— Quick note: The next few chapters will include a lot of original Ninjutsu and sealing techniques, which won't be explained in detail —
"They're just kids. Can't you go a little easy on them?" Hashirama looked at Madara helplessly. "They're some of Konoha's most outstanding young ninjas."
Given the level of control over this Edo Tensei, holding back was possible. If Hashirama could do it, Madara definitely could too—at least a little. If Hashirama hadn't stepped in just now, Asuma and Kurenai would've been injured for sure.
"Where?" Madara asked in response.
Hashirama froze for a moment before instinctively answering, "The… village? Konoha?"
"I'm asking you…" Madara smirked, a hint of mockery in his voice. "What exactly is outstanding about them?"
Hashirama was completely stunned and fell into deep thought.
Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai: "…"
Hey, we have feelings too.
After thinking for a while, Hashirama spoke hesitantly, "They… work really hard?"
That was the only thing he could come up with. The gap between them and Madara wasn't just a small difference—it was the difference between earth and the universe.
Asuma and Kurenai felt like crying inside. Thank you, First Hokage, for your kind words.
Also, with how well you phrase things, have you ever considered writing a book?
We'd totally buy it!
Maybe Hashirama also realized he had gone a bit too far. He quickly turned to Asuma and Kurenai, speaking in a teaching tone.
"Don't use Genjutsu. Madara has the Sharingan, and his Genjutsu skills are far from weak. If you try, he'll likely turn it against you."
"I also have Sage Mode. While I can stop myself from activating it on my own, if your Genjutsu actually affects me, I won't be able to control it. And if that happens, I'll become even harder to deal with." Hashirama's expression turned serious. "Stick to Ninjutsu or Taijutsu."
Asuma took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his blades. "Understood, Lord First."
Kurenai also pulled out a kunai. After getting schooled like that, there was no way she was still going to try Genjutsu—she wasn't looking to die faster.
But seriously, ever since the Chunin Exams, why did it feel like every enemy she faced just wasn't afraid of Genjutsu?
"One more thing!" Hashirama's face suddenly became serious, completely different from his earlier playful self. His voice was firm.
"You forgot about Mito."
"Nani?!" x2
That was the second time they had reacted like that, and this time, they were even more dumbfounded.
Almost at the same time, Mito's voice came from a distance.
"You've dragged this out long enough, Hashirama. Can't you just tell these kids directly?"
"This thing isn't something you can just brush off."
Following the sound of her voice, the three turned to look—Mito had somehow moved behind them without them even noticing. Her aged face held a hint of helplessness, and beneath her feet, black markings had begun to spread.
**Sealing Technique: Grand Power—Heaven and Earth Disruption!**
The black inscriptions on the ground seemed to come to life. Under Mito's control, they rose from the earth, forming countless floating characters in the air.
Before the three could react, the black markings had already landed on them.
It was as if someone had taken a brush and written directly on their bodies. The dark patterns wriggled like living creatures, crawling up their skin, locking them in place as if they were bound by invisible chains.
Kakashi's Mangekyou spun, trying to get a clear look at the technique in front of him, but what entered his mind was knowledge too complex to understand.
Yeah, even if he could see through the sealing jutsu, it wouldn't matter if he couldn't comprehend it—he still wouldn't be able to break it.
Was this the power of the strongest sealing ninja? A simple sealing technique had completely locked down three elite Jonin, leaving them unable to move.
Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai gritted their teeth. They wanted to resist, but it felt like invisible chains were holding them in place, completely restricting their movements. It was just like being caught by the Nara clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu.
This was bad!
Mito couldn't stop the sealing jutsu from activating anymore. She could only call out to them, "This seal is meant to suppress your physical strength! Use a burst of chakra or sheer force to break free!"
A burst of chakra?
Their eyes lit up. There was no time to thank Mito—they immediately unleashed their chakra with full force.
Blue chakra surged around their bodies, and the black markings on them trembled slightly. Then… nothing happened.
Mito looked surprised. "What are you doing? This isn't the time to hold back—use the strongest chakra output you have!"
Kakashi: "…"
Asuma: "…"
Kurenai: "…"
Mito-sama, we swear… we already used our strongest chakra output…
They wanted to cry. They hadn't held back at all. That was the biggest chakra burst they could manage. For a moment, they had felt the restraints loosen slightly, but only slightly—nowhere near enough to break free.
"Unbelievable. How did you even get caught by this?" Mito sighed in frustration. The weakness of sealing jutsu was that they usually took longer to prepare compared to ninjutsu. With the speed of these three elite Jonin, they should have easily avoided it.
And in theory…
That was true. So why hadn't they dodged it?
Because they had been too busy listening to Hashirama talk.
Whose fault was that?
They couldn't exactly blame the First Hokage, so the three of them just exchanged a silent look before once again bursting out with chakra.
But this time, their goal wasn't to break free.
Their chakra slammed into the sealing marks again, but unlike before, Asuma and Kurenai also directed their chakra at the seals on Kakashi. That brief moment of looseness appeared once more—Kakashi's eyes snapped open, and a flash of lightning flickered across his body.
The next second, his figure vanished into smoke, leaving behind only a wooden log.
Lightning streaked through the sky, crackling in Kakashi's hand. The immense power was like an unstoppable blade, and as he dropped from above, he slashed straight at Mito.
"Lightning Release: Raikiri!"
Seeing this, Mito smiled. "Not bad."
The lightning struck the ground, causing it to crack and sending dust flying everywhere.
Mito's figure had disappeared. Kakashi climbed out of the crater, immediately turning to check on Asuma and Kurenai.
But the seal was still intact.
Mito landed beside Hashirama and explained, "The tricky part about this sealing jutsu is that it passively connects to the caster's chakra. It doesn't need to be actively maintained, so attacking me won't break it. You'll need to find a way to remove the seal markings."
If someone understood sealing techniques, breaking this jutsu wouldn't be too hard.
Oh, but "understanding" here meant understanding from Uzumaki Mito's perspective. At the very least, you'd have to be at Kushina's level before she passed away.
Kakashi: You really have high expectations for me.
"I'm really sorry, Mito-sama, but my chakra reserves aren't strong enough," Kakashi said with a helpless smile. "Is there a way to break the seal directly?"
Mito didn't blame Kakashi, though she did look a little disappointed.
As expected, if you weren't a Senju or an Uzumaki, chakra reserves were always a problem.
Her disappointment quickly faded, and she chuckled. "Just break it with brute force. Blast the seal markings with a high-powered jutsu. The Nine-Tails used to break this jutsu that way. If you increase the strength of your Lightning Release a bit more, it should work. My condition isn't great, so this sealing jutsu isn't as strong as usual."
Kakashi: …
Yeah, not that strong—just enough to restrain three elite jonin at once.
Looks like Lord Tobirama was right. Forget Madara, we should be more wary of you.
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