Konoha Ultimate Taijutsu Secret Technique!

After a brief warm-up, Hashirama spoke first. "I'm ready. Come at me, Gamu!!"

Uzumaki Gamu replied, "Are you sure you want me to go first? If you let me make the first move, you might not get a chance to hit back~"

"It's fine. Give me everything you've got!" Hashirama said generously.

"All right! Shadow Clone Technique!!" Uzumaki Gamu created three clones, which attacked Hashirama from three directions.

Hashirama smiled. "Oh? The usual shadow clone feint?"

Uzumaki Gamu nodded. "Yeah. I want to see whether your strength has changed."

"Hahaha, it's changed a lot-Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique!!" Hashirama clapped his hands, and three Wood Release clones emerged from his body!

There it was: the clap-your-hands-and-get-whatever-you-want technique!

Uzumaki Gamu thought with delighted surprise, Whoa, he finally unlocked Wood Release?

Wood Release was a secret technique created by Hashirama Senju. It was a Kekkei Genkai formed by combining earth- and water-nature chakra. The caster used his own chakra as a source of life to activate the ninjutsu, rapidly growing multiple trees out of the ground and creating an entire forest in an instant. Every offensive and defensive movement of the trees was controlled by the caster, and the forest also facilitated the use of other Wood Release ninjutsu.

Since Wood Release was extremely malleable and could form all sorts of things, while generally requiring no complicated hand seals, it was jokingly called the get-whatever-you-want technique!

Wood clones were Wood Release clones identical to their creator. They were harder to distinguish than shadow clones; supposedly, only Madara Uchiha had ever seen through them with his Sharingan. They were primarily used for reconnaissance. Their combat ability was inferior to the original's, but they were not weaklings like shadow clones, which shattered after a single hit. When dispelled, they could instantly transform into branches to bind or attack the enemy.

The three shadow clones faced off against the three wood clones, and, unsurprisingly... the shadow clones were destroyed in seconds.

Uzumaki Gamu said, "...Damn it. They're both solid clones, but shadow clones are way too fragile!!"

"Hahaha! Do you feel it? The power of my new ninjutsu!!" Hashirama laughed.

"Yes, yes, very powerful~" Uzumaki Gamu gave a perfunctory reply, then formed hand seals again and shouted, "Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!!"

Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame-a B-rank Fire Release ninjutsu. After gathering chakra in the throat, the user spat out a vast expanse of flames like an ocean, covering an enormous area. Its most famous user was Madara Uchiha.

The three wooden figures were engulfed by Majestic Destroyer Flame and quickly reduced to ash. Although Hashirama could now use Wood Release, his power was far below that of his adult self... he was not even a match for Yamato yet. (Yamato-a jōnin of Konohagakure in the Land of Fire, formerly an elite member of the Anbu directly under the Hokage. Since the Third Hokage's time, he had been regarded as one of the Anbu's finest ninja. As a child, he had been implanted with Hashirama Cells from the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and inherited the First's Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.)

"Whoa~~ You're actually using that guy's technique? But don't think my techniques are afraid of fire just because they're made of wood! Wood Release: Fireproof Wood Technique!" Hashirama clapped his hands to form a seal again, producing a row of timber in front of himself. He had developed this technique specifically to fight Madara. The fireproof wood contained a great deal of moisture, which could counteract the heat of Fire Release.

Of course, once Hashirama had fully mastered Wood Release, he would no longer need to adjust the wood's moisture content. He could block Madara's Fire Release outright!

Hashirama's fireproof wood successfully blocked Majestic Destroyer Flame, but after the flames vanished, he discovered... Uzumaki Gamu was gone!

Losing sight of the enemy was never good, but... Hashirama had already guessed where Uzumaki Gamu had gone!

"Wood Release: Forest Emergence!" The precursor to Deep Forest Emergence. At present, Hashirama did not have enough chakra to use Deep Forest Emergence on a large scale... in a few more years, that would not be a problem!

