Chapter 84: The Power of the First Hokage
Deliberately, Uchiha Raizen and his clones led the enraged Senju Hashirama away from the heart of the Senju compound, drawing the battle to the outskirts of their territory.
"Hmph! You dare to infiltrate and ambush the Senju?!" Hashirama roared, his voice resonating with power. "Wood Style: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
This was his true intent. The sheer, overwhelming scale of his Wood Release made fighting within the village itself impossible. He needed open ground to unleash his full might without destroying his own home.
Raizen's clones, still perfectly disguised as Kaguya, didn't retreat. "Senju! Do you believe your power alone can dictate this world? Dance of the Camellia!"
They met the surging forest of giant trees with a storm of their own projectiles—sharpened bones fired at blinding speed. The wooden tendrils smashed several clones into puffs of smoke, while others were impaled by the bone spears. It was a convincing, bloody performance. The remaining clones executed a feigned, panicked retreat, using Body Flicker to vanish into the newly created forest.
"They won't escape," Hashirama muttered, his senses locked onto the remaining chakra signatures.
"You don't need to worry about that!" the real Raizen—still in his Kaguya disguise—taunted, launching himself at Hashirama. He was in a difficult position. He could only use the Kaguya's bone techniques, and his proficiency with them was basic at best. His only advantage was his immense chakra reserves, allowing him to spam the attacks with relentless frequency.
"Impressive stamina," Hashirama acknowledged calmly. "But it's futile. Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"
A colossal wooden dragon, woven from the very trees around them, surged from the ground. It moved with shocking speed, coiling around Raizen's body before he could react, its wooden fangs digging into his shoulders, greedily sucking his chakra.
This power… it's immense! Raizen grunted in pain, feeling his energy being rapidly drained. He had to sell this.
"Dance of the Secluded Bone Forest!" he screamed, invoking one of the Kaguya's most infamous, all-or-nothing techniques.
A cataclysm of bone erupted from his body. A forest of sharp, jagged pillars shot out in every direction, shattering the wooden dragon and forcing Hashirama to leap back. The technique was devastating, a final, suicidal gambit that true Kaguya warriors used when cornered—a perfect end to his performance.
"Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!" Hashirama countered, summoning a dense, layered wall of wood that managed to contain the worst of the bone explosion, though several sharp fragments shot through the gaps.
"The chakra signatures of the others… they're gone," a new, calm voice observed. Uzumaki Mito stood at the edge of the clearing, her red hair vibrant even in the dim light. She had not even broken a sweat.
"I see," Hashirama said, his expression softening for a moment before turning grim. "Mito, I… I am sorry. I cannot be with you on our wedding night."
"It is of no consequence," Mito replied, her composure unshakable. "Go. Do what you must."
Hashirama released his jutsu, the wooden prison dissolving to reveal the "shattered" and "lifeless" form of the Kaguya infiltrator—another of Raizen's cleverly dispelled shadow clones. He then created a wood clone to relay orders and strode towards the Senju conference hall.
Minutes later, the hall was packed with the Senju leadership and their Uzumaki guests.
"Brother, the attack tonight…" Tobirama began, his face etched with suspicion.
"It was the Kaguya," Hashirama confirmed. "It seems the information Uchiha Raizen brought us was accurate."
Tobirama fell silent, but his mind raced. The coincidence was too perfect. Why would an Uchiha elder help them? The pieces didn't fit.
"Elders, mobilize all combat units. We prepare for war," Hashirama commanded. "Second Elder, go to the Uzumaki delegation. Warn them to be on highest alert. The Kaguya's path to us would take them directly through their lands." He then turned to his brother. "Tobirama, you are to command the garrison and defend the clan lands. You are not to leave."
"Brother, I can—!"
"This is an order!" Hashirama's voice brooked no argument. "Everyone, to your stations! Prepare for battle!"
With his commands given, Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, turned and marched out of the village, his power a palpable force ready to be unleashed upon the Kaguya. The Uchiha plan had worked flawlessly. The Senju and the Kaguya were now on an inevitable collision course.