Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 13: Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands: Top Transformed Buddha

Sawdust flew as the brilliance of the Wood Release crumbled spectacularly.

Hagoromo Gengetsu, however, didn't relax at all.

At this moment, Hashirama Senju, who had just landed on the ground, glanced around, passing over the collapsed wooden golem and finally fixing his gaze on Hagoromo Gengetsu.

"No choice," he stated calmly, pressing his palms together.

It was the final calm before the storm.

As Hagoromo Gengetsu watched with a solemn expression, in the next second—

"Sage Art!"

With a loud shout, a far more powerful aura than before erupted from Hashirama Senju. A ring of black markings instantly covered his eye corners, a black target-like mark appeared on his forehead, and the edges of his pupils turned from black to yellow.

This was none other than Sage Mode.

And it wasn't over yet.

With his face covered in Sage markings, Hashirama Senju raised his head, and the vast ocean-like Sage Chakra within him surged wildly.

As he pressed his palms together with more force, he shouted again:

"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"

Rumble~~~

A thunderous roar, several dozen times more intense than the previous battles combined, erupted.

It was like a magnitude ten earthquake. Under Hagoromo Gengetsu's steady gaze, and to the shock of the surrounding spectators, a gigantic Buddha statue with thousands upon thousands of hands suddenly rose from the ground.

The size of the wooden golem and the Flame God had already been awe-inspiring.

However, at this moment, the originally god-like Flame God seemed like a mere toy compared to the True Several Thousand Hands Buddha statue.

Though he had seen this scene in the anime, witnessing it in person, Hagoromo Gengetsu couldn't help but show an expression of utter astonishment as he looked at the colossal Thousand-Armed Buddha that seemed to connect heaven and earth.

Is this really something a human can achieve?

Coincidentally, Ishikawa, Reto, and A, who had seen this scene multiple times during the Warring States period, all wore expressions of deep recollection and dread.

What is a God of Shinobi who brought peace to a chaotic world?

The scene before them was the answer!

Soon, Hashirama Senju's shout broke the silence on the battlefield.

Standing on the True Several Thousand Hands Buddha, he shouted towards Hagoromo Gengetsu:

"I'm coming, Hagoromo!"

‘I hope you never do!’ Hagoromo Gengetsu thought, twitching his lips.

Having fought Hashirama Senju for so long, he had gained a sliver of confidence.

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But now, with Hashirama Senju going all out, he felt the small spark of hope within him extinguish.

Sure enough.

"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands: Top Transformed Buddha!"

Amidst the earth-shaking roar, Hashirama Senju, standing on the Buddha statue, launched his strongest attack, as if the Sage of Six Paths himself had descended.

The Flame God tried to resist.

But like the fully manifested Nine Tails under the difficulty of the tailed beasts, a few giant wooden arms extending from the True Several Thousand Hands easily swatted the Flame God away. Eventually, one hand grasped the Flame God in its palm.

"That's just cheating!"

Dodging the Top Transformed Buddha by a hair, Hagoromo Gengetsu couldn't help but complain.

The Flame God, capable of competing with the wooden golem and the complete Susanoo, couldn't last a few rounds against the True Several Thousand Hands: Top Transformed Buddha.

The Nine Tails were no different.

And that was the complete form, far stronger than the other eight Tailed Beasts, only inferior to the Ten Tails.

Yet, it was effortlessly subdued by the True Several Thousand Hands.

Hagoromo Gengetsu couldn't imagine what it would be like if the True Several Thousand Hands faced the Ten Tails.

Clearly, Hashirama Senju was not of Six Paths level.

But under the Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands: Top Transformed Buddha, Hagoromo Gengetsu felt that Hashirama Senju was even more powerful than the Six Paths level.

The Flame God soon met its destructive end.

As more and more wooden arms targeted Hagoromo Gengetsu, he felt like Sun Wukong facing the Five Elements Mountain, with nowhere to escape.

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"

With no way to evade, Hagoromo Gengetsu once again used Dust Release.

But this time, the effect was limited.

It only destroyed a dozen wooden arms.

Before he could even catch his breath, more wooden arms emerged from the Thousand-Armed Buddha, leaving Hagoromo Gengetsu no room to maneuver, with each strike bearing the weight of heaven and earth.

"Goodbye, Gengetsu."

Looking down at the severely wounded, exhausted Hagoromo Gengetsu, Hashirama Senju, with respect and regret, bid a final farewell, extending a hand. Another batch of wooden arms stretched out from the Thousand-Armed Buddha, preparing to deliver the final blow to Hagoromo Gengetsu.

"Goodbye?"

Hagoromo Gengetsu, heavily injured and with only a tenth of his strength left, looked up, seeing the vast wooden hands covering his entire field of vision, leaving no gaps. He smiled slightly, and in a tone too low for Hashirama Senju to hear, he whispered:

"Not goodbye, but see you later, Hashirama."