Several trees appeared around Hashirama, but rather than growing upward, they began digging underground.

Before long, they dug someone out of the earth.

Looking at Uzumaki Gamu, who had been bound in wood and dragged out, Hashirama said, "You always use Earth Release to ambush me from underground. Try something new!"

"This is something new!" The captured Uzumaki Gamu suddenly turned into earth.

Watching from the sidelines, Tobirama said, "That's... an Earth Clone?" Earth Release: Earth Clone-turning earth into a clone!

If this was a mud clone, then Uzumaki Gamu was not here?

Realizing this, Hashirama immediately searched for Uzumaki Gamu, but after looking all around... he found no trace of him.

What the hell! The Senju training ground was surrounded by a fence, with nothing to block his view... had Uzumaki Gamu gone outside the fence?

Or... was he still underground?

Just then, Hashirama heard a hiss... had something been lit?

Hashirama looked toward the sound and discovered it was coming from Uzumaki Gamu's Earth Clone... there were explosive tags hidden inside it?

There was no time to form hand seals. Hashirama could only retreat while shielding his head with both hands.

The exploding tags did more than create a blast; they also blew the earth surrounding them outward.

The earth contained bits of broken stone. Hitting someone directly with those was much like using a makeshift grenade.

Hashirama took the flying stones head-on with his powerful physique. They did not even leave a bruise... this man was becoming more and more of a monster!

The blasted stones bounced off him and fell to the ground. Looking at them, Hashirama remarked, "That's Gamu for you. His attacks always come one after another..."

Just then, a stone beside Hashirama suddenly moved. With a poof, it transformed into Uzumaki Gamu, who swung a fist at him.

He had barely finished saying the attacks came one after another, and here came the next one!

"Too naive!" Reacting in time, Hashirama struck at Uzumaki Gamu, moving second but reaching him first. With the immense physical strength granted by his innate Sage Body, he was perfectly capable of pulling that off.

Then Hashirama punched Uzumaki Gamu in the face. Poof! Uzumaki Gamu turned into smoke!

Hashirama grew alert. A shadow clone? So this was another feint?

If it was a feint, another wave of attacks had to follow. Poof, poof, poof-all the stones that had struck him earlier transformed into Uzumaki Gamu.

"Just as expected~" Hashirama said speechlessly. Although he had anticipated a follow-up attack, wasn't this far too many clones to create at once? There had to be dozens!

As the saying went, two fists could not beat four hands. Hashirama did not yet have large-scale ninjutsu like Wood Golem or Wood Dragon. Even the simple Cutting Technique... well, he disliked using such bloody ninjutsu, so he would have to punch his way through.

Of course, Hashirama was no fool. He created two wood clones and formed a triangle with them, producing an effect much like having three heads and six arms as he confronted Uzumaki Gamu's clones head-on.

Although he took quite a few punches, he still held off that wave of attacks.

But Tobirama, watching from a distance, had a different perspective.

Tobirama thought, Big Brother's attention has been completely drawn away by Gamu Uzumaki's shadow clones! He's overlooked the movement underground~ As an outside observer, he had the clarity that those caught in the action lacked. With his sensory abilities, Tobirama knew exactly where Uzumaki Gamu was heading. Next, Uzumaki Gamu would attack his brother from his blind spot.

Just as he expected, Uzumaki Gamu emerged from underground and formed the Tiger Seal with both hands.

Seeing this, Tobirama thought, The Tiger Seal? Is he going to use Fire Release ninjutsu? At that distance... Big Brother will get hurt! Tobirama suddenly grew worried! (The Tiger Seal appeared extremely frequently in Fire Release techniques.)

Although his brother's physique was monstrous (did they understand the sheer value of being one hundred percent Hashirama Cells?), getting hit by Fire Release at that distance would still seriously injure him. After all, Hashirama was still a minor and could not yet manage the ridiculous recovery speed of healing simply by breathing.

