Boom!
A deep, violent impact rang out.
A shockwave almost visible to the naked eye swept outward in every direction.
Everything it passed twisted under the force.
Even the Wood Release created by Hikaru and Hashirama, trees tough beyond common sense, snapped in countless places.
The ordinary trees farther out fared even worse. They were torn apart without the slightest resistance.
Some were ground straight into powder, leaving no trace behind.
Far away, Tobirama had already taken the others far from the battlefield.
This kind of impact was not something ordinary people could withstand.
Tobirama himself would have been fine. His strength was more than enough, and he was not alive in the usual sense anyway.
But the others could not endure it.
Aside from resurrecting Rin, his most important task was to protect them.
"Are they going all out now?"
Tobirama looked into the distance.
He could naturally sense the changes in their chakra.
He could also tell just how absurd the jutsu they were using had become.
The Hōbi Technique could be considered one of Hashirama’s strongest defensive jutsu, second only to the Fivefold Rashōmon. Back then, Hashirama had used it to withstand Madara’s Majestic Attire Susanoo.
And Hikaru was no less impressive.
The jutsu he had used was the Wood Dragon.
Although Tobirama was somewhat unimpressed by the way Hikaru used it, since he knew the Wood Dragon’s true strengths were binding and chakra absorption, being able to create a Wood Dragon with that much power was still terrifying.
And forcing Hashirama to respond to that extent was even more terrifying.
Besides, Tobirama understood something clearly.
For both Hashirama and Hikaru, jutsu had likely already returned to their most basic essence.
How they used those jutsu depended entirely on their own ideas.
Tobirama’s thoughts were active, but the others were still frozen in shock.
Clearly, this battle had pushed them beyond what they could process.
The level and scale of this fight had completely exceeded their imagination.
At that moment, they finally began to understand why Hashirama Senju had once been called the God of Shinobi.
But the moment that thought appeared, another thought shook them even harder.
If Madara Uchiha had once fought Hashirama to a mutual end, then what kind of level had he reached?
And if Hikaru could fight Hashirama like this now, what level was he at?
They had no answer.
And yet, deep down, they felt as if they already had one.
From where they stood, they were now very far from the center of the battle. They could not even clearly see the figures anymore.
Even so, none of them could stop looking.
Even if they could not understand or follow this battle, the battle itself had already surpassed normal meaning.
It felt like a kind of inheritance.
It felt like a declaration to the world.
This was the limit of what a shinobi could become.
Hikaru and Hashirama knew nothing of their thoughts.
The instant the Wood Dragon collided with Hōbi, they had already roughly understood each other’s current strength.
In terms of jutsu, they were evenly matched.
Hikaru had circulated Yin-Yang Release, but he had not fully unleashed it.
Hashirama had also held back to a degree.
Both were preparing for what came next.
Neither of them would casually reveal their final cards.
"But I can’t just keep defending. Hikaru is strong, but his Wood Release doesn’t seem as strong as I imagined. I should do something."
From their two Wood Release clashes, Hashirama had already judged something.
Hikaru’s overall strength was extraordinary, but his use of Wood Release had not reached Hashirama’s level.
The fact that Hikaru could temporarily match him was mostly because he was relying on Sage Mode.
His understanding of Wood Release itself was still far behind Hashirama’s.
But that was not hard to understand.
How old was Hikaru?
And Hikaru’s environment was different from Hashirama’s.
Back then, Hashirama had Madara as an enemy who constantly sharpened him.
Hikaru’s enemies were either too weak, requiring no Wood Release at all, since Flying Thunder God and basic ninjutsu were enough to solve them, or they were too strong, forcing him to use his special eyes and Sage Mode to unleash True Several Thousand Hands for pure destruction.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Hashirama’s face.
He knew what to do next.
"But I still need to be careful. Hikaru has Yin-Yang Release. Compared to me, unable to even control Yang Release properly because of this reanimated body, that’s much stronger."
The question Hikaru had been wondering about had quietly received its answer in Hashirama’s mind.
Yes.
Because of Edo Tensei, Hashirama’s control over Yang Release had fallen to a ridiculous level.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
Yang Release was ultimately the power of the body.
The power of life.
As a dead man, even sensing Yang Release at all was only possible because he was Hashirama Senju, and because this was Edo Tensei.
