"Three feet around me—gravity!"
The moment the Wood Dragon roared toward him, the faint glowing light within three feet of Uchiha Kai suddenly brightened.
Pop.
A fierce and irresistible pulling force surged outward.
It reached straight toward the Wood Dragon.
Creak— Creak—
The entire street filled with the harsh sound of wood grinding against itself.
Then—
The Wood Dragon, dozens of times larger than Kai's body, was suddenly caught in his hand.
The scene felt completely unnatural.
But that was only the beginning.
The moment Kai grabbed the dragon—
His body vanished from where he stood.
Flying Thunder God Technique.
The next instant—
Kai appeared behind Hashirama while still gripping the enormous Wood Dragon.
Then he raised his arm—
And swung the dragon like a giant hammer toward the First Hokage.
At that moment, Hashirama had just begun gathering natural energy to transform into his Sage body.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
In an instant—
The legendary First Hokage was smashed into the ground like a whack-a-mole target.
Only his head remained sticking out of the earth.
The sudden scene stunned everyone once again.
"…Kai-sama… just hammered the First Hokage… into the ground?"
"…If I'm not mistaken… yes."
"Has the world gone insane?"
"I suddenly feel like Kai-sama might be… ridiculously strong."
"Two moves crushed the Second Hokage, three moves hammered the First Hokage… Is that something a ninja can do? That's the God of Shinobi!"
The Konoha ninja who had been retreating stopped in their tracks.
They stared at the center of the battlefield.
At the small figure wearing the Uchiha clan crest.
A ten-year-old child beating a hundred-year-old legend?
Even saying it out loud sounded absurd.
"…Th-thankfully… when we got beaten… it happened in Konoha…"
Even the Fourth Raikage A felt a strange sense of relief.
At least when he had been defeated earlier, the villagers hadn't seen it.
Otherwise the Hidden Cloud would forever be remembered as:
A grown man getting beaten by a ten-year-old kid.
Dignity completely gone.
Ōnoki nodded deeply in agreement.
At the same time, a strange feeling grew inside him.
He suddenly felt the urge to stay here and follow Kai.
A voice inside him whispered repeatedly:
Follow him.
Witness the one who will overturn the shinobi world.
But after thinking about it, he felt it was absurd.
He was already an old man in his seventies or eighties.
What was left for him to witness?
Ōnoki shook his head and refocused on the battlefield.
Without realizing it—
When he looked at Kai this time, the hostility in his heart had completely disappeared.
Instead—
There was a trace of admiration.
"Whew… you truly are impressive."
Hashirama shook his head as if trying to clear the dizziness.
"You managed to counterattack in such an unexpected way."
"Uchiha boy, you have earned my respect. May I ask—"
"Too much talking."
Before Hashirama could finish, Kai attacked again.
He swung the massive Wood Dragon down repeatedly.
Kai wanted traits, not a nostalgic reunion.
"This kid… just dragged me into conversation earlier. Now he changes his face instantly…"
Hashirama shook his head again.
But when he raised it—
The deep red markings around his eyes had already begun spreading.
The next moment—
He pressed his hands together before his chest and shouted:
"Sage Art!"
The instant those two words were spoken—
The world seemed to change.
RUMBLE!
Visible streams of natural energy surged wildly toward Hashirama.
His long black hair fluttered violently in the wind.
The surrounding grass and plants suddenly began growing like they had been blessed by divine nourishment.
Even deep inside the Forest of Death, enormous trees began trembling.
On Hashirama's forehead, flame-like markings rapidly spread across his face.
Soon—
An overwhelming pressure far greater than before spread across the battlefield.
This was no longer merely Wood Release or dark illusions.
This was Sage Mode.
His presence multiplied dozens of times in an instant.
And that was merely what people could feel.
"Sage Art — Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Looking up at the Wood Dragon Kai was using as a hammer, Hashirama's expression remained calm.
So calm that it almost felt like Tobirama had taken over his body.
Only Tobirama understood.
This was his brother when he became serious.
Even Tobirama himself wouldn't dare interrupt now.
"Unbelievable…"
"That Uchiha brat is this strong…"
"Only ten years old… and already like this…"
"If he truly devoted himself to Konoha…"
For a moment, the man who had always distrusted the Uchiha felt something shift in his heart.
Not for the clan.
But for the village.
Tobirama did not mind if Konoha became the strongest village.
Or even—
If it completely dominated the Five Great Nations.
If Konoha became the only great village in the world.
Only then could true peace exist.
Previously, his brother's ideals had restrained him.
Later, when Tobirama himself became Hokage, the other villages had already grown strong.
Then the First Shinobi War broke out.
And so his ambition was set aside.
But now—
In Kai, he suddenly saw that possibility again.
"…Perhaps I should observe this child a little longer."
"…Maybe he's different from the other Uchiha."
His hand seals slowed slightly.
At that moment, Hashirama had already broken free.
ROOOAR!
A massive Sage Art Wood Dragon, several times larger than the previous one, erupted from the ground.
Hashirama stood upon its back as it soared into the sky.
Looking down at the boy below, he clapped his hands again.
"Sage Art — Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique!"
HUMMMM—
Trees below rapidly gathered and fused together.
Within seconds—
A towering wooden giant more than sixty meters tall appeared.
Every movement of the colossal figure resembled a god descending from heaven.
"Th-this… is Wood Release?"
In the distance, Yamato stared in shock.
His own Wood Release suddenly felt embarrassing.
Anyone who saw his version might think he worked in construction, not combat.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Even more violent sounds erupted ahead.
Yamato quickly looked back.
Opposite the towering wooden giant—
A glowing skeleton began slowly rising.
Susanoo.
But this time—
It wasn't the crimson Susanoo of the traditional Uchiha.
This was Kai's unique Light-Style Susanoo.
For the first time—
It appeared before everyone.
A radiant giant standing beneath the heavens.
The sky above its back…
A moon rising upon its shoulders.
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