Chapter 288: Hope
Senju Hashirama had just finished speaking when several invisible wind blades ripped through Nagato's clothes in quick succession.
At the same time, blood spurted from his body.
Nagato stared down in shock at the sudden wounds on himself, utterly shaken.
Now he believed what Senju Hashirama had said.
Because just now, he hadn't even realized how he was injured.
Hashirama didn't waste another word. He immediately turned and charged straight toward the battle between Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and Uchiha Madara.
He had already seen clearly that Isshiki's power surpassed that of Madara in his current state.
If he didn't step in, Madara wouldn't be a match for that man. At this point, it was no longer a matter of enemies or allies.
Nagato snapped back to his senses and quickly retreated to the rear, not daring to linger.
At the same time, the other Konoha powerhouses had also sensed the disturbance here. Hiruzen Sarutobi and others rushed over with the Anbu, just in time to encounter the retreating Nagato along with Konan and Yahiko.
After learning the basic situation, Hiruzen and the others had no choice but to stop in their tracks.
"That battlefield is beyond our reach now. Rushing there won't change anything. The best thing we can do is not create extra trouble for the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara."
Nagato warned them.
Hearing this, Hiruzen gazed gravely into the distance.
At this moment, Madara had already unleashed his Complete Body Susanoo.
Meanwhile, Hashirama stood atop the colossal Thousand-Armed Buddha towering hundreds of meters high.
The two of them fought side by side against Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. For now, they seemed to barely hold the upper hand in balance.
"Who would have thought… Madara would actually stand up to protect this world…"
Hiruzen sighed.
"Lord Third, the shockwaves from their battle are spreading this way. We must retreat at once!"
The Anbu captain beside him reminded.
Hiruzen snapped back to himself and ordered everyone: "Evacuate all villagers to a safer location immediately!"
With that, he personally led the way back toward Konoha.
Just as they returned to the village, they encountered Yamanaka Inoichi, captain of the Intelligence Division, rushing over.
"Lord Third! I have good news to report!"
Inoichi called out the moment he saw Hiruzen.
Hiruzen and the others halted at once. He asked, "What is it?"
"I just detected the chakra signature of the Fourth Hokage!"
Inoichi replied with joy.
It turned out that since they had been unable to contact Uchiha Dali, Inoichi had attempted to use his Mind Body Switch Technique to search for his whereabouts.
This was a secret art of the Yamanaka clan, allowing long-distance communication with a target.
However, the farther the range, the more chakra it required.
Since Inoichi's chakra reserves were limited, he had joined forces with other members of the Intelligence Division to conduct the search.
At first, they hadn't expected much, thinking it was just worth a try.
Yet during the attempt, Inoichi was pleasantly surprised to sense Uchiha Dali's chakra signature.
With enemies so powerful, the entire Konoha Village longed for Dali's timely return to lead them through the crisis.
So Inoichi had rushed to report this discovery.
Hearing his words, Hiruzen and the others were overjoyed. He quickly asked: "Where is the Fourth now?"
But Inoichi's expression turned troubled.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he shook his head: "I'm not sure yet… We only caught the Fourth Hokage's chakra for a fleeting instant before it vanished again."
"Judging from this, I believe the Fourth is currently in an extremely, extremely distant location."
"To accurately locate him is nearly impossible. The chakra required would be far too great…"
Inoichi said helplessly.
To sense a target across such vast distances required an unimaginable amount of chakra.
Not only was it impossible for him alone—even if the entire Intelligence Division joined together, they still couldn't achieve it.
But his words made Hiruzen's heart stir.
He looked back over his shoulder.
In the distance, the terrifying shockwaves from Madara, Hashirama, and Isshiki's battle surged once more.
A devastating chakra-blade shockwave instantly destroyed everything around it, forcing every ninja present to stagger.
Hiruzen's expression darkened. He decisively ordered: "We'll retreat to a safe place first! Everything else can wait! Move out, evacuate the villagers!"
Just as he gave the order, the sky in the distance rumbled with a deafening hum.
The earth began to shake violently.
The terrifying aftermath of the battle was quickly sweeping toward them.
If they didn't leave now, they might not escape at all.
Hiruzen and the others immediately began evacuating.
At this moment, Nagato approached them and said to Inoichi and Hiruzen: "My chakra reserves are larger. If needed, I can help."
"First, let's focus on getting everyone to safety."
Hiruzen replied.
...
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki looked at the two towering giants before him, his face expressionless.
"Do you think this is enough to oppose me?"
As he spoke, he suddenly chuckled and vanished.
Madara's pupils contracted.
He had witnessed Isshiki's battle with Uchiha Dali in the other dimension, so he understood some of Isshiki's abilities.
At this moment, he warned Hashirama in a low voice: "One of his abilities is to freely enlarge and shrink."
"His body and his attacks are the same!"
Just as he finished speaking, the colossal Thousand-Armed Buddha suddenly shattered with a thunderous crash.
Isshiki, using Sukunahikona, had seized the moment while small to ambush Hashirama.
Caught off guard, Hashirama not only lost his Thousand-Armed Buddha but was also gravely injured himself.
Dozens of black chakra rods pierced through his body, leaving him unable to move.
In the next instant, Isshiki appeared before him, placed a hand on his head without a word, and forcibly drained the Sage Chakra from his body.
"So this power… was only this much."
After absorbing Hashirama's Sage Chakra, Isshiki only curled his lip slightly.
This power wasn't truly formidable in itself—its strength lay in its ability to counter those on the level of the Six Paths.
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