The God of the Forest, ruler of all greenery, had two pitch-black markings crawling upon his eyelids.
"Rumble." The earth trembled, wailing as it was pushed open by trees drilling out from the deep underground. Looking up, one would see boundless trees obeying Sean's command, condensing beneath his feet, and in the blink of an eye, converging into a towering Guanyin.
Her face held neither sadness nor joy. Compared to Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, she was larger, more magnificent, and possessed far more arms—reaching a full thousand!
This sight dumbfounded the candidates, including Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, as well as the examiners Satotz, Buhara, and Menchi.
Was this damn thing still a battle between "humans"? Are you sure these aren't "gods"?
However, they were undoubtedly human. But as Sean had said... "Compared to the True Several Thousand Hands, his 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva is indeed a bit lackluster."
Bright light exploded in Netero's old eyes. His gaze locked deadly onto the True Several Thousand Hands, his chin raised slightly, brimming with fighting spirit.
"Senju Hashirama's Wood Style technique? Sean, you've really given this old man a big surprise."
"Ahahaha. Has my fame reached another world? Sean, get me a few bowls of ramen. This old man is happy today; I must eat ten bowls no matter what!"
Black hair, black clothes, red armor. Hashirama glanced at Netero, landing lightly beside Sean, laughing with his hands on his hips. That laughter was far more cheerful and lively compared to a certain gloomy introvert Second Generation.
"There's enough noodles, but now isn't the time to eat, Mister Hashirama." Standing atop the head of the True Several Thousand Hands, Sean looked down at Netero from his high vantage point and waved his hand effortlessly.
The True Several Thousand Hands moved as easily as his own fingers, extending one hundred palms and slapping them down toward the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
"Rip." The palm wind tore through the air, emitting shrill whistles. Powerful force wrapped in shockwaves swept out, shattering the drifting clouds. In the blink of an eye, it pressed in front of Netero.
It is impolite not to reciprocate. "Old man, don't say I'm bullying you. If I don't fight you with my full strength, you might just faint from anger."
"That's right." Netero chuckled with a suppressed voice. "Underestimating me is the greatest insult to this old man!"
The Grand Chairman pressed his palms together. The 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva danced, swinging its arms to meet the attack boldly, showing no intention of retreating!
Even facing the True Several Thousand Hands, he was not flustered in the slightest, defending with his hundred palms so tightly that not even the wind could pass through.
That is why... he is humanity's strongest. Hashirama put away his smile, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at Netero with a burning gaze and said, "You've met a good opponent, Sean. This old man has trained his martial arts to the absolute peak. Trying to break through his defense with just a hundred arms might not be enough."
Heroes appreciate heroes. Both were grandmasters who had opened their own schools. "Wood Style" versus "Shingen-ryu." One materialist, one idealist. One focused on refining, unleashing, and applying Wood attribute Chakra; the other poured the power of the heart into his fists. The philosophies were not entirely the same, yet they reached the same destination. Both were figures one could not be careless with in the slightest.
Sean nodded in deep agreement. "If one palm won't do, then two! If two won't do, then a hundred, five hundred, a thousand!"
In short, facing the number one person in the world, the momentum must not be broken!
If it breaks, the opportunity will be seized. And being seized by Netero, who has immersed himself in martial arts for over a hundred years, means defeat!
Therefore, after exchanging blows with Netero for a while, Sean did not retreat but advanced, mobilizing more arms to press in and slap at the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva!
Where wooden palms met golden palms... wood chips flew sideways accompanied by golden light. Two hundred palms... three hundred palms... four hundred palms... slapping, grabbing, chopping, knocking, cutting, lifting.
Discarding all superfluous thoughts, Sean urged his Nen, driving the True Several Thousand Hands to display Wood Style to its fullest extent.
With one breath of spirit held high, there was no intention of letting it scatter; he fought more bravely as the battle went on!
"Good lad, you really beat the excitement out of me." Feeling the pressure brought by the True Several Thousand Hands at close range, Netero narrowed his eyes. Maintaining the Bodhisattva's stance, he looked at Sean. As the young man's Nen steamed and surged, his black hair danced upside down. Those Rinnegan eyes inlaid in his sockets were clear and translucent, wantonly radiating waves to the surroundings. In an instant, it took Netero back to the past.
He saw the version of himself from years ago, training his fists in the ice and snow, braving the deep winter.
From initially only being able to throw one thousand punches a day... to two thousand, three thousand, until one day he finally completed ten thousand prayers of gratitude punches before the sun went down. Finally, to the point where throwing ten thousand punches didn't even take half an hour. Obviously, the kid in front of him was already walking the path he had once walked, and faintly, he had already surpassed him and run ahead. "Usually, the younger generation is to be feared."
"Rumble." The aftershocks generated by the collision between the old and the young rose one after another, seemingly approaching an intensifying trend. This directly led to—
The candidates couldn't even see anymore!