Of course, a second later, Tobirama realized he had worried for nothing, because... Uzumaki Gamu used an earth-shattering ninjutsu that left even him stunned!

"Uzumaki Ultimate Taijutsu Secret Technique!! Thousand Years of Death!!!" Uzumaki Gamu thrust both hands into Hashirama's rear!

After seeing that move, Tobirama was speechless for a long time. There was taijutsu like this? This fucking counted as taijutsu?

Tobirama felt his common sense being overturned!

An E-rank taijutsu developed by "Konoha's White Fang," Hatake Sakumo, it was named Thousand Years of Death because it made its victim experience "pain like a thousand years of death." To pass the technique down to future generations, Konoha's White Fang taught it to his son Kakashi, who later passed it on to Naruto.

According to a Yugakure ninja, it was precisely the terrifying destructive power of Thousand Years of Death that earned Hatake Sakumo the name Konoha's White Fang. Kakashi later said his own Thousand Years of Death was nowhere near as powerful as Sakumo's. All of the above came from Rock Lee's spin-off.

Uh... all right, since that came from a comedy spin-off anime, that was definitely not why Kakashi's father was called Konoha's White Fang.

Back to the point. The agony in his rear sent Hashirama flying straight up, tears brimming in his eyes. Then he crashed heavily to the ground and knelt there, clutching his backside, unable to move!

Well, since he and Naruto were both reincarnations of Asura, he ought to enjoy the same treatment... a ruined chrysanthemum, wounds strewn across the ground, his smile yellowed too; fallen flowers broke his heart, while blood flowed silently from his ass.

Uzumaki Gamu blew on his fingers in satisfaction and said with a flourish, "Hahaha! Even the future God of Shinobi fell to this move. It really is the strongest taijutsu!!" What Eight Gates Released Formation, Evening Elephant, or Night Guy? Could any of them inflict this much humiliation? Could any of them cause this much psychological damage? If Madara got hit by this move, it would not be as simple as being forever remembered by him... Madara would hunt him down for the rest of his life!

Right, I'll try it on Madara next! Uzumaki Gamu thought firmly. Good brothers stuck together. Since Hashirama had taken a hit like that, Madara absolutely had to experience it too!

Speaking of which, Hashirama was down and unable to get up. Did that make Uzumaki Gamu the winner of this fight?

No, it did not. Hashirama had already gotten up. Although he was still clutching his backside, he was standing again.

"You're kidding... I jabbed you that hard, and you're already better?" Uzumaki Gamu asked in surprise.

And Hashirama's expression became... angry.

"Gamu, I'm angry!" Hashirama said bluntly. "Just you wait. I'm going to jab you in the butt too!"

Hearing that, Tobirama covered his face. "Big Brother, watch what you say!!" If the other ninja clans saw his brother behaving like this... it would be mortifying!

"Who cares!! Here I come, Gamu!!" Hashirama was still straightforward enough to announce himself before attacking, but he did not wait for Uzumaki Gamu's reply.

He punched straight into the ground!

Monster Strength!! A taijutsu passed down through the Senju Clan. Through precise chakra control, the user concentrated chakra throughout the body, coating it in blue-violet chakra, then released a powerful blast of air that could easily shatter walls from a distance.

Hashirama's full-power Monster Strength punch shattered the ground. It felt like an earthquake.

"Full power? Big Brother's getting serious!" Tobirama was shocked-not because his brother was getting serious, but because he was doing it inside the clan compound... if they kept fighting like this, wouldn't their compound get destroyed again?

Huh? Why "again"?

Well, what did you think?

That sudden punch nearly knocked Uzumaki Gamu off his feet. "What power... his Monster Strength has improved that much?"

"I'm not done yet!!" Hashirama pushed off with his legs and leaped high into the air. Then he created a wood clone in midair and stepped on it to accelerate toward Uzumaki Gamu.

