Huge!
Absolutely, mind-blowingly huge!
That was Shimoku's first impression of this [Senju Daibutsu] standing before him.
With Hashirama's immense chakra and Sage Art chakra combined, this Sage Art Wood Release had created something utterly colossal—the [Senju Daibutsu].
Just one of its hands could grasp the Nine-Tails like a helpless chick.
Its entire height easily surpassed a thousand meters!
It loomed like an entire mountain range.
The (impact) felt from seeing it up close was far beyond anything described in legends!
Even Shimoku's [Perfect Susanoo], standing nearly five hundred meters tall, looked minuscule compared to this [Senju Daibutsu].
It was like a child standing before an adult...
Combined with over a thousand massive Buddha hands,
No wonder back then even Madara Lord's combination of Nine-Tails and Susano'o had been defeated!
But why would Hashirama suddenly unleash such a trump card Ninjutsu within Konoha Village?
This was simply outrageous!
Didn't he fear that if this Daibutsu so much as shifted its bottom slightly,
It would crush the entire Hidden Leaf beneath it?
After all, half of Konoha had already been flattened by the sitting weight of the statue...
However, in the next moment,
Shimoku understood exactly why Hashirama had suddenly unleashed this ultimate technique.
Behind the towering statue, ten huge arms suddenly extended outward.
At terrifying speeds many times faster than sound, they shot straight toward Shimoku's Susanoo.
"So fast!"
Remaining calm, Shimoku controlled his Susanoo and swung the Divine Sword.
Instantly severing five of the giant wooden arms.
Unfortunately, the remaining five wooden Buddha hands still struck the Susanoo's torso,
Crashing heavily into the chest of the Susano'o.
But these five hands weren't merely for attacking.
Instead, they pushed directly against the Susanoo's chest, lifting it high up into the air,
And continuing to stretch, pushing further outward—away from the village.
Clearly,
Hashirama had used the [Thousand Hands Manipulation Force] precisely to create an opening—an opportunity to blast Shimoku out of the village,
To avoid completely flattening Konoha during the upcoming battle...
Remember, each of those wooden arms possessed terrifying strength capable of grasping the Nine-Tails like a helpless chick.
Combined, the force of five such arms was even more astonishing.
They sent Shimoku's Susanoo flying over a thousand meters away, finally landing outside Konoha Village...
Soon afterward,
The Perfect Susanoo flipped mid-air and landed gracefully, then swung its blade once again.
Releasing several crimson blades of energy.
Finally slicing through all five pursuing wooden arms of the Giant Buddha.
Shimoku regained his footing. From within the Susanoo, he stared at the distant figure of Hashirama and the Daibutsu, unusually fired up—his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"This is what a true peerless expert looks like!"
"Strength, experience, mentality... all at the peak of the ninja world!"
"Indeed, only battling with an expert like this at full capacity can be truly exhilarating!"
The stronger you become, the more desolate the peak feels.
Shimoku somewhat understood now why Lord Madara had enjoyed fighting against Hashirama so much.
After all, only battles between equals at the same level
Could ignite one's fighting spirit and desire to win!
What!?
Did the previous fight with Raikage A, the Fourth, count as anything?
Count as hell!
Back then, Shimoku hadn't even used a fraction of his strength.
He was just toying with the Raikage while secretly stealing his [Lightning Release Chakra Mode] technique.
If he'd gone all out, Raikage A would've been beheaded in just two strikes…
"Rumbling——"
The earth shook and roared.
In the distance, Hashirama controlled the kilometer-tall Daibutsu (Great Buddha), pushing forward relentlessly.
Using countless giant hands behind the great Buddha, he protected what remained of Konoha.
"Child, please stop this meaningless battle."
"I don't want to hurt you!"
"Perhaps the village has betrayed you in the past."
"But if you're willing to stop, willing to sit down together, we can talk about everything!"
Standing atop the colossal Daibutsu, Hashirama pleaded with Shimoku from afar.
Still unwilling to give up on persuading him.
As for that, Shimoku only scoffed.
What difference does it make if Hashirama came back?
