Shinigami in the Ninja World

Most of those resurrected by Edo Tensei weren't even able to participate in the battle. They were left hanging by golden chains, forced to be mere spectators.

Among those who could still fight were the God of Ninja, the legendary wielder of the Rinnegan, and Tobirama Senju, the master of the Flying Thunder God technique—three figures who stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world.

Yet, even their combined strength seemed weak and insufficient against this blond-haired boy.

On the border of the Land of Iron, the terrain was completely transformed.

The "Advent of a World of Flowering Trees" devoured all the land within a radius of one or two kilometers. Darkness, water, and dust intertwined and swirled.

Tobirama Senju's arms were pinned to a tree by golden chains. He was the first to be subdued by Naruto.

Nagato was suppressed by "Bakudō #62. Hyapporankan (百歩欄干, Hundred Steps Fence)" and "Bakudō #75. Gochūtekkan (五柱鉄貫, Five-Pillared Iron Weights)." He was one of the few whose power had actually increased after being resurrected by Edo Tensei. In life, the Rinnegan had drained his vitality, forcing him to create six puppets to act in his stead. But now, he had a healthy body that could move freely. Although the Rinnegan's power was diminished, his coordination with Tobirama still caused no small amount of trouble.

Hashirama Senju was the only one who could still maintain a stance of opposition against Naruto. He stood on a tree branch, looking up at Naruto, who was floating in the sky, and grinned brightly. "You're a really strong successor."

"Hurry up and seal us. Though it's been fun fighting you, but..."

Naruto interrupted him, "Hashirama-senpai, I heard that your Sage Mode wasn't learned from one of the three great sage lands. I'd like to see it."

Hashirama paused, surprised. "Sage Mode? Are you learning that now?"

As he spoke, the instinctive control from Edo Tensei compelled him to bring his palms together in a hand seal.

Natural energy gathered around him. Unlike Naruto's Sage Mode, which altered his entire body, Hashirama's Sage Mode was more akin to Jiraiya's. His face developed patterns, his eyes were overlaid with "eyeshadow," and there were fang-like markings beside his nose. An eye-like mark appeared in the center of his forehead.

"However, I would still recommend learning it from one of the three great sage lands," Hashirama said with his hands still clasped together. "This might sound a little embarrassing, but maybe it's just my exceptional talent."

"No matter what technique I use, it's always a few times stronger."

As he channeled the natural chakra, a giant wooden figure emerged from the ground, soaring into the sky. The wooden giant, hundreds of meters tall, had a stern face like a Buddha, exuding a terrifying presence. Coiled around its arms were two wooden dragons. Hashirama stood on the giant's shoulder, looking down with a grin. "It's not Wood Release or Sage Mode that's powerful. They're only powerful because I'm the one using them."

"If you want to see it, Naruto, be careful!"

The wooden giant swung its massive fist, tearing through the air with a deafening roar. Naruto raised his hand and pointed forward. In comparison, his finger was barely a thousandth the size of the giant's fist, but it stopped the punch in its tracks. The wooden dragon coiled around the giant's arm tried to strike, but as it approached Naruto, it was crushed and "erased" by his spiritual pressure.

"You've already shown me this technique," Naruto said calmly, flicking his finger. The force from the flick caused the giant's arm to twist and buckle, making the enormous figure stagger and fall backward.

Hashirama jumped off, laughing joyfully. "Then how about this move?"

"Only two people have ever seen this technique—Madara and now you, Naruto."

Natural energy surged intensely. Life itself seemed to swell from the earth as Wood Release and Sage Mode merged.

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

A massive Buddha statue with a thousand arms sat in a meditative pose. The wooden giant from before looked insignificant in comparison, like a mere foot soldier before a grand deity. Hashirama's eyes reflected a sense of nostalgia, but the control of Edo Tensei urged him onward. He could feel Sage Mode nearing its collapse due to the limits of this body.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on memories.

"Top Transformed Buddha!"

The Buddha statue swung a colossal fist down like a falling star. And this was just the beginning. The remaining fists followed like a torrential downpour, striking relentlessly.

Naruto extended his hand.

"Bakudō #39. Enkōsen (円閘扇, Round Lock Fan)."

The onslaught of punches crashed into the rapidly spinning shield, causing it to tremble and crack. In moments, the shield shattered, dissipating into specks of light.

A low-numbered Bakudō was insufficient to mount a solid defense. Such an attack was truly astonishing.

