"Have you ever been a ninja of Konoha?" Hashirama asked calmly, not rushing into combat with Naruto.
"Yes, I used to be a ninja of Konoha. But now I stand on the opposite side of the entire ninja world. I will overturn everything and establish new rules," Naruto replied with a cold gaze. "I will create true peace."
"For the sake of peace, you are willing to oppose the entire ninja world and push the Ninja Alliance to this extent. It's truly astonishing. I wasn't anywhere near your level when I was your age," Hashirama's eyes showed a hint of admiration and regret.
"I originally wanted to have a good chat with you, but now it's a war, so young man, be careful."
Regardless of whether there were hidden motives behind their actions, their positions were clear, and they needed to resolve their differences quickly.
Hashirama's chakra was immense, and while he could only use about eighty percent of his full power, it still surpassed most other Kage-level and Shinigami beings. He could sense the immense power of the Shinigami in the Quiet Spirit Court and knew he had to deal with Naruto quickly to support his allies.
"Be careful, young man."
Hashirama's eyes sharpened, and he formed hand seals, strange patterns appearing on his face.
"Wood Release: Wood World Formation!"
Countless trees sprouted from the ground, growing at a rapid pace. The trees uprooted themselves and soared into the sky, creating towering forests where there was once barren land. This Wood Release technique, known as the Wood World Formation, was far more potent than Tsunade's earlier Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique, both in height and coverage. The two were not even in the same league.
If Tsunade's Wood Golem Technique could affect a certain area, Hashirama's Wood World Formation was at least ten times more extensive in both height and reach. Wood Release was considered the most potent Kekkei Genkai, but its effectiveness varied greatly depending on the user. Even Naruto couldn't help but be surprised and impressed by this display of power. He murmured, "Truly, you are the God of the Shinobi. You have remarkable skills."
"Yes, you truly are the God of the Shinobi. It seems like we're going to win!" The Shinobi Alliance, witnessing this, felt a surge of confidence.
Oonoki couldn't help but smile in relief. The First Hokage was as formidable as he remembered.
"Come, young man!" Hashirama's chakra reached its peak as he looked at Naruto with fanaticism in his eyes, full of battle intent.
He could feel Naruto's aura steadily rising within him, like an awakened dragon, showing its sharp edge.
"Do you know, forests fear fire the most?" Naruto's eyes turned sharp as he made his point. Flames flickered on the blade of his Zanpakuto. In the next moment, the temperature in the area skyrocketed.
"As flames reach their zenith, they become the bane of water." His words carried an ominous tone.
Inferno-like flames engulfed Naruto's Zanpakuto as he chanted, "Salamander's Ember Dance!"
The area's temperature skyrocketed, surpassing a hundred degrees in an instant, and continued to rise rapidly. Fierce winds howled, amplifying the ferocity of the flames. Naruto's Shinigami robe billowed in the gales, and ghostly images of a phoenix and a fire dragon manifested behind him.
The ground boiled and cracked, with scattered sparks erupting everywhere.
"Crackle!" At Hashirama's feet, sparks ignited the nearby forest. Then, as if stars igniting in succession, the flames spread rapidly like wildfire.
Naruto's eyes remained cold as he gazed at Hashirama. "When flames are at their strongest, they become the water's natural enemy."
The water summoned by Hashirama's Wood Release reacted violently to the intense heat. It didn't take long for it to turn into steam and evaporate.
"Swish!" With a casual motion, Naruto unleashed a devastating blow. "Flow like a river, reduce all to ashes, Bankai: Blaze of the End!"
The atmosphere erupted with an explosive sound. A colossal meteor-like projectile, resembling a blazing meteor, descended from the sky directly onto the area where Hashirama stood.
It was such a vast attack that even attempting to use a substitution technique seemed futile.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!" In the midst of the fiery explosion, Tobirama's voice was almost drowned out. He formed seals, and a wall of water emerged, crashing down into the forest, attempting to extinguish the flames ignited by Naruto's attack.
However, Naruto's response was one of disdain. "When the flames are at their zenith, they become the bane of water."
The water falling into the flames produced a sizzling sound and transformed into steam almost instantly. Hashirama and Tobirama, along with the entire forest, were swallowed by the overwhelming blaze.
Everything was obscured by the fiery eruption, and the ground shook violently, causing fissures to form.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall." Even in the midst of the explosion, Tobirama's voice remained audible. He attempted to create a water barrier, but it was too late. The moment the water made contact with the intense flames, it turned into scorching steam, adding to the chaos.
The explosion subsided, and the ferocious winds blew away the smoke and dust. The ground was left in ruins, with deep craters scattered throughout. However, there was no sign of Tobirama.
Everything happened so quickly that it caught even Hashirama's attention, who was now genuinely angry.
"He had a deep bond with Tobirama, even willing to sacrifice his own life for his little brother.
But now, Tobirama was directly soul-slashed by Naruto in front of him.
He didn't even have a chance for reincarnation.
