The True God of Shinobi

"So, I'll ask you one last time. Are you sure you want to challenge the three of us?"

On the battlefield of the Land of Fire, within the southern forest.

As Hashirama Senju's words fell, Takenaka Kaguya did not answer. Instead, he activated Soru from the Six Powers and vanished in a flash, appearing before Hashirama Senju in an instant.

"Whoosh!"

The Black Bone Blade was incomparably sharp as it swept straight toward Hashirama Senju's neck.

"Clang!"

However, before Hashirama Senju could counterattack, Tobirama Senju, who stood not far away, urgently used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear in front of Hashirama Senju and blocked the strike with the special kunai in his hand.

"Hmph, naive!"

Seeing how easily he had blocked Takenaka's attack, Tobirama Senju could not help but reveal a sneer.

In his view, although his strength was inferior to his elder brother Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, dealing with a genius teenager of merely twelve or thirteen was still well within his capabilities.

Yet before he could finish speaking, someone grabbed his body from behind and yanked him backward.

Immediately afterward, Tobirama Senju's eyes filled with disbelief. The special kunai in his hand had been cleanly severed by Takenaka's Black Bone Blade.

If the person who had pulled him back had not been fast enough, that strike would likely have left an indelible mark on him.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Just as Takenaka prepared to press forward with his attack, he suddenly sensed a dangerous burst of Chakra.

Then, within his field of vision, numerous trees rapidly grew from the ground. In almost an instant, the terrain beneath his feet had been transformed into a forest.

Had he not been fast enough, and possessed both Soru and Geppo, those newly emerged trees would likely have bound him already.

"As expected of Hashirama Senju!"

Takenaka stomped his foot, leaped onto a tree, and swiftly retreated.

He knew that Hashirama Senju could freely control these trees, and that they would also help him cast other Wood Style ninjutsu.

Facing the most troublesome Wood Style ninjutsu in the Naruto World, personally wielded by Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, Takenaka did not dare let down his guard in the slightest.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

His body rapidly evaded the trees' attacks and entanglement, while the Bone Blade in his hand severed the trees obstructing his retreat.

Only after retreating more than a hundred meters did he finally escape the attack range of Hashirama Senju's Wood Style ninjutsu.

At this moment, Takenaka's expression was exceedingly grave as he looked at the vast forest that had suddenly appeared before him.

If, when fighting Madara Uchiha earlier, he could rely on Sage Mode combined with Shikotsumyaku, along with Two-tone Haki for prediction and defense, then even if Madara Uchiha unleashed a major move, he could evade it even if he could not withstand it. Overall, he could fight Madara Uchiha at a one-to-nine disadvantage.

But now, facing Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, he was certain that his current self had virtually no chance of victory whatsoever.

Merely evading the other party's Wood Style ninjutsu would be enough to exhaust him.

What people feared most was failing to see their own limits clearly. Now, after only one move and without even clashing head-on, he understood that he was still far too young.

"Hehe, you're fast, and your reactions are incredibly quick too. Kid, you really are impressive. At your age, neither Madara nor I would have been your match." Standing atop a tree and looking down at Takenaka's grave expression, Hashirama Senju gave his assessment.

Although he had forced Takenaka back with a single move, with Hashirama's eyesight and powerful sensory abilities, he could tell that Takenaka was indeed very strong—at the very least, he was already a notable powerhouse within the Shinobi World.

Especially that slash from earlier. Had he not reacted quickly and pulled Tobirama Senju back, Tobirama Senju would likely have committed the gravest fatal mistake because of his own carelessness.

"Thank you for the praise. You truly are worthy of being called the God of Shinobi. The gap between us is far too great," Takenaka said honestly.

"Hahaha, you're already very strong. You only lose out because of your age.

"But now that you've recognized the gap between us, do you still intend to stick to your previous answer?" Hashirama Senju laughed heartily before speaking aloud once more.

Ordinary people would surely turn around and flee after recognizing such a gap. Yet Takenaka's eyes were filled with excited light.

He grinned and pointed the Black Bone Blade in his hand at Hashirama Senju. "Hahaha, chances to fight the God of the Shinobi World don't come often."

With that, he stomped hard beneath his feet and activated Soru from the Six Powers once again. In the blink of an eye, his figure had appeared before Hashirama Senju.

