Hashirama wasn't sure why Tobirama suddenly threw a kunai, but when he noticed the sparks on the kunai, it dawned on him. This wasn't just an ordinary kunai—it was Tobirama's own creation, the Tandem Explosive Tags!
Just a few days ago, he had classified this jutsu as forbidden due to its immense destructive power, large explosion radius, and prolonged detonation. If the user wasn't extremely careful, they could easily end up in danger themselves!
He never imagined Tobirama would use it now! And by the time Hashirama realized it, it was too late to stop it with Wood Locking Wall.
By wrapping explosive tags around a kunai, Tobirama ensured the detonation wouldn't harm him. Though this limited the power and required constant control, the attack could still be lethal if the target was unprepared.
At that moment, Kakuzu and Liuli were calmly discussing the insights from their fight with Hashirama. Since the Six Kage Summit had just ended, neither of them was on high alert. It wasn't until the explosive tags began to ignite that they realized what was happening.
Fortunately, Tobirama's inexperience in using the Tandem Explosive Tags in this way made the explosion detonate prematurely, far from its intended target. Kakuzu quickly raised an Earth-Style Wall to block the blast.
However, just as Kakuzu relaxed, thinking it was a typical explosive tag, the Earth Wall was blown apart!
In mere seconds, the tags detonated 17 or 18 times, seemingly without end.
"Damn it, Tandem Explosive Tags!" Liuli cursed. He hadn't expected Tobirama to ambush them at such a moment!
From the very start of the summit, Tobirama had been antagonizing him, even provoking Hashirama to fight him. It was clear Tobirama had been targeting him all along. If it weren't for Liuli's knowledge of the original story, he might have already retaliated with deadly force.
Liuli had tolerated Tobirama's aggressiveness, knowing it was part of his personality. But this ambush—striking from the shadows—was clearly meant to kill.
Without hesitation, Liuli summoned a Truth-Seeking Ball. With a wave of his hand, the black sphere absorbed the remaining explosive tags. Then, fueled by fury, Liuli directed it toward Tobirama!
As Liuli poured chakra into the Truth-Seeking Ball, it began to expand!
"An expanding Truth-Seeking Ball?" Liuli was momentarily confused. That's supposed to be Kaguya's technique—her exclusive version. Isn't mine just a regular Truth-Seeking Ball, a reward from the system?
Then, the sphere suddenly stopped expanding, halting at the size of a watermelon.
Though it stopped growing, the Truth-Seeking Ball continued its path toward Tobirama, exuding a dangerous aura.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
Hashirama formed hand seals, summoning over a dozen Wood Locking Walls. Yet, none of them could stop the oncoming sphere.
The walls, which could block a Tailed Beast Bomb, were shredded like paper before the Truth-Seeking Ball.
Hashirama's face grew serious. Red markings spread across his face, and a circular pattern appeared on his forehead—Sage Mode.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: Great Wooden Shield!"
A large wooden shield, shaped like a fanged demon's face, appeared in front of Tobirama. This was one of Hashirama's ultimate defensive techniques, capable of blocking even the slashes of a fully armed Susanoo. And now, with Sage Chakra added, its defensive power reached the pinnacle of the shinobi world.
The Truth-Seeking Ball slowed down upon colliding with the shield, giving Hashirama a moment to catch his breath. He knew this situation was Tobirama's fault—attacking after they had already said their goodbyes was a betrayal of trust. Now, he needed to find a way to resolve the conflict peacefully.
However, to everyone's surprise, the Truth-Seeking Ball began expanding again!
"So it's related to chakra..."
Liuli finally understood the mechanism. When he had infused the Truth-Seeking Ball with a large amount of chakra earlier, it had stopped growing because his own chakra reserves were insufficient.
At that point, the Seven-Tails, which was sealed within him, had passively started supplying him with chakra. The expansion had paused because the Seven-Tails' chakra had been temporarily depleted.
Now, as the Seven-Tails began producing more chakra, the sphere resumed its growth.
"Lord Water Shadow! This is all a misunderstanding! Konoha will compensate you, and Tobirama will apologize!" Hashirama shouted across the battlefield.
Liuli shook his head. Not everyone was as kind-hearted as Hashirama. Even when Tobirama clearly intended to kill him, Hashirama couldn't bring himself to retaliate.
The Truth-Seeking Ball absorbed the Seven-Tails' freshly gathered chakra, growing even larger, and shattered the demon-faced shield blocking its path.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: Triple Great Wooden Shield!"
Hashirama summoned three more demon-faced shields, but even he was starting to show signs of exhaustion. He panted heavily, maintaining the technique with difficulty. Though he could sense Liuli's physical body was weak, he knew attacking Liuli directly would be a mistake. The only reason Liuli was still holding out was the chakra supply from the Seven-Tails sealed within him.
Hashirama knew he could defeat Liuli if he attacked now, but he wouldn't do it. This entire mess was Tobirama's fault. They had just signed a peace treaty, and now, after the summit's conclusion, his brother had ambushed the Water Shadow. Such behavior was dishonorable and went against his principles as a shinobi. If Tobirama weren't his brother, and if the honor of Konoha and the Land of Fire weren't at stake, Hashirama would have used Wood Release on Tobirama himself.
"Lord Water Shadow! If Tobirama dies here, the peace treaty we just signed will become worthless. Konoha and the Hidden Waterfall Village will be at war, and conflict will spread once again!" Hashirama pleaded, struggling to hold back the Truth-Seeking Ball.
This was the first time Hashirama felt truly powerless. Peace was within their grasp, only to be jeopardized by his own brother.
"A peace treaty?" Liuli's eyes were cold. "Perhaps only overwhelming strength can truly bring peace."
This, after all, was exactly what Tobirama believed, wasn't it?
Though both Hashirama and Tobirama sought peace, their methods were fundamentally different. Hashirama believed in mutual understanding among shinobi, while Tobirama believed that only power and deterrence could ensure lasting peace. It was this belief that made him view Liuli and the Hidden Waterfall Village as potential threats to Konoha's dominance.
Right or wrong, every person had their own way of doing things. But now, both brothers had more pressing matters—the Truth-Seeking Ball, which was still growing.
Instead of continuing to push against the demon-faced shields, the Truth-Seeking Ball floated upward, bypassing the defenses entirely.
Hashirama's heart sank. He quickly raised a Wood Locking Wall, encasing the area to protect the nearby town. Grabbing Tobirama, he retreated as fast as he could.
"Fall!"
With a final surge of chakra, Liuli drained the last reserves of the Seven-Tails and funneled everything into the Truth-Seeking Ball. The seals containing the beast within him loosened slightly from the strain, and though the sphere didn't expand further, it became even more dense and solid.
The Truth-Seeking Ball, now as heavy and compact as ever, plunged straight down from the sky!