The Five Kage's perception of Liuli shifted once again. Previously, they had only seen his mastery of Wood Release and sealing techniques, thinking those were his primary strengths.
But now, seeing that he could develop seal-less ninjutsu, it was clear his expertise in ninjutsu was far beyond what they had imagined, and his true strength was even more profound and unfathomable.
Hashirama, of course, overheard the conversation. When Kakuzu landed a blow on him, "Hashirama" turned into a wooden figure—it was merely a wood clone.
Hashirama instantly flashed to Kakuzu's side and asked curiously, "Water Release, Lightning Release, Fire Release, and just now Wind Release—four different elemental styles. But I can sense you only have Water and Earth chakra natures. Are all shinobi from the Land of Waterfalls this gifted in ninjutsu?"
Kakuzu was not in the mood for small talk. "That's just a fraction of it. My ninjutsu mastery is nowhere near my brother's! Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A fierce and menacing earth dragon shot toward Hashirama!
Byakuren, watching this, narrowed his eyes, staring intensely at Liuli. Earth Dragon Bullet? Isn't this just a copy of the Water Dragon Bullet?
Even Ishikawa didn't know this Earth Release technique, and it had never appeared in the ninja world before!
Byakuren suspected that either the Mist Village's Water Release techniques had been leaked, or someone had stolen them! Shameless! Not only did they steal a technique, but they also brazenly turned a Water Release jutsu into an Earth Release jutsu! I've never seen such impudence!
Ishikawa, however, was intrigued by the Earth Dragon Bullet. As an expert in Earth Release, he immediately grasped its principles, noting how it bore a remarkable resemblance to the Water Dragon Bullet. This insight gave him some ideas—there were indeed many similarities between Earth and Water Release jutsu, like the Earth Wall and the Water Wall. Many jutsu could, in fact, be interchangeable!
Since the ninja world was at peace now, Ishikawa had already decided to send an emissary to the Mist Village after he returned, to see if he could "borrow" some Water Release techniques for reference.
"All five elemental styles, huh? Truly impressive talent!" Hashirama casually dispersed the earth dragon and marveled.
Liuli nodded in approval. Kakuzu had performed well. However, Liuli could only teach him the basic non-elemental Rasengan and the Wind Release Rasengan for now. Once Kakuzu mastered the variety of "Rasengan-type" techniques, even without Earth Grudge Fear, he would be close to a Kage-level shinobi.
Fire Release: Rasengan, Water Release: Rasengan, and even more advanced techniques like Lightning Release: Rasenshuriken or Earth Release: Rasenshuriken—with Kakuzu's innate talent for ninjutsu, even without Earth Grudge Fear, ordinary Kage-level opponents would struggle against him.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
It seemed Hashirama was getting carried away, likely due to not having fought in a long time. He unleashed a massive jutsu, and in an instant, towering trees erupted from the ground, engulfing Kakuzu completely!
Collateral damage... lots of collateral damage! The range of Deep Forest Emergence was so vast that no one expected Hashirama to use such a powerful Wood Release against a mere bodyguard. The other Kage were caught off guard and were swept into the jutsu as well!
Fortunately, they weren't the primary targets and reacted quickly, jumping to the treetops in no time.
"My bad, my bad, didn't control my chakra properly!" Hashirama laughed sheepishly, scratching his head in response to Tobirama's furious glare. Too much chakra—it's hard to control the range sometimes!
"We're already causing enough trouble by fighting inside the Land of Iron, and now, Lord Hokage, you're destroying the environment..." Liuli began, only to be cut off by Hashirama, who said, "Destroying the environment? What are you talking about? This is reforestation! Just earlier, the Wind Shadow offered to pay me to help reforest the Land of Wind!"
"Look around you... Your Wood Release has blocked off the city gates!" Liuli sighed in exasperation. Right now, the priority was to undo the Deep Forest Emergence—Kakuzu was still trapped inside!
"Amaterasu!"
With a soft incantation, a small flame appeared on one of the trees, quickly consuming it. Liuli felt a sharp pain in his eyes as his chakra rapidly drained. But aside from the pain, there were no other adverse effects, and the chakra loss was swiftly replenished by the Seven-Tails' chakra. It seemed that using Amaterasu without the Sharingan didn't lead to blindness—after all, there was no visual power involved.
The black flames of Amaterasu quickly spread. In less than a minute, the entire forest created by the Deep Forest Emergence had been reduced to nothing but ash, and Kakuzu, trapped inside, hadn't even been touched.
Is that a Fire Release technique? None of the onlookers specialized in Fire Release, not even Hashirama or Tobirama. But that didn't stop them from realizing the sheer power of Amaterasu.
Hashirama, his face now serious, stared at the spot where the black flames had dissipated. That looked like Fire Release, but I've never seen a Fire Release of such magnitude before!
It had effortlessly incinerated his Deep Forest Emergence to nothingness, leaving not even ashes behind. Even Madara's Fire Release was no match for this!
The other Four Kage were equally unsettled. The black flames gave them a deep sense of dread, as though they could burn anything to oblivion.
Even though they were seasoned veterans of countless battles, they had never encountered a Fire Release this powerful. While Madara's Fire Release was the strongest they knew of, it had never given them such fear. And more astonishing was Liuli's precise control over his chakra. The stronger a jutsu was, the harder it was to control, just like Hashirama's Deep Forest Emergence. Unless Hashirama put in his full effort, it was difficult for him to limit its range.
Yet Liuli had perfectly controlled this Fire Release, burning only the Wood Release and leaving Kakuzu completely unharmed. In the area covered by the flames, nothing but the trees had been touched!
Of course, Liuli wasn't about to explain to them that while Amaterasu was technically a Fire Release, it was also a special ocular jutsu. It didn't require meticulous chakra control—just aim, and the flames would burn precisely where he wanted. He enjoyed the mysterious aura that this misunderstanding created.
"How about we end things here? The Water Shadow is truly strong!" Hashirama suddenly appeared next to Liuli with a Body Flicker Technique, his face full of admiration. There weren't many people in the ninja world who could easily neutralize his Wood Release.
Liuli nodded. He had achieved his goal of gaining recognition. When Hashirama used his Wood Release earlier, a large number of samurai had already gathered to watch.
And now, by countering Hashirama's most famous technique, Deep Forest Emergence, Liuli had gained enough prestige to make the daimyos take him seriously.
If the fight continued, things might get complicated. If Hashirama entered Sage Mode, Liuli's true strength could be revealed, which would cause unnecessary trouble.
So, Liuli waved his hand and said to Hashirama, "If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely visit Konoha."
At the moment, even with all his cards on the table, he wasn't a match for Hashirama. But in the future, things would be different. Hashirama's strength had already peaked, but Liuli was still growing stronger.
"I look forward to your visit, Water Shadow!"
Hashirama had gained something from the battle as well. He now knew that the Hidden Waterfall Village had hidden depths, and Kakuzu, that bodyguard, was already on par with Tobirama.
"Brother, are you just going to let him leave?" Tobirama asked, glaring at Liuli and Kakuzu's retreating figures.
"The Water Shadow? No, don't say that. He's an interesting person. His policies are all aimed at helping the ninja world prosper—he's someone who, like me, truly seeks peace."
Hashirama seemed to have found a kindred spirit. There weren't many people in the ninja world who shared his vision of peace, let alone those willing to openly share policies to promote harmony between nations.
Tobirama frowned. Hashirama clearly didn't understand what he meant. Watching Liuli and Kakuzu walk further away, Tobirama made up his mind and hurled a kunai at Kakuzu's back!