Since the Five Kage's unreasonable sneak attack on a young person like him, Hagoromo Gengetsu had foreseen his impending fate.

When Hashirama Senju used Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands: Top Transformed Buddha, the last bit of luck in Hagoromo Gengetsu's heart vanished.

"It's time to think about the future."

Looking around at the blood he had shed in his severe injuries, Hagoromo Gengetsu glanced one last time at this world. Before the final blow from the True Several Thousand Hands could land, he formed a unique hand seal in front of his chest.

"Forbidden Technique: Eternal Sleep!"

A series of strange black symbols appeared on his body, connecting into a whole. Like flowing water, they formed a black membrane that enveloped him.

Time seemed to stop at that moment. The wounds on Hagoromo Gengetsu's body ceased to bleed, the boiling chakra calmed, and his rapidly beating heart quieted.

His life force was thus fixed.

But as a price, Hagoromo Gengetsu's soul began to disperse rapidly.

"See you… in the future."

Leaving this last message, Hagoromo Gengetsu's aura completely disappeared.

And the body he left behind, covered by the black membrane, sank into the ground, merging perfectly with the surroundings, leaving no trace.

Boom!!!

The final blow from the True Several Thousand Hands landed.

A massive crater formed.

"It's over."

In Sage Mode, sensing the complete and true disappearance of Hagoromo Gengetsu's aura, Hashirama Senju let out a deep breath and dispelled the True Several Thousand Hands.

After finishing everything, even with his Sage Body, he couldn't help but show signs of exhaustion, breathing heavily.

This battle was just as exhausting as his fight with Madara years ago.

"Brother!"

A figure arrived quickly, moving at incredible speed.

It was Tobirama Senju.

He looked around the scene and asked, "Is Hagoromo Gengetsu dead?"

Hashirama Senju stood up straight and nodded.

Fake death could not escape his sensory perception in Sage Mode.

Tobirama Senju wasn't surprised and asked again.

"Where is Hagoromo Gengetsu's body?"

Hashirama Senju shook his head. "Gengetsu was too powerful, I couldn't hold back."

"I see."

Tobirama Senju looked regretful.

Fortunately, there were still some blood cells left by Hagoromo Gengetsu on the battlefield, which could still be studied.

As if understanding his brother's thoughts, Hashirama Senju seriously instructed, "Collect what's left of Gengetsu and send it back to the Hagoromo clan. He deserves that respect."

"Brother, you…"

Tobirama Senju wanted to argue, but his ears twitched suddenly, and he stepped forward, discreetly shielding the rare tired Hashirama Senju.

After doing this, the sounds of breaking through the air arrived.

It was Reto, A, and other ninjas from the four major villages who had arrived.

"Hagoromo Gengetsu... is finally dead!"

Seeing the scene, Reto, A, and Ishikawa the three Kage, sighed with complex emotions.

A powerful enemy had finally fallen.

Unfortunately, another still loomed over them like a canopy.

At least, this one had no grand ambitions.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

"So, let's celebrate the arrival of the peace era!"

First Kazekage Reto, First Raikage A, First Tsuchikage Ishikawa, and the newly appointed Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki extended their hands together.

"Peace~"

Hashirama Senju sighed, also extending his hand.

In the end, the five leaders representing the new order of the ninja world clasped hands, declaring the beginning of the era of peace.

This was the wish of all who survived the smoke of the Warring States.

It seemed... it really had come true?

...

One day later.

In the place that had just settled down and had been turned from a plain into a valley, an old visitor arrived.

"Is it really reduced to nothing?"

Tobirama Senju touched his chin, surveying the surroundings.

After an hour, he rose from the ground and shook his head in frustration.

Still no discovery.

The body of Hagoromo Gengetsu was indeed destroyed thoroughly.

Fortunately, he didn't come here for nothing; he managed to collect some of Hagoromo Gengetsu's residual cells.

With his brother not around, Tobirama finally had the chance to thoroughly study everything about the man who rivaled gods.

He left in good spirits.

Tobirama Senju's visit was just the beginning.

The corpse of a ninja, even a single cell, recorded valuable information from the ninja's life.

Not only Tobirama Senju, but others in the ninja world were also highly interested in Hagoromo Gengetsu's body, leading many people to visit this valley.

Several years later, a proud and powerful man arrived here, yet unlike others, he didn’t dig around but merely scanned the area with a disdainful snort before leaving.

Decades later, in the now-peaceful valley known to posterity as the "Valley of the Fallen God," a pale-faced man with snake-like features extended a blood-red tongue, his golden, snake-like pupils full of excitement as he surveyed the area, saying:

"Legendary man who stood shoulder to shoulder with gods, you better not disappoint me."

Thus, a new chapter began.