Although the Massive Rasengan could already be counted as a large-scale ninjutsu, it was still meant to deal with a single target. Compared to the effective scale of the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique, it counted for jack.
With one blue ball in one hand and one black ball in the other, Hagoromo had finally set foot on the road of no return toward a sui—cidal terror-bombing attack.
When the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique formula ended, the Wood Human's head and half of its body, Hagoromo's shadow clone, and the First Hokage's Wood Release clone all vanished without a trace. However, the First Hokage's Edo Tensei body dodged the attack in the final instant of reaction… This was only natural. In the state of Wood Release plus Sage Mode, his sensory ability was even above Hagoromo's. There was no way he would be dealt with so simply.
Right now, Hagoromo was using pure ninjutsu to fight the "God of Shinobi." He had yet to use his other abilities, so this seemed even more troublesome than fighting the Sage of Six Paths.
In reality, the Wood Human that had lost its head and part of its torso still possessed a certain degree of mobility. However, in such a crippled state, it was no longer of much use.
The First Hokage still stood atop that half-destroyed Wood Human.
"Why has Grandfather appeared here? And the one fighting him is… Hagoromo?"
At this moment, Tsunade had also arrived. The Third Hokage had already arranged for sealing teams to do their best to separate the battlefield between these two from the Chūnin Exam grounds. Anyone who accidentally got dragged into their combat range would be true cannon fodder.
"It was probably Orochimaru's doing. And of the techniques I know that can 'revive' someone who has been dead for so long, there is only one," the Third Hokage said.
Barring any surprises, Orochimaru should have used the Second Hokage's Edo Tensei. In the end, he had still walked down this path.
The battle situation currently looked evenly matched, so the Third Hokage did not rashly move forward for the time being.
"That damned Orochimaru!"
Seeing her own grandfather revived and controlled, Tsunade felt only anger.
"Where's Hagoromo?"
After Hagoromo played out an explosive barrage just now, he seemed to have vanished.
But as the Third Hokage stretched out a hand and pointed, Tsunade caught sight of Hagoromo again—he was charging vertically upward at considerable speed toward the First Hokage atop the Wood Human.
If the current First Hokage was using senjutsu plus Wood Release, then Hagoromo was using his current strongest nin-taijutsu: Sage Mode plus Chidori Current, third stage.
What he wore on his face was a black Sage Mode pattern, while silver lightning markings covered his body… Top-tier shinobi all had the ability to buff themselves. Otherwise, they would be too embarrassed to even leave the house.
Just as Hagoromo finally entered close combat with the First Hokage, Tsunade also began moving. She clearly did not have the Third Hokage's patience, especially under circumstances where her grandfather had been revived by Edo Tensei.
After rapidly approaching the battlefield and leaping onto Katsuyu's head in a few movements, Tsunade said, "Katsuyu, get closer!"
At this moment, Katsuyu was still busy digesting the Wood Dragon, so moving was rather inconvenient. Even so, she still followed Tsunade's request and moved toward the half-destroyed Wood Human.
Then Tsunade saw the high-speed exchange between Hagoromo and Lord First… The First Hokage stood unmoving as a mountain, while Hagoromo's attacks came like a violent storm.
"Grandfather!"
When Tsunade shouted those three words, the First Hokage had just dismantled Hagoromo's weapon. The latter's chakra blade spun rapidly as it shot straight up into the sky.
Tsunade's current appearance was naturally very different from when the First Hokage had been alive, but her chakra signature remained exactly the same. Even if Hashirama had died and come back to life, he would not forget the slightest trace of that signature. So in that instant, he became somewhat distracted.
"Tsunade? Little Tsunade?"
Fine, she really was Little Tsunade. Fifty-two-year-old Little Tsunade.
Unfortunately, the "insensitive" Hagoromo did not pay any attention at all to the grandfather-granddaughter reunion scene. His attack did not pause in the slightest.
The knife-hand strike from his left hand chopped directly against the Hokage's neck. This blow might have caused a slight concussion. Combined with the factor of Tsunade, Hashirama's reaction failed to keep up.
