It was like staring into an abyss, vast and terrifying.
Kaito frowned, glancing toward Lu Jiu and the others. His voice dropped to a mutter.
"Really? Do we have to fight here? Damn that snake, Kabuto."
The next instant, his figure blurred and vanished from sight.
Far in the distance, Jiraiya's eyes widened as he felt his heart thud in his chest.
"This—he actually blocked it? He really blocked it?"
Kakashi, frowning behind his mask, muttered suspiciously.
"What I don't understand is… since when did Kaito awaken Wood Style? And not only that—this Wood Style seems more refined than the First Hokage's!"
Before their confusion could settle, two figures suddenly materialized in front of them.
"Yo! You're Jiraiya, right? We meet again," the First Hokage said with a casual smile.
Jiraiya: ...
Kakashi: ...
Other ninja: ...
You're fighting monsters on that scale, so why come over here? We're just the small fry watching from the sidelines! Jiraiya complained in his head.
Aloud, he forced a nervous smile.
"Two Hokage-sama, please! We're only spectators here. Don't drag us into this!"
"Spectators?" Senju Tobirama snapped, eyes sharp as steel. "Do you think this is under our control? Standing around like fools—why don't you run while you still can?"
Even as he scolded them, his hands blurred through hand seals, chakra surging violently.
"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Boom!
From nothing, torrents of seawater erupted, flooding across half of Konoha. In an instant, the ground around Tobirama became a vast ocean.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The surging waves coiled like serpents, slicing toward Jiraiya and the others with sharp, air-tearing force. Each wave was as lethal as kunai or shuriken.
Jiraiya's eyes lit with awe.
"As expected of the Second Hokage—he's changing the entire landscape without a drop of natural water!"
But his expression darkened quickly. Chakra flared around him, and his long silver hair stiffened and extended outward, wrapping into a protective barrier around their group.
Before they could breathe relief, the sky above darkened. A vast black dome manifested, covering Jiraiya and the others. Waves crashed into it, erupting into thunderous roars.
High above, Kaito hovered in midair. His gaze locked on the brothers. His expression was calm but edged with apology.
"You two… sorry."
Senju Hashirama grimaced as his body tensed unnaturally, forced to move. The vast chakra welling inside him surged beyond control. Sage markings etched themselves across his face as he unwillingly entered Sage Mode.
"Damn it! This brat Kabuto can even control this?" Hashirama's expression twisted in alarm. He roared at Kaito, desperation in his voice.
"Get away! Get them away now!"
His voice thundered, followed immediately by his own booming cry:
"Sage Art: Wood Style! True Several Thousand Hands!"
BOOM!
The ground shook as Hashirama's chakra erupted like a storm. Natural energy fused with his own, birthing a power that dwarfed mountains.
Kaito's brows furrowed. With a wave of his hand, the black dome unraveled, condensing back into a Truth-Seeking Orb that hovered behind him. His other arm lashed out, transforming into massive vines that wrapped around Jiraiya and the others.
With a single thought, he whisked them away into his personal dimensional space. The instant they vanished, the battlefield trembled.
From beneath the new sea, the earth itself groaned. Towering trees erupted upward, thicker than towers, writhing like colossal serpents.
They twisted, merged, and expanded under Hashirama's will until, looming over Konoha, a monstrous figure took shape.
A bodhisattva of impossible scale towered into the heavens, its countless arms spreading outward, blotting the sky. The colossal figure dwarfed mountains. Even tailed beasts seemed like toys compared to it. Nine-Tails itself could be plucked up in one hand.
Its presence was divine, like a god descending to purge the world.
Atop Hokage Rock, the air rippled and Kaito reappeared with Jiraiya and the others. Lowering his arm, he turned to see the titanic wooden avatar—its shadow drowning all of Konoha in darkness.
Kaito's lips thinned. So, you've even unleashed this technique. Kabuto… your control is stronger than I expected.
His body blurred again, vanishing as he raced back toward the threat. If he didn't intervene now, Konoha would be leveled in moments.
Jiraiya, still recovering from the sudden shift in space, looked up—and froze. The massive figure loomed above them, its silhouette endless. His mouth fell open, and the only word he managed was a crude curse.
"Fuck…"
Kakashi's eyes widened. He wanted to echo the same word but swallowed it, his horror plain on his face. The same fear etched itself into every shinobi nearby.
"This… is this truly the power of the First Hokage?" Yamanaka Inoichi whispered, stunned. "If that falls… Konoha would vanish in an instant. Even the Nine-Tails is nothing before it…"
A Ninja clasped his hands in a silent prayer.
"Please, Lord Kaito… stop him. Otherwise, it's all over for us."
Not far away, Kaito stood firm, his expression grave. He faced the towering Thousand hands. At its crown, the brothers Hashirama and Tobirama stood with arms crossed, gazes solemn.
Hashirama's voice thundered, grave and unwavering.
"Be careful, boy! You must withstand this!"
His eyes hardened, and he roared the command like a judgment:
"Buddha's Enlightenment at the Summit!"
CRACK! CRACK!
The Thousand-Armed groaned like a mountain splitting apart. Countless hands clenched into fists.
Then, like a storm of meteors, the arms descended all at once, hammering toward Kaito with godlike fury.
Compared to the divine construct, Kaito's body was nothing more than an ant in the wind. Yet he didn't flinch.
As the fists descended, even the Senju brothers' faces tightened with unease. A trace of worry crossed their immortal expressions.
---
Milestone
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.