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 flashed forward, arriving before Hashirama Senju in an instant.

"Swish!"

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

"Clang!"

However, before Hashirama Senju could counterattack, Tobirama Senju, who was some distance 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.

"Humph, naive!"

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

In his view, while his strength might not match his elder brother Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha, he could still handle a genius teenager barely twelve or thirteen years old.

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

Then, Tobirama Senju's eyes widened in disbelief, because 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 attack would likely have left an indelible mark on him.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Just as Takenaka was preparing to press the attack, he suddenly sensed a dangerous burst of Chakra.

Immediately afterward, countless trees rapidly grew from the ground before his eyes. In almost an instant, the terrain beneath his feet had been transformed into a forest.

And if he had not been fast enough, with both Soru and Geppo at his disposal, those newly sprouted trees would have already bound him.

"As expected of Hashirama Senju!"

Takenaka pushed off the ground, leaped onto a tree, and rapidly retreated.

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

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

"Swish, swish!"

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

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

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

If, during his earlier battle with Madara Uchiha, 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 attack, 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 winning.

Simply evading the other party's Wood Release ninjutsu would be enough to exhaust him.

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

"Hehe, you're fast, and your reactions are exceptionally quick. Boy, you truly are impressive. At your age, neither Madara nor I would have been your match." Standing atop a tree, Hashirama Senju looked down at the grim-faced Takenaka and gave his evaluation.

Although he had forced Takenaka back with a single move, Hashirama's eyesight and powerful sensory abilities allowed him to see that Takenaka was indeed strong, at least one of the notable experts in the Shinobi World.

Especially that earlier strike—if he had not reacted quickly and pulled Tobirama Senju back, Tobirama Senju might have committed the gravest fatal mistake because of his carelessness.

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

"Hahaha, you're already very strong. You're only at a disadvantage because of your age.

"But now that you've recognized the gap between us, do you still intend to stand by your previous answer?" Hashirama Senju laughed heartily before asking again in a loud voice.

Normally, once someone recognized such a gap, they would surely turn and flee. Yet Takenaka's eyes were filled with an excited gleam.

He grinned and pointed the Black Bone Blade in his hand at Hashirama Senju. "Hahaha, chances to fight a God of Shinobi like you do not come often."

With that, he stomped down hard. Soru activated once more, and in the blink of an eye, his figure had appeared before Hashirama Senju.

Seeing this, Hashirama frowned slightly. He did not waste words, instead controlling the trees beneath his feet to rapidly attack Takenaka.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

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

Where the Black Bone Blade passed, trees that others would find unbreakable were cut apart with neat, effortless ease, like slicing tofu with a knife.

"Hahaha, good lad!"

Hashirama Senju laughed and praised him, then charged toward Takenaka without fear.

"Swish!"

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

Unfortunately, Takenaka seemed to have anticipated this move. Not only had he predicted Hashirama's actions in advance, but he also used the opening created by their shifted positions to shout inwardly, Armament: Ten-Finger Bullet!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

In an instant, Hashirama's expression changed drastically. He realized that the distance between them was too short for him to react in time.

Sure enough, Takenaka's finger bones struck Hashirama in the chest, forcing him to quickly pull away from Takenaka.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Bloom!"

It could only be said that Hashirama Senju truly deserved his title as the God of Shinobi. While retreating, he clapped his hands together, causing the trees that had already massively altered the terrain to unleash an even larger-scale attack.

Flowers bloomed upon the trees, rapidly scattering pollen. As a transmigrator, Takenaka naturally knew that if he inhaled that pollen, even he would fall unconscious.

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

This was a B-rank ninjutsu. A high-density mass of compressed wind burst from Takenaka's mouth.

Its power was formidable. In the Sha no Sho, this ninjutsu was described as possessing "the destructive force of a natural disaster."

It also had the ability to clear an area and create a vacuum, making it the most convenient method to disperse Hashirama Senju's pollen at this moment.

"What an incredible brat!"

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

Madara Uchiha sneered beside him. "You're the only useless one here. If your brother hadn't pulled you back just now, you'd probably be seriously injured already."

"Humph!"

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

Seeing that Tobirama Senju did not refute him, Madara smiled. He then looked toward Hashirama, who was forcing the finger bones out of his body, and muttered, "Fighting that brat, a moment's carelessness can easily capsize the boat. I just didn't expect Hashirama to be so careless. He got hit right at the start."