Even under his leadership, what good would it do if Konoha accepted the Uchihas again?
Danzo was still there. The villagers who hated the Uchihas were still there.
No matter what Hashirama said, these people's stubborn hatred wouldn't budge — it was like trying to move a mountain with kind words...
Besides, wasn't their own [Homuragakure] great already?
And weren't the adorable girls and mature ladies there good-looking enough?
Why go around chasing after someone who won't even give you a second glance?
Shimoku wasn't that low-class!
...
"No more talking!"
"Here comes my move!"
[Tailed Beast Barrage!]
Shimoku's Perfect Body Susanoo sheathed its Divine Sword and opened its mouth.
Instantly,
One after another, gigantic crimson [Tailed Beast Balls] shot forth, like anti-aircraft shells, spewing recklessly without care for cost.
They completely blanketed the sky, heading straight for the distant Daibutsu.
Truthfully speaking, the Tailed Beast Ball was merely a combination of Yin and Yang chakra.
For Shimoku, who had already mastered both attributes of chakra, this was naturally no big deal.
Plus, there was even a living Three-Tails in his village.
Whenever he had free time, Shimoku often went to draw some experience from it on condensing [Tailed Beast Balls].
After back-and-forth attempts,
He quickly learned how.
Moreover, with sufficient skill and an oceanic amount of chakra,
Producing continuous [Tailed Beast Balls] was not difficult at all.
After all, Shimoku's current total chakra reserves rivaled those of ordinary Tailed Beasts!
Seeing this, Hashirama in the distance couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
"What is that?"
"A Tailed Beast Ball!"
"This child actually mastered the [Tailed Beast Ball] too?!!"
"It requires harmonizing both Yin and Yang chakra to produce..."
"So this child really does possess Yang attribute chakra now as well?"
"And to release so many at once... This child's chakra reserves are simply astonishing!"
Without hesitation, Hashirama swiftly intervened.
[Summit Enlightened Thousand-Armed Cannon!]
Hundreds of enormous Buddha arms surged forth, forming massive fists that slammed powerfully.
Soon enough, they collided head-on with dozens of [Tailed Beast Balls].
"Boom! Boom!"
One deafening impact and explosion after another erupted in quick succession...
It was like compressing an entire summer's worth of thunderstorms into one earth-shattering blast.
Even from over a thousand meters away, the shockwaves were overwhelming.
The sound was ear-splitting enough to shatter a person's eardrums.
And the light produced by the explosions of so many [Tailed Beast Balls]?
Brighter than the blazing sun itself!
So intense it outshone the sunlight, forcing people to look away.
For a fleeting moment, the world seemed consumed by blinding light. Everything else vanished into oblivion.
Even Hashirama found his vision blurred under the blinding glare, unable to make out anything in the distance.
...
Yet in this brief moment of blindness,
From afar, a figure seized the opportunity, dashing forward at full speed straight toward Hashirama.
Without a doubt, it was Shimoku—abandoning the defense of his [Susanoo], charging alone toward Hashirama!
From the very beginning,
Shimoku had known full well that even with his [Perfect Susanoo], there was no way to defeat Hashirama's [Thousand Hands Manipulation Force · Summit Enlightened Thousand-Armed Cannon].
After all, that was the ultimate Wood Release technique capable of defeating even the [Majestic Attire: Susanoo]!
If he wanted to win,
He had to catch his opponent off guard!
He had to get in close—go hand-to-hand with Hashirama!
Make full use of his immortality.
So what about all those earlier [Tailed Beast Ball] attacks?
And that whole earlier barrage of Tailed Beast Balls? Just a setup.
A move meant to create explosions and chaos!
To create an opening—to get close to Hashirama...
[Eight Gates]
[Setsuna · Sixth Stage: 64x Speed Boost!]
[Lightning Release Chakra Mode!]
In an instant, despite the toll on his body, Shimoku unleashed three enhancement techniques in rapid succession, layering every possible power-up onto himself.
Releasing—his strongest limit in Taijutsu yet!
Rushing straight at Hashirama!
In sheer power alone, this strike rivaled strength rivaling that of the Six Paths!
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