For people whose strength had reached their level, Edo Tensei was actually not stronger than being alive.
Infinite chakra and a body unafraid of death sounded powerful, but to them, those things were not that meaningful.
Absolute control over one’s living body was what allowed them to truly bring out their full strength.
"But from what I’ve seen, Hikaru’s Yang Release is not very large in quantity. He’s still young, after all.
"The amount isn’t high, and the quality isn’t as high as mine either. Even with Yin-Yang Release, he shouldn’t be able to sustain it for too long. In this regard, I still have an advantage."
Hashirama’s battle intelligence had never been low.
After quickly analyzing Hikaru’s strengths and weaknesses, he had already finished forming seals.
He would strike first.
He wanted to see Hikaru’s limits.
And Hikaru wanted to see his.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon!"
Vast chakra burst out together with Yang Release.
In the next instant, a Wood Dragon no weaker than Hikaru’s appeared.
It let out a fierce roar, then bypassed Hikaru’s Wood Dragon and charged straight toward Hikaru himself.
Hikaru’s Wood Dragon seemed to sense the other dragon’s intent.
It roared and immediately tried to intercept it halfway.
Hashirama did not hesitate either.
He leapt into the air and remained suspended for a moment, his hands already forming seals.
"Don’t even think about it. There’s no way I’m letting you through.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
Hashirama thrust his hand forward.
Countless thick wooden vines and branches shot from his arm, rapidly wrapping around Hikaru’s Wood Dragon.
After all, this Wood Dragon contained senjutsu. Hashirama did not dare underestimate it.
He had already experienced how troublesome it was.
How could he allow it to move freely?
Hikaru’s Wood Dragon was instantly restrained by Hashirama’s jutsu.
Under the pull of Wood Release filled with Yang Release, the dragon was dragged directly to the ground.
Amid the roaring impact, Hashirama landed quietly.
His hands had already completed another set of seals.
"Stay there.
"Wood Release: Gracious Deity Gates!"
Hashirama’s use and combination of Wood Release had reached a completely effortless level.
The power of his Wood Release was terrifying as well.
But when facing Hikaru’s Wood Dragon, his caution was fully displayed.
He treated this senjutsu-infused Wood Dragon almost like a tailed beast.
The Wood Dragon, already bound by the vines of Great Forest, was now pinned down by massive wooden hands.
Even though Hikaru’s Wood Dragon continued to struggle, and even began trying to absorb the chakra within Hashirama’s Wood Release, competing with Hashirama in chakra consumption was no different from a joke.
Especially since Hashirama was currently reanimated.
If there was one thing he did not lack, it was chakra.
Endless chakra.
Hikaru’s Wood Dragon had no way to deal with such shamelessness.
It was firmly pinned in place by Hashirama and could not return to help Hikaru.
Hikaru naturally sensed what Hashirama had done.
That made him smile.
So even someone as honest-looking as Hashirama Senju had such cunning methods?
Looking at the Wood Dragon drawing closer, Hikaru remained calm.
But he would not be careless against such power.
As the dragon approached, he formed a seal with one hand.
Vast chakra surged out.
In the next moment, a black giant hand shot out from the trees with lightning speed and grabbed Hashirama’s Wood Dragon.
Violent power scattered in every direction.
The Wood Dragon clearly refused to be controlled and struggled violently to break free from the giant hand.
But no matter how it struggled, it was useless.
Hikaru had already noticed just how terrifying Hashirama’s Yang Release was when fully released.
It had even suppressed him.
Naturally, he would not allow that disadvantage to continue.
So this time, he did not hesitate to use Yin-Yang Release.
He also knew that his use of Wood Release was inferior to Hashirama’s.
Because of that, he did not bother with smaller, practical jutsu.
"Yin-Yang Release: Wood Golem!"
As chakra surged within him, the body of that black giant hand slowly emerged from the trees.
Its enormous black form blotted out the sky.
Its face looked like both a wrathful guardian and a demon.
The terrifying aura shook the entire region.
Hashirama looked at the towering giant and, for once, a faint bitter smile appeared on his face.
He really had not expected Hikaru to be this direct.
Wood Golem was the jutsu Hashirama had once used to counter Madara’s Susanoo.
This kid had not hesitated at all.
Hashirama had just suppressed Hikaru’s Wood Dragon, and Hikaru immediately used this method to crush Hashirama’s Wood Dragon in return.
