A torrent of searing, corrosive vapor burst from Yui Xuanyue's mouth, spreading like wildfire. The white haze blanketed his form and spilled outward, swallowing the battlefield as the hiss of burning wood echoed in every direction.
Even Hashirama's massive vines withered in seconds, melting away in the acid fog. The First Hokage, knowing too well the destructive force of Boil Release, didn't charge recklessly. Instead, he summoned yet more forest to surge into the mist, forcing it back with sheer numbers.
Xuanyue seized the opening. Forming hand seals, his chakra surged violently through his body.
"Genjutsu—Release!"
The suffocating curtain of black that had blinded his vision cracked apart and faded, light flooding back in. Ahead, the endless tide of forest still rolled toward him like a tsunami.
"Boil Release—Dragon of Skilled Mist!"
His chest heaved, and another eruption of vapor burst forth, this time condensing into the shape of a serpentine dragon. With a roar, the dragon speared forward, tearing a blazing path through the forest. From above, it looked like a spear of mist splitting the sea of trees in half, its momentum carrying it straight for Hashirama.
Hashirama's gaze hardened. His palms slammed against the earth.
"Summoning: Fivefold Rashomon!"
The ground split, and five colossal demonic gates surged upward in a line, their leering faces glaring at the oncoming dragon.
The collision shook the world.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The mist dragon smashed through one gate, then a second, then a third—before finally collapsing into vapor against the fourth, its body unraveling into nothingness.
But Xuanyue was already there.
A streak of lightning flashed from behind the dissipating mist. In an instant, he closed the distance, the crackling cry of Chidori piercing the air as he drove forward, aiming straight for Hashirama's heart.
The speed was blinding. To most shinobi, wielding Chidori at such velocity required Sharingan precision to avoid missteps. But not for Xuanyue. Like the Raikage before him, his sheer speed and reflexes made the impossible natural.
The thunderclap of Chidori shrieked in Hashirama's ears. He didn't have time to dodge.
His body sank, and wood erupted from within him—layer upon layer of timber shields interposing between his heart and Xuanyue's strike.
Xuanyue crashed into them headlong. The sensation was like driving lightning into ironwood; the layers seemed endless, each leeching his chakra and smothering the brilliance of his technique. Only the absorption of his Dark Release dulled the oppressive drain enough to keep him moving. Even so, the tide was turning.
With a sharp twist, Xuanyue cut away, his Chidori morphing into a piercing spear that severed the barricade of wood. He retreated in a blur, slapping a thick stack of explosive tags against the timber shield as he withdrew.
When Hashirama instinctively retracted the wood to pursue, the tags ignited.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The earth quaked, fire and smoke engulfing the Senju. Any other shinobi would have been vaporized beyond recognition. But this was Hashirama. Xuanyue didn't wait to confirm. His hands blurred through seals.
"Scorch Release—Overheat Kill!"
Fiery spheres, forged from the fusion of wind and flame chakra, spun into existence behind him. At his command, they streaked forward, each a miniature sun capable of desiccating a man to a husk. Even Hashirama's vaunted Sage Body couldn't survive direct contact with Scorch Release.
The orbs plunged into the smoke. Xuanyue's eyes narrowed. No explosion. No impact. Only silence.
His pulse quickened.
Then, from within the thinning haze, a colossal shadow emerged.
"Wood Release—Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
The roar that followed rattled heaven and earth.
Through the dispersing smoke loomed a dragon of living wood, its long snout hooked, its thorn-studded body coiling with primal menace. The lingering scorch marks on its body were the only evidence that Scorch Release had touched it. Absorbing chakra with every breath, the wooden dragon shrugged off his attacks as though they were nothing.
Xuanyue's gaze lifted, locking onto Hashirama standing tall atop the dragon's head. His red armor was cracked, his flesh torn—but the wounds closed almost instantly, knitting under the ceaseless flow of vitality. In moments, he looked untouched.
Hashirama's voice rang out, solemn and resolute.
"Yui Xuanyue—you truly are formidable. But from here on, I'll fight you with everything I have."
From another's lips, it might have sounded like bravado. From Hashirama, it was true.
On the sidelines, countless shinobi who had watched in awe felt only despair. They knew—under Xuanyue's barrage, they would have been reduced to ash. Yet Hashirama stood there, unshaken, as though the battle had just begun.
Xuanyue exhaled slowly. His tone was calm, almost indifferent.
"So, the Wooden Dragon. It seems ordinary ninjutsu won't suffice anymore."
The dragon's roar split the skies.
Its massive body plummeted the next instant, casting the battlefield in shadow as it descended like a living mountain.
And from above, Hashirama unleashed another Tree World's Advent.
Heaven and earth alike moved against Yui Xuanyue.
The true might of the God of Shinobi had arrived.