The moment the Tailed Beast Bomb condensed, Senju Haruto drove his chakra blade straight into it.
Tailed Beast Bomb Shuriken!
This way, Hashirama would have no chance of using his wooden colossus to grasp the attack. Not only that—every inch of the chakra blade was etched with dense sealing script, the markings of Shukaku's fūinjutsu.
"Rest now, First Hokage."
With his low murmur, the Tailed Beast Bomb Shuriken shot forward, spinning at incredible speed, closing in on the wooden colossus beneath Hashirama's feet.
He gave Hashirama no time to summon the Rashōmon gates.
BOOM!
With an earth-shattering roar, the colossus was swallowed whole by the shuriken's power, torn apart in an instant. Shockwaves rippled outward like tidal waves, crashing against the barrier of the Four Red Yang Formation. Cracks webbed across its surface, nearly breaking it apart.
Everyone who saw the sight drew in a sharp breath.
To them, the scale of Haruto's attack was far beyond the realm of ninjutsu.
Especially to the shinobi and villagers of Konoha. This single strike… its destructive power was even greater than the Nine-Tails rampaging at full force.
"Haruto… the future of the shinobi world is yours now."
Hashirama lifted his head, gazing at Haruto with a calm smile.
Half his Edo Tensei body had already been obliterated by the impact, and though it was regenerating, the process was agonizingly slow.
That was one of the few flaws of Edo Tensei. The body could resurrect endlessly, but the greater the damage, the slower the recovery.
And Haruto was not about to give the God of Shinobi another chance to recover.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he summoned Magnet Release once again, merging it with the sealing power embedded in the Tailed Beast Bomb Shuriken. In an instant, Hashirama Senju was captured and bound.
By the time Haruto released Susanoo and landed gracefully upon the ground, the First Hokage had been completely sealed away.
The scarlet barrier of the Four Red Yang Formation and the violet walls of the Four Purple Flame Formation both vanished at once.
"…It's over?"
"I thought this would be a death match to the very end, but Haruto completely overwhelmed the First Hokage…"
"And under such harsh conditions, too…"
"Haruto is the true God of Shinobi!"
Voices rose everywhere, wave after wave of cheers.
The people of Konoha rejoiced that Senju Haruto had defeated the First Hokage and protected the village.
But the shinobi of Konoha… were struck dumb with awe.
They knew better than anyone what kind of monster the First Hokage was.
If not for Haruto, no matter how many of them had rushed forward, they would have all been slaughtered by Hashirama and Tobirama.
Yet Haruto had stood against both Hokage at once, never faltering, and had displayed overwhelming, unmatched power.
Most shocking of all—after ending an entire war by himself, Haruto's face was still calm, relaxed, showing not even the faintest trace of fatigue.
In other words… he may not have even used his full strength.
"…Let's go."
Kakashi exhaled sharply, steadying himself before stepping forward toward Haruto.
At that moment, a familiar voice echoed in Haruto's ears.
Congratulations, host. You have reached the sign-in location.
Sign-in reward obtained: Rinnegan.
"Rinnegan?"
Haruto's heart stirred. He could not help but murmur, delighted at the reward.
As someone who had once read Naruto in his previous life, he knew full well—the ultimate evolution of the Uchiha's Sharingan was the Rinnegan.
In the shinobi world, the Rinnegan was revered as the eyes of the Sage himself. Even the Sage of Six Paths had possessed it.
"To become a Sage of Six Paths, then."
Haruto now understood clearly where the system's sign-ins were leading him.
The path was inevitable—he was being guided to surpass even the Sage of Six Paths.
The only question was… once he completed all the sign-ins, once he truly became the new Sage—would the system still have more tasks for him?
"Haruto?"
Kakashi and the others soon reached his side, surrounding him. Noticing that he was lost in thought, Kakashi raised his voice slightly.
"Hm?"
Haruto blinked and returned to the present. The crisis of the Chūnin Exams was over, but there was still a mountain of matters waiting for him to resolve.
"Take the First and Second Hokage to a secure location. Seal them away where no one can disturb their rest again."
He turned to Kakashi and issued his next command.
Then, as Haruto shifted his gaze, he noticed the crowd that had gathered—civilians and shinobi alike, not only from the Land of Fire but also from other nations.
Every pair of eyes was fixed on him, expectant and eager.
"I declare…"
Haruto's voice rang out, answering their hopes, "…the war is over!"
At once, the square erupted into thunderous cheers.
Countless voices chanted Haruto's name.
It wasn't a scene he particularly enjoyed, but he made no move to stop them.
Because he understood—after a war, people needed release. They needed something, or someone, to rally around.
After watching Kakashi lead a team to secure the sealed First and Second Hokage, Haruto moved directly toward Yamato.
"Yamato."
"Yes." Yamato straightened immediately, bowing with solemn respect.
Haruto might not yet be formally inaugurated as the Fifth Hokage, but in everyone's hearts, the matter was already decided.
No one in the Land of Fire was more suited than Senju Haruto.
Even more—both the First and Second Hokage had personally acknowledged him, directly naming him as the next Hokage.
And as a true heir of the Senju clan, his claim was unquestionable.
Yamato had always admired him deeply, and now he would follow Haruto's word without hesitation.
Haruto gave a slight smile. "As for the Sand and Sound shinobi—since they came here, don't let them leave."
"What?"
Yamato froze, as did every shinobi nearby. None of them understood what Haruto meant.
"Just do as I say. That's enough."
There were too many eyes on him now, too much attention for him to explain further. Some things couldn't be spoken aloud in such a moment.
Yamato exchanged a glance with Uchiha Izumi, then quickly left with a squad of Root shinobi to take control of the Sand and Sound ninja.
Haruto's intentions were simple.
Sunagakure had committed nearly all its elites to this invasion, leaving the village itself vulnerable and exposed.
And Haruto had no reason to waste such an opportunity.
It was time for the Land of Wind… to fall into his grasp.