That counterattack was fast and ruthless.
"And Hikaru has used Yin-Yang Release now. In that case..."
Hashirama quickly formed seals.
He would not take any chances in this clash.
Since Hikaru had used Wood Golem, there were not many options available to Hashirama.
Aside from his final trump card, True Several Thousand Hands, the only proper answer was the same Wood Golem.
Clearly, using True Several Thousand Hands right now was not practical.
So there was only one best choice.
"Wood Release: Wood Golem!"
A Wood Golem that looked similar to Hikaru’s, but was fundamentally different in color and nature, quickly appeared under Hashirama’s control.
It was equally enormous.
Equally terrifying.
But it did not possess the contradictory chakra presence of Hikaru’s Wood Golem.
It did not give people that sense of destruction, that illusion of a wrathful demon trying to erase everything.
Even though the jutsu remained frightening, its nature was different.
That was the expression of pure Yang Release.
Hikaru’s was the fusion of Yin and Yang.
The moment the two Wood Golems appeared, the battle had clearly moved into a realm beyond control.
It had developed into something the current shinobi world could barely imagine.
Hikaru did not hesitate.
The moment Hashirama summoned his Wood Golem, Hikaru controlled his black giant and charged forward.
The massive black Wood Golem raised its fist toward Hashirama’s position.
At the critical moment, Hashirama made his brown Wood Golem block the punch.
Under the force of that punch, the already shattered remnants of the distant mountain peaks were completely destroyed by invisible pressure.
The earth split open, cracks stretching several meters to dozens of meters across.
And this was only the beginning.
After blocking the attack, Hashirama immediately countered.
His Wood Golem nimbly grabbed Hikaru’s and pulled it to the side.
At the same time, the brown Wood Golem swung its massive fist.
The terrifying wind pressure, mixed with the sound of air being torn apart, smashed toward the black Wood Golem.
The battle between the two Wood Golems was impossible to describe with common sense.
Their suffocating chakra rampaged wildly.
The earth was torn apart under their power.
Energy swept in every direction.
The entire region had quietly taken on an apocalyptic appearance.
The battle continued.
With the two fighters at its center, the land was covered in trenches and scars.
The Wood Release they had used earlier was destroyed by their own attacks.
Across the bare ground, there was not even a single stone larger than half a meter.
Looking across the area, it resembled a flat plain.
Or perhaps a wasteland.
No one could imagine that this region had completely changed shape twice in such a short time.
...
The canyon was indeed pitiful.
But it was also fortunate.
Because it had witnessed how far the strongest shinobi in the world could push the limits of being a shinobi.
By this point in the battle, even Tobirama had fallen silent.
He knew very well what his brother was capable of.
But seeing a battle like the one from decades ago, like the battle between his brother and Madara, still made him sigh inwardly.
He was strong.
There was no doubt about that.
During the most chaotic era, he had killed Izuna Uchiha, Madara’s younger brother, who had also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
After Hashirama’s death, if Tobirama had not been strong enough, he could never have become the Second Hokage without anyone daring to question him.
But he also knew something very clearly.
Compared with his brother and Madara, the gap in strength was so large it was almost despairing.
"I never thought I’d be shaken by my brother’s strength while alive, then shaken by it again after death."
Tobirama smiled bitterly inwardly.
Having an older brother whose strength was so overwhelming was not necessarily a pleasant thing.
"But Hikaru really is impressive. To reach this level at such a young age... He truly is a descendant who combines the strengths of my brother and me."
Tobirama was deeply satisfied with Hikaru.
He knew both his own weakness and his brother’s weakness very well.
His weakness was obvious.
Compared with his brother, his strength was far too lacking.
Fortunately, Madara had not come looking for trouble afterward.
Otherwise, Tobirama knew perfectly well that he would have had no way to resist Madara.
Hashirama’s weakness was also obvious.
His personality had problems, and he was not good at schemes or political struggles that did not involve battle.
So when Hashirama was Hokage, Tobirama had quietly done a great deal of work behind the scenes.
Unfortunately, Hashirama had still been the Hokage.
Tobirama could only offer suggestions on many matters.
But now things were different.
Hikaru had Tobirama’s temperament, even more cunning, while also carrying some of Hashirama’s qualities.
