[Wood Release: Nativity of a Sea of Trees]
Hashirama sent the First Raikage A flying once again as he clasped his hands together, releasing a massive surge of chakra.
With a deafening crack, the ground split apart and countless thick trees erupted from the earth.
Their twisted branches coiled around like raging serpents, lunging toward the First Raikage to bind him down.
"What an enviable power!"
Though he himself now wielded Wood Release, watching Hashirama in action still caused Madara to marvel aloud.
The First Raikage thrashed wildly under his control, unleashing violent lightning-based chakra that shattered countless branches into splinters.
He charged forward, using the height of the trees to spring high into the air with a powerful leap.
[Lightning Release: Violet Lightning Dragon Lance]
Midair, the First Raikage quickly formed hand seals. Immediately afterward, a large amount of lightning attribute chakra gathered into his right hand.
After continuous compression and shaping, a long spear radiating purple lightning appeared.
Violent arcs of lightning swirled around the weapon, forming a coiling dragon of electricity.
Aiming directly at Hashirama, the First Raikage exerted all his strength and hurled the electrified spear forward.
With a thunderous roar,
the lightning-infused lance carved a dazzling arc through the sky.
As it flew past, the very air sizzled under the intense voltage, crackling violently.
[Summoning Technique: Quintuple Rashōmon]
Faced with such a fierce attack, Hashirama's expression turned serious.
Without hesitation, he bit his thumb and slammed his palm onto the ground.
With a loud shout, five towering gates of different hues, engraved with ferocious demon faces, shot up from the earth one after another.
The lightning lance, carrying terrifying power, smashed straight through the first gate.
Shockwaves rippled outward, laced with arcs of electricity.
Then, the second gate shattered too.
The third and fourth gates were destroyed in turn, and only upon striking the fifth did the lance finally come to a halt.
"You're still just useless."
Madara was clearly unimpressed with the effectiveness of the First Raikage's technique, muttering a quiet curse.
Still, it was understandable—after all, in Madara's eyes, the Quintuple Rashōmon was hardly unbreakable.
"I've grown tired of this drawn-out fight."
"I'm waiting for you to come see me personally."
[Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique]
Unfazed by Madara's grumbling, Hashirama revived the devastated forest with a sequence of hand seals.
His chakra surged into the seeds buried deep below. Thick vines intertwined and spiraled, rapidly forming several gigantic wood dragons.
As soon as their eyes opened, the colossal creatures writhed and twisted, racing furiously toward the First Raikage.
With gaping, bloodthirsty mouths, they compressed the air, unleashing a piercing roar as their sheer size scoured deep trenches into the battlefield.
Under the relentless assault of the wood dragons, the First Raikage became completely trapped, unable to mount any effective counterattack.
Meanwhile, the outcomes of the other battles were also starting to take shape.
Byakuren's attacks continued to fall short against Mito, while Mito's sealing techniques were gradually tightening the noose around Byakuren.
[Water Release: Roaring Sea Surge]
Narrowly dodging a sealing formation, Byakuren formed seals and channeled a surge of chakra into his surroundings.
The moisture in the air and nearby water sources converged.
Then, massive waves surged from both the ground and the sky.
These waves collided and merged, instantly forming a towering wall of water dozens of meters high.
Radiating outward with Byakuren at its center, twin walls of water surged like furious ocean swells.
Within moments, they swallowed vast areas, sweeping Mito into their midst.
Watching Mito vanish beneath the waves, Byakuren's lips curled into a confident smirk.
No matter how powerful your sealing techniques are, you still fell to this move of mine.
But before he could even feel relieved, he saw Mito—whose body had yet to fully recover—burst forth from the crashing waves.
[Sealing Technique: Adamantine Sealing Chains!]
Mito cried out sharply, her voice filled with unquestionable authority, echoing through the open space.
In an instant, several thick chakra chains burst forth from her back like snakes emerging from their dens.
Emitting a faint golden glow, each chain seemed alive, twisting rapidly toward Byakuren.
In the blink of an eye, Byakuren was wrapped tightly in the chains.
The chakra flowing through the chains surged like a mighty river, continuously suppressing Byakuren's movements.
Byakuren's expression turned grim as he struggled to summon chakra from within his body.
His veins bulged across his skin as chakra poured out wave after wave, violently crashing against the chains binding him.
But [Adamantine Sealing Chains] were a technique capable of subduing the Nine-Tails. No matter how desperately Byakuren struggled, the chains did not budge.
"Not bad, Princess of Uzumaki Country."
"It seems wiping out your nation was truly the right decision back then."
Byakuren gradually ceased resisting, but his words pierced deeply into Mito's heart.
"How dare you bring it up again?"
Mito strode forward and slapped Byakuren's aged face several times with resounding cracks.
"What do I have to fear?"
"If it weren't for Konoha protecting you back then, do you really think you'd be standing here now?"
Byakuren licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with arrogance.
He had already died once—what else was there to fear?
"Hmph! I've yet to avenge my homeland's destruction."
"I'll take it out on you today."
With those words, Mito launched a merciless attack on Byakuren, yet held back just enough to prevent him from escaping via his Impure World Reincarnation Body.
The sight made everyone's heart sink.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wielded the [Adamantine Nyoi-bo], shattering Retsuto's body over and over, yet the Impure World Reincarnation Body quickly regenerated every time.
As time passed, his attacks gradually weakened.
Past his prime, he simply couldn't match the relentless strength of Retsuto's immortal form.
The rapid draining of chakra and physical stamina became his fatal weakness.
"At this rate, you may end up dying today."
Retsuto's blade sliced through Hiruzen's robe, leaving a terrifying scar across his chest.
Blood seeped from the wound, soaking his clothes.
Yet, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze remained as unshaken as stone, showing no trace of fear.
"So what if I die?"
"The mistakes I once made... now, I'm willing to atone for them with my life."
"As long as I still draw breath, I won't let you succeed."
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's performance truly lived up to his title as the Third Hokage.
"I think I finally understand why your Hidden Leaf has always been so strong."
A look of admiration flickered in Retsuto's eyes. He twirled his blade and charged forward once more.
While Hiruzen Sarutobi was struggling to hold off his opponent, Tobirama on the other side had already seized firm control of the battle.
Ishikawa, struck by the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, was being overwhelmed by Tobirama without any chance to fight back.
The Impure World Reincarnation body was either regenerating or in the middle of regeneration. It would only be a matter of time before it was sealed.
"The monkey won't last much longer."
Glancing at Hiruzen Sarutobi's perilous situation, Hashirama frowned.
If his memory served him right, that monkey was still among the living.
If he died this time, it would mean real death.
[Sage Art: Gate of the Great God!]
Thinking this, Hashirama decisively resolved to crush First Raikage A without mercy. If he were to seal him, it would require more effort.
Compressed within the range of the Wood Dragon, First Raikage A was slammed by a crimson torii gate falling from the heavens.
Hashirama finally had the opportunity to go assist Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As soon as he took over from Hiruzen, before he could utter a word, the sound of First Raikage A's summoning jutsu rang out.
[Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation.]
As the smoke cleared, a standing coffin emerged into view.
...
Naruto: A Journey Beginning with Courting Tsunade – Please bookmark: (m.