"What the hell is going on? His body just turned intangible?"
Standing outside the battlefield, Orochimaru stared at Ryūjin Uchiha, who remained unnervingly calm even under the relentless assault of Hashirama Senju. His brow tightened deeply, confusion and disbelief etched across his face.
He could not make sense of what he was seeing.
Had he somehow fallen under a Genjutsu again without realizing it?
No, that was impossible.
Ever since Ryūjin had mercilessly tormented him within the Tsukuyomi, Orochimaru had been extremely cautious. He avoided eye contact entirely. From the moment Ryūjin appeared, he had not once looked directly into his eyes.
By all logic, Genjutsu should have been out of the question.
And yet, Ryūjin's body had clearly phased through attacks.
What kind of absurd ability was this?
Orochimaru felt a dull ache in his head. Every technique Ryūjin displayed shattered conventional understanding. It was as if the rules of the shinobi world simply did not apply to him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Wood Dragon continued its relentless assault, crashing down again and again. Yet Ryūjin showed no intention of dodging. Instead, he activated the Body Flicker Technique and surged forward, charging straight toward Hashirama.
Every attack passed harmlessly through him.
Completely ignored.
Within moments, he had closed the distance and arrived directly in front of Hashirama.
Of course, while in his phasing state, Ryūjin could not physically strike his opponent.
But that limitation did not apply to his dōjutsu.
"Amaterasu."
His Sharingan spun, locking onto Hashirama. Instantly, pitch-black flames erupted across the Hokage's body.
Snap!
Hashirama brought his hands together.
"Wood Release."
Crackling sounds filled the air as thick wooden branches burst forth from his body, forcefully pushing away the black flames. The Amaterasu failed to deal any real damage.
Still, it was not entirely meaningless.
It bought time.
"Chidori Current."
Lightning exploded outward from Ryūjin's body, spreading into a dense electrical web that descended toward Hashirama.
Crackle!
But in the next instant, an overwhelming mass of wooden branches surged upward, forming a solid defensive barrier around him.
The lightning struck.
And vanished without effect.
Even with the opening created by Amaterasu, the outcome remained unchanged.
Hashirama truly lived up to his title.
Ryūjin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Hashirama Senju really is a pain. No wonder they call him the God of Shinobi.
Snap!
Hashirama clapped his hands together once more.
"Wood Release, Deep Forest Emergence."
The ground trembled violently.
Trees burst forth in rapid succession, expanding at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, the battlefield transformed into a dense forest.
But these were no ordinary trees.
They twisted and coiled like living serpents, intertwining into a massive, suffocating net.
Anything caught within would be crushed without exception.
"Not bad, First Hokage."
Ryūjin's voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
"Nani?"
Hashirama's expression shifted instantly. Even Orochimaru froze in shock.
When did he get there?
Neither of them had seen even a trace of movement.
Against a technique like Deep Forest Emergence, Ryūjin had not used Kamui to escape, since his body would become tangible during the transfer. That would have been suicide.
Phasing alone would not work either. The forest's crushing force could persist for minutes.
Instead, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique.
During the battle, Ryūjin had already anticipated situations where he might be unable to deploy his marked kunai. To counter this, he had secretly dispatched a Shadow Clone beforehand.
The clone remained hidden at the edge of the battlefield, holding a marked kunai and free to move.
The moment the forest erupted, Ryūjin switched positions instantly.
Then, using Kamui again, he reappeared behind Hashirama without a sound.
"Not good."
Hashirama reacted immediately, but it was already too late.
Crack.
A strange, invisible force twisted through space.
His head separated cleanly from his body.
The first time, Hashirama had used a Wood Clone to avoid Ryūjin's long-range Kamui. This time, caught completely off guard, he had no such opportunity.
Thud.
His headless body collapsed to the ground.
Ryūjin did not hesitate. Before the Reanimation Jutsu could regenerate him, he activated short-range Kamui and absorbed the body into his Kamui dimension.
The process was slightly troublesome.
But effective.
Hashirama Senju had been dealt with.
Orochimaru fell silent.
So fast.
Even Hashirama... defeated this easily?
His understanding of power was crumbling.
"Ryūjin Uchiha, you truly are full of surprises," Orochimaru said slowly, his tone filled with both admiration and unease.
Ryūjin shrugged, completely unfazed.
"Surprised already? Yeah right, I haven't even started."
He was not exaggerating.
He had yet to use the Susanoo or the Rinnegan.
Orochimaru let out a low chuckle, licking his lips.
"Then it seems I'm doomed today."
"Not necessarily."
A voice came from behind him.
Orochimaru's pupils shrank.
Another Ryūjin stood there.
Then another.
And another.
Shadow Clones surrounded him from all sides, their crimson Sharingan glowing ominously in unison.
"It'd be a waste to kill someone like you."
Multiple voices overlapped, calm and confident.
"Work for me instead."
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