In terms of strength, he not only knew everything Tobirama knew, but also everything Hashirama knew.
The two sides complemented each other, removing many of the flaws.
The result was someone like Hikaru.
That was truly a blessing for the Senju Clan, and even for all of Konoha.
The only pity was that the battle had spread too widely.
Even Tobirama could no longer get close enough to watch properly.
"So terrifying... This is Hikaru’s power?"
saya and Ayame stared into the distance.
They had only heard that Hikaru was powerful.
They had never truly seen him fight at full strength.
During the Nine-Tails incident, both of them had been sent to the shelters, so they had not seen Hikaru face the Nine-Tails either.
Because of that, their understanding of Hikaru’s strength had always been vague.
They knew what the person hidden deepest in their hearts had done.
But they had never understood what that actually meant.
Now, everything before their eyes told them just how terrifying Hikaru’s power truly was.
"Even if my strength can never reach Hikaru’s level, I will help him achieve everything he wants in other ways."
Perhaps because Hikaru’s strength was too shocking, both of them felt new emotions rise in their hearts.
They silently watched the distance.
Watched the two enormous giants attacking each other.
At that moment, both of them became unusually quiet.
"I never thought Hikaru’s strength had already reached this level."
Kakashi and the others watched from afar, similar thoughts appearing in their minds.
The power Hikaru displayed truly chilled the heart.
Perhaps the only one who remained relatively calm was Rin, who had only just been reanimated and still found everything unfamiliar.
Rin was still confused.
Although she was also shocked by the earth-shaking battle in the distance, her own memories still told her that she should be dead.
Because of that, she felt completely out of place.
She had no idea what was going on.
"Rin, are you all right?"
Kakashi had been watching the battle, but he had also been paying attention to Rin.
Earlier, he had not had time to ask.
Now, he felt he should check on her.
"What exactly is happening?"
Rin turned toward this older Kakashi.
After hesitating for a moment, she took a deep breath and asked,
"Who are you people? What are you trying to do? I..."
"Rin, I know you have many questions. But it’s better to explain things slowly."
Kakashi shook his head helplessly.
After experiencing his father’s revival and meeting the two previous Hokage, Kakashi was far calmer now.
"The truth is, you really did die. I will never forget the pain I felt when you threw yourself into my Chidori.
"But that happened six years ago.
"A lot has happened in those six years.
"For example, our teacher became Hokage. But because of the Nine-Tails, he temporarily left Konoha and is currently recovering somewhere quiet.
"And Hikaru joined Anbu after leaving the Academy. I also joined Anbu under him. I watched him go from squad captain to Anbu captain, and finally to Hokage.
"That’s right. The current Fifth Hokage is our old classmate.
"Right now, you are in a special state between life and death. This was done through a special ninjutsu.
"Before Hikaru became Hokage, he had already begun researching certain things. That research was a great success. My father is the most successful result.
"That may not sound very good, but my father has truly returned to life.
"In the future, many others will return as well.
"The First Hokage and Second Hokage will be among them.
"And you..."
Kakashi paused.
He knew he had said many things he probably should not have.
But facing Rin, he truly could not hold back.
To him, Rin was someone he had sworn to protect.
She was also the most important witness to his bond with Obito, and the most important bridge between them.
He could not hide too much from her.
And there were some things he did not want to hide from her.
With that thought, Kakashi looked at Rin seriously.
His voice was steady as he spoke each word.
"You will be one of them too."
...
Kakashi’s words struck Rin heavily.
She had truly never imagined such a thing.
A dead person could awaken in a state between life and death.
And someone could apparently bring the dead fully back to life.
What kind of unbelievable jutsu was this?
What level had Konoha developed to now?
Also, her teacher becoming Hokage was surprising, but not unbelievable.
He had always had the strength and ability.
But she never could have imagined that the quiet, ordinary Hikaru from their class, the boy who had been close to Uchiha saya, had truly become Hokage.
All this information overwhelmed her.
Every piece of it was too shocking.
And she noticed one key phrase in Kakashi’s words.
Six years.
Six years was enough time for many things to change.
Six years was enough time for everything to become different.
Was this the world six years after her death?
Rin still had many questions.
But she knew now was not the time to ask.
And as a shinobi, she still had to remain alert.
She needed time to understand more.
Rin temporarily quieted down.
But Hiruzen and Shikaku’s hearts surged again.
