The Amber Purifying Pot strapped to the Third Raikage's back had already been uncapped. Golden light erupted from inside, swirling into a cyclone with terrifying suction. From dozens of meters away, it yanked Tobirama Senju straight through the air—he didn't even have time to blink before he was sucked inside. The whole thing took less than five seconds.
The moment Tobirama was sealed, the Third Raikage slammed the lid shut. The pot rattled violently, ready to burst open at any second.
Jinghang didn't rush. He pulled out a long talisman and carefully pasted it in a ring around the bottle's mouth. Instantly, the Amber Purifying Pot went silent.
"What is this thing? That's insane!" The Third Raikage's eyes were wide with glee.
Jinghang grinned. "That's a demon-suppressing charm, hand-drawn by my godfather—the Great Immortal Huang of Xuanyuan Tomb. Paired with the Amber Purifying Pot, it's a perfect match."
He couldn't resist showing off. "Big bro, times are changing. Ninjutsu and combat have to evolve too. This pot's been sitting in Kumogakure for centuries, and you're still using it the old way? Just brute-forcing it with chakra? We gotta innovate."
The Third Raikage nodded, thoroughly convinced.
"JINGHANG!"
Hashirama Senju's furious roar echoed across the field.
This kid was ruthless—and he was about to lose it.
Jinghang just waved cheerfully. "Lord Hashirama, this war's for the living. You dead folks can sit this one out. I'll take Lord Tobirama off your hands for now. The Sand Temple's Master Bunfuku in Sunagakure is a true Buddhist master—his transcendence ceremonies are top tier. He'll send Lord Tobirama comfortably to the Pure Land."
This ambush was no accident. Jinghang and the Third Raikage had mapped the whole thing out in advance: Tobirama was the prime target.
First—play it safe. The Amber Purifying Pot had been around forever; you never knew if it'd fail. If they tried to seal Hashirama and he broke free, the pressure would be unreal.
Second—Hashirama was a powerhouse, but Tobirama's analytical mind was even scarier. Any trick, any move, Tobirama would spot it. Better to take him out first and avoid any nasty surprises.
Jinghang's sneak attack sent Hashirama's temper through the roof. Danzo, never one to miss an opening, jumped in to smear Jinghang.
"Lord Hashirama, Jinghang's always been this sly. We've fallen for his traps more than once."
Translation: It's not our fault we keep losing—the enemy's just too cunning.
Hashirama shot Danzo a look of pure disdain.
Not our stupidity? Please.
Hashirama didn't bother with hand seals. With a loud "bang," a massive broadsword materialized in his grasp.
He charged straight at Jinghang.
"Raikage, get that pot out of here! I'll hold him off. Tell the army to hold their ground—if Konoha doesn't move, neither do we!"
"Got it! You stall him. I'll be back in a flash. If Danzo tries any dirty tricks, I'll skin him alive!"
The Third Raikage powered up his Lightning Armor, slung the Amber Purifying Pot over his shoulder, and sprinted toward the main camp.
Jinghang didn't waste time. Iron sand whipped around his hands, forming a staff as tall as his eyebrows. He strode forward, fearless, meeting Hashirama head-on.
Danzo didn't attack right away—maybe he was waiting for an opening, maybe he was just hedging his bets.
Hashirama leapt high, broadsword raised overhead, and came crashing down with the force of a mountain.
Jinghang didn't try to block. He fired a kunai at Hashirama midair, then thrust upward with his staff.
Hashirama scoffed inwardly.
This guy's the Kazekage? Did Tsunade lose her mind? That kunai throw was so crooked, it couldn't hit the moon. And this attack—completely reckless. When facing overwhelming force, you dodge and counter, or defend and counter. A staff against a broadsword? Not smart. Hashirama had the high ground, all the momentum. Jinghang's upward strike relied only on leg strength. Even if the staff was longer, Hashirama could easily parry it and split Jinghang in two.
Sure enough, the kunai sailed half a meter above Hashirama's head. In a flash, the two closed distance. Just as their weapons clashed—
Jinghang vanished in a puff of white smoke.
Not good! That's Tobirama's Flying Thunder God!
Sure enough, Jinghang's voice rang out from behind:
"Iron Sand: Drizzle!"
It was Minato Namikaze's classic tactic, remixed and upgraded. With his Magnet Release, Jinghang could control the marked kunai, sending it wherever he wanted—and teleport to any point along its path. His movements became a nightmare to predict; he could appear behind you at any moment for a surprise attack.
Hashirama reacted instantly. In midair, he twisted his body, executing a perfect 180-degree turn. His broadsword spun like a windmill, deflecting every iron sand projectile.
But then—
Wait. Where's my sword?
Hashirama landed, only to realize the broadsword he'd been spinning had disappeared!
He looked up. Jinghang was descending from above, wielding Hashirama's own broadsword, mimicking his exact technique.
This kid's got moves.
Hashirama was impressed by Jinghang's skill and tactical creativity, but he didn't panic. He clasped his hands together, dropped his weight, and blocked Jinghang's overhead slash with his armored forearms.
Then, with a vicious sweep, he aimed a kick at Jinghang's waist.
But all he hit was white smoke—Jinghang had dodged again, using Flying Thunder God to flash away.
This time, Jinghang's eyes locked onto Hashirama's crimson battle armor.
Bringing metal to a Magnet Release fight? Rookie mistake.
Hashirama instantly felt something wrong. The red armor compressed, pinching into his flesh.
Agony shot through him as the armor squeezed tighter, controlling his body against his will.
Jinghang was ruthless, twisting Hashirama's limbs in unnatural directions, trying to snap them. He knew it wouldn't really hurt an Edo Tensei—pain meant nothing to the dead—but at least it would slow him down.
There was no room for mercy against an opponent like Hashirama, even in his reanimated state. If you hesitated for a second, he'd unleash a hurricane.
As expected, Hashirama powered through the restraint, breaking free with brute force. He clapped his palms together—Tsunade's monstrous strength clearly ran in the family.
"Sage Art—!"
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📚 BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!📚
This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
🔥 Full story available now
💎 Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
👉 Join my Patreon community today!
[✨patreon.com/DarkGolds]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━