Cunning old Ōnoki was the first to recover. His voice rang across the square, sharp with urgency:
"Lord Hashirama! He knows the Eight Gates Release! Don't give him a chance to open the Eight Gates, or none of us will be able to catch him!"
The Fourth Raikage shouted right after him:
"He knows Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode too! Don't fight him up close!"
Hashirama Senju's gaze settled on the golden armor covering Yongye. The shock on his face gave way to a grave expression.
He spoke slowly. "What... is that?"
Yongye's lips curved slightly. The golden light glinted sharply against them.
"The Golden Cloth."
"Time to open your eyes, you country bumpkins!"
"Come on. Let me see what the so-called God of Shinobi is made of!"
Hashirama Senju studied the golden armor for another moment, then brought his hands together before his chest and interlaced his fingers.
"Let's find out!"
Chakra surged from his body. A green sheen spread rapidly across his skin, ran down his arms, and seeped into the stone slabs beneath his feet.
The ground began to shake.
At first, it was a faint tremor rising through their soles. Then it grew heavier and deeper, as though countless colossal beasts were pushing up from far underground.
The stone slabs burst apart!
Thick wooden vines erupted from the cracks. Not one or two, but hundreds upon hundreds broke through every corner of the square at once, like a forest awakening beneath the earth.
The vines were wider than a person's waist, their surfaces covered in dark-green bark. As they rose, their branches forked, spread, and intertwined. Within moments, the entire square had become an impenetrable wooden cage.
Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!
The instant the vines surged upward, Yongye leaped. He kicked