As soon as Senju Hashirama's voice fell, the colossal wooden dragon roared forward, its speed suddenly doubling. In an instant, it reached Kaito's position and coiled around the black barrier like a snake constricting its prey.
Inside, Ayanami Kaito narrowed his eyes. The Truth-Seeking Orb instantly shifted, expanding into a dark dome that covered him from above like a protective shell.
At the same time, faint ripples distorted the air around him. In the blink of an eye, Kaito stepped into the distortion and vanished from sight.
"Earth Style, Yellow Spring Marsh!" Senju Tobirama's hands formed seals against his will. The ground beneath the barrier shifted violently, softening into a massive mire, threatening to swallow the black dome whole.
"What a brilliant boy," Hashirama murmured, admiration shining in his eyes. His gaze lifted skyward.
The air twisted once more, ripples expanding like water disturbed by a pebble. Kaito reappeared high above, his expression calm. With a casual wave of his hand, the black dome below dissolved, returning to its original orb form and floating beside him.
"Space-time ninjutsu… not bad," Tobirama muttered. For once, there was no disdain in his voice, only respect.
Far away, in a dim cave lined with coffins, shadows flickered against cold stone walls. A pale-skinned man in a gray robe, with vertical snake-like eyes, sat among them. A dark smile curled across his lips.
"Well, well," he hissed, voice slithering like venom. "To think the Impure World Reincarnation bodies could actually be killed… it seems I underestimated you. As expected of the so-called 'God of Shinobi.' But this won't end here. Let us see whether you can truly surpass Hashirama and Tobirama at their peak."
His hand rested on a white body lying nearby. "White Zetsu makes a fine sacrifice… seventy, maybe eighty percent of Hashirama's full strength should be more than enough."
The cave echoed with his sinister laughter, reverberating like a chorus of ghosts.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha.
Hashirama and Tobirama, riding atop the wooden dragon, suddenly felt their bodies surge with greater power. Chakra coursed through them, thick and vibrant, almost overwhelming.
"This power… it's comparable to my prime!" Tobirama's face darkened. His hands blurred through seals. "Release!"
But even as the word left his lips, nothing changed. His body still remained bound by the Edo Tensei.
"Still no good," he muttered, frustration lining his voice. He glanced sideways. "Brother, how about you?"
Hashirama closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, serious. "Seventy percent of my full strength. Whoever is controlling us… their mastery of this technique is impressive."
Before he could say more, his expression shifted dramatically. His hands clapped together as his voice thundered, "Boy, get out of the way! Now!"
Slamming his palms onto the ground, his chakra erupted violently. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The earth cracked open with thunderous booms. From the fissures, massive trees burst upward, their roots and branches twisting wildly. In seconds, an endless forest surged outward, transforming the battlefield into a living ocean of wood.
From a distance, the spectacle was overwhelming.
"This… this is too much," Kakashi muttered, his throat dry as he watched the tidal wave of trees expand.
Jiraiya's expression hardened. "This is the power of the man who ended the Warring States Era. No matter how overwhelming, this is to be expected. Still…" He turned toward Shikaku and the others. "Be ready. If Kaito can't contain this, we'll have to step in. We can't let Konoha be destroyed."
"Understood, Jiraiya-sama," the group responded in unison, their faces tense.
Kaito stood calmly, watching the vast tide of wood approach. His lips curved faintly.
"You think I can't match this?" he said softly. His hands came together in a sharp clap.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The ground beneath him erupted with even greater force. Towering trees shot skyward, their trunks colossal, their branches spreading with unstoppable vitality. These weren't merely a forest—they were titans.
Compared to Hashirama's forest, Kaito's was thicker, taller, more vibrant. His forest expanded at twice the range, its power overwhelming.
If Hashirama's jutsu was a sea of trees, then Kaito's was an endless ocean.
Hashirama's eyes widened in awe. For a moment, he was silent, then he laughed softly. "I didn't expect it. This boy has even awakened my Wood Style… and in a form greater than my own. Even at my peak, I never commanded such strength."
The two vast forests collided.
Boom! Boom!
The earth quaked as two oceans of wood crashed together, branches twisting, trunks slamming, roots tearing through soil like thunder. The sky darkened, shrouded beneath a canopy of green as if day and night were waging war.
The impact sent violent shockwaves outward, slicing the air like invisible blades. Buildings in the distance trembled. The ground fractured beneath the force.
But as the struggle continued, Kaito's forest surged ahead. Hashirama's trees buckled, splintered, and collapsed beneath the overwhelming pressure.
In mere moments, Kaito's forest devoured Hashirama's entirely, vines spreading forward like colossal serpents.
The vines loomed above Hashirama and Tobirama, their shadows casting across the brothers' faces.
Yet instead of fear, Hashirama and Tobirama smiled.
"Hahaha! Excellent!" Tobirama laughed, voice full of pride. "The Senju clan truly has a successor!"
With a thought, Kaito commanded his vines downward. The massive tendrils fell like divine pillars crashing from the heavens.
The impact shook the battlefield. Dust and debris exploded skyward as the ground caved inward, leaving a massive crater where the brothers once stood.
_____
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