eyes scanned instantly—
Another flicker.
Kenta had just landed when—
A blade rested against his neck.
Impossible.
His head spun.
Was this Kei's real speed?
Was this his true power?
Too fast.
Far too fast.
"…Looks like I lost," Kenta sighed, lowering his hands.
"So this is your true speed?"
"More or less," Kei replied.
"But your use of techniques exceeded my expectations. You only just learned this, didn't you?"
"Yes," Kenta nodded.
"My Flying Thunder God isn't complete. So I built a system around it."
"Using Wood Release constructs within your chakra domain as Flying Thunder God anchors," Kei said calmly, sheathing his blade.
"Brilliant. You forced out my Mangekyō on your first real attempt."
As he spoke, an image surfaced in Kei's mind—
Two brothers.
One godlike in Wood Release.
The other a master of space-time.
If this man ever mastered Sage Mode…
Wood Dragons…
Wood Golems…
Even True Thousand Hands—
With Flying Thunder God teleportation—
Kei's grip tightened unconsciously.
This wasn't an Ōtsutsuki path.
But it was another extreme.
Just as Kei considered whether cutting him down now might be safer—
A figure suddenly appeared beside them.