A jutsu that could truly revive the dead.
And Hikaru had begun researching it while he was still Anbu captain?
That information was suffocating.
Putting aside the purpose of Hikaru’s research and the experiments behind it, the value of the jutsu alone was enough to make anyone think many thoughts.
They believed that no one who heard about such a jutsu could remain unmoved.
But they did not speak now.
This was not the time.
And the battle in the distance was growing even more intense.
...
Hikaru and Hashirama’s battle had entered a white-hot state.
The destruction they caused had reached an extreme.
Everything in sight was in ruins.
Two massive Wood Golems fought wildly over the scorched land that looked like hell itself.
The aura of death spread madly through the surroundings.
Boom!
A huge roar echoed across the plain.
The two giants threw another full-force punch at each other.
Under the powerful impact, both giants retreated.
Every step sank deep into the earth, leaving rows of craters behind.
Hashirama stood atop his Wood Golem and looked at Hikaru in the distance.
Hikaru’s expression was calm.
His breathing remained steady.
That made Hashirama feel a headache coming on.
Only now did he realize that Hikaru’s chakra reserves were far greater than he had imagined.
After fighting for so long, Hikaru had barely been affected.
That made even Hashirama begin to doubt himself.
When he had been Hikaru’s age, he definitely had not possessed such vast chakra.
In Hashirama’s eyes, Hikaru was simply a monster.
"But it has to end now. Hikaru’s chakra reserves and chakra quality are both suffocating.
"Especially his Yin-Yang Release. It’s much stronger than my simple maximum-output Yang Release."
Hashirama had always used Yang Release to raise the upper limit of his jutsu.
It was one of the methods that had allowed him to dominate almost every battle.
But against someone like Hikaru, who could directly use Yin-Yang Release, Hashirama really had no easy answer.
He had gradually increased the strength of his chakra.
By now, he had already raised it to the highest level he could currently use.
Although he had not used too many different jutsu, he had poured that chakra strength completely into the Wood Golem.
As he continuously injected chakra into the Wood Golem, giving it even more terrifying durability and destructive power, he discovered that Hikaru was doing the same thing.
And what annoyed him most was that after he had pushed his chakra strength to its limit, he was still beginning to lose in the contest.
So he decided he had to go all out now.
If this continued, things would not look good for him.
"How long has it been since I felt this? What a pity that I’m not truly alive..."
Hashirama thought silently.
In the next moment, chakra surged through his entire body.
Natural energy rapidly spread within him.
He clasped his hands together.
A vast aura immediately spread out.
Suffocating chakra surged inside him.
"Is it time to decide the outcome?"
Hikaru saw this and nodded slightly.
After fighting to this point, he more or less understood the limits of his current strength.
Since that was the case, there was not much point in continuing the match.
But the battle still needed an ending.
With that thought, chakra in Hikaru’s eyes began to pulse wildly.
From the start of the battle until now, he had not used the power of his Jōgan.
Now, it was time to test it properly.
In an instant, his body was covered by pale-blue chakra that seemed capable of destroying everything.
His figure also became blurred and distorted.
His body slowly floated upward.
Three black spheres appeared behind him.
At that moment, he looked like a true immortal.
The enormous Wood Golem beneath him lost control and slowly began to dissolve.
Hashirama saw this, but he understood.
Hikaru was likely gathering all his strength to face what came next.
Hashirama also ended his control over his Wood Golem.
Amid that vast chakra, the earth trembled violently.
Then a shocking giant Buddha, more than a thousand meters tall, rose rapidly from the ground.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"
Hashirama stood atop the giant Buddha and looked at Hikaru floating in the air.
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Hikaru held one of the black spheres behind him.
The sphere rapidly changed shape and finally became a pitch-black ninja blade.
"So we’ve finally reached this point," Hashirama said with a smile, feeling the pressure from Hikaru.
"It may not be completely satisfying, but for a spar, this should be enough."
Hikaru nodded lightly.
His chakra had already finished gathering.
In the next moment, he swung the blade with force.
Hashirama completed his seals at the same time.
In that instant, the people in the distance looked at the terrifying sight before them.
And they seemed to finally understand what it meant to stand above the shinobi world in every sense.
"Sage Art: Top Transformed Buddha!"
"Yin-Yang Release: Konohanasakuya!"
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