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Crash!
Uchiha Itachi's body swayed slightly, then fell to the ground, passing out immediately. The slap just now had shattered Itachi's Susanoo. The terrifying impact caused his internal organs to become chaotic, making his breathing unstable.
"This..."
Deidara and Sasori exchanged glances, each seeing the fear and shock in the other's eyes. They both gulped, becoming extremely tense.
How could they fight against this? They couldn't see any hope for shinobi!
They both felt an odd sensation, as if in front of this First Hokage, they were like children—powerless, helpless, unable to control their fate. This feeling, which they thought they would never experience again after becoming rogue ninjas, now rendered them silent in the face of reality.
"Brother Sasori, what should we do?" Deidara whispered, afraid the nearby First Hokage might hear, but unable to resist asking.
"I don't know," Sasori's voice trembled slightly, his usual calmness shattered. Anxiety and unease filled him.
Sasori had always pursued eternal art, turning himself into a human puppet to achieve it. But now, he felt his eternity was coming to an end.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Hashirama's feet touched the ground. As Itachi's Susanoo dissipated, the wooden hands on the ground also vanished. Clad in red armor, with black hair flowing in the wind, he looked both elegant and carefree.
Then, Hashirama turned his head, his dark pupils falling on Deidara and Sasori. His deep, indifferent gaze, coupled with his lifeless body, filled them with overwhelming fear and oppression.
Gasp!
Both Deidara and Sasori took a deep breath, swallowing hard after being swept by his gaze. It was too difficult! This was the stuff of legends!
They had always known the First Hokage's great reputation, but now they understood why it was so immense.
"Do you still want to resist?" Hashirama asked. "I'm done playing. It's time to end this!"
Hashirama had fought the entire Akatsuki organization and found they weren't good at coordinating in large numbers. Pairing them off was effective since they were both partners and constraints. Fighting them no longer offered any fun or challenge, even with his restricted Edo Tensei body not going all out. He had lost interest and was already thinking about other tasks during the battle.
Deidara and Sasori were speechless upon hearing Hashirama's words. Was this just a game to him? Could he end the fight at any time? This was too humiliating! They were all highly talented individuals, willing to accept defeat but not such humiliation.
However, they didn't realize that once-proud Madara Uchiha had also heard the iconic phrase, "I don't want to kill you!"
As Hashirama finished speaking, he raised his hands, palms facing Deidara and Sasori. Instantly, wooden branches sprouted from his palms.
"Wood Release: Great Tree Technique!"
In no time, large amounts of wood surged toward the two, brimming with momentum.
"Retreat!" Deidara and Sasori shouted simultaneously, knowing they couldn't afford to be caught by the wood. The consequences would be unimaginable.
In a flash, they darted backward at great speed, without any hesitation.
"It's too late," Hashirama remarked calmly, watching Deidara and Sasori. They were now entirely within his attack range. His Great Tree Technique was far from the slow and thin version used by Yamato.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The terrifying wooden tendrils immediately began to split, becoming densely packed. These wooden branches were incredibly tough, with green leaves sprouting between them, forming a vast, intricate net.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The tangled wooden net ensnared Deidara and Sasori, blocking all their escape routes.
This is bad!
Deidara and Sasori watched as the looming trees cast a shadow over them, blocking out the sky. No matter how fast they ran, they couldn't escape.
As he ran, Deidara kept his right hand in his clay pouch. Seeing countless branches surging toward him, he quickly threw out a handful of clay bombs. They took various forms: little spiders, small birds, and more.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...
Deidara's clay bombs collided with the branches, causing explosions. However, these explosions were insignificant against the mass of wood. A few branches were destroyed, but in the blink of an eye, new ones rapidly filled the gaps, leaving no openings.
There's no escape.
Thud!
In an instant, the dense wooden branches wrapped tightly around Deidara, preventing any chance of evasion.
"No!" Deidara shouted. For a moment, he wanted to use his ultimate art, but there was no time to prepare it.
Meanwhile, the core in Sasori's chest vibrated intensely, ready to escape his body. However, the wood binding him grew even more solid.
On the other side, Sasori controlled the Third Kazekage to form various weapons from iron sand, slicing at the incoming wood with great speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sasori's hands moved rapidly, deploying various ninja tools and throwing knives. But the branches were too tough; regular tools barely left scratches. Only the spears formed from iron sand had some penetrative power.
"You leave me no choice!" Sasori declared, pulling out a fire scroll. From his palm, he released extremely high-temperature flames, which surged toward the advancing wood.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The flames burned fiercely, causing the wood to smoke.
"Those flames are far from sufficient," Hashirama remarked calmly as he watched Sasori's hands spew fire. The temperature was indeed high, but not enough.
However...
This wasn't even a fair contest.
At that moment, Hashirama slightly adjusted his chakra, causing the Great Tree Technique to become even more dense. The new wood and branches immediately smothered the flames that had just begun to burn. It was as if an entire forest was crashing down on Sasori.
The situation was overwhelming.
Sasori stared blankly at the encroaching forest, completely stunned, his hands falling helplessly to his sides.
It's over!
This time, it's really over!
Sasori knew the power of his flames; they were indeed strong, but the sheer number of trees was overwhelming. Even if he kept burning them, it would take days. Struggling now was utterly pointless.
Crash!
The next moment, the Great Tree Technique engulfed Sasori, with vines tightly binding him, leaving no chance for escape.
With this, both Deidara and Sasori were completely restrained.
"You've lost," Hashirama said, his gaze sweeping over them. He deliberately said this to ensure the completion of his mission would be confirmed.
With that, the wood detached from Hashirama's hands.
Crash!
Crash!
Deidara and Sasori, bound by the wood, fell to the ground, the impact producing a dull thud. They exchanged a look from a distance, seeing the defeat in each other's eyes.
Defeated!
Utterly and completely!
Of course...
They both had the same thought: it wasn't that they were weak, but that their opponent was simply unbeatable. This must be the God of Shinobi!
No wonder there were legends from the Warring States Period claiming that those who saw the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, praised him as an existence comparable to the Sage of Six Paths!
Sure enough!
"Yingying, is the mission complete?" Hashirama turned to the small sprite fluttering beside him. Everything he had done in the Land of Rain was to complete this S-rank mission.
"Let me check..."
Yingying had been a bit distracted. It immediately picked up a phone, its chubby fingers tapping the screen.
"Host! Congratulations on completing the mission! Now dispensing the mission reward!"
Yingying's voice was filled with joy. The system's recovery was tied to the percentage of Hashirama cells integrated.
Whoosh!
As Yingying pressed a button on the phone, green liquid began to shoot toward Hashirama from an unknown source. This green liquid was the Hashirama cells that had been previously absorbed, seemingly appearing out of thin air.
The green liquid shot toward Hashirama's face at high speed, brimming with vitality that could be felt even from a distance.
These were indeed Hashirama cells!
However...
I can't just catch it with my face!
Hashirama quickly raised his hand, catching the green liquid, which was the mission reward.
Buzz!
As the Hashirama cells hit his hand, he felt a slight tremor in his body. Clenching his fist, he sensed a sticky sensation. The green liquid seeped into his palm, flowing into his body and heading straight for his heart.
A surge of vitality rose within him. With this newfound vitality, Hashirama felt as though a certain shackle within his body had been unlocked.
Due to weather changes, I'm feeling unwell and have a headache. This will be the only chapter for today. Thank you for your understanding.
(End of Chapter)