Because the speed of the two was simply too fast; they might have clashed hundreds of times in a single instant!
In the eyes of Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, as well as Hanzo, Bourbon, Cherry, Ponzu, Geretta, and others... the world seemed to contain only two colors—
Gold and red, constantly and frantically colliding and weaving together!
"Move back further!" Satotz leapt up, grabbing Gon and Killua who were blown away by the airwaves. He secretly cursed the two brats for being too bold; they were the closest, really risking their lives.
Gon and Killua exchanged sheepish glances, then simultaneously huffed and turned their heads away!
"It's all because of you!" Both complained in their hearts at the same time. Then they both touched their chests, feeling lingering fear... somewhat scared.
"Too terrifying. Can Dad/Great-Grandpa handle a battle of this level?" The two seemed to truly have a telepathic connection, thinking of Ging and Maha at the same time. One could only say... worthy of being born best friends! Their bond was stronger than gold!
At this moment... a certain Single-Star Gourmet Hunter who had run to the side to dry heave returned. Seeing her, Buhara sighed and said, "Sigh, Menchi, Satotz was right. If you chose to go easy, maybe things wouldn't have blown up this big."
Do you need to say that? Who knew this Sean Zoldyck would be so strong?
Menchi rolled her eyes at Buhara. It seemed there was still dirt in her mouth she hadn't cleaned out, leaving her with no desire to speak.
The girl's expression was ugly. She simply stopped talking, staring silently at Netero and Sean fighting in the field. Her pink fists clenched and unclenched, then clenched and unclenched again. The emotions in her heart were growing like weeds—uncuttable, chaotic, complex, and hard to describe.
"Boom!" Finally—
After an unknown number of exchanges, Netero swung a palm, performing a swift great loop to block the True Several Thousand Hands. He took the opportunity to exhale and said, "Kid, it's still the same saying—"
"Having more arms is useless if the skill is insufficient. You can't do anything to this old man, and this old man can't break your defense. How about..."
"We stop here?"
Sean stood on the True Several Thousand Hands, motionless as a mountain, looking down at Netero. The corner of his mouth curled into a shallow arc. "People have to admit they're old, Old Man. Stop here? I'm afraid you've learned from a certain shameless old man and read too much erotic manga, so you've gone soft."
Netero: "..."
The candidates, along with the three examiners Satotz, Buhara, and Menchi: "..."
Everyone turned into dot-eyes.
A certain pervert was also stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
"Schwing. It's getting more and more interesting, isn't it?"
Hisoka's mouth pulled diagonally upward into a deep V shape, his eyes curving into crescents as he looked at Sean fervently. As expected of his Teacher Ben An, he was becoming more and more tempting. This heart devoted to battle really, really suited his tastes.
"Shwip." The playing cards were pulled straight into an accordion shape by Hisoka. It would be a pity not to play a tune when encountering such a wonderful battle, wouldn't it?
Unfortunately, some people didn't buy it. Swept by the unkind gazes of Menchi, Buhara, and Satotz, Hisoka behaved himself a little. With a "shwip," he closed the cards again. He was far inferior to Maha; he didn't give a damn about anyone except Netero. In fact, when a certain old man got angry, he wouldn't even give Netero face. He pointed carelessly at Sean on the TV and cursed with a laugh, "Stinky brat, who are you calling soft?!"
"Stop paying lip service! Hurry up and tear that broken Guanyin apart for me!"
As he spoke, Maha glared, spat into his hands, and gave Beans a backhand slap, cursing, "Gently! You're pinching me, it hurts."
"What? Seeing me scold your boss, you got angry and want to murder me?"
Can you stop joking? Beans went limp and fainted directly to the ground. Good heavens, attempting in front of you, the murder ancestor of assassins? I might as well "die" first as a gesture of respect.
"Thud." Beans hit the floor face first, making no sound.
Maha curled her lips. "Coward without balls, just like your boss."
Unbeknownst to him, the corner of Netero's mouth twitched, and he was also cursing Maha vehemently in his heart!
"A crooked stick will have a crooked shadow. Maha, when your grandson gets clingy, he's no different from you, you old thing, is he?"
"This old man actively offered a step down, but he didn't give any face at all. Tsk."
"It seems the family education of your Zoldyck family is truly worrying."
Smacking his lips, Netero quickly adjusted his emotions. The strongest human wasn't a joke; his skill in adjusting emotions was also world-class.
Netero looked at Sean with a smile and said indifferently, "Kid, it seems you don't agree with this old man's statement."
"Or do you think you have the assurance to break my defense?"
However... "Old man, I want to know, who gave you this confidence?"
"Is breaking your defense very hard?" Sean clapped his hands. "Top Transformed Buddha!"
"Crack crack crack." The sound of frying beans exploded in the sky. The Bodhisattva's Wrath held nothing back.
Following the movement of Sean's mind, Netero looked up at the sky. The boundless blue sky instantly turned black. Replaced by... countless... fists!