Wood Style And Sharingan

"Amaterasu!"

A mass of pitch-black flames erupted from the void, blooming within the raging purple sea of fire.

As Smith's Mangekyō Sharingan continued to pulse, his pupil power surged forth. The black flames of Amaterasu fed upon the surrounding blaze, expanding outward at an alarming rate. Within moments, the black fire had formed its own sea, clashing violently with the purple inferno.

Two monstrous seas of fire now battled for dominance.

At first, Amaterasu was at a disadvantage, suppressed by the ferocity of Huoliu's purple flames.

But as the seconds passed, the situation reversed. Amaterasu pushed back, gradually overwhelming the purple flames. The immortal black fire devoured Huoliu's flames and surged toward him like an unstoppable tide.

Huoliu's confident expression faltered for the first time. The smug smile vanished from his face as he watched his proud flames being devoured.

"I refuse to believe that your flame is stronger than my purple fire!" he snarled, his features twisting with rage.

For the first time, true ferocity shone in his eyes. Spiritual energy surged violently from within him, condensing into more purple flames that he hurled into the battlefield.

The sea of fire roared louder, growing more furious. With a flick of his wrist, Huoliu molded the flames into a massive fire beast that lunged at the Amaterasu flames, attempting to consume and extinguish them.

A cruel smile returned to Huoliu's lips.

This was his strongest ability—the purple fire that had never failed him. In his mind, there was no flame in the world that could surpass it.

But then, the smile froze.

From within the belly of the purple fire beast, something stirred. A stubborn cluster of black flames began devouring it from the inside, spreading outward like a curse.

Within seconds, the fire beast was reduced to ashes, and the entire purple sea of fire transformed into a storm of pitch-black flames.

"What... what is this?!"

Huoliu's pupils constricted in horror as he stared at the flames descending upon him.

"Ahhh!"

The fire swallowed him whole, the sheer heat causing him to let out a gut-wrenching scream. His voice echoed across the battlefield.

Even the Flamehawk beneath his feet was not spared. Both it and Huoliu were engulfed by the unrelenting flames and plummeted from the sky like a burning comet.

The scream ceased.

The charred remains of Huoliu's body hit the ground, still aflame. He continued to burn until nothing was left but ash. Only then did Amaterasu fade, its hunger sated.

They didn't call it the "eternal flame" for nothing. Amaterasu would not extinguish until its target was completely turned to ash.

Though its track record in the original legends and records was mixed, Amaterasu was anything but weak. Once it marked a target, few ever survived.

"Huff... Huff..."

Smith staggered slightly, breathing heavily.

While his spiritual energy could be replenished fairly quickly, the side effects of using the Mangekyō Sharingan were brutal. The intense burning sensation, the pressure on his eyes—it was enough to drive a lesser person mad.

The first time he used it, he had nearly blacked out from the pain. He had even feared he was going blind.

Thankfully, the worst had passed.

The flames were gone.

And Huoliu, the terrifying leader of the Burning Fire Clan, had perished.

Nearby, the battle against the violent pangolin had come to an end as well. Under the relentless attacks of Ming Yun and the others, the beast had finally collapsed, its massive body crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.

It had been a fourth-level monster—fiercely defensive and relentless. Taking it down had cost them considerable energy.

But in the end, they had emerged victorious.

Yan Yue walked over to Smith's side, her eyes fixed on the smoldering pile of ashes that used to be Huoliu. A look of disbelief lingered on her face.

"Is it really over? The leader of the Burning Fire Clan... just dead, like that?"

They had spent so long searching for him, only for him to appear on his own and die in a single confrontation. It felt surreal.

Smith nodded, exhaling slowly. "He's been reduced to ashes. There's no doubt."

For the first time in a long while, he allowed himself a sense of relief.

The looming threat of ambush was finally over. No more watching his back, waiting for the next attack.

Still, there was one lingering regret. Huoliu had died too quickly. They hadn't had a chance to question him—why he had been targeting Smith and Yan Yue specifically.

But now that Huoliu was gone, it didn't really matter.

Ming Yun stepped up and addressed the squad leader nearby. "Our mission is complete. We've eliminated the target. The rest is yours."

"Understood. Thank you for your support," the team leader replied, nodding respectfully.

And with that, the two sides parted ways.

Before leaving, Smith gave a few final instructions to Wei Lin and the others. "I'm heading back first. Stay alert and stay safe."

Then, he left with Ming Yun, disappearing into the distance.

---

Far away, in a dark underground chamber, a purple flame flickered weakly in the center.

Around it stood several figures clad in fiery red cloaks. Their faces remained hidden in the shadows.

"Huoliu is dead," said a calm, female voice.

"Hmph. I always knew that fool couldn't accomplish anything. Arrogant and delusional—he thought a single fourth-level beast was enough to take on Huaihai College? He got what he deserved," a gruff male voice sneered.

"It's not his death that concerns us. The real issue is that those two targets are still alive," the woman said grimly. "We've failed the mission assigned to us by Master Huozhi."

"Relax," said an older, raspier voice. "There's still time. As long as those two are eliminated, the Holy Empire's last hope will be extinguished. Its decline is inevitable."

The others nodded in agreement. The purple flame flickered once more… and then went out.

Darkness reclaimed the chamber.

---

> [Ding! Mission complete: Eliminate the leader of the Burning Fire Clan]

[Reward: 1000 Energy Points, 2 Lottery Draws]

Back inside a covered wooden transport cart, Smith finally received the mission rewards he'd been waiting for.

One thousand energy points had been credited, and he now had two chances to spin the lottery wheel.

Without wasting any time, he opened the lottery interface:

> [Possible Rewards: Mangekyō Sharingan – Susanoo (Itachi style), Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu, Wood Release: Tree Bind Technique, Summoning – One-Tail, Summoning – Nine-Tails, Four Symbols Seal, Uchiha Flame Formation...]

A fresh round of powerful options.

Smith's eyes lit up with excitement. Every single reward was excellent—no need to refresh the list.

"Alright! My expectations aren't too high. Just give me one good pull! Nine-Tails, Susanoo, or even Bokuto—I'll take any of those!"

He rubbed his hands together eagerly and activated the first spin.

"Click-click-click..."

The pointer spun rapidly, first speeding up, then slowing down.

"Please, ancestors... just this once! Let me hit the jackpot!" Smith muttered under his breath, eyes squeezed shut in prayer.

The pointer gradually slowed... and then stopped.

A flash of golden light burst forth.

Smith opened one eye and peeked at the result.

Four bold golden characters: Four Symbols Seal.

"Damn it... crooked!"

He sighed.

It wasn't that the Four Symbols Seal was useless—it was just that, compared to the other options, it wasn't something he particularly wanted right now. Sealing techniques had limited versatility in his current situation.

One lottery chance wasted.

"It's alright. I still have one more chance."

"Alright, ancestors, don't fail me this time! Second spin—let's go!"

The pointer began spinning once more, and Smith's heart thumped faster and faster. This time, he didn't dare look.

He waited in suspense... until the golden flash of light returned.

And then—

He opened his eyes.

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

pàtreøn (Gk31)