"Lord Hokage!" Uchiha Kagami, Sakumo, Kosuke, Masakawa, and others exclaimed in unison. They never expected that the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, would suddenly appear. It must be said, this was a huge relief for them.
In fact, when Hashirama appeared before everyone, Kinkaku and his subordinates were also extremely shocked.
"The one hailed as the God of Shinobi... Hashirama Senju." Kinkaku gulped nervously, his throat moving.
As someone who was also born during the Warring States period, Kinkaku was very familiar with the name of Hashirama. He single-handedly established the ninja village and ended the Warring States period. He distributed the Tailed Beasts and created a balance of power. Looking across the entire ninja world, no one could surpass him! And most notably, was Hashirama's unparalleled strength.
'Neither Ginkaku nor I could match the Nine-Tails...' Kinkaku couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Although devouring the Nine-Tails made him famous, compared to Hashirama capturing all the Tailed Beasts, it seemed quite inferior. Moreover, with Ginkaku severely injured by Kazekaze, he couldn't even use the Shichiseiken (Seven Star Sword) and the Benihisago (Crimson Gourd) to assist him. If a real fight broke out, he might have to find a way to protect his brother Ginkaku. The situation was unfavorable for them.
Ginkaku was well aware of this; he didn't even have the strength to lift his arm now.
"Kinkaku, what should we do?" Ginkaku's voice trembled, his heart filled with fear of Hashirama. It must be said, Hashirama's appearance had forcibly changed the course of the battle.
"That kid over there is my precious grandson." Suddenly, Hashirama spoke, his voice firm and resonant.
At the same time, Hashirama took a step forward, his lips curling into a faint smile, exuding an invisible pressure. As Hashirama moved forward, Kinkaku instinctively took a step back. His aura was simply too overwhelming.
"Is this the aura of the Hokage?" Kinkaku drew a sharp breath, not daring to act rashly.
Moreover, Hashirama's words left both him and Ginkaku utterly shocked. That kid who looked seven or eight years old was actually the grandson of Hashirama Senju! The entire place was in an uproar!
'Are all members of the Senju clan monsters?' Kinkaku sighed again in his heart, as if he could foresee it.
In the future, Kazekaze would undoubtedly become the greatest enemy of the Hidden Cloud Village. Perhaps even the entire ninja world!
'I should eliminate him here.' Kinkaku gritted his teeth, and after confirming Kazekaze's identity, his mind was filled with thoughts of taking him down.
However, Hashirama stood like a mountain in front of Kazekaze. There was no chance of rushing up to eliminate Kazekaze. The moment he made a move, he might be instantly killed by Hashirama!
Yes. The God of Shinobi was such a terrifying existence!
"The one who injured me is the grandson of the First Hokage." Ginkaku stared at Kazekaze in shock.
In Ginkaku's understanding, selfless people didn't exist. Whether it was the Raikage or the Hokage, when choosing a successor, they would certainly favor their own descendants. And with Kazekaze's identity as Hashirama's grandson, he was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate to succeed as Hokage.
The most exaggerated part was, at just seven years old, he had already injured him to this extent. If given time to grow, the future would be limitless! Based on various reasons, eliminating Kazekaze here was undoubtedly the most correct decision. But seeing Hashirama standing in front of Kazekaze, Ginkaku felt fear in his heart. Not to mention eliminating Kazekaze, he and Kinkaku were likely to be taken down by Hashirama.
"Kinkaku, I don't want to die..." Ginkaku's voice carried a hint of sobbing, hoping Kinkaku could quickly come up with a plan to turn the situation around. He didn't want to end up here.
Hashirama calmly scanned the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers,
"Although my belief is to bring peace to the ninja world, if you wish to continue fighting...Then let me be your opponent!" As Hashirama shouted the last syllable, a vast amount of chakra erupted from his body.
In an instant, this chakra formed a powerful airflow, expanding in all directions with Hashirama at the center. The airflow stirred the air, shattering the ground beneath Hashirama's feet, leaving spiderweb-like cracks. Moreover, Hashirama was covered in a layer of purple chakra, resembling a Tailed Beast's chakra cloak.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku's eyes widened even larger than a bull's. He and his brother could use the chakra cloak because they had devoured the flesh of the Nine-Tails. But Hashirama was an ordinary person with no connection to the Tailed Beasts. This was his innate chakra!
"Is this the chakra of the God of Shinobi?" Kinkaku's voice began to tremble, his reverence for Hashirama deepening. In his view, the man standing before him wasn't a ninja, but a monster. A complete monster. Even with the Six Paths tools in hand, he had no chance of winning.
"Truly worthy of...The man who established the ninja village and ended the Warring States period."
As Kinkaku spoke, he made a gesture, ordering his subordinates to throw over the scroll containing the Hidden Cloud Village's information. Although unclear about Captain Kinkaku's purpose, the Cloud ninjas followed his instructions. Then, Kinkaku unhesitatingly tossed the scroll to Hashirama.
"This contains information about the Hidden Cloud Village, something your grandson wants. Lord First Hokage, I've always admired you. Since your belief is peace, I think there's no need for us to escalate this into a war over such a small matter, right? The information is yours."
Kinkaku slung the Bashōsen (Banana Palm Fan) over his back, turned to Ginkaku, and carried him.
"I'll pretend today's events never happened." With that, Kinkaku didn't care about Hashirama's reaction, leaving with the Six Paths tools without looking back. As for his subordinates, they did the same.
After running nearly two or three miles, Kinkaku finally stopped, cautiously asking,
"The First Hokage didn't follow us, right?" Confirming he couldn't sense Hashirama's chakra, Kinkaku felt relieved, grateful for escaping a disaster. He never expected to encounter Hashirama Senju in such a place.
Meanwhile, Hashirama stood in place, remaining silent for a moment after Kinkaku and others were out of sight.
"Have they all left?" Hashirama asked in a low voice to Masakawa and the others. For a ninja village, the border was extremely important. So, the team usually included sensory-type ninjas. However, the ninja answering Hashirama's question was a bit puzzled. In terms of sensory ability, shouldn't Lord Hashirama be much more capable than himself? How could he not sense Kinkaku and the others leaving?
"I can't sense the Cloud ninjas' chakra." Despite his doubts, he answered honestly.
Immediately, without thinking, Hashirama said,
"Run quickly." In the next second, the so-called God of Shinobi, under a puff of white smoke, suddenly transformed into Kazekaze.