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Hashirama's indifferent voice echoed through the sky, clearly reaching everyone's ears as if it were the voice of a deity.
Everyone in the Hidden Cloud Village could hear Hashirama's words.
For a moment, everyone was stunned.
They all looked toward the massive Buddha statue at the village entrance, which resembled a mountain, their eyes filled with fear.
No one knew what awaited them!
Immediately after, Hashirama's aura surged dramatically as he maintained a pose with his hands clasped together.
At the same time, the Thousand-Handed Buddha beneath him also assumed the same pose with its hands clasped.
The two figures were perfectly synchronized.
Suddenly, the 998 hands behind the Thousand-Handed Buddha expanded, as if they could stretch and grow. They quickly became larger, thicker, and more robust.
Under the gaze of countless terrified eyes, these densely packed hands began to strike the Hidden Cloud Village, like a violent storm assaulting every raindrop.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fists of the Thousand-Handed Buddha continued to batter the ground, causing the buildings to collapse entirely.
The gate of the Hidden Cloud Village was the first to shatter.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The relentless impact showed no sign of stopping as the Thousand-Handed Buddha advanced forward, like a bulldozer determined to level the Hidden Cloud Village.
"Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora..."
As Hashirama observed the scene, he suddenly recalled the demonic sounds from an anime he had watched years ago, and he couldn't help but hum along.
"Mu da mu da mu da mu da mu da mu da mu da..."
Feeling unsatisfied, Hashirama began to play around with another variation, like a performer in a two-man act.
However, this ora and mu da were not in combat.
The destructive force of the Thousand-Handed Buddha's attacks devastated the Hidden Cloud Village below, leaving no chance for survival in its wake.
On the ground, the Fourth Raikage had narrowly avoided the Buddha's initial attack. Since the Buddha's focus was on the village rather than him, he had not been targeted again.
However…
Seeing the destruction before him, the Fourth Raikage's eyes reddened with fury, bringing him to the brink of rage.
"I'll take you on!"
The Fourth Raikage leaped into the air, charging toward the Thousand-Handed Buddha's head, raising his powerful arm and aiming directly at Hashirama Senju.
"Naive!"
Hashirama sneered coldly. Just because he had succeeded in a surprise attack once didn't mean he would fall for it again. Charging up through the Buddha's form—now that was brave!
As the Fourth Raikage appeared before the Thousand-Handed Buddha, several of the Buddha's fists suddenly shifted direction, targeting the airborne Raikage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fists, moving with blinding speed and leaving afterimages, struck the Fourth Raikage with terrifying force, crushing his internal organs.
Whoosh!
The Fourth Raikage was flung backward in a dazzling arc, his mouth bleeding and his mind blank. The impact was so intense that he barely had time to feel the pain.
Is this the god of ninjas?
The Fourth Raikage thought this, almost mirroring his reaction when he first encountered Hashirama Senju.
Yet, the same thought carried a different emotional weight.
He had seriously underestimated the First Hokage's power!
Crash!
With a heavy thud, the Fourth Raikage's body hit the ground, creating a massive crater on impact.
"It hurts!"
Lying on the ground, the Fourth Raikage was gravely injured but, thanks to his formidable physical resilience, he was still alive.
He pushed himself up with his right hand, trying to stand again.
However, what awaited him were the relentless fists raining down.
These punches weren't aimed specifically at him but were the result of the bulldozing Buddha moving through this area.
Boom boom boom…
After a series of impacts, debris and dust flew everywhere.
The buildings were completely demolished.
The Fourth Raikage's body, crushed and battered, was reduced to nothingness, his flesh and blood obliterated.
Gulp...
Those watching from outside the Hidden Cloud Village swallowed nervously as they observed the Thousand-Handed Buddha advancing into the village.
Each person was filled with a complex mix of emotions.
They had thought they had already overestimated Hashirama Senju's abilities as much as possible.
But seeing the current scene, they realized they had still underestimated him.
This man was simply unbeatable!
"What are you doing?"
Darui had appeared in front of the Thousand-Handed Buddha at some point, sweat covering his forehead, yet he stood bravely.
"Don't advance any further!"
Darui spread his arms in a blocking stance.
However…
His figure was too insignificant.
The only sounds Hashirama could hear were the explosions; he didn't notice Darui at all.
Even if Hashirama did notice, he wouldn't care.
In the midst of the chaos, Darui was reduced to nothing more than dust.
No one could withstand the onslaught of the Thousand-Handed Buddha's wild punches—not even a fully-formed Susanoo could endure such a barrage.
---
Outside the Hidden Cloud Village, by a mountain lake, a ninja wearing sunglasses emerged from the water, looking around in confusion as ripples spread across the surface.
"The Eight-Tails, something seems to be going wrong in the Hidden Cloud Village. We need to hurry back."
As he spoke, the ninja immediately emerged from the water. It was Killer Bee, the host of the Eight-Tails.
"Bee!"
The Eight-Tails' voice resonated in Killer Bee's mind, its tone unusually grave, no longer indifferent as it had been in the past.
"What's wrong?"
Killer Bee, attuned to the Eight-Tails' emotions due to their long bond, quickly sensed the unusual gravity in its voice.
"I'm sorry. I know this will upset you, but I need you to run away quickly and not return to the Hidden Cloud Village!"
The Eight-Tails' chakra surged uncontrollably from Killer Bee, not under his command.
Fear!
The Eight-Tails felt a familiar, deep-seated terror—not a comforting familiarity, but a profound dread!
"We'd better not go back!"
The Eight-Tails warned again, its heart heavy with certainty about the source of that chakra, though it was reluctant to accept the reality.
That man…
He's back!
(End of Chapter)