Konoha.
Rooftop of the Hokage Tower.
Kai watched Tobirama Senju's movements, and a hint of admiration curved at the corner of his lips.
That entire sequence of actions had flowed like water.
From the sudden ambush earlier…
To the instant judgment…
To throwing the kunai in a way that both ensured his own safety and created a counterattack opportunity through teleportation—
The entire chain of actions was pushed to the absolute limit of speed.
No—speed alone wasn't the point.
It was reaction.
Without exaggeration, this was practically a zero-frame startup.
And the key point—
Tobirama was still forming hand seals.
Not the modern "clap your hands and summon whatever you want" style.
That made it even more difficult.
Honestly speaking, Kai himself couldn't react that fast.
Just the hand seals alone would already defeat him.
Who even used hand seals anymore?
Besides…
All of Kai's abilities were traits.
Once activated, they worked automatically.
He didn't even know how to perform hand seals.
"That hand seal speed… seven seals in one second while moving?"
Below, Kakashi felt his heart tremble.
The cloth covering his left eye had already been lifted at some point.
His three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly.
Even so, he could only capture a blurry trace of Tobirama's movements.
"So this is the real Flying Thunder God…"
As the student of the Fourth Hokage, he had seen this space-time technique more than once.
But unlike Minato's warm and radiant style that focused on rescue and protection—
Tobirama's Flying Thunder God was cold.
Filled with killing intent.
Every action was calculation.
Efficiency.
The goal was simple—
One strike, one kill.
"This is bad… Kai-sama…"
Yamato hadn't even seen the exchange clearly.
All he noticed was a blur—
And suddenly the Second Hokage was already slashing down with a blade.
"Now this is real passion!"
Compared to the two of them, Guy's thick eyebrows had nearly stood upright.
Green steam burst from his body.
Eight Gates — Gate of Life!
Simply watching the battle had caused the blood in his body to boil.
If he actually joined this fight—
How many gates would he have to open to qualify?
Six gates?
Seven?
Or perhaps…
The Eighth Gate?
"Second Hokage-sama! This is our invincible Second Hokage-sama!"
Some elderly Konoha villagers had tears in their eyes.
Those were the days they had fought alongside the Second Hokage.
Even the long-dormant fighting spirit inside Hiruzen Sarutobi stirred slightly.
"Teacher… I… have shamed you."
All these years, his teacher's passion remained unchanged.
But he himself had long been corroded by power and authority.
While everyone reacted differently—
Kai simply stood behind Tobirama calmly.
Watching as the man raised his blade.
And brought it down.
"A clever idea… but unfortunately…"
"You know nothing about the power of a god."
Kai shook his head with a faint smile.
His voice was calm.
Almost indifferent.
Honestly speaking, while his brother and Uchiha Madara were already summoning giant chakra avatars like mecha warriors—
Tobirama was still stabbing people with kunai.
Then, under Tobirama's confused and furious gaze—
Kai opened his arms.
As if welcoming death.
"Hm? Provoking me?"
"Very well, Uchiha brat. You've successfully angered me."
Tobirama froze briefly.
Then the killing intent in his heart surged.
The Sword of the Thunder God swung even faster.
The blade tore through the air.
SHRRAAAK—
Then—
Something shocking happened.
Sunlight fell upon the young Uchiha.
Soft rays shimmered around him.
They enveloped his entire body.
And the terrifying lightning blade—
Passed straight through him.
Like slicing through empty air.
Light Body.
Or rather—
His body had become light itself.
"What…?"
"An illusion? A genjutsu? No… that's not it!"
Tobirama stared at the unharmed Kai.
His mind stalled for a moment.
Shock flashed across his eyes.
He was certain the Kai before him was the real body.
But—
How had the attack missed?
He felt no sign of being caught in a genjutsu.
Nor any space-time fluctuation.
Even Hashirama Senju narrowed his eyes slightly.
A trace of surprise appeared in his pupils.
"That Uchiha brat…"
"He seems to possess something beyond common sense."
"Tobirama might finally suffer a little."
Hashirama smiled faintly.
Perhaps it was good.
Tobirama always judged everything harshly—
Declaring things wrong and insisting on wiping out threats completely.
Maybe a little suffering would do him good.
And besides…
Hashirama glanced down at his own body.
Although his chakra reserves were only about half of what they once were—
They felt endless.
In a sense…
Edo Tensei had strengthened his chakra endurance.
But the battle didn't stop.
Instead—
It escalated.
"Lord Tobirama, the Uchiha have a saying."
Kai spoke lightly.
"'If someone gives you a gift, you must return one in kind.'"
"So…"
"Are you ready?"
Before Tobirama could react—
Kai thrust out a hand.
A pitch-black hand covered in Yin Release chakra.
SHLUK!
Caught off guard, the black hand plunged into Tobirama's body as if punching into cake.
Then clenched.
"—!"
Tobirama's Edo Tensei body trembled violently.
He felt a powerful, irresistible force invading his body.
Without thinking, he immediately began forming seals to teleport away.
But suddenly—
A tremendous force erupted from inside him.
Kai grabbed him.
Shook him once.
Then threw him like a sack of trash.
BOOOOM!
The impact shattered several support pillars of the rooftop.
Dust exploded throughout the Hokage Tower.
"Gasp—"
Orochimaru, who had retreated to the edge of the roof, sucked in a breath.
His tongue froze mid-air.
"That… was Tobirama Senju."
"The fastest shinobi in history."
"And he got swatted away like a fly in one move?"
He muttered in disbelief.
"Could it be… Edo Tensei weakened him too much?"
Then he nodded thoughtfully.
"Looks like I'll have to improve the technique further."
"Tobirama!"
Seeing his younger brother being beaten, Hashirama's normally gentle face finally turned serious.
He stepped forward—
But Tobirama suddenly stopped him.
"Don't come over, big brother."
From within the smoke, Tobirama's voice sounded strangely excited.
His Edo Tensei body rapidly regenerated.
He stared at Kai.
Then glanced up at the sun.
"Light…"
"I think your ability…"
"Is about to stop working."
As he spoke—
His hands began forming seals again.
At a speed far beyond human limits.
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