Seeing this, Hashirama frowned slightly. He did not waste any words and controlled the trees beneath his feet to attack Takenaka at high speed.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

However, this time, faced with the attacks of one thick tree after another, Takenaka did not choose to evade. Instead, he chose the simplest and most brutal method, rapidly swinging the Black Bone Blade in his hand.

Across the battlefield, wherever the Black Bone Blade passed, trees that others would find indestructible were cleanly sliced apart with ease, as though he were cutting tofu with a knife.

"Hahaha, good boy!"

Hashirama Senju laughed heartily in praise before fearlessly charging toward Takenaka.

"Whoosh!"

The Black Bone Blade swept past. Hashirama sidestepped it, then attempted to use a grappling technique to seize the Bone Blade from Takenaka's hand.

Unfortunately, Takenaka seemed to have anticipated this move long ago. Not only had he predicted Hashirama's actions beforehand, he also exploited the opening created by their misaligned bodies and shouted inwardly, "Armament: Ten-Finger Bullet!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

In an instant, Hashirama's expression changed drastically. The distance between them was too short, and he had no time to react.

Sure enough, Takenaka's finger bones struck Hashirama in the chest, and Hashirama swiftly pulled away from him.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Bloom!"

It could only be said that Hashirama Senju truly deserved his title as the God of Shinobi. As he retreated, he nearly instantly clapped his hands together, causing the trees that had already massively altered the terrain to erupt with an even greater-scale attack.

Flowers bloomed upon the trees, and those flowers rapidly spread pollen. As a transmigrator, Takenaka naturally knew that if he inhaled the pollen from these flowers, even he would faint.

Therefore, after seeing that he could no longer pursue Hashirama, he quickly formed seals with one hand. In less than a second, he shouted, "Wind Style: Pressure Damage."

This was a B-rank ninjutsu. A highly compressed, dense mass of wind was expelled from Takenaka's mouth.

Its power was formidable. In the Sha no Sho, this ninjutsu was evaluated as possessing "disaster-like destructive power."

It also had the ability to clear the field and create a vacuum. Thus, at this moment, it was the most convenient method for dispersing Hashirama Senju's pollen.

"What an incredible kid!"

In the distance, Tobirama Senju muttered to himself with an extremely ugly expression.

At his side, Madara Uchiha sneered. "Only trash like you would think that. If your brother hadn't pulled you back just now, you'd probably be seriously injured already."

"Hmph!"

Tobirama Senju knew he was in the wrong. He had indeed been careless and underestimated his opponent just now. Otherwise, with his reflexes, he would not have needed Hashirama to pull him away.

Seeing that Tobirama Senju did not retort, a smile appeared on Madara's face. He then looked toward Hashirama, who was forcing the finger bones out of his body, and muttered, "When fighting this kid, one mistake and you could easily capsize. I just didn't expect Hashirama to be so careless. He got hit right at the start."

"Sizzle!"

Not far away, Takenaka watched Hashirama force his finger bones out of his body. Then, without doing anything at all, the wound automatically healed. The corner of Takenaka's mouth immediately twitched.

Sure enough, if Naruto Uzumaki had been cheating from the very beginning, then Hashirama Senju himself was basically a cheat code.

It was only for the sake of the plot. Otherwise, even after his battle with Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End, Hashirama Senju could never have died with the regenerative ability of the Wood Style cells in his body.

It could be said that if Hashirama had remained alive, no other country or hidden village would have mattered.

"Hahaha, what's your name?"

Suddenly, Hashirama glanced at the now ineffective Deep Forest Bloom, then laughed heartily as he looked at Takenaka and asked.

Only at this moment did Hashirama Senju truly regard Takenaka as an opponent.

After all, he had no interest in the names of weaklings.

"Takenaka Kaguya!" Takenaka did not hide it. After all, having a God of the Shinobi World like Hashirama Senju know his name was an honor.

"Takenaka Kaguya? I'll remember that. As expected of someone with a Kekkei Genkai like Shikotsumyaku. If my body's defensive ability weren't fairly good, you might have killed me just now!" Hashirama Senju said with a hearty laugh, looking utterly carefree.

After all, Shikotsumyaku's penetrating power was exceptionally strong.

"You're the God of Shinobi. How could I possibly kill you so easily?" Takenaka Kaguya did not believe him at all.

Who was this guy? Hashirama Senju! Even after the official story began, no one in the Shinobi World could mention the First Hokage without fear and reverence.

A man who caught Tailed Beasts like pets and suppressed the powerhouses of every hidden village until they could not lift their heads—him being killed so easily by Takenaka was no different from a fantasy.

