The immense pressure radiating from Hashirama, who had already regained most of his strength,
could be clearly felt by Pain's Deva Path even from hundreds of meters away.
"What overwhelming presence!"
"That's the [Ninja God], the First Hokage—Hashirama Senju?"
Pain's Deva Path's expression subtly shifted; his face turned serious.
Shimoku: "Stronger than before. He must've used some hidden technique to regain most of his power."
"This is finally more like what the [Ninja God] should be!"
Pain: "Recovered strength through a secret technique?"
"Then why didn't you stop him earlier?"
Shimoku: "The Impure World Reincarnation was already completed; it couldn't be interrupted."
"Rushing in wouldn't have made much difference anyway."
"And besides, isn't it more exciting when he's stronger?"
"Crushing the body of the [Ninja God], Hashirama Senju, beneath your feet as you ascend to godhood… Then, who in the entire Ninja World would still dare resist you?"
These words from Shimoku indeed struck right at Pain's heart.
If he could defeat Hashirama,
no matter who he was, his name would quickly spread throughout the Ninja World,
gaining a reputation powerful enough to dominate an era.
At that point, just like Hashirama himself, mere reputation alone would be enough to intimidate many Hidden Villages.
Certainly, there were many advantages to this!
Of course, the prerequisite was whether one actually possessed such strength…
"Tempted?"
"How about this then—whoever defeats Hashirama Senju gets control over the Nine-Tails…"
Pain's Deva Path paused briefly before agreeing:
"Fine!"
"Mr. Orochimaru, do you have any objections?"
"None at all, none at all… You two can do as you please. I'll just watch."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and stepped back voluntarily.
Although he was also quite interested in the Nine-Tails,
his goal wasn't world domination, so naturally, he had no desire to confront Hashirama directly.
And being the snake he was, he never engaged in battles without certainty of advantage.
"So looks like it's just us two in the race now."
"Well then, will you go first? Or shall I?"
Shimoku asked bluntly.
"I'll go first."
Pain volunteered to strike first,
which caused Shimoku to glance sideways slightly.
Logically speaking, shouldn't someone who had just expended tremendous energy want to push him to fight first instead?
Why was he in such a rush?
But this worked fine too. Let's use Pain's hands to test exactly how much of his strength Hashirama has recovered.
As for whether Pain could win?
Pfft! Not a chance in hell he'd win.
If Hashirama was that easy to defeat, could he truly deserve to be honored as the [Ninja God]?
Tobirama: "The enemy has moved!"
Hashirama: "Leave it to me!"
"Tobirama, Tsunade, immediately begin organizing everyone's evacuation!"
"This upcoming battle might get very intense. Keep all villagers as far away as possible!"
"Understood!"
At a critical moment like this, Tobirama wouldn't bother bickering with his older brother.
He immediately accepted the order and started directing the Konoha ninjas around them to evacuate.
"Honored One, go for it!"
"First Hokage, it's up to you now!"
"Hahaha…Leave it to me!"
With that, Hashirama himself leaped up and shot toward the center of the battlefield at incredible speed.
...
"Did the enemy only send one person?"
"Isn't that Uchiha kid planning to make the first move?"
"As for this one..."
"That's the Rinnegan, right?"
"The pattern, those wave-like markings... Exactly like in the legends!"
"He even has the ability to fly. He really isn't simple at all!"
As Pain's Deva Path flew straight toward him, Hashirama Senju analyzed carefully as well.
In just a moment, both of them landed at the center of the battlefield.
Only thirty meters separated them.
Pain: "You're Hashirama Senju?"
"It is me."
"A ninja possessing the legendary Rinnegan, can we sit down and talk?"
"Force alone cannot solve everything."
"If possible, I don't want to hurt you!"
Hashirama raised his voice in a final appeal.
To be honest, he truly didn't want to fight.
"Hurt me? How ridiculous!"
"Hashirama Senju, this is no longer your era."
"No one can defeat me. You should go back to Pure Land already!"
Pain roared.
He loathed those arrogant shinobi from the great nations who thought they were so righteous.
Let alone, at this point in the battle.
There was nothing left to talk about between us and [Konoha].
The next moment,
Without another word, Pain immediately attacked.
[Shinra Tensei!]
A powerful repulsive force howled outward, crashing toward Hashirama Senju.
However, this force which could have sent Sage Mode Jiraiya flying did not knock Hashirama back.
It only pushed him back twenty meters.
To Pain, it felt like he was trying to shove an entire mountain with [Shinra Tensei]—it was exhausting!
"What tremendous strength!"
"So it seems we can't communicate through words anymore."
"Your power is far too dangerous! I cannot ignore it..."
[Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!]
Taking matters seriously, Hashirama held nothing back.
With palms clapped together, he instantly activated Wood Release.
Quickly, the ground shook.
From the earth between them, massive wooden roots emerged, forming into a tall, imposing wooden giant.
Witnessing this, Pain's face changed.
Without hesitation, Pain channeled even more chakra and forcefully used [Shinra Tensei] again.
This time's repulsive force was much stronger than before!
Firmly slamming into the wood giant.
But such immense power, when striking Hashirama's [Wood Human Technique],
Didn't even shake the wooden figure.
Instead, the rebounding force
Instantly struck Pain himself, sending him flying diagonally backward.
After all, Hashirama's [Wood Human Technique]
In both size and combat capability, was no inferior to Perfect Susanoo; perhaps even capable of going toe-to-toe against a fully powered Nine-Tails.
Certainly not something a normal [Shinra Tensei] could shake!
At the same time.
Behind Pain, another Wood Vine erupted, quickly forming a second Wood Vine construct. With one sweeping motion, it seized Pain mid-air and crushed him tightly in its grip. The overwhelming force instantly immobilized Pain's entire body. There was no doubt—should the wooden construct apply just a bit more pressure, it could easily crush Pain to pieces.
In an instant, barely two exchanges into their clash, Deva Path Pain—who wielded great power and proclaimed himself a god—was swiftly defeated by Hashirama. Watching from afar, the Konoha ninja stood there, wide-eyed and stunned.
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