"Lord Hokage!"
Kagami, Sakumo, Kosuke, Masagawa, and others exclaimed in unison.
They never expected the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, to appear.
It was a massive relief.
Indeed…
When Hashirama appeared, Gold Horn and his men were equally shocked.
"The God of Shinobi… Hashirama Senju."
Gold Horn swallowed hard, tense.
A Warring States contemporary, he knew Hashirama's fame.
He founded the ninja village system, ending the Warring States era.
Distributed tailed beasts, balancing power.
No one in the ninja world surpassed him!
Most exaggerated was Hashirama's unparalleled strength.
"Even Silver Horn and I couldn't defeat the Nine-Tails…"
Gold Horn mused.
Though eating its flesh brought fame…
Compared to Hashirama capturing all tailed beasts, it paled.
With Silver Horn gravely injured, unable to aid with the Seven Star Sword or Red Gourd…
Fighting meant protecting his brother.
The situation…
Favored the enemy.
Silver Horn knew this, barely able to lift his arms.
"Gold Horn, what do we do?"
Silver Horn's voice trembled, fearing Hashirama.
Hashirama's arrival flipped the battle.
"That kid's my precious grandson."
Hashirama spoke, voice resolute.
He stepped forward, lips curling into a half-smile, exuding invisible pressure.
As he advanced, Gold Horn stepped back.
His presence was overwhelming.
"This is… a Hokage's aura?"
Gold Horn's mouth twitched,not daring to act rashly
And…
Hashirama's words stunned Gold and Silver Horn.
That seven-or-eight-year-old…
Was Hashirama Senju's grandson!
The crowd gasped!
"Are all Senju monsters?"
Gold Horn marveled, foreseeing…
Kazuku would become Kumogakure's greatest foe.
Perhaps the entire ninja world's!
"He should be eliminated here."
Gold Horn gritted his teeth. Knowing Kazuku's identity, he burned to kill him.
But…
Hashirama stood like a mountain.
Forget killing Kazuku…
One move, and Hashirama might one-shot him!
Yes.
The God of Shinobi was that terrifying!
"The one who injured me is the First Hokage's grandson." Silver Horn stared at Kazuku, stunned.
To him, impartial leaders didn't exist.
Be it Raikage or Hokage…
They'd favor their kin as successors.
With Hashirama's grandson status, Kazuku was the ideal Hokage heir.
Most outrageous…
At seven, he'd wounded Silver Horn this badly.
Given time…
His potential was limitless!
Thus, killing Kazuku here…
Was the right call.
But…
Seeing Hashirama before Kazuku…
Silver Horn felt fear.
Forget killing Kazuku…
He and Gold Horn might die!
"Gold Horn, I don't want to die…"
Silver Horn's voice wavered, hoping Gold Horn could defuse the crisis.
He didn't want to die here.
Hashirama calmly scanned the brothers. "My belief is peace for the ninja world, but…"
"If you want to keep fighting…"
"I'll be your opponent!"
With his final syllable, immense chakra erupted.
In an instant, it formed a powerful airflow, spreading outward from Hashirama.
The gust shattered the ground beneath, leaving spiderweb cracks.
And…
Purple chakra cloaked Hashirama, like tailed beast armor.
Gold and Silver Horn's eyes widened beyond cow-sized.
Their chakra cloaks came from Nine-Tails flesh.
But Hashirama, unlinked to tailed beasts, had this innate chakra!
"This is the God of Shinobi's chakra?"
Gold Horn's voice shook, his awe deepening.
To him, this man wasn't a ninja.
A monster.
A complete monster.
Even with Six Paths Tools, he had no chance.
"No wonder he…"
"Founded the village system, ended the Warring States era."
Gold Horn signaled his men to toss the Kumogakure intel scroll.
Though unsure of his intent, they complied.
Gold Horn threw it to Hashirama.
"This has Kumogakure intel, what your grandson wanted."
"First Hokage, I've always admired you. Since your ideal is peace…"
"No need to escalate over this, right?"
"The intel's yours."
Gold Horn slung the Banana Fan over his back, hoisted Silver Horn, and left without looking back.
His men followed suit.
Running two or three miles, Gold Horn paused, cautiously asking, "The First Hokage didn't follow, right?"
Confirming no Hashirama chakra, he sighed, relieved to have escaped.
Who'd expect to meet Hashirama Senju here?
Meanwhile…
Hashirama stood still, silent even after Gold Horn's group vanished.
"They're gone?"
Hashirama whispered to Masagawa's team.
Borders were critical, so teams often had sensory ninja.
But…
The ninja answering was puzzled.
Shouldn't Hashirama's sensory skills far surpass his?
Why couldn't he sense Gold Horn's departure?
"No Cloud ninja chakra detected."
Despite doubts, he answered honestly.
Hashirama didn't hesitate. "Run."
Next second…
The God of Shinobi, in a puff of smoke, became Kazuku.
(End of Chapter)