A sixteen year old Haruto was walking through the woods. He held onto Wendy's hand as he guided the young girl across the forest, it had been a week or so since he had found her crying in a forest and now he had decided to travel with the girl along with him. But now he had a dangerous request he needed to go on so he needed to take her to a safer location so he could finish the request without worrying about the young girls safety. They were taking a short cut to the next town and there he would leave her with a clone. That would allow him to go the request while she stayed with his clone. It was best for both of them, he didn't want her to go such a request yet. She was still a child and he would allow her to keep her innocence for as long as necessary, he knew the damage of losing such an important thing at such a young age. He was the perfect example of the results of one, and he did not wish for another one to become like him.
The short time with the girl he had gotten a soft spot for her, he did not show it much, but he still cared. Making his way further into the forest, Haruto sensed someone further up in the forest. Normally he would simply ignore the person, but he or she had a large amount of magical power and could pose as a threat to him. Preparing for the worst, Haruto still held his impassive expression on his face as he continued forward. Plans ran through his mind as he guided the girl forward, his plan was to simply to engage the enemy if hostile and create a clone to get Wendy to safety. The redhead shinobi caught sight of the one he had sensed and for once he began questioning his sensing abilities. The person he had sensed was a elderly man that resembled a tree in more than one aspect of his body. That was not the strange part, he learned to never underestimate an enemy despite ones outer appearance it was one thing that was taught to him by all of his mentors. Yet he still did it and got himself beat to the ground courtesy of Madara who in his old age still managed to beat him to the ground. Later on he would find the power of the Demonic Statue that allowed his grandfather to live for so long, but having no knowledge of it allowed him to learn the lesson.
The strange part was that the elderly man was talking to a tree. Yes, the man was talking to a tree and he seemed to believe as if the tree was speaking as well. The two humans and the exceed just stared at the man with a completely shocked expression on their faces, but Haruto quickly recovered as his face shifted from shocked to impassive in a swift motion. The elderly man continued to talk to the tree as the three watched on. Haruto began guiding the two away from the strange old man and towards the other side of the forest.
"Oh look! We have guests!" the elderly man spoke as he turned to face the three who were trying to sneak past, "What're you kiddies doing out here in the middle of the forest, don't you know don't know what strange people you will find out here! Hahahaha!"
The three just sweat dropped and stared at the man with odd looks on all of their faces. He is one strange, strange man. Haruto thought as he composed himself and continued staring at the man.
"Thank you for your advice, we must make it to the next town." Haruto said as he gave the man a slight bow and began guiding the girl and her exceed away from the strange man. They only managed to walk a few paces before multiple men jumped out from the forest with a variety of weapons.
"Looks like it is our lucky day boys, two brats and a old man." one of them said as he showed off the sword that he carried. Before looking over the three and studying them and a smirk adorned his greasy face, "You brats, hand over the backpack and whatever money you have or else."
"Wendy get behind me." Haruto said as he narrowed his eyes and began building up chakra. There were a large amount of bandits, he could not allow them to hurt Wendy or the elderly man. Though he knew the old man could handle himself, he could not take risks.
"That's hilarious, you crack me up!" the old man's voice stopped the exchange of words and everyone turned their heads to see the man patting the tree with a happy expression on his face, "Mimi, you are one funny tree!"
The gathered people just sweat dropped as they heard that and looked at the man strangely. Haruto blinked a few times before he regained his bearings and placed a hand on Wendy's shoulder and they disappeared in a flurry of leaves, appearing beside the elderly man he placed himself before the two. Flashing through hand signs, he didn't want to use any Fire techniques as it would set an entire forest ablaze, so he had only three options. Either Wind techniques, hand to hand combat or Wood Release.
Haruto changed his mind and decided to restrain them instead, it was better than using his Wind techniques as it would be a tad bit deadly for the civilians in this world. Clapping his hands together, Haruto forced chakra to the ground and roots surrounded the multiple bandits and began ensnaring them. The bandits sliced a few of the roots or well tried, but they were infused with chakra so it was harder than regular trees by a little, but it was still stronger. This technique was called "Wood Release: Laughing Buddha Technique" or an imitation of it as his control of Wood Release was horrible, but it was still enough to handle some bandits. Unless they could use magic, then that would be a bit more annoying.
"Mages, blast those roots!" the same bandit screamed as he tried hacking through the roots that were surrounding him, "Blast them now!"
A few of the mages brought out some items and soon magic circles formed around the items and they began blasting the roots that were entangling the other bandits. Haruto cursed his luck and decided against using a Fire technique to destroy them right here and now. The mages turned their magical items to them and began blasting them with beams of magic. Rat-Dog-Tiger. "Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall." Haruto pushed chakra to the earth and roots rose up in wooden pillars from both his left and right and joined together to form a half circle. The magical beams slammed against the wooden barrier and a few pieces of wood were shot off but it held. The elderly man eyed the wooden barrier with interest in his eyes, this boy intrigued him. The control of the magic the boy possessed he could not control perfectly and that was the reason for his attacks weakness.
Haruto jumped into the air and landed in the middle of the group of bandits and he charged. Eyes turning blood red, he began tearing them apart. He could not fight them as well with his Wood Release nor did he have perfect control over the element so it was best to engage them through Taijutsu. Stopping a sword with a wind chakra encased hand, he pulled the blade forward and dragged it along with the wielder toward him, slamming his elbow at the mans ribs he punched the man in the face with a chakra powered fist knocking him out. Placing another one under an illusion, the redhead kicked a man across the face sending him flying towards a tree. I should have done this sooner, Wood Release was a bad idea. Haruto mused as he punched another bandit in the face and sent another flying.
Not allowing them to get past him and attack Wendy or the old man, he kept them back as he continued to engage the ones surrounding him in combat. But a few managed to sneak past him and head towards the two who were observing the entire fight, Wendy saw them coming and was about to call go and engage the few bandits that were coming for them but the old man walked forward and brought a hand up. The ground beneath the bandits glowed a green magic circle with a tree in the middle of it, as the circle shown brighter multiple roots shot from the ground and bound them up in a instant. Wendy looked wide eyed at the old man but he simply gave her a smile and returned his gaze to the fight.
Haruto jumped into the air and formed the Snake hand sign. "Wood Release: Nativity of a Sea of Trees." Haruto pushed a large portion of chakra into this technique as trees began shooting up from the ground and branches wrapped around the bandits binding them as an entire forest grew in a forest in an instant. The elderly mans eyes widened in utter shock as he saw the results of the boys technique, he was not the only one as Wendy and Carla looked at it in pure shock. Amazing, the boy's magic power. Though I can tell it isn't his main magic, his display of power with it is amazing. The elderly man thought as a smile formed on his face, Truly a diamond in the rough.
Wendy moved towards the redhead as he approached the two spectators. Haruto nodded to the approaching girl and turned towards the elderly man, the roots that bound two bandits were not his doing and the only one that could do such a thing was the man. Wendy did not possess that much talent in her magic, and on a side note her magic had nothing to do with plants. Narrowing his eyes, he did not drop his guard though the bandits were dealt with the man still posed a threat to them.
"Oho, it's over already," the elderly man said as he flashed the boy a carefree smile, "Mimi says you have some powerful magic my boy!"
"Just who are you old man?" Haruto asked as his Sharingan spun around rapidly adding to the intimidating effect.
"These youngsters are so impatient aren't they Mimi?" the elderly man asked as he turned to the tree with a curious expression before turning to the two again, "Oh okay, Mimi says to tell you who I am. My name is Warrod Sequen."