"Hahaha, fine. Since you still refuse to surrender even now, I can only show you some real skill.

"It's a pity that a genius youth like you isn't from my Land of Fire. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to be so troubled." Hashirama Senju laughed. After speaking, an immensely powerful burst of Chakra erupted from his body.

The Chakra he released was so powerful that even the trees beneath his feet were destroyed.

Not far away, Tobirama Senju and Madara Uchiha looked at the erupting Hashirama and spoke in low voices at the same time. "It's over."

As for Takenaka, when he saw Hashirama clap his hands together and a strange wooden thousand-armed Buddha-like figure rapidly rise from beneath his feet, his expression became increasingly solemn.

At this moment, he finally understood why, even after so many years, the title of God of Shinobi still belonged to Hashirama Senju.

Even Madara Uchiha was merely called a legendary ninja.

Compared to that, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, being called the strongest Hokage was simply a joke—the kind that could make people laugh their teeth out.

"Wood Style: Wood Human Technique!"

After speaking those words, Hashirama Senju looked solemnly at Takenaka and said, "After this move, you probably won't have a chance to regret it."

Hearing this, Takenaka naturally understood that it was true. This Wood Human Technique could be said to be one of Hashirama Senju's advanced ninjutsu.

Its combat strength rivaled Madara Uchiha's Perfect Susanoo from before. The Wood Dragon wrapped around the Wood Golem could catch a Tailed Beast Bomb with one hand and even use it to counterattack. It was powerful in both offense and defense, especially adept at physical attacks, and could use its enormous body to fight the Nine-Tails controlled by Madara to a standstill.

Furthermore, the Wood Golem's head contained a space that could house Hashirama, making it extremely sturdy in terms of defense.

However, Takenaka did not retreat even half a step. He stood where he was, while the Sage Chakra around his body suddenly erupted.

Not only that, but visible to the naked eye, natural energy from the surrounding space rapidly gathered into his body.

Seeing this, Hashirama understood that words were useless. He could only eliminate this highly promising enemy.

Otherwise, peace would never come.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the Wood Golem swung its fist toward Takenaka. Its speed was astonishing.

Yet just as the Wood Golem's fist was about to strike the place where Takenaka stood, his figure suddenly flickered, landing atop the Wood Golem's fist in a single movement.

What speed.

Hashirama Senju was inwardly astonished. Although Takenaka's speed was inferior to his younger brother Tobirama Senju's Flying Thunder God Technique, the difference was not great.

"Boom!"

The Wood Golem's fist struck the ground. Trees shattered, the earth cracked, mud and stones flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.

Above it, Takenaka held the Black Bone Blade as Armament Haki instantly coated it. Wherever the blade passed, it felt as though even space itself would shatter.

"Boom!"

However, before he could get close, the Wood Golem's other fist suddenly smashed toward him once more. It was so fast that even with a taijutsu like Soru, Takenaka could not evade it.

"Bang!"

The two collided. The Black Bone Blade sliced apart several of the Wood Golem's fingers, but it had no real effect. The enormous force sent Takenaka crashing directly into the ground with a single punch.

"Pfft!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood. Looking at the cracks on the Black Bone Blade, Takenaka had no time to think, because within the perception of his Observation Haki, Hashirama Senju had already controlled the Wood Golem's first attacking fist to smash toward him again.

"Whoosh!"

He flipped through the air and pushed off hard with his feet. Just as he escaped the attack range, the Wood Golem's fist struck the ground, blasting out a deep pit more than two meters in diameter.

Damn it, Hashirama Senju is so strong. If that had hit me just now, then even in Sage Mode, I probably couldn't have withstood it.

Takenaka was shocked inwardly, and his body swiftly retreated as well.

However, before he could notice when Hashirama Senju's next attack would arrive, Tobirama Senju's figure suddenly appeared behind him. Holding a special kunai, Tobirama Senju stabbed toward Takenaka's back.

Damn it, he's actually launching a sneak attack! Takenaka was furious, but this was war.

Moreover, they belonged to opposing camps. There was nothing unreasonable about Tobirama Senju doing this.

"Clang!"

However, just as Takenaka had accepted his fate, another unexpected change occurred.

Madara Uchiha's figure appeared in an instant, and he used the Gunbai to steadily block Tobirama Senju's attack.

"Don't you think your behavior is beneath you?"