The four Hokage, along with Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kabuto, formed a seven-person team for this operation.
Though few in number, the lineup was undoubtedly formidable and luxurious.
The seven arrived at the outskirts of the Hidden Rain Village. Observing the lively and peaceful scene within, Hashirama Senju sighed, "I never thought there would come a day when I would have to personally destroy someone else's peace."
Hashirama was a man of great compassion. Even though this peace didn't belong to the Hidden Leaf, he still felt joy and comfort seeing it.
Jiraiya stepped forward and said, "First Hokage-sama, this is, after all, the prophecy of the Three Great Sages. We..."
Hashirama interrupted him, "I understand."
"But our target is only the Akatsuki. There's no need to bring disaster to these ordinary people."
"Let's make the Akatsuki come out of the village and face us in battle."
As he spoke, a Wood Clone appeared beside Hashirama and began walking towards the Hidden Rain Village.
At the same time, as soon as Hashirama's Wood Clone stepped into the village, Nagato, working in the central tower, suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock.
"Nagato, what's wrong?" Konan asked.
"There's an intruder. Very strong," Nagato replied. He had modified the Rain Tiger at Will Technique, transforming it into a massive barrier that enveloped the Hidden Rain Village, effectively detecting any enemy intrusions.
"Could it be Obito?"
"No! It's not him!" Nagato denied Konan's guess. He stood up abruptly and headed for the door. "The enemy's chakra is incredibly strong! Far surpassing Obito!"
"It's even stronger than mine and Kisame's!"
As Nagato stepped outside, everyone in the Akatsuki, except for Deidara, who was currently in Iwagakure, received his notification.
"Such a powerful enemy. Itachi-san, it seems we're the closest to their location. Let's go check it out," Kisame said.
"Understood."
The two quickly encountered Hashirama Senju, clad in red armor. His cracked appearance clearly revealed his current state.
"Edo Tensei!"
"The First Hokage!" Kisame and Itachi both exclaimed in shock. Even Itachi, who was usually composed, couldn't maintain his calm. How could he not recognize this man, whose face was carved into the Hokage Rock and etched into his heart?
Hashirama, who had been curiously wandering around the village, turned his head to look at Kisame and Itachi. "Judging by your attire, you must be members of the Akatsuki."
"Come, follow me outside the village for a fight."
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
Kisame responded, "Perfect. Fighting inside the village would be too restrictive. Let's follow him."
The two followed Hashirama's Wood Clone out of the village, only to find the seven-member team waiting for them.
"Tch! So it's an ambush, huh?"
"But this is our Akatsuki's territory. Reinforcements will arrive soon," Kisame said, thinking the enemy intended to take advantage of the time gap to deal with him and Itachi first.
"Ah, you misunderstood."
"How about this? We'll wait until your comrades arrive before starting the fight," Hashirama replied.
"But just standing around waiting is boring. How about we exchange a few moves first?"
"Besides, my Samehada also wants to taste the chakra of the First Hokage," Kisame said with a grin.
Itachi, standing nearby, cautioned, "Kisame, don't underestimate him. This is the First Hokage we're dealing with."
Only someone like Itachi, who had transplanted cells from the First Hokage, could grasp even a fraction of the power that the God of Shinobi once wielded. Just the thought of how much power came from a mere fragment of Hashirama's cells was enough to terrify him—facing the actual man was unimaginable.
"Don't worry, Itachi-san. I'm very strong," Kisame replied confidently.
Of course, he showed due respect to this legendary God of Shinobi. Clapping his hands together, he immediately unleashed his ultimate move.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A massive sphere of water suddenly appeared on the battlefield, its size and scale even surpassing that of the Hidden Rain Village behind it.
"This ninja's Water Release is quite impressive, Tobirama."
"It feels even stronger than yours," Hashirama remarked to Tobirama.
Tobirama replied, clearly annoyed, "Hmph! My real strength isn't in Water Release! He's just relying on having more chakra!"
On the other side, Kisame was also irritated. Using only a clone to fight him? That was underestimating him far too much.
"Water Release: Thousand Feeding Sharks!"
This time, his attack was even more ferocious. Countless giant sharks were summoned, their vicious jaws snapping towards the Wood Clone in the water.
"Wood Release: Wood Shield Technique!"
A massive wooden shield, shaped like a fierce demonic face, appeared, firmly protecting the Wood Clone. Kisame's sharks were like eggs hitting a stone, unable to cause any damage.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A high-pressure blade of water shot out, its power amplified by the surrounding water environment.
Unfortunately, the Wood Release defense technique Hashirama used was strong enough to withstand even Madara's Susanoo combined with the Nine-Tails. Even as a clone, it wasn't something Kisame could break through.
"Damn it! Is the First Hokage just going to hide like a turtle?"
Perhaps hearing Kisame's complaint, the Wood Clone stepped out of the shield, its figure floating gracefully.
"Young man, your Water Release is indeed impressive," the Wood Clone remarked.
"But I can't just keep defending, or I won't be able to defeat you."
With a casual clap of his hands, the Wood Clone launched an attack so effortless it didn't even seem like a proper technique.
Countless wooden fists extended from his body, swiftly and precisely smashing Kisame's sharks before charging towards Kisame himself.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Samehada let out a pitiful sound. Kisame had tried to use it to fend off the incoming wooden fists, but the result was a painful failure. The Wood Release showed no signs of damage, while Samehada was clearly suffering.
Kisame quickly fused with Samehada, adopting a half-man, half-shark form to nimbly weave through the wooden fists and close in on the Wood Clone.
Boom!
With a light punch, the Wood Clone displayed monstrous strength that even Tsunade in her prime couldn't match, sending Kisame flying with blood spraying from his mouth.
"Impossible!"
"Hashirama Senju! The God of Shinobi! He's far too strong!" Kisame muttered to himself. For the first time, he felt a sense of despair in battle. He couldn't even last two moves against the clone.
How could he possibly fight this?
On the other side, seeing Kisame's defeat, Itachi activated his complete Susanoo and stepped forward.
The power of Susanoo was much greater. With a single slash, it cut through the pursuing wooden fists, shielding Kisame while unleashing Amaterasu, its black flames burning towards the Wood Clone.
"That's great! It's Itachi-san's Amaterasu, the flames said to burn everything to ashes. There's no way he can handle this, right?" Kisame said.
"Ah, this again."
The Wood Clone looked down at the black flames clinging to its arm, sighing as if recalling an old story.
"Madara used to love throwing this at me too, but he eventually stopped."
"Maybe it's because this technique isn't very effective."
The Wood Clone's arm turned to wood, shedding its outer layer like bark from a tree. The black flames of Amaterasu were effortlessly cast off along with the discarded wood.
The Wood Clone then raised its head. "You're stronger than your companion, so I'll have to get serious."
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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