Senju Hashirama crossed the distance in an instant, and the next second he appeared firmly within Konoha Village.
Looking at the gigantic Nine-Tails before him, rampaging wildly and wantonly destroying the village's buildings...
Hashirama's deep pupils suddenly contracted, genuine shock flashing across his eyes.
"So this is the legendary beast of the Sage of Six Paths…"
"Its power truly is overwhelming…"
Before his words had even finished, Hashirama's hands were already weaving seals at blinding speed.
Vast Wood Release chakra surged violently through his palms, and with a sharp shout, the jutsu instantly took shape, "Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
The earth trembled violently as a colossal wooden giant erupted from the ground. Towering into the sky with world-shaking momentum, it planted itself directly before the Nine-Tails, firmly blocking the berserk tailed beast.
At the same time, Tobi silently appeared atop a high stone platform. His gaze locked heavily onto the Nine-Tails as he immediately spoke,
"Nine Bro, no need to keep fighting. Retreat now."
Kurama's scarlet beast eyes narrowed slightly. Without the slightest hesitation, it immediately nodded.
But just as the two turned to flee, an icy roar suddenly exploded across the battlefield.
"You invade my Konoha and hurt my people, and you think you can come and go as you please?!"
"You think you can offend Konoha and still run away?!"
Hashirama's face was cold as iron as the Wood Release chakra around him erupted completely.
BOOM!!!
Not only did he command the giant wooden human to launch a devastating punch...
He simultaneously summoned a ferocious, twisting wood dragon.
The two jutsu surged forward together with unstoppable force, attacking Kurama from both sides.
"Oh ho, little brother Hashirama's drunk too?!"
"Come on then, let your Nine Bro have a round with you!"
Seeing the roaring wood dragon and the massive wooden fist crashing toward it, the Nine-Tails' fighting spirit was completely ignited.
"Take this Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Kurama suddenly opened its enormous jaws. Dense tailed beast chakra compressed rapidly within its throat.
A world-destroying Tailed Beast Bomb condensed instantly and blasted straight toward the wooden human and wood dragon.
BOOOOM!!!
A deafening explosion tore through the sky as terrifying shockwaves swept across the battlefield, sending dust billowing everywhere.
But the horrifying part was...
The giant wooden human actually caught the immensely powerful Tailed Beast Bomb in one hand with absolute stability. Then it charged forward in three massive strides.
Its arm suddenly exerted force, smashing the Tailed Beast Bomb directly into the Nine-Tails' head like a brutal slam dunk.
BOOM!
BANG!!!!
Before the Nine-Tails could struggle or counterattack, the wood dragon had already coiled tightly around its massive body. Its claws locked down with crushing force, constricting the beast in a deadly bind.
"Hah!"
Hashirama's eyes turned sharp and cold, giving his opponent no chance to breathe. His hands formed seals once more as chakra poured into the earth like a tsunami.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
RUMBLE!!! RUMBLE!! RUMBLE!!!
The ground beneath them completely erupted. Countless massive towering trees burst out wildly from below, branches spreading everywhere and roots intertwining chaotically.
They surged in from all directions like a tidal wave, layer upon layer wrapping around the Nine-Tails until it was completely imprisoned within a cage of Wood Release.
"ROOOAR!!!!"
The Nine-Tails desperately tore and struggled with all its tailed beast strength. Tailed beast chakra exploded wildly in every direction, yet it still could not break free from Wood Release's natural suppression. Every bit of resistance became meaningless.
"Damn it! Why does Senju Hashirama's Wood Release suppress me this badly?! The reincarnations of Asura throughout history may have been powerful, but they always needed allies to fight me. Never has anyone been this overwhelming on their own…"
Bound tightly by Wood Release, monstrous waves surged within the Nine-Tails' heart as disbelief consumed it.
Its understanding of the strength possessed by Asura and Indra's reincarnations still remained rooted in the past.
Even when exceptional geniuses had appeared, no one had ever managed to completely suppress a tailed beast like it through sheer personal power alone.
What the Nine-Tails didn't realize was that Senju Hashirama still hadn't even entered Sage Mode. If he truly used sage arts, a single Myojin Gate would be enough to suppress it instantly.
From above, Tobi watched the overwhelmingly one-sided scene unfold, and his heart sank sharply.
"This is bad! Senju Hashirama is several times more terrifying than the rumors said!"
He immediately prepared hand seals to release the summoning jutsu, but Hashirama moved even faster than he did.
Complex and mysterious sealing markings instantly appeared in the palm of the giant wooden human. Carrying immense sealing power, it slammed heavily onto the Nine-Tails' forehead.
"As expected of a tailed beast inherited from the Sage of Six Paths. Your power is too dangerous. You must be sealed!"
Hashirama shouted fiercely as chakra surged into the ultimate sealing jutsu, "Wood Release: Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique, Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands!"
"Damn it! What did you put inside this seal?! My… consciousness… my body is actually…"
The Nine-Tails was completely engulfed by the sealing power.
Its scarlet beast eyes slowly closed against its will. Its enormous body went limp, eventually sinking into deep slumber entirely.
"This is bad! The summoning connection's been forcibly severed!"
Tobi's entire body shook violently as he instantly sensed the summoning bond between himself and the Nine-Tails snap completely apart. His face turned deathly pale.
Before he could make another move, Hashirama abruptly turned his head. Those eyes filled with murderous intent locked directly onto Tobi atop the platform.
The next second, two terrifying Wood Release techniques erupted once again.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
The towering wood dragon roared as it spiraled forward, while the giant wooden human unleashed crushing punches. The two techniques charged toward Tobi with thunderous force.
Tobi didn't dare linger for even a moment. He immediately used Earth Release to dive underground, fleeing in panic through the terrain without even looking back as he escaped Konoha.
———
The Nine-Tails' attack on the village had finally come to an end.
Inside the Hokage Building, Senju Hashirama listened to the casualty report.
"Report, Lord Hashirama. This incident only caused two casualties. The rest was merely structural damage, and most of it involved abandoned or unfinished buildings."
"Honestly, despite how destructive it looked, the Nine-Tails actually helped us out quite a bit. Saved us the trouble of demolishing those buildings ourselves.", Senju Toka shrugged as she spoke.
After hearing the report, Hashirama let out a heartfelt sigh of relief.
"How fortunate… If even hundreds had died, let alone thousands, I, Senju Hashirama, would have had to answer with my life."
After all, Konoha had never once suffered an attack on its homeland before.
If this invasion had caused devastating losses...
As the one responsible for protecting the village, Hashirama would never have been able to escape blame.
"However, Lord Hashirama, what we should really be worried about now is public opinion…"
"The Nine-Tails has always been regarded by the people as a Tailed Beast. After this attack on Konoha, most civilians believe Konoha has been punished by the heavens for starting a war."
"The people think the reason the Nine-Tails descended upon Konoha… is because the Sage of Six Paths wanted to punish the village.", Senju Toka said gravely.
"...Sigh.", Hashirama frowned.
Truthfully, even he himself felt that Konoha had done wrong, and that this disaster was heavenly punishment.