Hearing Deidara's shout, Sasori also raised his head to look at Hashirama, whose body had mostly recovered.
"To actually throw away the ring, this damn smelly snake is as annoying as ever!"
Although he couldn't kill Orochimaru with his own hands, the recent torture was enough to avenge him.
"First Hokage, God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama… he really is a troublesome opponent…"
Sasori wasn't just Deidara, who only cared about explosions.
He was well aware of Orochimaru's invasion of Konoha and his Edo Tensei of the previous two Hokage.
Although he didn't quite understand how these first two Hokage managed to break free from control.
But considering that even the Third Kazekage before could break free on his own, it wasn't impossible for the God of Shinobi to release the control himself.
And there was that Wood Release, which even Deidara's nano-bombs only managed to blow off a layer of its skin.
Sasori felt it would be better to communicate first.
After all, fighting a non-mission target, a dead person who couldn't be killed but only sealed, was too much of a loss.
Thinking this, Sasori pulled his puppet army around him and spoke to Hashirama.
"First Hokage, please hand over the ring that Orochimaru dropped."
"We do not wish to engage in a meaningless battle with you."
"Furthermore, we have an even stronger companion who has not yet made a move."
"If he feels impatient, perhaps today, besides you and the Second Hokage who were resurrected by Edo Tensei, all your other subordinates will perish here."
As he spoke, the puppet army surrounding Sasori completely encircled Hashirama and the Wood Release beneath his feet from above.
The Nine-Tailed Chakra on the puppet weapons also burned brightly like flames.
Sasori, who had just gotten a new leader, didn't want his first mission to require the new leader to take action.
"I didn't expect you to have a companion who hasn't made a move yet; it seems this ring is indeed quite important."
Hashirama, whose body had fully recovered, looked at Sasori below and carefully put away the ring.
Not knowing that the ring was just a communicator, he thought he had truly caught the Akatsuki Organization off guard.
"You and that young man up there who uses Explosion Release are both very powerful. Today, I must take both of you back."
"Of course, your hidden companion as well."
"Your strength is too great, and you belong to a terrifying organization that harms the Ninja World, so I am very sorry!"
Slam!
Hashirama's hands suddenly clapped together in front of his chest.
Vast Chakra once again emerged, then gathered into the Wood Release beneath his feet.
The Wood Release also retracted its long body, coiling and rising in place.
At the same time, thick arms and legs grew from the Wood Release, followed by a stout torso appearing in the middle of the coiling Wood Release.
Finally, a head with an honest face but sharp fangs emerged beside the Wood Release's head.
"Wood Release: Wood Golem Jutsu!"
A Wood Golem, nearly twenty meters tall, with the Wood Release coiling around its body, appeared in place with terrifying might.
This was the strongest Wood Release Hashirama could use in his current state, even if the Wood Golem and Wood Release he created were somewhat incomplete.
Its height was only one-tenth or one-twelfth of its peak.
But for Sasori and Deidara, it was still an overwhelmingly powerful force!
"Besides that powerful Wood Release, he can actually create an even more terrifying Wood Golem!"
"Is this the true strength of the God of Shinobi?"
If he had encountered this level of Wood Release before receiving Feng Xu's Nine-Tailed Chakra, he would definitely have had to run.
But now that his strength had increased by a level, he felt he could team up with Deidara and challenge this God of Shinobi.
When they returned to the Akatsuki Organization, they could also boast to others like Kakuzu, saying they had fought the God of Shinobi!
Deidara, who heard Sasori and Hashirama's conversation from above, also thought of Kakuzu, his face filled with excitement.
"Hahaha, it's the First Hokage who defeated old man Kakuzu; no wonder he possesses such powerful Wood Release!"
"But even so, he still died once under my ultimate art!"
"It seems my art is stronger than old man Kakuzu's art, hmm!"
"Kakuzu?" Hearing Deidara's words, Hashirama pondered and quickly recalled a face.
It was that strong Ninja from Takigakure who came to assassinate him, but didn't realize he was attacking a Wood Release clone.
After being easily beaten by the Wood Release clone, he left harsh words and fled!
"I didn't expect there to be another powerful Ninja from my era in the Akatsuki Organization!"
"It seems you really do know a lot of useful information!"
Hashirama, having received another explosive piece of news, immediately controlled the Wood Release and Wood Golem beneath his feet to attack.
Regarding the Akatsuki, an unknown organization with many powerful individuals, he felt an increasing sense of danger and unease.
He even thought that his and Tobirama's revival was a precursor to a great disaster about to befall the Ninja World.
