Watching Hashirama burst forth with killing intent as he entered Sage Mode, the slug quietly raised two tentacles and covered what passed for her eyes.
"…This Senju Hashirama," She muttered flatly. "Did I make a mistake signing a contract with this level of intelligence?"
"Sage Art Wood Release: Wood Dragon."
The battlefield shook.
A colossal wooden dragon erupted from the ground, coiling skyward with an earth-shaking roar.
Bathed in Sage Mode chakra, Hashirama stood atop the dragon's head, pointing decisively at the enemy below.
"Villains, cease your arrogance." He declared loudly. "Do not bully innocent pets. I, Senju Hashirama, am here."
"…" Kurama stared. For a brief moment, an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu washed over him.
…This guy.
Yes. This Mud Release lunatic.
Kurama distinctly remembered fighting him before. And losing badly.
Absolutely not.
There was no way Kurama would ever admit that, upon seeing Hashirama appear, the thought of running away had flashed through his mind.
Below, Kinkaku and Ginkaku halted all action.
"What the hell?" Kinkaku frowned. "Brother, weren't we in the middle of beating the Nine-Tails?"
"Yeah." Ginkaku replied. "Who invited this guy?"
"Beat him?"
"Beat him."
Decision made.
The brothers abandoned Kurama and turned their full attention to Hashirama, unleashing their stolen treasures in together… Golden Rope, Banana Palm Fan, Benihisago, Seven-Star Sword, Amber Purifying Pot flaring violently.
Kinkaku swung the Banana Palm Fan.
A massive wind blade tore through the air, slicing into the wooden dragon and shredding layers of bark.
At the same time, Ginkaku leapt skyward, Seven-Star Sword raised, aiming directly for Hashirama.
Two enormous wooden hands burst from the dragon's body.
One hand flattened and swatted Ginkaku out of the air like a fly.
He flew back hundreds of meters, smashing through trees before finally skidding to a halt.
The second hand clenched into a fist and slammed straight into Kinkaku's forehead.
Kinkaku did not dodge. He attempted to tank it.
The result… his body sank straight into the ground, leaving only his head sticking out like an unfortunate mole.
"…"
"I'm angry!" Ginkaku roared, struggling to his feet.
"I'm angry too!" Kinkaku bellowed from the dirt.
Their chakra exploded outward.
Hashirama frowned slightly. "So that's how it is."
He clasped his hands.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence."
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon."
An entire forest burst forth from the earth in an instant. From within it, two more massive wooden dragons surged forward, coiling toward the enraged brothers.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku, having completely abandoned rational thought, charged screaming straight at the dragons.
From above, Garfield squatted comfortably, watching the scene unfold.
After a moment, he lost interest.
The brothers were strong, but stupid.
They never once thought to target Hashirama himself, the man controlling the wooden dragons.
Even if they somehow destroyed one dragon, Hashirama could summon ten more without breaking a sweat.
Especially today.
Hashirama had summoned Katsuyu.
And Katsuyu, quietly attached to his shoulder, was continuously supplying chakra.
He was a chakra monster being fueled by another chakra monster.
Even Katsuyu felt slightly overwhelmed.
"…My goodness," She sighed. "I might exhaust myself at this rate."
Garfield stretched lazily. With Hashirama handling the muscle-bound idiots, there was no need for him to interfere.
Instead, he turned his attention toward the real objective.
The homeless, arrogant, orange tsundere fox.
With a soft shimmer, Garfield teleported.
Garfield suddenly appeared and perched boldly on the tip of Kyuubi's massive nose.
The Nine-Tails, who had been lazily waving its tails at a distance, its eyes widened in disbelief.
Thud!
Trees beneath Kyuubi's massive weight splintered under its sudden stomp. The fox calmed itself, narrowing its gaze on the orange intruder.
"Get down from my nose, cat, or I'll squash you!" Kyuubi growled, its voice a low rumble.
"Kurama." Garfield replied innocently, tail flicking, "Don't make trouble. Let's watch Hashirama teach those two idiots a lesson first."
The Nine-Tails snorted in annoyance and swiped its massive paw, smacking Garfield away.
Thud!
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Garfield yelped mid-air, apparating just in time to avoid being crushed.
But the cat was nothing if not persistent. Back on Kyuubi's nose again, Garfield leaned forward, feigning concern.
"Does it hurt? I can rub it for you, if you like."
"Ass~!" Kyuubi straightened abruptly, snapping its enormous claws together with a whistling crack that shook the air.
The Nine-Tails' paws fell, scanning… empty. Garfield had vanished again.
Seconds later, the orange cat reappeared… on his nose again.
Kyuubi's high intelligence finally kicked in. Something was not simple about this little orange intruder.
Could this be the same creature that summoned four colossal wooden dragons to crush the Golden Horn and Silver Horn brothers?
Before the fox could react further, Garfield performed a small twist with his paws.
Suddenly, the massive Nine-Tails, running at breakneck speed, slowed as if reality itself reversed. Trees it had crushed along the way popped back into place, the wind snapping back to its original direction.
The tsundere fox was confused. Its own forward momentum had reversed, sending it skidding back to where it had started.
Impossible.
Even the Sage of the Six Paths, its father, had never done anything like this.
Garfield's paws turned again, and the Nine-Tails leaped forward, running north with its tail acting as a rudder, the landscape bending backward in perfect synchronization.
Its ears twitched, and it stole a glance upward.
The orange cat was glowing green now, paws moving in intricate motions.
In less than 200 meters, the fox's momentum was undone again… head and tail reversing flawlessly.
"Impossible… how?" Kyuubi growled.
Garfield, floating effortlessly above, only smiled.
One more time.
With a final graceful stride and reverse momentum, the Nine-Tails shot forward, straight into a massive golden magic circle Garfield had drawn in midair.
Thud!
The fox collided with the barrier and was trapped. Its eyes went wide as its massive body slumped, powerless like a rabbit caught on a stake.
Garfield hovered closer, tilting his head.
"Why is this tsundere fox trembling?" He mused.
Kyuubi's eyes snapped open suddenly, and with a roar of determination, it had a tailed beast bomb aimed directly at Garfield.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Phantom your way through a treasure trove of chapters waiting on P@treon!
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