Uzumaki Gamu gauged his speed and realized he could not dodge. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the clones that had just surrounded Hashirama... a few had not been destroyed.

After Uzumaki Gamu used Thousand Years of Death, those remaining clones had sat down where they were and begun gathering senjutsu chakra.

Well, knowing Hashirama as he did, Uzumaki Gamu knew the guy would never stop that easily. If he lost, he had to win it back!

That guy was a monster of perseverance. How could he give up so easily?

Just as Hashirama reached Uzumaki Gamu, several of Uzumaki Gamu's shadow clones were dispelled simultaneously, and sage markings appeared around Uzumaki Gamu's eyes!

Sage Mode, activate!!

Tobirama said in alarm, "What's that?"

Their fists collided-Frog Kata vs. Monster Strength. What was the outcome?

Neither prevailed. The two were locked in a stalemate.

The impact shook the earth, and spiderweb cracks spread outward from beneath Uzumaki Gamu's feet.

The shock wave pushed the unprepared Tobirama back two meters. He exclaimed in surprise, "Such power?"

Likewise, Hashirama was startled by Uzumaki Gamu's strength. This guy had always been known for being cunning, sneaky, and unpredictable (though they had only known each other for a few months). When had he become this strong?

Recently, he had nearly beaten his father at arm wrestling. Of course, that was mainly because he had been a little hungry at the time. If only his father would agree to another round. (Butsuma: I fucking used every ounce of strength I had and barely won... and that brat still looked like he hadn't had enough... to preserve my dignity as his father, I can't arm-wrestle him again until he's an adult!)

Uzumaki Gamu was frightened too. Come on, I'm even using senjutsu... sure, I activated it on the fly and haven't gathered enough senjutsu chakra to brute-force my way through, but you can still withstand this? Uzumaki Gamu was beginning to understand how Madara felt... the man in front of him was a pure monster.

Just imagine: every time Madara unlocked a higher-level Susanoo, he went to spar with Hashirama, only to have his Susanoo dismantled-sometimes even with bare hands. (There was a deleted scene in the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm games where Hashirama sliced apart Madara's Perfect Susanoo with a blade... he didn't even use Wood Release. If I were Madara, seeing that would definitely make me question my life.)

They had spent the same amount of time training. He had received advanced instruction in a sage region, yet he still only managed a draw against a guy who trained by himself? Were you the fucking protagonist?

Well, in a sense, Hashirama really was the protagonist of his era, while Madara... was just the second male lead responsible for taking losses. (Madara pointed a thumb at himself: I'm... Super Madara Uchiha! What?)

Neither of them was satisfied with this situation!

Hashirama immediately unleashed a miniature version of Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands-delivering consecutive normal punches himself.

Uzumaki Gamu responded by using the properties of Frog Kata and Sage Mode-danger sensing combined with extended-range attacks-to deftly block all of Hashirama's punches. But Hashirama did not lose heart and kept swinging.

Hashirama: "Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora!!! O~~ra!!!"

Uzumaki Gamu: "Muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda!!! Mu~~da!!!"

The repeated blows consumed a great deal of Hashirama's chakra, but... Uzumaki Gamu's senjutsu chakra was running out too!

Damn it, how could senjutsu ever outlast him? No, I can't keep playing along! Uzumaki Gamu had been blocking the whole time. He had not actually fought back.

Hashirama had also grown somewhat careless from attacking continuously. Uzumaki Gamu, whose sensory ability was stronger, caught his fist. Then, pulling on that fist and using all his remaining senjutsu chakra, he delivered a brutal shoulder throw, slamming Hashirama hard into the ground.

The impact blasted a huge crater into the earth.

After taking that heavy blow, Hashirama lay on the ground seeing stars... unable to move!

"...I won, right?" Uzumaki Gamu asked, panting heavily.

Tobirama walked over. "Yes! Big Brother can't get back up. You won!"

Hearing the declaration of victory, Uzumaki Gamu sat down on the ground. Looking at the dazed Hashirama, he said, "This guy... is becoming more and more of a monster!"

