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After Hashirama finished speaking, everyone finally realized that night had already fallen, the darkening sky creeping in unnoticed.
No one had paid attention.
Moments ago, everyone's focus had been entirely on the battle of the First Hokage. The terrifying power of the Thousand-Armed Buddha left an indelible impression on everyone.
Unbeatable!
Truly unbeatable!
Among them, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, felt a strange sense of relief, while the others were all deeply uneasy.
They had witnessed the destruction of the Hidden Cloud Village with their own eyes!
It was like a warning bell ringing in their minds.
If they didn't follow the First Hokage's will, it seemed their own villages might suffer a similar fate.
This wasn't a negotiation!
This was clearly an order!
Yet, no one dared to speak out. Even if this was a dictatorship, they had no choice but to accept it.
Clap!
At that moment, Hashirama clapped his hands, the sound resonating through the air.
As the applause echoed.
Everyone's hearts instinctively skipped a beat.
There was a sense of fear!
Unknowingly, the group had developed a fear of clapping, dreading the sound.
No one knew what would follow after that clap...
In fact.
There was a more brutal truth they were unaware of.
Hashirama clapped his hands purely for dramatic effect, to signal that he was about to perform a jutsu.
Otherwise, there was no need for him to clap at all!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With the rumbling of the ground, a villa suddenly rose from the earth, the very same villa they had stayed in during their journey.
It looked no different.
But everyone knew this wasn't the same villa; it was a newly created one.
Whoosh!
The group couldn't help but take a deep breath.
This kind of ninja.
Wasn't he basically a god?
A single clap.
And anything he wanted would appear!
The extraordinary Wood Release jutsu was like seizing the power of creation itself!
"Do as you wish, I'm tired. I'll go rest first."
Hashirama waved his hand at the group, taking the lead as he walked into the villa, heading toward the top floor.
Tired?
A bunch of small question marks popped up in everyone's heads.
Can you even get tired?
Is that even something a human would say?
But...
Just as they were about to relax, thinking that Senju Hashirama's presence had lifted a massive weight off their shoulders...
Before they could exhale.
Something even more terrifying happened.
"Come on! Let's have some fun!"
Tsunade suddenly reached into her robe, pulling out a deck of cards still warm from her body and waved them in front of everyone.
"You all don't plan on playing with me, do you?"
A knowing smile spread across Tsunade's face as her gaze swept over each person.
These were the Kage who usually stood high above others, along with their elite Jonin.
But when Tsunade's eyes fell on them.
They couldn't help but shiver!
No one wanted to play!
That's right!
None of them wanted to!
But...
They didn't dare refuse!
"N-no... we don't..."
Onoki swallowed nervously. He had considered using his old age as an excuse, but after seeing the Hidden Cloud Village reduced to rubble before his eyes, he swallowed his words.
Compared to what the Fourth Raikage had endured.
A card game was nothing.
The only thing that made Onoki uneasy was the thought of winning. He was terrified of winning.
Every time he took Tsunade's money.
He feared the next moment Hashirama would emerge.
This constant anxiety tormented the seventy-something-year-old man. Facing Tsunade's relentless pressure, he had no choice but to quietly endure.
Soon after.
Everyone followed Tsunade into the villa's hall, where they began an almost all-night card game.
...
At the top floor of the villa.
Hashirama reached the top level and gently raised his hand, instantly conjuring a wooden recliner, then reclined on it with ease.
"Yingying, show me the mission."
Hashirama slowly closed his eyes, maintaining a meditative posture. Even though he didn't actually feel any fatigue, he found the act of resting like this quite comfortable.
"Okay!"
Yingying's adorable voice rang out. It immediately picked up a phone and began reviewing the mission list.
"Destroy the Hidden Cloud Village!"
"Host!"
"Congratulations on completing the mission!"
"Now distributing mission rewards!"
Yingying's voice brimmed with excitement as it noticed the second mission was already completed. The excitement in its tone couldn't be higher.
"Host, you're amazing!"
"You completed the mission so quickly!"
"You're too strong!"
Yingying exclaimed with genuine admiration, while its hands didn't stop, continuing to open the third mission.
"Erase the Hidden Cloud Village from the Shinobi World!"
"This mission is still incomplete!"
"Hmm..."
"I'm not sure why~"
Yingying's voice trailed off, sounding confused, with a puzzled expression that was both silly and cute.
"I think I know why."
Hashirama's expression remained unchanged, as if everything was proceeding exactly as he had anticipated.
When he issued this mission.
He had a feeling it might not be completed in one go.
However.
It still had to be issued.
Because if he waited any longer to assign the task of erasing the Hidden Cloud Village, it would no longer qualify as an S-rank mission.
It could only be done while the Hidden Cloud Village still existed.
Whoosh!
In an instant.
A green liquid, brimming with life energy, flew towards Hashirama. He calmly raised his hand to catch it, giving the liquid no chance to escape.
The green liquid seeped into his palm and flowed into his body.
Buzz!
Hashirama's body trembled slightly, and his cells radiated with joy, surging with energy as if they were coming to life, breathing with each pulse.
Swish!
As Hashirama's body vibrated, Yingying's form suddenly vanished, as if its power source had been cut off, leaving it without any signal.
"It should be over 70% by now."
Hashirama slowly opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling above. He could feel the life force coursing through his body, a sensation entirely different from when he emerged from the coffin during the Edo Tensei.
He had reached a new level.
"The Hidden Cloud Village still has the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee. Aside from them, there should only be minor figures left."
Hashirama silently analyzed.
To complete the mission of erasing the Hidden Cloud Village, it was necessary to ensure that no ninja from the village remained in the Shinobi World.
He had considered this issue before.
But the situation was urgent.
So he established the mission first.
At least the remaining two were Jinchuriki, and could be handled in conjunction with the first mission of capturing the Tailed Beasts. It wasn't a loss.
"The Hidden Cloud Village has been dealt with, I suppose."
Hashirama's thoughts on the Hidden Cloud Village were filled with disdain. It seemed like every time something happened in the Leaf Village, the Hidden Cloud had a hand in it, always resorting to low tactics like kidnapping.
Hinata Hyuga.
Kushina Uzumaki.
Both were taken this way.
Add to that the countless other incidents.
Enough!
Now that the Hidden Cloud Village was gone, there was nothing more to say. The next targets would be the other villages.
(End of Chapter)