"The battle between Senju Haruto and the First Hokage…"
Through the blazing barrier of the Four Purple Flame Formation, Yamato watched anxiously, swallowing hard.
As someone who had survived the transplantation of Hashirama's cells, he understood better than anyone the terrifying might of the First Hokage. And now, this was not merely Hashirama Senju—it was Hashirama revived through Edo Tensei, granted endless resurrection.
The only way Haruto could possibly defeat him… was through a sealing technique.
But sealing the First Hokage was anything but simple.
"The First Hokage against the Fifth Hokage…"
All eyes were on the fight.
Even the spectators who had traveled from far and wide to watch the Chūnin Exams in Konoha were completely captivated. Originally, they had come to witness the clash of true shinobi. Prodigies like Sasuke and Neji had been the stars everyone wanted to see.
Yet compared to this battle… all of that seemed meaningless.
On one side stood the man who had ended the Warring States Era, founded the shinobi villages, and was revered as the God of Shinobi—the one closest to the Sage of Six Paths himself. To many, just glimpsing the figure of the First Hokage was already worth the journey.
On the other side stood the man personally acknowledged by both Hashirama and Tobirama as the future Fifth Hokage. The one who wielded techniques no one had ever seen before.
Not only had Haruto calmly countered Tobirama's deadly tandem explosive tags, he had gone on to seal the Second Hokage in a single move.
"Who do you think will win?"
"It has to be the First Hokage. He's the true God of Shinobi."
"No… I think it'll be Senju Haruto. He's not only the Fifth Hokage, he also stopped the Nine-Tails' rampage."
A villager of Konoha couldn't help but remind everyone of Haruto's past feats.
Even so, opinions were split.
For Haruto to win, he had no choice but to rely on sealing jutsu. But Hashirama's attacks would inflict real, tangible damage on him. Under such conditions, Hashirama held the advantage before the battle had even begun.
"Want to place bets? I'm going all in on the First Hokage!" someone shouted.
Kakashi, hearing this, was exasperated. Betting on the outcome of the Chūnin Exams was one thing—but now they were betting on Haruto's duel with Hashirama. Did they not understand?
If Haruto lost, it wasn't just Konoha at stake—the entire Land of Fire could be destroyed.
"Haruto…"
With that thought, Kakashi's eyes returned to the battlefield.
Inside the Four Purple Flame Formation, Haruto stood calm and focused. As a barrier, the formation not only blocked outsiders from interfering but also contained the devastating shockwaves within. In a sense, Hashirama's choice of the Four Purple Flames had created an invisible arena for them.
But Haruto wasn't satisfied.
"Not enough, First Hokage."
Forming hand seals, he released four Wood Style shadow clones, sending them to the cardinal points. Together, they wove hand signs and raised a second barrier inside the first.
"Four Red Yang Formation!"
A blood-red wall of chakra blazed into existence within the violet flames.
Even Hashirama, the so-called God of Shinobi, was momentarily stunned.
"To activate the Four Red Yang Formation, it takes four shinobi of Kage-level power working together. Which means… each of Haruto's clones has Kage-level strength?"
His eyes narrowed. Once again, Senju Haruto's power shocked him.
A part of Hashirama even wished this opponent before him wasn't his Edo Tensei form, but his living self. To outsiders, Edo Tensei seemed invincible—endless resurrection, impossible to put down. But to him, it was a cage.
His strength was only half of what it once was. His healing ability stolen, his defenses diminished. Even his ultimate technique, True Several Thousand Hands, was beyond his reach.
"Shin: Gate of the Great God!"
Placing his palm atop his wooden colossus, Hashirama launched the first move, summoning massive crimson torii gates from the heavens, crashing down in an attempt to pin Haruto.
"Opening with the Great God Gates already…" Haruto muttered under his breath, raising his eyes to watch them fall.
But a shinobi battle was not only a clash of strength—it was a contest of information.
Haruto knew Hashirama's jutsu far better than Hashirama knew his.
In an instant, Haruto flickered behind him, Susanoo's chakra blade slashing toward the wooden giant.
"ROOOAR!"
Before Hashirama could react, three wooden dragons lunged forward, wrapping around Susanoo, trying to suppress it.
But Haruto wasn't relying on Susanoo alone.
Even as he struck, three of his own wooden dragons surged forth, entwining around Susanoo's form.
The battlefield shook with the clash. Six massive dragons—Hashirama's and Haruto's—snarled and tore at one another in a brutal struggle.
Though Hashirama's ambush had failed, the attempt created just enough of a window for him to turn. Above them, more of the colossal red gates slammed down, their shockwaves rippling outward.
Had Haruto not prepared the Four Red Yang Formation, countless lives outside would have been caught in the blast.
"…Best to end this quickly."
Haruto's eyes narrowed. Dragging this battle out would do him no good. The faster he crushed the First Hokage, the more undeniable his supremacy would become.
The stronger he appeared, the more hearts he would win. The more people would choose to follow him.
With that thought, he unleashed the full power of Susanoo. The chakra warrior swelled into its complete form, towering to the heavens, four massive blades hanging at its waist.
"Complete Body Susanoo…"
Hashirama gazed upward. "The same as Madara Uchiha's technique."
"No, First Hokage."
Haruto shook his head. He was no longer comparable to the Madara Hashirama once knew.
Gathering every shred of tailed beast chakra within him, he raised his right hand. Susanoo opened its jaws wide, a sphere of destructive chakra condensing at its core.
A Tailed Beast Bomb.
Hashirama froze, eyes widening in shock.
Not only did Haruto wield Susanoo—he also carried the power of the tailed beasts.
"Don't tell me… the Nine-Tails is sealed within Senju Haruto?"
The realization shook him to his core.
Hashirama's Wood Style… Madara's Eternal Mangekyō… and now the power of the Uzumaki Mito's tailed beasts…
Haruto was closer to the Sage of Six Paths than even he had ever been.
"Senju Haruto… you truly have surpassed me."
And yet, as he spoke, a warm smile spread across Hashirama's face.