"Still… how can this kid switch from friendly to hostile so quickly?"
Hashirama muttered under his breath.
"We weren't even finished talking and he's already attacking. Honestly…"
Shaking his head, he glanced at the incoming Tailed Beast Bombs.
Without hesitation, he bit his thumb and slammed his hand onto the ground with one hand.
"Fivefold Rashōmon Gates!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Massive demonic gates engraved with grotesque faces erupted from the ground like giant trees.
Their speed was astonishing.
They rose almost instantly.
RUMBLE!
The moment they appeared, an aura far heavier than the earlier Wood Release techniques surged outward.
Several nearby shinobi immediately felt their chakra flow slow down.
"Five gates?"
Behind them, Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed.
He also knew the Rashōmon summoning technique.
But he could only summon three gates.
Five?
He wouldn't even dare imagine it.
"Hehehe… truly worthy of the title God of Shinobi."
"Just a casual move from him stands at the peak of what people like us could ever reach…"
Orochimaru licked the corner of his lips excitedly.
At this moment, he felt incredibly fortunate that he had not stripped the two Hokage of their wills earlier.
Otherwise—
Where would he find such a spectacular battle?
Then his gaze shifted toward Kai.
Greed flashed across his pupils.
"A talent like this must never be wasted."
While thinking this, Orochimaru secretly formed a hand seal and loosened his control over Hashirama slightly.
He wanted to see—
Where Kai's limits truly lay.
WHOOSH—BOOM!
At the same time, the Tailed Beast Bomb fired.
Without deviation.
It shot straight toward the First Hokage.
If Hashirama blocked it, fine.
If not—
The Hokage Tower and the Hokage Monument behind him might have a serious problem.
BANG! BANG!
But the Rashōmon gates did not fall.
Not even one.
Only the first gate bulged slightly where the impact struck.
"Such a big difference in power?"
Kai looked curiously at his fingertips, where Tailed Beast Bombs could form at any moment.
"No matter what, it's still a Tailed Beast Bomb."
"Even if it's an instant version, shouldn't it be stronger than this?"
After hesitating briefly, he raised one finger toward Hashirama and said calmly:
"Gatling Tailed Beast Bomb — activate."
RATATATATAT!
Like a Gatling gun blazing with blue flames—
Except instead of bullets—
Black spheres of destruction slammed into the gates.
"Again?"
Hashirama chuckled as he reinforced the Rashōmon gates with more chakra.
"That attack is a bit too weak."
"Even ten more shots won't break through."
"Or are you planning to carve your way through the gates?"
Because of the angle, he could only see one more Tailed Beast Bomb forming in front of Kai.
After feeling its earlier power, he was no longer worried.
It looked like a Tailed Beast Bomb.
But the power—
At best it was like a baby tailed beast's attack.
BOOM!
Just as he expected, the gate trembled again with another heavy impact.
"See? A small shell is still a small shell. Even if you fire it again, these five Rashōmon—"
Hashirama's smile widened slightly.
But halfway through his sentence—
He froze.
CRACK!
From the gates ahead—
A violent breaking sound erupted.
It sounded like something being forcibly snapped apart.
"…What?"
That was the only thought that appeared in his mind.
The next moment—
He saw the impossible.
All five Rashōmon gates shattered simultaneously.
"How is that possible?!"
Hashirama's eyes widened.
The smile on his face vanished.
"That level of Tailed Beast Bomb shouldn't be strong enough to break Rashōmon…"
The earlier attacks had been fast and sudden.
But their power had been relatively low.
He sensed it clearly.
The results proved it as well.
Otherwise the gate would have been destroyed earlier, not merely dented.
But soon—
He realized the truth.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
A dense storm of air-piercing sounds filled the battlefield.
Ahead—
Everything was black.
Black?
Was the sunlight completely blocked?
Hashirama paused again.
But the next second he realized—
That wasn't darkness.
Those were countless black Tailed Beast Bombs.
One after another.
Packed together.
Rushing forward like a swarm.
Even for the God of Shinobi, Hashirama's scalp tingled.
It was like two people firing energy blasts at each other.
One blast for one blast.
Two for two.
And suddenly—
The other side unleashed hundreds… thousands.
So this kid was planning to carpet-bomb the battlefield?!
The Rashōmon gates that could normally block Tailed Beast Bombs were riddled with holes under the dense barrage.
And the bombardment didn't stop.
The remaining bombs surged forward—
Covering every direction around Hashirama.
Caught off guard, Hashirama immediately formed hand seals and used his most proficient technique.
"Impressive, kid. You've forced me to use this."
He inhaled deeply and slammed his hands onto the ground.
"Wood Release — Deep Forest Emergence!"
THRASH!
Massive trees erupted from the earth.
They grew rapidly.
Within seconds—
An enormous forest surrounded the Hokage Tower.
At the center of that forest—
Stood Hashirama.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
CRACK—CRACK—
Countless explosions erupted.
Tree after tree snapped apart.
Tailed Beast Bombs collided with the forest, exploding in violent bursts.
In the end—
The bombardment stopped.
The bombs vanished.
But Hashirama—
Whose presence had seemed like an immovable mountain—
Staggered back several steps.
Step. Step. Step.
The chakra cloak around his chest fluctuated violently.
And in the center—
A deep dent remained.
Even Deep Forest Emergence had failed to fully block the bombardment.
At that moment—
The entire village of Konoha fell silent.
Whether it was Tobirama, who was still forming seals at a crucial moment—
Or the Third Hokage, the two visiting Kage—
Or the shinobi on the streets and the civilians watching from distant buildings—
Everyone felt as if their throats had been seized.
Every face was filled with disbelief.
The God of Shinobi…
Had been pushed back?
And after only the second exchange of blows—
Uchiha Kai had forced him back?!
Most shocking of all—
Hashirama had used the Wood Release he was famous for.
The realization swept through Konoha like an icy wind.
Countless people subconsciously looked toward the boy standing in the street.
The young Uchiha who had initiated the village reforms.
Fear rose in their hearts.
So this reformist Uchiha youth…
Was actually this powerful?
"Cough… cough…"
Near the Hokage Tower, Hashirama exhaled deeply and steadied himself.
Then he lowered his head to examine his chest.
The chakra cloak there had not yet fully recovered.
Shock flickered in his eyes.
Slowly—
He raised his head again and looked at Kai.
This time—
He truly examined the boy.
Seriously.
Carefully.
Kai's eyes were calm and clear.
His posture relaxed.
There was none of the murderous madness or obsession Hashirama had once seen in Madara.
Only a bottomless stillness.
Yet that calmness made Hashirama uncomfortable.
He had only seen such eyes once before—
When he was very young.
In the elders of his clan.
Eyes that did not acknowledge his strength.
Or perhaps—
Did not care about it at all.
And then—
Hashirama's gaze drifted inward.
Toward Kai's chakra.
An endless ocean.
Like a boundless galaxy.
Even Hashirama was astonished.
The quantity—
Was absurd.
So vast that even the chakra-monster known as the God of Shinobi felt pressure.
"So young… yet already storing this much chakra…"
Hashirama murmured in disbelief.
"How many… Nine-Tails did you eat to get this much?"
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