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Hashirama's voice echoed through the clearing, reaching the ears of Deidara, Sasori, and Itachi.
At this moment, only the three of them remained.
Everyone else in the Land of Rain had hidden away, following Konan's orders!
With such intense sounds of collision behind them, they didn't want to risk their lives just to watch.
They weren't that curious, after all!
"Don't underestimate me!"
Anger flashed across Deidara's face. The person he hated most had changed.
It was no longer Uchiha Itachi!
Instead, it was now Senju Hashirama!
Because he realized that while Itachi's aloofness was infuriating, it was tolerable.
However...
This legendary ninja made Itachi's silence seem endearing by comparison.
He was simply too arrogant!
"Go!"
Deidara controlled his C2 dragon to charge at Hashirama. The dragon flew swiftly, closing the already short distance in an instant, reaching Hashirama's side.
"Ka!"
Deidara formed hand seals immediately, not waiting for Sasori's follow-up attack, and detonated the C2 bomb.
In an instant, a terrifying blaze erupted into the sky.
Explosions resounded one after another.
It worked!
Deidara's eyes lit up. He could clearly feel that his clay bomb had hit its mark without being blocked.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!"
Sasori's indifferent voice sounded beside Deidara. The iron sand, scattered by the C2 dragon's explosion, shot towards Hashirama like bullets.
Next, black, terrifying spikes formed around Hashirama, turning the area into a dense forest of iron sand.
"Amaterasu!"
Blood dripped from Itachi's right eye as he unleashed another Amaterasu, black flames igniting on Hashirama's body post-explosion.
After their combined assault.
Hashirama stood still, his body half-destroyed, pierced by iron sand, and burning with ominous black flames.
There was no change in his expression.
"What is going on?!"
Deidara's eyes widened, filled with confusion.
What was this?
Was he still human?
Why did he look like that?
Unlike Deidara's shock, Sasori's eyes gleamed with intense excitement.
"Art!"
Sasori's gaze fixed on Hashirama's body. Even though it was half-blown away, it was regenerating at a visible rate. Neither the iron sand nor the black flames caused any substantial harm.
My God!
This was the eternal art he had been seeking!
Sasori's eyes burned as he stared at Hashirama, making the Third Kazekage puppet in his hand suddenly lose its charm.
A puppet should be like the First Hokage!
Sasori's gaze was fixated on the First Hokage, unable to look away. A bold idea emerged in his mind.
What if...
He could turn this eternally enduring First Hokage into a human puppet...
The thought made Sasori's breathing quicken!
"Edo Tensei!"
Itachi's expression grew incredibly grim. He immediately recognized the jutsu; it was the forbidden technique of Konoha.
No one should be able to use it!
What was going on?
Wait...
Itachi stared at Senju Hashirama with wide eyes.
"Could it be Orochimaru?"
Itachi voiced his suspicion. Based on his knowledge of the world and the ninjas within it, only Orochimaru would be capable of performing such a twisted forbidden jutsu!
This was playing with fire!
Itachi's face darkened further. He had no idea who in this world could restrain this terrifying entity before him.
"You guessed right."
Hashirama calmly brushed the black flames off his body. The so-called inextinguishable flames fell to the ground as if they were mere dust under the force of his abundant chakra.
In an instant, the burned parts of Hashirama's body regenerated, fully restoring him to normal.
"What is Edo Tensei?"
Deidara asked in astonishment. He had never seen such a scene before—a person with half their body blown off, yet they regenerated completely.
"Edo Tensei is an S-rank forbidden jutsu developed by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. It summons the souls of deceased ninjas back to the world of the living and revives them in physical form!"
Itachi explained in a low voice. As a former Konoha ninja and a member of the Anbu, he was well-versed in such theoretical knowledge.
"Itachi, are you saying he's a dead man?"
Deidara's eyelid twitched violently. He couldn't maintain his usual composure and addressed Itachi directly.
"That's right!"
Itachi nodded, taking a deep breath. "Not only is he dead, but he also possesses infinite chakra and an immortal body. He retains all the jutsu he knew in life, including his kekkei genkai!"
"How are we supposed to fight that?"
Deidara was stunned. A death-defying corpse that could regenerate after being blown up—it was absurd!
Even his ultimate art...
He would only be sacrificing himself!
"This is true art!"
Sasori's expression turned nearly fanatical after hearing Itachi's description.
Suddenly, he remembered that he had a spy placed within Orochimaru's ranks.
He should make contact later.
It seemed Orochimaru held the key to the ultimate art!
Sasori began to envision a scenario where he created two Edo Tensei puppets to sweep across the ninja world.
He wouldn't need many.
Just two!
Controlling Senju Hashirama with his left hand and Uchiha Madara with his right!
That would be the ultimate form of a puppet master!
"....."
Deidara and Itachi exchanged glances, for the first time standing on the same side, agreeing that Sasori's idea of art might not be so wonderful.
Hashirama also heard Sasori's words.
"Interesting."
Hashirama's lips curved slightly. This man was indeed ruthless enough to turn even him into a puppet.
"Deidara! Sasori! Listen carefully to what I'm about to say!"
Itachi's expression was extremely grave, and his tone was serious.
"Edo Tensei can only be undone by the caster. No one else can break it. Even if the caster dies, the Edo Tensei will not be undone."
"Right now, we have no way to find Orochimaru."
"So, there's only one solution!"
"Seal the body of the Edo Tensei summoner!"
Itachi's eyes displayed the Mangekyou Sharingan. With his current knowledge, this was all the information he had.
Destroying the Edo Tensei body with Truth-Seeking Balls, resurrecting the Edo Tensei dead, or using Kotoamatsukami to seize control—none of these methods were within his current knowledge.
Of course, there was one more thing Itachi didn't know.
Orochimaru himself couldn't even break this Edo Tensei on Hashirama!
(End of Chapter)