"Sizzle!"

Not far away, Takenaka watched as Hashirama forced his finger bones out of his body. Then, without doing anything else, the wound automatically healed, making the corner of Takenaka's mouth twitch.

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

If not for the plot, then even after his battle with Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End, Hashirama Senju would never have died with his body's Wood Release cell regeneration ability.

It could be said that if Hashirama had remained alive, no other nation or hidden village would have had any place in the world.

"Hahaha, what's your name?"

Suddenly, Hashirama glanced at the Deep Forest Bloom that had already lost its effect, 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 the weak.

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

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

After all, Shikotsumyaku's piercing power was extremely formidable.

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

Who was he kidding? This was 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 experts of every hidden village until they could not raise their heads—him being killed so easily by Takenaka was no different from a fantasy.

"Hahaha, enough. Since you still refuse to surrender, 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 need to be so troubled." Hashirama Senju laughed, and after speaking, an incredibly powerful wave of Chakra erupted from his body.

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

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

Meanwhile, Takenaka watched as Hashirama clapped his hands together. Then, a monstrous wooden statue resembling a thousand-armed Buddha rapidly rose from beneath Hashirama's feet, and Takenaka's expression grew increasingly grave.

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

Even Madara Uchiha was only 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 saying those words, Hashirama Senju looked at Takenaka with a solemn expression and said, "After this move, you may no longer have the chance to regret your decision."

Takenaka naturally understood that this was true. This Wood Human Technique could be considered one of Hashirama Senju's advanced ninjutsu.

Its combat power was comparable to Madara Uchiha's Perfect Susanoo. The Wood Dragon wrapped around the Wood Human could catch a Tailed Beast Bomb with one hand and even use it to counterattack. It was powerful in both offense and defense, particularly skilled in physical combat, and had once fought Madara's controlled Nine-Tails to a standstill with its enormous body.

Furthermore, the Wood Human's head contained a Wood Release space that could accommodate Hashirama, making it extremely sturdy defensively as well.

Yet Takenaka did not retreat even half a step. He stood where he was as Sage Chakra suddenly erupted from his body.

Moreover, visible to the naked eye, natural energy from the surrounding space rapidly gathered into his body.

Seeing this, Hashirama understood that further words were useless. He could only eliminate this enemy with extraordinary potential.

Otherwise, peace would never come.

"Boom!"

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

However, just as the Wood Human's fist was about to land where Takenaka stood, his figure suddenly flashed and landed atop the Wood Human's fist.

So fast.

Hashirama Senju was inwardly surprised. Although Takenaka's earlier speed was not as fast as his younger brother Tobirama Senju's Flying Thunder God Technique, it was not far off.

"Boom!"

The Wood Human's fist crashed into the ground. Trees shattered, the earth split open, dirt and rocks flew everywhere, and dust billowed into 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 was about to shatter.

"Boom!"

But before he could close in, the Wood Human's other fist suddenly smashed toward him. It was so fast that even with a technique like Soru, Takenaka had no way to evade it.

"Bang!"

The two collided. The Black Bone Blade sliced off several of the Wood Human's fingers, but it was completely ineffective. The tremendous force of the punch smashed Takenaka directly into the ground.

"Pfft!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood. Seeing the cracks on the Black Bone Blade, Takenaka had no time to think, because within the range of his Observation Haki, Hashirama Senju had already controlled the Wood Human's first attacking fist to strike toward him.

"Swish!"

He flipped through the air and pushed off hard. The moment he escaped the attack range, the Wood Human's fist smashed a deep pit more than two meters wide into the ground.

Damn it, Hashirama Senju is too strong. If that strike had hit me, even in Sage Mode, I wouldn't have been able to withstand it at all.

Takenaka was shocked, but his body continued retreating rapidly.

However, before he could notice when Hashirama Senju's next attack would arrive, Tobirama Senju suddenly appeared behind him, holding a special kunai that was already stabbing toward Takenaka's back.

Damn it, he actually resorted to a sneak attack! Takenaka was furious, but this was war.

Moreover, they belonged to opposing camps. There was nothing wrong with Tobirama Senju doing this.

"Clang!"

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

Madara Uchiha's figure suddenly appeared and used the Gunbai to firmly block Tobirama Senju's attack.

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