"Yeah... Big Brother has always been like that... unbelievably strong." Tobirama was helpless too. Compared with his brother, he felt as weak as an insect, so he could only devote himself wholeheartedly to developing and using ninjutsu to bridge the gap between himself and the Super Senju... of course, the gap had not narrowed much. Instead, it kept growing wider.

There was no helping it. That was how Super Senju were.

After inwardly marveling at his brother's strength, Tobirama said to Uzumaki Gamu, "You're very strong too... speaking of which, what was that state you were in?"

Uzumaki Gamu was very fond of the man whose techniques he had pirated the most, so he held nothing back and answered directly, "Sage Mode."

"Just as I thought." Tobirama nodded in understanding.

"You've heard of it?" Uzumaki Gamu asked curiously.

"Yes!" Tobirama nodded. "When I was reading ancient texts, I came across descriptions of it... the legendary Three Great Sage Regions-Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave-possess mysterious teachings that allow people to learn wondrous ninjutsu capable of reshaping heaven and earth and gain the power of a sage... that's what this is, right?"

"Exactly!" Uzumaki Gamu nodded.

"...What a powerful force." Tobirama sighed. "Where did you learn it?"

"Mount Myōboku!" Uzumaki Gamu replied.

"Huh? Gamu, you found Mount Myōboku?" Hashirama climbed up from the ground. Had this monster already recovered?

"Uh... I did find it, but you look more like the one who's trained at Mount Myōboku," Uzumaki Gamu quipped. "How did you get so much stronger?"

Perhaps because they had enjoyed a satisfying exchange of punches, Hashirama had already forgotten all about having his butt jabbed. Now he only wanted to know what had happened to Uzumaki Gamu over the past three years.

Hashirama answered Uzumaki Gamu's question like this: "Through incredibly hard training, of course!"

Over the past three years, Hashirama's longing for Madara and Uzumaki Gamu, along with his determination to realize their great shared dream, had driven him to train desperately with unprecedented motivation. He worked far harder than the Hashirama of the original world, making the already powerful Hashirama even more monstrous!

Naturally, Uzumaki Gamu was delighted that Hashirama had grown stronger.

Although, if things continued in this direction, he would struggle to keep up with Hashirama and the Madara tied to him even after learning senjutsu, Uzumaki Gamu's goal was not to dominate the Shinobi World!

As long as the Shinobi World could enter a relatively peaceful state so he could travel around the world, it did not really matter whether he was the strong one!

You know, Hashirama Senju had always been the GOAT in my heart. He had always maintained his hard work and determination to win. His Wood Release had always been a top-tier deterrent, earning him the title God of Shinobi! And Madara Uchiha was a warm, friendly Asura of the Ninja World who enjoyed realigning other people's necks ("Do you want to dance too?"), possessed personal charisma (the Uchiha maniacal laugh), and had powerful insight (meaning the Sharingan). (Since he couldn't beat the God of Shinobi, he could only be an Asura and bully the rookies... haha.) This team just happened to need an experienced show-off responsible for going super. Together, those two were unbelievably strong, so I decided to take my talents to Konoha and form a Big Three with them! The three of us would combine for ninety-eight points!

When the time came, we would definitely be the strongest force in the Shinobi World!

As for Uzushiogakure, established by the Uzumaki Clan, I could only sincerely wish them good luck in the Land of Whirlpools.

And I already couldn't wait to compete in the new season with my new teammates and win one, two, three... no, five, six, even seven Shinobi World wars!! To achieve true peace in the Shinobi World!

Back to the point. After Hashirama finished telling his story, he began asking what Uzumaki Gamu had experienced over the past three years.

Uzumaki Gamu leisurely explained how he had gone to Mount Myōboku and how he had trained there.

Listening nearby, Tobirama thought, This guy isn't an ordinary human any more than Big Brother is! He's downright insane!