I'm taking my leave.
Hashirama bid farewell politely; in his heart, the giant Katsuyu was almost equivalent to his master.
"Let's go." The giant Katsuyu narrowed its eyes, watching the incredibly talented Senju Clan Leader leave.
If we were to describe it, Hashirama's potential was in no way inferior to that of his ancestor Asura.
Of course, the Katsuyu, who didn't have much contact with the two children, didn't know this.
Asura himself was of mediocre talent; had it not been for the power given to him by his father, he would never have been able to defeat Indra.
It is precisely because of this injustice that the two brothers have been entangled in a fate spanning a thousand years.
Silently recalling the past, the giant Katsuyu suddenly seemed to sense something and turned its head to the southwest.
"That place is..."
Just as the little Katsuyu said before, they are all clones of the Slug Sage, only the memories they possess are not exactly the same.
Even the largest of them only knew that some earth-shattering secret was hidden in that direction.
As for the specific reason, it couldn't give a clear explanation.
The loss of memory made the giant Katsuyu slightly uncomfortable; it only knew that the existence of the Shikkotsu Forest was precisely to guard that secret.
For thousands of years, there has never been any unusual activity over there, but this time an unexpected change has occurred.
"Is it because of him?" The only explanation the giant Katsuyu could think of was the Senju Clan Leader who had just left.
But why him? What secret is the Slug Sage hiding in the Shikkotsu Forest?
It was slightly puzzled, but it didn't delve into it further.
Soon, the canyon returned to its former tranquility.
Guided by the little Katsuyu, Hashirama strolled northward, preparing to leave the Barrier of Shikkotsu Forest.
After about half an hour and more than 70 kilometers, he successfully returned to the starting point.
However, a masked ninja was already waiting quietly there.
"You've finally arrived." It was clear that the Masked Man had been waiting for this place.
"You are..." Hashirama's eyes widened, never expecting to see other humans in Shikkotsu Forest.
Seeing his curious expression, the man behind the mask seemed to chuckle softly, "Who I am is not important. You just need to know that I won't harm you."
"Oh~" Hashirama nodded blankly, while the man opposite him shook his head repeatedly.
For some reason, he had no doubt about the Masked Man's words, even though the man exuded an inexplicable eeriness from head to toe.
"Sigh, he doesn't seem very bright." The Masked Man sighed deeply, feeling that this scene seemed familiar.
He shook his head vigorously, pulled a small booklet from his pocket, and said in a seductive tone, "Aren't you troubled right now? With your power increased so much, it seems that the Wood Dragon is no longer able to fully unleash its potential."
How did he know...? Hashirama hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded obediently.
As the Masked Man said, after mastering the Perfect Shikkotsu Forest, Hashirama's strength improved by leaps and Hashirama.
The Wood Dragon, which once required expending life force, is now, if not readily available, at least not as strenuous.
The problem is that, according to the clan's ancient records, the Wood Release is considered to be at its peak with the Wood Dragon Technique.
There were no more advanced Secret Technique to practice, which greatly troubled Hashirama.
"See it?" The Masked Man waved the booklet in his hand, continuing to tempt him, "It contains Secret Technique far more powerful than the Wood Dragon, and there are quite a few of them."
I want to learn!
"Hahahaha." The Masked Man laughed heartily, and suddenly a terrifying Chakra, almost tangible, condensed on his fist.
"Take one punch from me, and you'll qualify to learn."
Before Hashirama could back out, he moved swiftly and arrived in front of the Senju Clan Leader.
The Ultimate Yang - Fist and Bone!
Beneath the dense Chakra, a symbol resembling the shape of a sun flashed by.
"Danger!" Hashirama alarm, instantly entered Sage Mode.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, ready to take the Masked Man's attack head-on.
With a loud bang, the air exploded with a deafening roar, and Hashirama, who had entered Sage Mode, was sent flying more than ten meters away by a single punch.
"Phew~ It's been so long since I've felt this good." The Masked Man waved his arms, clearly wanting to punch the other man again.
Seeing the young man's face turn red, he smiled and rejected the idea.
"Take it, you're qualified to study it now." With that, the booklet was gently tossed into Hashirama's hands.
"Thank you so much, senior..." Hashirama excitedly raised his head, only to find that the other person had disappeared without a trace.
"What a weirdo," he remarked, shaking his head.
Strange as it may be, Hashirama could sense that the opponent possessed terrifying strength surpassing Kyosuke's.
The power of this punch was definitely more astonishing than the attack that Hidden Village had suffered that day.
If it were the old me, I probably would have been beaten to death on the spot.
"There are a lot of capable guys here."
Holding the booklet in his hands, Hashirama thought for a moment and decided not to leave immediately. He found a clean place to sit down and began to concentrate on studying the contents of the book.
"The Advent of a World of Flowering Trees... it seems to be an upgraded version of the Birth of the Tree World."
"Wood Human Technique... wow, that's amazing!"
"All-Enveloping Cloth Technique... a very powerful crowd control Ninjutsu."
"There's even Senjutsu? This... this is..."
Hashirama's pupils widened, as if he had caught sight of something extraordinary.
Meanwhile, the Masked Man continued westward and soon arrived at the outside of a hidden cave.
His hands formed a slight Hand Seals, and ripples suddenly appeared in the space in front of him.
With each step, it felt as if I had entered another dimension.
This is a spacious hall, dimly lit, with towering columns and high platforms on both sides, where emaciated figures, resembling dried corpses, sit cross-legged.
In the very center stands a statue with a bizarre and ferocious appearance, seemingly quite different from humans.
Directly below the statue is a futon, upon which sits a gaunt old man with his eyes closed.
The people inside the hall were all emaciated, looking much like the mummies inside the pyramids.
However, if there were outsiders present, those with weaker willpower would probably wet themselves in fear.
This is because each mummy exudes a terrifying aura that sends chills down your spine.
The Masked Man silently looked around, sighed, and murmured, "Thirty years left... how am I supposed to get through that?"
"Ugh, could one of you wake up early, or at least chat with me?"
At this moment, the Masked Man no longer acted as inscrutable as he had in front of Hashirama.
He was like a bored child, constantly making noise in the empty hall.
After a long while, he seemed tired, took off his mask, and casually tossed it aside.
Slowly raising my head, I looked up at the plaque at the very top, where two large characters were deeply engraved...
Ninja Sect!