"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Five deafening crashes rang out in succession as five enormous Rashomon gates rapidly rose from the ground. Ferocious demon faces were carved into them, making them look solid, sinister, and terrifying.
An enormous, churning torrent followed close behind, slamming into the foremost Rashomon gate and exploding with a thunderous boom.
The torrent then broke through the second and third gates.
In the blink of an eye, it had reached the fourth.
"Boom!"
A hole appeared in the fourth massive gate.
The Water Release attack still had not ended. It slammed hard into the fifth Rashomon gate.
"Rumble!"
Dust billowed up. With a crack, the Rashomon gate fractured and buckled inward. But the torrent also dissipated at that moment, losing its momentum.
At last, Tobirama Senju's attack had been stopped.
"As expected of Tobirama Senju. That Water Release really is extraordinary."
River sighed softly.
Four of the Fivefold Rashomon's gates had actually been shattered. Only the final gate had stopped the attack.
This Ninjutsu was reputed to have the strongest defensive power, yet even it had nearly failed to hold.
"He even knows that Ninjutsu?!"
The Third Hokage drew a breath, his gaze growing more grave.
By now, he could no longer begin to gauge River's strength.
"My turn!"
Just then, River laughed loudly and abruptly pressed his palms together.
"Wood Release: Hotei Technique!"
In the next instant, countless enormous wooden hands emerged from the ground and surged forward. Like serpents rearing their heads, they reached for Tobirama Senju, Hashirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo.
Suddenly, a white flash streaked before River's eyes.
A figure flickered into view, silver-haired and wielding a short blade, then swung fiercely.
"White Fang!"
River sighed softly.
"Whoosh!"
The Susanoo's energy barrier was actually sliced open.
At the same time, Hatake