Chapter 98: Instant Kill?
A burly figure walked over from the distance, carrying something on his shoulder that looked like a woman.
It was Amu who had arrived. As for what he carried on his shoulder, it wasn't Tsunade. Su Xiao had captured Tsunade only to detain Senju Hashirama. As for threatening Hashirama with Tsunade's life during the battle to make him submit, Su Xiao had never considered that. Sometimes he acted unscrupulously, but that depended on who his enemy was.
Facing a powerhouse like Senju Hashirama, who remained calm and composed even when his strength was weakened, Su Xiao wouldn't do that.
In battle, it's about life and death. Those who strive to grow stronger don't dislike fighting.
Senju Hashirama was a humble man. Did he dislike fighting? Did he study ninjutsu only to protect his loved ones? Protecting loved ones was only part of the reason. The other major reason was that Senju Hashirama also craved life-and-death battles; he just didn't show it.
For example, someone cooks food every day. Why do they cook? Of course, to enjoy it themselves or share it with others, and to improve their culinary skills in the process.
Growing stronger is similar to this process. Anyone who becomes stronger wants to find an opponent for a big fight, even a life-and-death battle. Only in battle can one deeply feel how much they've grown.
When you defeat those you once had to look up to, the sense of achievement and satisfaction can't be found elsewhere.
Growth and battle are closely linked. People like Hashirama and Naruto hide their inner desires after becoming stronger, but given the chance, they too will fight freely.
As for Su Xiao and Uchiha Madara, they don't hide it at all. They won't involve the innocent, but if their positions are opposed, prepare for a life-and-death battle.
Achieving something requires motivation. Disliking battle or wanting to defeat someone won't make you stronger quickly—that's a law. If Hashirama were just a kind man, he would never have become this powerful!
Amu came behind Su Xiao. On his shoulder was Karin, her eyes full of terror.
Su Xiao signaled Amu to release Karin. As soon as Karin stood on the ground, she felt a bit weak in the knees because the person not far away looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere.
Gulp. Karin swallowed.
"Is this... Senju Hashirama??"
Karin was clearly unsure. She had seen statues of Senju Hashirama many times, and with his overwhelmingly massive chakra, she guessed his identity.
"Yes, the living Senju Hashirama."
Su Xiao's voice was calm.
"We... have to fight him?"
Karin's voice was almost tearful.
"You don't need to fight him. You just need to heal me well and sense the surroundings."
"O-okay."
Karin quickly stepped back, crossing her arms. Su Xiao's words, "You just need to heal me well," caused her to misunderstand.
Not only was Karin sensing the surroundings, but Bubu Wang was also doing the same while providing the Ice Goddess Halo.
Don't think Bubu Wang was just idling near the battlefield. On the contrary, his tasks were heavy: sensing, emergency healing, controlling Amu's combat, sneak-attacking Hashirama at critical moments, and blocking or diverting the ninja coalition's reinforcements.
In every battle, Bubu Wang rarely took the field, but that didn't mean he was a burden. He was Su Xiao's greatest support. More importantly, Bubu Wang was trustworthy, which allowed Su Xiao to focus entirely on dealing with Senju Hashirama.
The alchemical array in Amu's eyes flickered—Bubu Wang had taken over his body's control. Compared to Amu's own consciousness, Bubu Wang coordinated better with Su Xiao.
Without any signal from Su Xiao, Bubu Wang controlled Amu to charge at Senju Hashirama.
Boom, boom, boom...
Debris flew from under Amu's feet as frost rose from his horns, accelerating his charge. This was Amu's charge skill, Fearless Charge.
Whoosh~
At the end of the charge, Amu left afterimages behind him—a combination of brute strength and speed.
Feeling the subtle tremors in the ground, Senju Hashirama's eyes developed black patterns, and a black circle appeared on his forehead with a black dot in the center—his Sage Mode.
Hashirama put both thumbs into his mouth and bit them with a crack. Just as Su Xiao thought he would use the Five-Layered Rashomon, thin branches sprouted from Hashirama's wounds, quickly wrapping around his arms.
Seeing this, Su Xiao frowned. He wasn't surprised that Hashirama used Wood Release to this extent, but Hashirama's reaction surprised him.
Judging by Hashirama's reaction, it seemed Su Xiao wasn't the first to "seal" his bloodline limit. Hashirama appeared to have experienced similar battles before.
"The last time I was this weak was when I fought that old man from the Uchiha clan."
Hashirama lowered his body, arms extended to his sides.
Boom, boom, boom.
Amu, charging headlong, reached Senju Hashirama, his horns aimed straight at Hashirama's chest, clearly intending to pierce him.
Crack, crack, crack~
The branches on Hashirama's arms grew rapidly, formed from the blood he had shed.
These branches quickly shaped into two arms. Just as Amu reached Hashirama, the two branch arms precisely grabbed Amu's horns.
Boom!
Senju Hashirama's legs sank into the ground up to his knees, with mud and debris spraying behind him from the impact.
Dust and shockwaves spread outward. Inside the dust, Hashirama leaned forward, the two branch arms connected to his shoulders firmly gripping Amu's horns.
Senju Hashirama withstood Amu's charge head-on, but his physical attribute was higher than Amu's. This collision, though seemingly spectacular, didn't actually harm Senju Hashirama.
Hashirama's free hands were quickly forming hand seals, as if he hadn't used this jutsu in a long time, his speed not too fast.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave."
Hashirama tilted his head back slightly, and a straight water jet about the thickness of a finger shot from his mouth. Water Severing Wave was Senju Tobirama's signature jutsu. As Tobirama's elder brother, Hashirama naturally knew it too, since the brothers shared all their jutsu.
This water jet was fast and fierce, heading straight for the back of Amu's head. With Amu's horns caught by the branch arms, dodging was impossible.
Sizzle! The finger-thick water jet pierced Amu's head. Though it seemed thin, it carried ultra-high pressure, similar to a high-pressure water jet cutter.
Water splashed dozens of meters high, with faint fragments of skull visible within.
When the water fell, Hashirama and Amu remained in the same position. On top of Amu's head was a finger-thick hole, with broken skull around it, revealing intricate soft tissue structures and large alchemical arrays inside.
Not just the head—there was also a hole in Amu's lower back. Hashirama's Water Release: Water Severing Wave had pierced straight through Amu.