Suddenly, Naruto remembered a rumor. The Valley of the End, where statues of the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha stood, was said to have been created by the First Hokage's techniques.

This technique certainly seemed capable of such destruction.

Naruto gripped his sword and used Shunpo to move forward. The relentless barrage of punches came to an abrupt halt. Hashirama felt his chakra suddenly interrupted. He looked down to see the massive Buddha statue frozen in place.

What kind of technique is this?

"It's been a pleasure fighting you," Naruto's voice came from beside him. Hashirama turned his head; Naruto was standing right next to him, one hand resting on his shoulder as a sealing technique was formed.

"It's a shame you couldn't even use half your strength in this form, huh?" Naruto continued calmly.

Hashirama nodded.

Naruto smiled. "I hope we can meet again in the afterlife and fight at full strength. But for now... Thank you, Hashirama-senpai, for showing me something interesting."

As he spoke, the Buddha statue finally reacted. With a thunderous crash, it trembled as it was split down the middle, the two halves toppling to the sides. Hashirama's pupils dilated.

This wasn't a technique—it was raw power that had destroyed his most powerful jutsu.

Even though his strength was limited by Edo Tensei, this was still the most powerful Sage Art.

For someone to overpower it like this...

"This young man far exceeds my expectations," Hashirama murmured, looking towards the capital of the Land of Iron.

Naruto shook his head without replying. Spiritual energy intertwined like threads, piercing Hashirama's body, just as it had with Hanzo earlier.

A few minutes later, a mass of chakra was extracted. Hashirama felt a sense of loss.

"It seems your goal isn't just to kill the daimyo," Hashirama said, no longer controlled by Edo Tensei. He turned to Naruto.

The blond boy raised the mass of chakra high. Unlike Hanzo's chakra, this one had a hint of brilliant gold within its azure glow.

"Hashirama-senpai, you said earlier that your talents made your techniques far more powerful than anyone else's," Naruto began as he sealed the chakra. "But have you ever considered that there might be another reason?"

Hashirama looked puzzled.

"Two of the Sage of Six Paths' sons were named Ashura and Indra," Naruto continued, even as Hashirama's chakra, powerful enough to be too large for a single scroll, was being sealed away. "In your chakra, I see traces of Ashura."

Hashirama frowned, struggling to understand.

What does that mean?

Naruto stored the two scrolls and lightly tapped Hashirama's head, leaving a trace of spiritual pressure. "I'll explain later."

"Now, let me reap my rewards."

The battles in the other three sections of the battlefield were still raging.

Deidara was shouting in frustration, "What the hell is your ability? It's driving me nuts! Why can't I hit you?"

Karin slashed at him with her blade. Though marked with burn marks from Deidara's explosives, her "Dragon Vein" sword had the power to reverse reality. However, even the most powerful ability depends on the user's skill. Initially, she struggled to adapt and had been caught in Deidara's attacks. But now, she had become proficient in wielding the Dragon Vein's power.

Neji was having a tough time against the Third Raikage. The bodies resurrected by Edo Tensei had chakra points, but his Gentle Fist technique, usually unbeatable, didn't have the same impact on them. So what if their chakra points were struck or their bodies shattered? They would just regenerate. Fortunately, the Third Raikage wasn't fighting with full killing intent, which made their battle appear evenly matched.

As for the fight between Sasuke and Itachi, it was the most intense of all, aside from Hashirama's True Several Thousand Hands. The red and purple Susano'o clashed, but unlike their last battle, even with a healthy body and no concern for chakra depletion, Itachi was struggling under Sasuke's relentless assault.

"Itachi," Sasuke said calmly, "You should be grateful to Edo Tensei. Without it, you wouldn't even qualify to fight me now."

"Even without the Sharingan, the gap between us is as vast as the heavens and the earth."

Itachi showed little emotion. "I thought you would choose a path completely different from Naruto's."

"I didn't expect it to turn out like this."

"I admit he's incredibly powerful, even the Totsuka Blade couldn't affect him."

"But..."

"Sasuke, his path is the wrong one."

Sasuke interrupted him, "I'm the one who will change the Ninja system!"

"It's you who's wrong, Itachi."

Itachi paused, lowering his head. "But wasn't it Naruto who inspired you to seek such change?"

He formed hand seals.

"For peace, for the end of all conflict."

"Sasuke, I'm sorry."

"But I have to do this."

~~~

What with this self righteous Itachi. I'm getting annoyed…

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