Immediately afterward, Hagoromo's right elbow struck vertically upward, landing directly on the Hokage's chin. The powerful force caused the latter to float slightly into the air.
Then Hagoromo's taut lower body, along with the clockwise rapid sideways rotation of his body, drove a kick that directly hit Lord First in the side of the abdomen.
In an instant, the Hokage became a cannonball fired from its barrel.
Next, Hagoromo's right foot landed. The tremendous force even caused the Wood Human to tremble slightly. But it was not over yet. After his right foot landed, his body immediately reverse-spun while he kicked again. However, this time, his target could no longer be the Hokage, but the hilt of the chakra blade falling from the sky.
The First Hokage smashed down as though struck by a battering ram. Then the chakra blade chasing after him, flashing with lightning, nailed him to the ground through the chest.
"Hagoromo!" Tsunade, who had witnessed it clearly, had a trace of anger in her voice.
"Ahem, sorry. I couldn't hold back in time." What Hagoromo said was the truth. He had not expected Lord First to have moments when he spaced out too. But… Big Sister Tsunade, whose side exactly are you on?
Nonsense. Of course she was on her grandfather's side.
The First Hokage had taken several kicks and even been pierced straight through the chest, looking as if he had been abused for a bit. In reality, though, he was perfectly fine. Setting aside the fact that his current body was an immortal Edo Tensei body, even when he was alive, he had the top-tier version of Creation Rebirth, possessing instant self-healing ability in battle. Injuries like the ones Hagoromo caused would recover immediately.
Lord First stood up again, then reached out and pulled the long blade out of his body.
"What troublesome Lightning Release. Are young people these days all this strong?" Compared to the wound caused by the long blade, Lord First instead felt that the paralysis caused by Hagoromo's Lightning Release was a little more troublesome.
He threw Hagoromo's chakra blade onto the ground, then pressed his palms together again. "It isn't easy to come out and get some fresh air, and I don't know whether I'll have this kind of chance again in the future. So I might as well show all the techniques that should be shown…"
Almost the instant his muttering ended, Hagoromo felt that something rather bad was about to happen.
The First Hokage's strongest techniques were undoubtedly the combination of senjutsu and Wood Release. And among all his techniques, what stood at the very top?
The move before him.
Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.
The Wood Human Technique that Lord First had used earlier was comparable in size to the Nine-Tails. But the size of this current technique looked as though it could pinch the Nine-Tails to death with one hand.
The technique Hashirama transformed into was a gigantic Buddha statue covered with more than a thousand hands.
When he saw this move, Hagoromo seemed to gain a sudden realization. This technique probably explained why the Senju clan was called the Senju clan. But… this was bullying people too much. Having a Gundam was already enough, yet he had actually brought out Megatron too. Was there any heavenly justice left?
This was far too much bullying.
Hagoromo lightly leaped down from the Wood Human. At the same time, his hands formed seals. By the time he landed on the ground, a Rashōmon gate covered in special technique formulas stood before his eyes.
"Rashōmon? But boy, a single Rashōmon gate cannot block my technique," the First Hokage called out to Hagoromo from afar.
Block?
No, no. Lord First still understood this guy far too little.
Rashōmon was the First Hokage's technique. In his hands, this move was used for defense. But in Hagoromo's hands, it was mostly used for offense—either as a battering ram or as a small cannonball.
According to a certain rule, generally speaking, the longer a technique's name was, the more powerful it was. So Hashirama's technique was called:
Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.
However, the full name of Hagoromo's technique was so long that it was impossible to remember, overflowing with chūnibyō energy and exploding with embarrassment:
Ninja Art: Summoning: Lightning Release Secret Technique: Heaven and Earth to Ashes: Firefire Ten Trillion Death Grand Burial Formation: Within the Lightning Garden, Heavy Nation: Rashōmon.
Comparing name length?
He would out-length you to death.
At this point, could this be considered them getting somewhat angry? But looking at the posture of both sides, the Third Hokage's hair was practically standing on end. No matter what, he could not allow these two bastards to keep messing around.
Was this a fight?
No.
This was demolition.
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