Only after putting away the now-shrunken Six-Tails did Hashirama Senju breathe a sigh of relief.
The clansmen around him burst into cheers.
But just then, a voice suddenly came from above them.
"As expected of Hashirama Senju. You caught a tailed beast so easily."
Hashirama Senju and his clansmen looked toward the voice and saw a group of figures standing atop the valley's cliffs.
Their leader was a short man who looked lean and powerfully built.
The clothes they wore all bore the Sarutobi Clan's crest.
"The Sarutobi Clan! Sasuke Sarutobi!" Hashirama Senju recognized them at a glance.
In the Land of Fire, the Senju and Uchiha were the two most powerful clans.
Beneath the Senju and Uchiha were ninja clans of every size. If those clans were ranked, the Sarutobi Clan could be called the strongest after the Senju and Uchiha.
Just as the Senju and Uchiha owed their dominance to the immense strength of the Senju brothers and Madara Uchiha and his brother, the Sarutobi Clan owed its strength to a renowned figure: Sasuke Sarutobi!
He was Hiruzen Sarutobi's father!
In the Land of Fire, Sasuke Sarutobi was the most famous ninja after Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
"I didn't expect you to come too! Sasuke Sarutobi, are you also after the Six-Tails?" Hashirama Senju asked, his gaze sharpening.
"Yes. Who wouldn't covet a tailed beast's power?" Sasuke Sarutobi said calmly. "Our clans haven't competed much in the past, but this time, the Sarutobi Clan is determined to claim this tailed beast!"
"Sasuke Sarutobi, aren't you dreaming a little too big? I've already subdued the Six-Tails. It belongs to the Senju Clan now. Do you intend to take it from me?" Hashirama Senju sneered.
Faced with Hashirama Senju's challenge, Sasuke Sarutobi merely chuckled. "The Sarutobi Clan has no