After Yatagarasu appeared just now, it immediately took a hit, so it promptly returned to Shikkotsu Forest. One could say it had been put through the wringer. Under these circumstances, that ferocious-looking Wood Dragon began slowly retracting, then coiled itself around the even more ferocious-looking giant Wood Human.
The crimson flames of Hagoromo's big move, "Fire Release: Kirin," began to dissipate. However, the scorching heat waves still spread outward invisibly, and dense white steam filled the entire space.
Seen from a slightly greater distance, that enormous Wood Human appeared and disappeared amid the stirring mist, even giving people an unreal, almost ethereal feeling.
At this moment, the Third Hokage was constantly rubbing his eyes, suspecting that his old eyes had gone blurry and he was seeing fake news.
"This has become a little hard to deal with…" Hagoromo, who was bearing the brunt of the Wood Human's presence, muttered to himself. When the difference in size between the two sides reached this extent, it was indeed quite disadvantageous for him. A Gundam was already difficult to deal with, let alone when the one piloting the Gundam was someone like the First Hokage.
Although the method of control was completely different, looking at it this way, a certain someone's claim that "eternity is art," along with his exaggerated complete puppet modification of his own body, seemed like something of a joke. Without comparison, there was no harm. In reality, Sasori of the Red Sand had played with puppet techniques his entire life, yet had not even reached the entry level. All of his techniques combined would not be enough for Old Man Hashirama to step on once.
Stating the facts and reasoning things through, the First Hokage used his own personal practice to prove what was meant by "wooden men are a man's romance," and what was meant by "my wood can pierce the heavens."
There was no denying that this kind of big move was indeed enviable. Unfortunately, it had already been patented by the Uchiha and Senju, belonging to the category of ninjutsu that was "impossible to learn." Hagoromo probably would never be able to become a pilot in this lifetime.
At this moment, the First Hokage was still only using Wood Release. He had not yet used senjutsu. However, from Hagoromo's angle, he could vaguely see that the other party had already pressed his palms together. This seemed to be him "charging energy."
Most likely, Lord First was about to further enter Sage Mode.
Under these circumstances, once the Hokage entered Sage Mode, his level of power would inevitably rise by several more floors. Yet Hagoromo did not choose to interfere or stop him… Although this was a little like courting death, he wanted to witness what the First Hokage's senjutsu, which came from the same source as his own, was really like.
With rumbling footsteps, the Wood Human approached Hagoromo.
However, before that… Ninja Art: Summoning Technique. Hagoromo used this move again.
A gigantic milky-white figure with blue stripes slowly rose from the ground. As it straightened up, it lifted the Hagoromos standing atop its head to a height where they could meet the First Hokage's gaze directly.
A battle between a Gundam and a bug mother was a scene that frequently appeared in all kinds of sci-fi stories. However, in those stories, the protagonist was usually the Gundam pilot. A bug-mother pilot like Hagoromo really was not common… Fine, he was probably one of a kind.
"Hagoromo… unless I'm mistaken, that is the First Hokage's Wood Human Technique, isn't it? Could it be…" Katsuyu, who had lived for N years, naturally recognized this First Hokage technique.
"That's right. The one fighting us right now is the 'revived' First Hokage. But don't worry. I summoned you out only because the enemy's position is too high, high enough to make him rather difficult to handle. So please help me by acting as a stepping stool."
Katsuyu "…"
Why did she suddenly want to spray this guy to death with acid? Katsuyu finally understood how Yatagarasu felt, constantly being used as a stepping stool.
"He's coming!"
Hagoromo suddenly gave a warning. At that moment, he sensed the First Hokage's chakra intensity rise instantly. Without a doubt, the other party had entered Sage Mode.
Hagoromo did not move for the time being. However, once the Wood Human approached a certain distance and had already bent its arm and clenched its fist in preparation to attack, he was still the first to react.
The light of Lightning Release appeared on his body once more. Then he directly threw three clones toward the Wood Human's forehead.
The First Hokage was standing there.
With Hagoromo's throwing force, the airborne speed of the clones was comparable to anti-air missiles. However, unexpectedly, although the Wood Human's body was enormous, its movements were exceptionally agile. Its raised arm instantly changed from a fist into a palm, then slammed diagonally downward at Hagoromo's first clone.
With a loud boom, the clone was slapped into the ground at an even greater speed than when it had advanced. Then there was no "then."
Fine. Although it had been slapped to death with one palm, the first clone had been cannon fodder to begin with. Immediately afterward, the second clone brushed past the Wood Human's arm, then accurately landed on its forehead. A few more steps forward, and it would be able to reach the First Hokage.
However, Hagoromo still had no chance to approach Lord First's main body, because a bulge appeared in front of his landing point. What came to meet him was a Wood Release clone.
At the same time, the First Hokage pressed an arm down toward Katsuyu's position. Along with the sound of air being torn apart, vermilion torii gates descended from the sky.
This was yet another technique restricted by a bloodline limit: Sage Art: Gate of the Great God Seal.
With a series of thudding impacts as they fell, Katsuyu was instantly restrained against the ground… Unfortunately, different techniques suited different enemies, and using this kind of technique against Katsuyu was somewhat inappropriate.
Fragmentation ability, fragmentation great escape! Katsuyu instantly split into a thousand pieces, escaping from the Gate of the Great God Seal like a surging tide.
As for Hagoromo, he had faced this kind of technique before. Since he had anticipated it, he would not be sealed by it again.
Katsuyu fused back together in a bizarre way that could drive anyone with trypophobia to death. Then, what attacked her at this moment was the Wood Dragon coiled around the Wood Human's shoulder.
In terms of agility, although Katsuyu could split apart, she truly was not very good in that area. So the Wood Dragon once again wrapped around her without much effort.
Then it tightened coil by coil.
However, this time, Katsuyu did not choose to split. As the Wood Dragon tightened, her body seemed to soften, and then the entire Wood Dragon melted into her body—Katsuyu was preparing to dissolve the other party with the acid inside her body. The only question was whether this piece of wood would cause indigestion afterward.
Before that, however, Hagoromo's third clone had already launched a third attack toward the First Hokage. This time, he would not be flattened so easily.
When he had only flown halfway, high-density chakra spirals had already gathered in his left hand. A deep-blue sphere of light far larger than normal appeared in midair, scattering bits of chakra around it.
For the first time in his life, Hagoromo used the Fourth Hokage's move in actual combat.
He had spun up a little ball… or rather, he had spun up a big ball: Sage Art: Massive Rasengan, with a diameter of more than ten meters.
Lord First had probably never seen this move while he was alive. But it did not matter. Back in the Hokage's era, the man swatted Tailed Beast Balls like ping-pong balls. Facing a large Rasengan, he naturally remained unmoved.
A gigantic shield blocked the front of the Massive Rasengan. This was the "absolute defense" Hashirama had once used to withstand Uchiha Madara's Majestic Attire: Susanoo—Wood Release: Hōbi Technique.
With the Rasengan's power, it simply could not inflict the damage it should have.
However, at this moment, with Hōbi in front and the Rasengan behind, Hashirama's line of sight had been completely blocked.
Hagoromo had an apple in his left hand, and a pen in his right! From a side angle, the move in his left hand was the Massive Rasengan, while his right hand was pressed against a half-open black arc-shaped curtain of light.
The Rasengan failing to work was within Hagoromo's expectations, because it had been a feint from the start. His true attack was this sealing technique.
Sage Art: Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique — Modified.
In the next instant, Hagoromo pierced forward like an arrow to extremely close range beside the Wood Human. Then the pitch-black spherical curtain of light swallowed the Wood Human's enormous head.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789