NARUTO: GOD LEVEL FORGING SYSTEM

Kazuki's body burst into a scattering of wooden splinters—a classic Substitution Technique—before crashing to the ground as a lifeless log.

"Substitution Technique! (Kawarimi no Jutsu)"

Yamato's expression remained impassive, his eyes calm and calculating beneath his forehead protector, which bore the engraved kanji for 'ANBU.' It was as if he had anticipated this. Without hesitation, he molded his chakra once more, weaving the necessary hand seals and commanding four thick wooden tendrils to surge from the earth, launching a renewed assault toward Kazuki's last position.

"Whoosh!"

The vines pierced through the air, but once again—"Pop!"—the target dissolved into nothing, vanishing into a burst of chakra smoke. Yamato's brow lowered slightly in silent acknowledgment.

"Another Shadow Clone Technique (Kage Bunshin no Jutsu)..." he murmured, his voice steady but edged with vigilance.

However, the corners of his lips lifted in a subtle smirk. He didn't look down—no, his eyes flicked upward.

"Let's end this," he said simply.

Yamato's fingers pressed together in a Wood Release hand seal—Dog → Horse → Snake—and his chakra poured into the ground with raw intensity. Trees responded like obedient soldiers, surging forth, and ten thick, bark-skinned canes as sturdy as ANBU-issue spears erupted from the earth. They encircled every possible exit route, leaving Kazuki nowhere to run.

"Mokuton: Jukai Heki! (Wood Release: Dense Woodland Wall!)"

The vines lashed out simultaneously, each striking from a different angle—ankles, wrists, thighs, arms—moving with the precision of serpents hunting their prey. The living wood twisted and coiled, pinning Kazuki's limbs with inescapable strength before retracting and slamming his body into the nearest trunk.

The bark of the tree split open and consumed him, merging seamlessly to imprison his form within its core. The living wood pulsed faintly, draining chakra from his body, as if the tree itself was feeding.

Yamato exhaled, brushing a sheen of sweat from his brow. "Hah... finally restrained you." His voice, though calm, carried a note of hard-won relief.

"This is the terror of Mokuton," he continued, his gaze unwavering. "My Wood Release binds not only the body but the chakra flow itself. Once caught, even a Kage-level shinobi struggles to break free. The more you fight, the more it drains your chakra... feeding the tree... feeding itself. You become—its nourishment."

A flicker of respect passed through his eyes. "Even so… you've lasted five minutes. That alone proves your strength." His voice rose slightly as he called out:

"Kazuki! Surrender now, and you pass this test!"

Despite the severity of the situation, Yamato had kept his promise—not a single strike beyond the point of no return.

But then—

"Oh? Surrender?"

The voice, clear and composed, came from within the tree.

Yamato's sharp ANBU-trained eyes immediately caught something: No struggle... no sign of panic... The prisoner within the trunk stood eerily still, bound but somehow... regal.

The words that followed dripped with confidence:

"In my world... the word surrender does not exist!"

A sudden, sharp burst of laughter—deep, unshaken—echoed from the wooden prison. The arrogance in his voice rang with a power that could neither be bound nor contained.

And, watching from the shadows, several unseen ANBU operatives felt it too—something beyond mere defiance. Conviction.

Yamato's eyes narrowed dangerously. He had seen many things in his years with Root and ANBU. Yet this...

"Well then," he said, voice dropping to a murmur, "let's see how far that conviction carries you."

His fingers tightened into a seal, and the wood responded instantly—twisting, constricting. The tree's chakra-draining roots surged, ravenously feeding on every last ounce of Kazuki's power.

"No chakra… no escape…" Yamato declared coldly.

Yet—

In that very instant—

A strange smile—calm, almost playful—slipped onto Kazuki's lips from within the tree. His voice, smooth and unhurried, reached Yamato's ears:

"Tell me, Captain Yamato…"

His tone shifted, laced with something knowing.

"Haven't you noticed... anything unusual?"

Yamato froze in place, his heart pounding as confusion flashed across his face.

Something's wrong… what is this feeling?

His eyes, trained through countless missions in ANBU, widened in disbelief. He stared at the towering tree trunks and vines he had spawned with Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan (Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence)—the very manifestation of his Wood Release chakra. Yet, something was terribly off.

