"Wood Release: Wood Clone."
Hattori formed hand seals and quickly created a Wood Clone.
The Hashirama's cells and Wood Release Ninjutsu rewarded by the system were perfectly integrated.
Which meant that Hattori now possessed Chakra Reserves as terrifying as the Shodaime Hokage's, along with the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.
Aside from lacking Sage Mode, monstrous strength, summoning creatures, and sufficient combat experience…
Hattori's abilities were equivalent to a weakened version of Hashirama.
"With Master's strength, even just a Wood Clone can easily crush them!" Angewomon waved her small fists, her face full of excitement.
During her time in the real world, she had caught up on many anime.
Naruto was one she had become particularly obsessed with.
The powerful portrayal of Senju Hashirama in the anime gave Angewomon immense confidence in Hattori.
If nothing else, who could withstand a single Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees?
"The combat power of a Wood Clone is roughly half of my full strength. It will disappear if it suffers a major blow. So, for this tournament, my strategy will focus on defense and counterattacks." Hattori looked at the Wood Clone, identical to himself, and analyzed quietly.
Although a common weakness of clone techniques is their inability to withstand significant damage, the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai greatly mitigates this weakness.
When it comes to defense, Wood Release fears no one.
"Alright, preparations are complete. Angewomon, where did you say this 'Number One Under Heaven Martial Arts Tournament' is? Might as well go have some fun." A curve lifted the corner of Hattori's lips.
The Wood Clone stepped out the door and swiftly headed towards the Pacific Ocean.
…
The Number One Under Heaven Martial Arts Tournament, held once every four years, was exceptionally lively.
The venue for the preliminary rounds each year was chosen in an extremely harsh environment.
The previous tournament was held in the ancient and mysterious Desert of Death.
The one before that took place on the Freedom Spire Tower reaching into the clouds.
And this year...
"Welcome to the Pacific! This year's preliminary rounds for the Number One Under Heaven Martial Arts Tournament will be held here, in the Thousand-Star Archipelago!" A flamboyantly dressed host stood on a platform suspended by a helicopter, announcing loudly.
'Thousand-Star Archipelago?'
Hattori's Wood Clone, hidden within the crowd, felt puzzled.
"The Thousand-Star Archipelago is a bizarre sea area formed by 1,082 floating islands. The islands are distributed like stars in the night sky, orderly yet scattered, converging the turbulent ocean currents into whirlpools and storms one after another. The slightest misstep could lead to being sucked in and perishing in the ocean."
"There are 720,000 registered members participating in this tournament, along with 37,000 temporary registrants, totaling 757,000 individuals. They will be evenly distributed across the 1,082 floating islands of the Thousand-Star Archipelago. Only one person can remain on each island to qualify for the next round."
"Contestants facing life-threatening danger or those who decide to forfeit can press the alarm device provided by the Alliance. We will have specialized personnel come to the rescue. However, the casualty rate for each Number One Under Heaven Martial Arts Tournament is over 20%. Please act according to your capabilities." The host explained the rules in detail.
Hattori nodded, understanding dawning.
Espers accounted for about one percent of the global population.
That was nearly 70 million people.
Those confident enough to participate in the tournament were the elite, one in a hundred, each extremely confident in their abilities.
Even so, the mortality rate was as high as 20%.
It was easy to imagine how cruel the competition was.
"Next, please follow the prompts on the app and board the aircraft in order. We will drop you off on your designated islands."
"The competition starts now!" With the host's command, the scene instantly descended into chaos.
Countless people opened their phones and rushed towards the aircraft corresponding to their numbers.
Some even attacked those around them immediately.
"Fire Elements, Impact!"
"Great Strength Enhancement!"
"Earth Elements, heed my call!"
Flickering elements, bulging muscles, flying bullets and energy
Enveloped the area, stirring up a storm of blood and violence.
Of course, there were also stealth-type superhumans who quietly avoided the crowd and slipped onto the aircraft.
According to the rules, attacking after boarding was prohibited and would result in disqualification.
The truly skilled wouldn't make their move this early.
Hattori kept his hands in his pockets, strolling leisurely towards the aircraft.
He didn't really care.
A few attacks flying his way were easily dodged, and not even a speck of dust touched his clothes.
'Tsk, tsk, tsk. Feels like the ones attacking are, at best, comparable to Konoha's Chunin in strength. But their abilities are all sorts of bizarre. It's quite interesting.' Hattori watched the superhumans fight, marveling.
In the area he observed, some had growing hair, controlling all the hair on their bodies to fight.
Others summoned elements, commanding groups of peculiarly shaped elementals to attack.
There were even those using illusions, deception techniques, neural hypnosis, mechanical cyborgs.
A wide variety, everything imaginable.
"Can't deny it, I'm starting to get a bit interested in this so-called martial arts tournament."