"Do I look stupid?" Captain Yamato felt a bit wounded. Did he really look stupid?
Kakashi kept a calm face. He was definitely not getting back at Naruto and Yamato for earlier; he was just speaking the truth.
"Is there some misunderstanding?" Yamato said, pulling Naruto aside.
He wasn't afraid of fighting, but he didn't want to engage in a conflict with fellow village ninjas over a small misunderstanding. Injuries on either side would be bad for Konoha.
"If you really don't believe us, you can contact the Fifth Hokage. This mission was directly assigned to us by the Fifth Hokage," Yamato said.
This even made Nohara Rin unable to maintain her composure. What Fifth Hokage? Was this person out of their mind? The current Hokage of Konoha was only the Third Hokage.
Kakashi, however, showed a thoughtful expression. If the earlier words were meant to provoke him, what did saying "Fifth Hokage" mean now? Was he cursing the early death of Konoha's Hokage?
"Sorry, but your words make you seem even stranger. The Konoha Hokage line has only gone up to the Third," Mokgetsu gently reminded them.
Upon hearing Mokgetsu's words, both Yamato and Uzumaki Naruto stood frozen.
"Didn't the Hokage grandpa attend the Chunin Examination…?" Naruto looked at Mokgetsu with confusion.
Meanwhile, Yamato linked Kakashi and Mokgetsu's words to the sudden change in their surroundings, forming a terrifying guess in his mind—they had traveled through time.
The reason why that white-haired boy looked so much like Kakashi wasn't that he was a son of Kakashi; it was because that boy was the younger Kakashi!
And the reason Kakashi believed their ninja certificates were fake was likely due to the ninja numbering issue. Ten years ago, Konoha's current ninja numbers probably hadn't reached the digits on their certificates.
After understanding this, Yamato finally realized why Kakashi was angry. If someone suddenly told him he was his own son, he, too, would be upset.
"Is he the future Fourth Hokage? No, wait, the Fourth Hokage's name is Namikaze Minato, and he doesn't wear glasses." Yamato almost mistook Mokgetsu for the Fourth Hokage on the rock face.
But after thinking it over, Yamato realized they probably just looked alike, as Kakashi had previously mentioned Mokgetsu's name.
Yamato wanted to say something, but then Mokgetsu charged at him, forcing Yamato to abandon explaining.
"Time-traveling is indeed outrageous, so maybe I'll explain more thoroughly after defeating him," Yamato thought.
This matter was too bizarre, and Yamato felt that even if he told the Konoha ninja the truth, they wouldn't believe him.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Jutsu!"
As Chakra surged from Yamato's body, his arms extended multiple wooden vine branches towards Mokgetsu.
"Wood Release?!" Kakashi looked at the thick branches extending from Yamato's arms with a face of shock.
Although there hadn't been any Wood Release Ninja in Konoha since the death of Senju Hashirama, every Konoha ninja would recognize Wood Release, as the First Generation might be gone, but lived on in textbooks, and many who knew of the God of Ninjas were still alive.
To the people of Konoha, Wood Release was the strongest Kekkei Genkai. Neither Sharingan, Byakugan, Ice Release, nor Magnet Release could compare to it—Wood Release was invincible.
"So this is Wood Release? It doesn't look very strong," Obito said, rubbing his chin.
In his imagination, Wood Release should be more spectacular, like creating a small forest with just one jutsu.
Obito thought it would be convenient if someone among them mastered Wood Release; they could cultivate in the Forest of Death without constantly moving. If they destroyed trees, they could just regenerate them.
"Are they really Konoha ninjas?" Nohara Rin couldn't help but wonder.
With the appearance of Wood Release, fake certificates were the least of their concerns.
Faced with the incoming thick branches, Mokgetsu didn't retreat. Instead, he focused his strength on the palm of his right hand, then exploded with Chakra, slicing at the incoming branches.
Bam!
Under Mokgetsu's tremendous strength, the four incoming branches shattered to pieces on the ground.
"Such incredible power," Yamato looked at Mokgetsu with a face full of astonishment.
The wood created by Wood Release was unlike normal trees, tougher and with a special Chakra-absorbing effect. That Mokgetsu could easily shatter the Wood Release Ninjutsu attested to his immense power.
"Captain Yamato, let me handle this." Naruto, exploding with Chakra, quickly formed hand seals.
Bam bam bam!
Suddenly, the field was filled with dozens of Naruto's Shadow Clones.
"Konoha Dragon God!"
Before Naruto's Shadow Clones could begin their attack, Mokgetsu immediately gathered his strength to unleash the Konoha Dragon God. To avoid attracting too much attention, Mokgetsu deliberately controlled its size.
Under the powerful assault of the Konoha Dragon God, all of Naruto's Shadow Clones were instantly vanquished, even the real Naruto was sent flying.
After clearing away the Shadow Clones, Mokgetsu dispelled the Konoha Dragon God. This Taijutsu was convenient for sweeping away small fry, but a full-force move would be too conspicuous.
Yamato, resigned, gently rubbed his forehead and then became more serious, starting to form hand seals again.
Earlier, he had been cautious not to harm Mokgetsu, but given Mokgetsu's current display, holding back was no longer an option.
"Wood Release: Thorn Killing Jutsu!"
As Yamato completed his hand seals, thick vines and wooden branches emerged from the ground, reaching to grab Mokgetsu.
Mokgetsu didn't dodge but instead threw three Flying Thunder God Kunai in the direction of Yamato and Naruto.
When he threw the kunai, Mokgetsu didn't employ any special technique or use any Ninjutsu, just casually tossed them, allowing Uzumaki Naruto and Yamato to easily sidestep.