Hashirama Senju rose from the rubble, looked up at the sea of fire surging toward him, and smiled.
It was a smile of pure exhilaration.
"Hahaha! Good! Now that's more like it!"
He clapped his hands together!
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The earth shook violently!
Countless thick vines and towering trees erupted from the ground, forming a dense forest in an instant!
At the forest's crown, enormous flower buds bloomed, releasing a yellow mist!
That mist was anesthetic pollen!
The sea of fire collided head-on with the forest!
Rumble!
Flames burned through the trees, and steam billowed upward!
But new trees kept growing, fighting back against the flames!
The entire battlefield became a vision of the apocalypse!
Fire above, forest below, the two tore savagely into each other!
Genya stood amid the sea of fire, his gaze piercing the flames to lock onto that figure.
He reached down and pulled the Purple Radiance Blade from the ground.
Then-
He slashed!
Countless purple blade arcs shot from his sword, blanketing the sky like a torrential storm!
Every arc carried destructive Lightning Release chakra!
Every arc could easily sever a massive tree!
The all-encompassing barrage met the boundless forest!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out one after another, without end!
Fire, lightning, Wood Release...
The three powers intertwined, painting the world in the colors of chaos!
Hashirama Senju stood in the center of the forest, his eyes blazing as he watched the countless blade arcs hurtle toward him!
"Wood Release: Hōbi Technique!"
An enormous wooden shield bearing a demonic face rose from the ground, enclosing him completely!
The blade arcs struck the wooden shield, leaving deep gouges but failing to cut all the way through!
But in the next instant!
Genya had already crossed the sea of fire and the