"Hey — little Ketsugen, don't run off!"
Aoi, who had been sitting quietly in Karui's arms, suddenly hopped down, giving her quite a fright.
With tensions so high and a fight ready to break out at any moment, this little troublemaker could not afford to act recklessly…
"Come back here!"
Karui reached out to grab him, yet no matter how fast or hard she tried, she couldn't even catch the hem of his clothing.
Even more striking was the calm, unruffled expression on his small face…
"This child…"
While everyone stood frozen in shock, Aoi walked slowly right up to the Raikage and spoke with a faint smile:
"I never expected you — of all people — to have grown up to become the Raikage!"
"..."
A heavy silence fell over the clearing. Everyone wondered if they had misheard.
Darui turned to C in disbelief, eyes wide. "C — did I hear that right? Did that little kid just call our boss 'of all people'?"
"Grrrr!!"
The Raikage clenched his teeth, his anger flaring to its limit.
If Aoi had not looked so young and harmless, he would have used his Lightning Release: Lariat and cut him into eight pieces on the spot.
But then…
"What — don't you remember me?" Aoi laughed loudly. "Ah, right — back then you were still just a baby. It's only natural you wouldn't recall."
"..."
Everyone exchanged confused glances, completely lost as to what he was talking about.
Yet in the next second, his words nearly made their eyes pop right out of their heads…
"I am Senju Hashirama!"
He lied without the slightest change in his expression, chest puffed out with utter confidence.
"…This child must have lost his mind."
At this point, the Raikage's anger faded away.
He now simply saw Aoi as a delusional fool — everyone knew the First Hokage had died centuries ago.
"Who exactly are you?" Kakashi stepped forward with a frown, his voice sharp.
"To dare impersonate Lord First — you have no sense of propriety!"
But then…
"If Madara Uchiha can be brought back from the dead, why should I have died so early?" Aoi smirked coldly and extended his hand.
In an instant, a vibrant, blooming flower began to sprout and grow rapidly from his palm.
"What is this?!"
Kakashi and the others stared, wide‑eyed in astonishment. "That's the Wood Release — Lord First's signature technique!"
It was common knowledge that throughout history, only Senju Hashirama could wield the true Wood Release.
Even Yamato could only use it because Hashirama's cells had been surgically implanted into him through experimental means.
By its very nature, Wood Release was an extremely rare and powerful ability…
Yet now, there were two users standing among a group of eight people. Had this legendary power really become as common as cabbages, worth nothing anymore?
Of course not!
What's more…
"This…"
Yamato's face went pale with shock.
From the flower in Aoi's palm, he could feel a surge of pure, boundless life force — something his own version of the technique had never possessed.
This was power far beyond what ordinary transplanted cells could ever produce…
There was an old saying: The First Hokage used Wood Release to conquer the world; Yamato used Wood Release to tend gardens.
The gap between the two was like the distance between clouds and mud — and now everyone could see exactly why.
"Yamato — what's gotten into you?"
Kakashi looked confused. It was impressive to see Wood Release, but Yamato himself could use it too — there was no reason to react this strongly.
Gulp…
Yamato swallowed hard, still trembling. "Kakashi‑sensei… this little boy… he might actually be Lord Senju Hashirama himself!"
Once again, silence descended over the scene.
Had Yamato lost his mind as well?
Seeing their expressions, Aoi grinned broadly.
"Back when Madara and I fought our final battle at the Valley of the End, I already suspected he had used the Izanagi to cheat death and revive himself."
"Izanagi?!"
The shinobi from Kumogakure and Kakashi's team looked utterly baffled.
None of them knew exactly what it was — but from the sound of it, it had to be something incredibly powerful.
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