The chakra that should have been draining from his target, Kazuki, was instead rapidly bleeding from his own body—siphoned away through the very wooden tendrils he had created.

It was faster than any chakra depletion he had experienced, even beyond the strain of maintaining Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan, a technique known for its massive chakra consumption.

"What… is this?!" Yamato's voice trembled with shock, his face pale and eyes locked on Kazuki, who stood calmly amid the writhing vines. His throat felt dry as he demanded, "You… how are you doing this?! What technique is this?!"

But Kazuki only smiled faintly, offering no answer.

The truth?

He wasn't doing anything—at least, not directly.

The system within him had long issued a quest: Collect Wood Release Chakra. But until now, he hadn't found the right opportunity. Yamato's Mokuton, cultivated from the First Hokage's DNA, was a rare treasure—and this was the perfect chance.

The system absorbed the Wood Release chakra automatically, feeding off any contact with Yamato's living wooden constructs.

So, this wasn't a battle. It was a trap.

Kazuki had allowed himself to be bound, not because he couldn't escape—no, escaping would have been simple. He had let Yamato's vines ensnare him deliberately. It was the easiest way to let the system harvest what it needed.

Yamato had walked straight into the snare.

A mechanical chime echoed in Kazuki's consciousness:

[Ding! Congratulations, host. Quest completed: Collect Wood Release Chakra.]

[Reward: Chakra Crystal Stone Forging Blueprint obtained.]

A glint of satisfaction sparked in Kazuki's eyes, and his lips curled into a smirk.

"Now…" he said, his voice low but brimming with anticipation. "It's time to fight you for real."

The horror hadn't yet left Yamato's face when he witnessed something that made his heart nearly stop.

Kazuki's voice rang out, sharp and powerful:

"Hachimon Tonkō! Kai! (Eight Gates Released Formation—Open!)"

"Kaimon, Kai!" (First Gate: Gate of Opening—Open!)

"Kyūmon, Kai!" (Second Gate: Gate of Healing—Open!)

"Seimon, Kai!" (Third Gate: Gate of Life—Open!)

Three successive roars split the air, and an eruption of blinding green chakra exploded from Kazuki's body, distorting the air with its raw, ferocious power.

The ground beneath his feet cracked and shattered from the release, and the wind howled as it whipped through his long black hair, which danced wildly in the storm of chakra.

Yet, what was truly shocking wasn't just the power—it was the absence of pain.

In the original records, when Might Guy or Rock Lee activated the Third Gate, their bodies always paid the price: ruptured capillaries, crimson skin flushed with internal bleeding, and agony barely contained by willpower.

But Kazuki?

His skin remained clear, his body pristine. No ruptured vessels, no blood, no agony—only raw, controlled power. The violent chakra coursed through him, but his body held firm, tempered by years of relentless physique cultivation.

To him, the third gate of the Eight Gates was as effortless as breathing.

Even Might Guy, the greatest Eight Gates user alive, couldn't achieve such a feat. Kazuki had refined this forbidden art far beyond even his teacher's limits—an evolution that Guy himself regarded with immense pride.

The Anbu operatives observing from the shadows couldn't suppress their reactions:

"Impossible… that's the Eight Gates!" one gasped, their voice filled with disbelief.

"Might Guy's ultimate technique?! This kid mastered it… and he's only twelve?"

"That's an S-rank forbidden technique! He shouldn't even be alive after opening the third gate!"

Their murmurs turned to a stunned uproar.

But none were more shocked than Hatake Kakashi.

His single visible eye widened beneath his mask as he felt his heart pound.

Guy… what have you done?

As Guy's eternal rival, Kakashi knew everything about the Eight Gates. He had fought Guy countless times, felt the devastating force behind each kick, and understood the deadly cost of opening those gates.

He also knew how fiercely Guy guarded this technique.

For Guy to have passed down the Hachimon Tonkō to this boy—this child—meant one thing:

He believed in Kazuki enough to entrust him with a power that could cost him his life.

But the true horror in Kakashi's heart wasn't just that the boy could open the gates.

It was that he had done so… without suffering the slightest injury.

"Guy…" Kakashi murmured, his voice low and tense, "What kind of monster did you raise this time?"

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