On the slope of Earthmound Hill,
Drake sat lazily in a tree, yawning in boredom.
He and Sensei Minato had been waiting for almost an hour now—
yet there still wasn't a single Iwa ninja in sight.
Out of sheer boredom, Drake used Wood Release to grow a tree and perched himself on a branch, killing time.
Zzzzt…
Drake spread his palm and began condensing chakra.
Within moments,
a rapidly expanding spore appeared in his hand, swelling at a visible pace until it formed into a White Zetsu.
"Lord Drake!"
"Go find an area with plenty of trees," Drake instructed calmly.
"Contact your main body."
Receiving the order, the White Zetsu clone immediately sank into the ground and vanished.
Beside him, Minato clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Drake, White Zetsu's spore technique is perfect for battlefield communication. It can transmit information and replenish chakra."
Minato genuinely admired how spores were being applied in combat.
Microscopic organisms—barely detectable to the naked eye—
absorbing chakra and growing into full-fledged White Zetsu clones…
It was unbelievable.
"This technique isn't that special," Drake shrugged indifferently.
"That's not special?" Minato laughed helplessly.
"Isn't it just plant seeds?" Drake replied casually.
Minato: "..."
He had to admit—
Drake's explanation made absurd sense.
If White Zetsu was a mobile plant,
then spores were simply its seeds, and chakra was fertilizer that accelerated growth.
"By the way, Sensei," Drake said suddenly,
"I can cultivate a spore on you. If you run out of chakra later, it can replenish you."
"No need!" Minato refused instantly.
"You sure?" Drake asked again.
"Absolutely not."
Minato clearly remembered the last time White Zetsu replenished his chakra—
arms wrapped around his waist, body pressed tightly against him.
Too humiliating.
If the Iwa ninja ever saw that…
his reputation would be ruined across nations.
"Hmm?"
Drake's expression shifted slightly.
"Iwa ninja have entered a ten-kilometer radius."
"You can sense that far?" Minato was shocked.
This slope barely had any vegetation.
The only tree around was the one Drake had personally grown—and its roots didn't even reach deep underground.
So Drake couldn't possibly be relying on plant-based perception.
"You're unbelievable, Drake," Minato praised sincerely.
"It's just sensing," Drake replied calmly.
"Other than ninjutsu," Minato said seriously,
"you're overwhelmingly strong in every aspect—genjutsu resistance, absurd taijutsu, Wood Release…"
He paused, then added:
"Even though you can't perform the Three Basic Techniques, your Wood Release surely includes equivalent functions."
Drake stared at him suspiciously.
"Sensei… do you spend your free time researching me?"
"Huh?! No—no!" Minato waved his hands hastily.
"Enemies incoming," he said quickly, changing the subject.
Moments later,
the Iwa ninja army finally appeared in their field of view.
Dust filled the horizon.
Nearly a thousand Iwa ninja advanced together.
Minato's eyelid twitched.
He hadn't expected that releasing a single scout would provoke such a massive response.
"This number… is a bit much," Minato warned carefully.
"Average," Drake replied flatly.
"You call this average?!"
BOOM!!
A violent tremor rocked the ground, nearly throwing both of them off balance.
"Earth Release?" Minato frowned, looking toward several Iwa ninja at the center of the formation.
Nearly ten of them slammed their palms into the ground simultaneously.
"Sensei—remember to run," Drake reminded casually, before leaping forward.
"Hey! Drake—?!"
Minato was stunned.
Over a thousand Iwa ninja were about to reach the slope,
and Drake jumped down to meet them head-on?!
And he just said… run?
"I'll never understand you…"
Minato rubbed his temples.
At the same moment,
when Huang Tu saw Drake leap down from the slope, his blood surged with excitement.
You're throwing your life away.
"Prepare!" Huang Tu roared.
"Piercing techniques—now!"
Iwa ninja formed seals in unison, slamming their palms into the earth.
"Earth Release — Earth Spear!"
"Earth Release — Earth Spear!"
"Earth Release — Earth Spear!"
The ground writhed violently.
Jagged, hardened earthen spikes erupted everywhere.
Drake descended from above like a falling cannonball—
heading straight toward the spikes.
"Drake—this is what you get for your arrogance!"
Huang Tu laughed confidently.
But in the next instant—
His smile froze.
Drake slammed into the spikes, and they vanished on impact.
BOOM!
The ground caved in, forming a deep crater.
"How can his body be that durable?" Huang Tu gasped.
"Did he use some kind of Earth-Style body hardening?!"
That fall should have skewered any human alive.
"Captain!" one of his subordinates shouted.
Huang Tu snapped back to reality.
"Doesn't matter! Prepare subsidence techniques!"
"We'll bury him alive and suffocate him!"
Iwa ninja formed seals once again.
"Earth Release — Rock Burial Sink!"
"Earth Release — Rock Burial Sink!"
"Earth Release — Rock Burial Sink!"
The earth trembled violently.
A massive sinkhole opened up,
with Drake standing at its very center.
"What can you do now, Drake?"
Huang Tu sneered, locking eyes with him.
"You'll die if you do this," Drake replied calmly.
"Then die first!" Huang Tu laughed.
Wood Release wouldn't help in this confined space.
RUMBLE—
The pit collapsed rapidly, sinking deeper and deeper.
"Prepare Ashstone Technique!" Huang Tu commanded.
Once filled with ash-earth, the pit would solidify into stone almost instantly.
"This time, you're definitely dead—"
HUM—!!!
Suddenly—
A black spherical core rose from within the pit.
Drake's voice echoed calmly across the battlefield:
"Chibaku Tensei."
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