It can be said that Naruto has become his greatest enemy!
Although he didn't know Naruto's intentions and the grudges of the ninja world, Hashirama had already decided to give it his all to avenge his little brother!
"Come on, give it your all. I won't hold back!" Hashirama said, facing Naruto's wrath. Naruto, however, showed a disdainful expression, scanning the strong ones like Tsunade; their expressions were a mix of sadness, anger, and mostly fear.
The Reanimation Jutsu was indeed a powerful trump card.
However, the Shinigami could cut souls.
This meant that the advantage of the Reanimation Jutsu was completely ineffective against the Shinigami.
Even the Second Hokage, as powerful as he was, was cut down with a single strike from Naruto's Zanpakuto.
The boiling flames were seemingly able to consume everything.
Upon seeing the flames, it felt like their souls were about to be incinerated.
"These guys are definitely not something we can handle. We have to rely on the First Hokage." They thought in their hearts.
Naruto's voice echoed across the entire battlefield.
"Whether it's the past or the present ninja world, in my eyes, they're all just things I can easily crush."
"I've given you countless chances, pushed for the birth of countless strong people just for you to see."
"The strong you respect and admire are nothing more than ants to me."
"Human nature is inherently greedy and evil. What restrains their actions is their thoughts and their morals. As long as humans exist, the fighting won't stop, because that's human nature."
"True peace isn't achieved through words, but by transcending everything."
With Naruto's words, countless ninjas wore pensive expressions.
As Naruto said, it felt like their whole lives were spent in constant conflict.
Even if there was peace on the surface, the battles between the Hidden Villages continued in the shadows.
In corners unseen by villagers, blood flowed like a river.
No one liked war, but they had no choice.
Once you stopped plundering and fighting, your resources would diminish, and you would be surpassed.
Once surpassed, extinction awaited.
Naruto's appearance made the entire ninja world feel like one rope, tied together.
But upon careful thought, even if the Allied Shinobi Forces won this battle, their conflicts would continue.
And not stop.
Everyone understood this.
But they couldn't afford to lose.
The Allied Shinobi Forces couldn't afford to have no future.
After all, people were inherently selfish.
"We still have the First Hokage!" The ninjas shouted hopefully.
Naruto, no matter how strong, couldn't compare to the God of the Ninja World back then!
"Stop, Naruto!" No need to ask, this sentence must have been said by Jiraiya.
Poor Gamabunta still hoped Naruto could "come to his senses" at this moment.
"Naruto Uzumaki, I should have killed you back then!" Danzo's eyes were filled with boiling killing intent.
But now, he couldn't even protect himself. Under the joint attack of White Fang and Kakashi, he was already heavily injured.
He was no match for either of them one-on-one, let alone getting ganged up on.
"Sasuke, is this the Naruto Uzumaki you've always wanted to catch up to?" Itachi's eyes were cold, and his Mangekyou Sharingan was spinning madly.
Even Hanzo and a few other Akatsuki members were retreating under Itachi's attack.
In terms of strength alone, they were far from his level.
"I'll prove it to you, Naruto Uzumaki will fail!" Itachi's speed erupted, kicking an Akatsuki member flying with a single strike.
"Amaterasu." Black flames appeared, devouring the Akatsuki member instantly.
Itachi's eyes were cold and terrifying, exuding a boiling killing intent.
"In your eyes, the God of the Ninja World is nothing more than a mortal." Naruto's soft words echoed on the battlefield.
"This time, you will truly experience pain and fear."
"Because of the appearance of the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, you were forced to unite, but once the war ends, you will still hate, still despise war, still be greedy, still crave more. This is human nature."
"But, I will end all of this with my own hands. I will create a new world."
Naruto waved his hand gently, and the giant phoenix shadow behind him passed through the trail of flames, crashing down towards Hashirama.
"Ah!" Hashirama's heart rang alarm bells. The irresistible pressure rushed over him, and all the muscles in his body trembled. His face distorted due to the spiritual pressure, and his teeth rattled in his mouth.
He stared with wide eyes and gathered all his chakra into his jutsu.
"This kind of ideology, this kind of tyranny, will never bring peace! I don't agree with your ideology. The Allied Shinobi Forces will definitely win!" He roared, feeling for the first time that he had the urge to challenge someone.
The Naruto in his line of sight was so dazzling, so powerful.
So powerful that it made him feel powerless.
But he couldn't lose.
The Allied Shinobi Forces couldn't lose either!
The wooden man and wooden dragon both exerted their strength and rushed head-on towards the phoenix.
"Boom." At the moment of collision, endless light and heat burst forth, carrying a shockwave powerful enough to destroy everything. It swept through the surroundings.
Those who were closer to this side of the battlefield were almost vaporized in an instant, not even having time to use defensive jutsu.
The explosive flames turned the sky red, and the endless flames almost sucked the air dry before falling like a molten lava waterfall on the ground, burning everything, be it rocks or trees, to ashes."