Therefore, to protect the Village and for the peace of the Ninja World, he would do his best to eliminate all unstable factors!
"I don't want to kill you, but to prevent further innocent sacrifices, even if I can't bring back living people, I will bring back your corpses!"
Chapter 172: Tobirama Finally Sees Feng Xu
On the other side.
"This powerful and dangerous Chakra…"
The moment Deidara detonated C4 Garuda, spreading nano clay bombs.
Tobirama, who had only led his people a little further away, suddenly had a drastic change in expression.
He shouted for the Ninja around him to quickly flee outwards.
"Everyone, if you don't want to die, run faster!"
Although visually, there was nothing in the air.
But in Tobirama's super-strong perception.
A massive wave of Chakra, mixed with Nine-Tailed Chakra, was rapidly expanding outwards from the battle zone!
The Sarutobi Clan Ninja, hearing the command, although they didn't understand the situation.
But to avoid the same fate as their deceased clansmen.
They all ran desperately in the direction Tobirama pointed.
"Damn it, this speed is too fast; it's impossible to escape!"
Sensing the Chakra wave that was about to reach them.
Tobirama stopped, formed hand signs, and shouted again at the fleeing Ninja.
"It's too late! Everyone, stop and get closer to me!"
With the hand signs complete, Tobirama's cheeks puffed out.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Splash!
A massive torrent of water, like a floodgate opening, gushed from Tobirama's mouth.
In an instant, a huge water sphere, enveloping all the surrounding Ninja, suddenly appeared out of thin air!
It collided precisely with Deidara's spreading nano clay bombs!
Immediately after, the Ninja on the outermost circle of the water sphere let out terrified screams.
"Waaahhh!!!"
"My hands, my body, they're disappearing!"
"Help me, Nidaime(2nd)-sama, you promised Clan Head Hiruzen you would bring us back safely; you can't break your word!"
"Wuwuwu, save me, Nidaime(2nd)-sama, I haven't even used the money I saved from making explosive tags to marry a wife; I don't want to die yet!"
Listening to the various pleas and wails, Tobirama's face turned as dark as a pot bottom.
Are these the Ninja trained by the Sarutobi Clan?
Can such Ninja truly protect the Village, contribute to the Village?
These were clearly a bunch of pampered young masters!
"All of you, shut up!" Tobirama, his face ashen, snapped.
Looking around, almost half the people's faces showed no Ninja's calmness, but rather terror.
Tobirama had reason to believe that the Ninja Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him this time were definitely the bottom-tier quality of the Sarutobi Clan!
But even if they were bottom-tier trash, he couldn't watch these people die in front of him.
He would settle this matter with Hiruzen Sarutobi after he returned to the Village!
"All of you, use Earth Release to burrow into the ground! Those who can't, dig with your hands and let the soil cover your entire body!"
Seeing that the surrounding trees and rocks were undamaged, Tobirama could only try a desperate measure.
However, it was clear that his method still failed.
The nano clay bombs, imbued with the Nine-Tailed Chakra's super transmissibility, were almost omnipresent.
Except for the Ninja who used Earth Release to hide deep underground.
All the other Ninja who dug with their hands turned to ashes in the dirt.
Seeing this, Tobirama no longer maintained the water sphere.
Instead, he quickly formed the Earth Release hand signs.
He took the few Sarutobi Ninja who were digging with their hands near him and hid underground.
However, before he could dig very deep, he felt a void beneath him and landed on a flat surface.
Seeing the various experimental instruments and empty large water tanks around him.
Tobirama immediately understood where he had arrived.
"This is Orochimaru's underground base?"
Just as Tobirama was observing his surroundings.
Those Sarutobi Clan Ninja who could use Earth Release also followed, digging their way here and falling from above.
Upon seeing Tobirama, they gathered around him as if they had found their backbone.
"Only less than ten Ninja survived…"
After waiting for a while, seeing no one else digging down from above, Tobirama sighed with a grim face.
The range of that Ninjutsu above could cover at least half of the Hidden Sound Village.
He didn't need to think to know that, besides these nine people around him, all the others definitely didn't survive.
He now only hoped to bring these remaining nine people back.
If they were completely wiped out again, with not a single one left.
He really wouldn't be able to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi to conscript Ninja again.
As Tobirama was thinking this.
From deep within this underground base, a very familiar scream faintly echoed.
"This is… Honoka and Koharu's voices?"
"So they secretly left the team to find Orochimaru's underground base?"
With a grim face, Tobirama gestured to the surviving Ninja around him and ran towards the source of the sound.