Chapter 99: Rising from the Dead
The Water Release: Water Severing Wave didn't have such power in Tobirama Senju's hands, but at this moment, Hashirama Senju was in Sage Mode, greatly amplifying the power of his ninjutsu.
Not only that, Amu was simply too close to Hashirama, no more than a meter apart at most.
Water droplets dripped from Hashirama's chin, and his cheeks ached faintly from the high-pressure splashing water.
Hashirama's branch-like arms released Amu's horns, and Amu fell face-first to the ground with a thud, utterly silent.
*Clang.*
A crisp slashing sound came from behind Hashirama, who instinctively hunched forward.
*Swoosh~*
The long blade grazed the back of Hashirama's head as he ducked, and the two branch-like arms quickly crawled up to his own arms, wrapping around his hands and forearms.
These branches were very thin, only slightly thicker than animal hair. Thus, Hashirama looked as if he were wearing two dark-green arm guards, which both protected his arms and didn't hinder his hand seals.
Just as Hashirama dodged Su Xiao's slash, Su Xiao had already kicked toward Hashirama's side.
*Bang!*
The kick landed squarely on Hashirama's lower back, but given Hashirama's strength attribute and combat experience, he wasn't sent flying by the kick. Instead, he used his hunched posture to channel the force into the ground.
Gravel scattered in all directions. Su Xiao quickly raised his left arm to shield his face as the stones clattered against the crimson metal arm guard.
Su Xiao had successfully closed in on Hashirama. Although Hashirama was a ninja, his body was far from fragile—on the contrary, his physical toughness was monstrous.
Hashirama took a deep breath. Though he seemed to handle Su Xiao's kick easily, that blow to his soft ribs had nearly disrupted his breathing.
Still hunched, Hashirama swung his arm backhanded toward Su Xiao's abdomen. As he swung, his body began turning to face Su Xiao. Even Hashirama Senju wouldn't dare turn his back on Su Xiao.
The moment Hashirama's arm swung, Su Xiao raised his left leg, lifted the long blade in his right hand high, and brought it down toward Hashirama's head.
*Bang.*
*Pfft.*
Su Xiao's calf went numb. Hashirama's 84-point strength attribute was no joke. Fortunately, Su Xiao's constitution was strong enough; otherwise, he would have been severely injured and unable to get up.
Su Xiao's body flew backward. Since he was standing on one leg when struck, being sent flying was inevitable.
Midair, Su Xiao quickly adjusted his center of gravity. The Realm Severing Thread on his left wrist shot out, stabbing deep into the ground.
With a tug on the thread, a large boulder was ripped from the soil and shattered.
Landing steadily, Su Xiao looked at the Dragon-Slaying Flash in his hand. The blade was stained with blood.
He turned his gaze to Hashirama Senju, who now had a gash on his shoulder. The cut wasn't deep, and it seemed the bone hadn't been severed.
Though Dragon-Slaying Flash was sharp, it clearly wasn't sharp enough against Hashirama's physical defense. This was expected, as Hashirama was far stronger than Su Xiao, especially in Sage Mode. Moreover, Dragon-Slaying Flash was currently of Light Gold quality. An ordinary Light Gold weapon wouldn't even scratch Sage Mode Hashirama.
Su Xiao tried moving his calf. Aside from some numbness, there was no major issue. He stared at the wound on Hashirama's shoulder, silently counting in his mind.
'1... 2... 3... 4...'
Both parties stood still. After about 26 seconds, the wound on Hashirama's shoulder fully healed. This gave Su Xiao some valuable information.
First, Hashirama Senju's regeneration had been drastically reduced. According to the intelligence provided by Madara, as long as Hashirama didn't suffer a fatal wound, he could recover from injuries within seconds.
Second, the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy had taken effect. This was evident from Hashirama's earlier twitching cheek.
If that was the case, as long as Su Xiao triggered Soul Electrocution during close combat, he could cut Hashirama half to death. What he needed now was an opportunity.
The reason Hashirama hadn't charged at Su Xiao was that he, too, was gathering information—first, how much his regeneration had been weakened, and second, the extent of his internal injuries.
Hashirama realized that after being cut by Su Xiao, the flesh wounds were minor; the internal damage was far more lethal.
No wonder Hashirama felt this way. The damage from Cyan Steel Shadow Energy and the Living Creature Severing ability both acted on the body's interior.
Hashirama silently decided to avoid close combat with Su Xiao. Instead, he would use mid-range ninjutsu to stall Su Xiao and engage in a war of attrition. Even if attrition failed, he could buy time, because he sensed that the life force of the Senju clan within him wasn't permanently sealed—it had merely entered a semi-dormant state.
Hashirama didn't want close combat, but Su Xiao certainly wouldn't agree. He stomped the ground and charged straight at Hashirama.
Su Xiao vanished from his spot in an instant.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld."
Hashirama slapped the ground with one hand, and the surrounding rocky terrain quickly softened, turning into a vast expanse of dark-red marsh.
Both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya often used this technique, but they weren't its developers. When they used it, they could only create a marsh a few meters wide.
Now, with Hashirama Senju as the center, the area within a hundred meters had turned into marshland. The only solid ground left was beneath his feet.
Dark-red mud splashed as Su Xiao appeared five meters in front of Hashirama, his legs sinking into the marsh. He swung his long blade forward, sending a blade aura flying.
Hashirama clearly hadn't expected Su Xiao to have this move. With no other choice, he crossed his arms in front of him.
*Pfft.*
Wood and blood splattered as shallow cuts appeared on Hashirama's arms.
An energy shield formed beside Su Xiao. As soon as it appeared, he immediately disconnected from it and pushed it flat onto the marsh beside him.
Su Xiao pressed one hand on the energy shield, exerted force, and pulled his legs free from the marsh, jumping onto the shield.
This energy shield was 7 meters long and 5 meters wide—the largest Su Xiao could create. Though it slowly sank, it gave him a foothold.
"Water Release: Tears of Heaven."
Hashirama had already completed his hand seals by the time Su Xiao jumped onto the shield. Even without Wood Release, Hashirama was still formidable. He knew far too many ninjutsu and had an absurd amount of chakra.
Water Release: Tears of Heaven was also one of Tobirama Senju's signature techniques. It formed water into needles, with attack power rivaling the Water Severing Wave.
Just as Hashirama was about to unleash Water Release: Tears of Heaven, mud splashed behind him. A large hand reached out from the marsh and grabbed his calf.
The owner of this hand was Amu. Though Hashirama had pierced Amu through with a water technique, nearly turning it into beef skewers, it wasn't dead.
Amu's physiology was similar to that of living creatures, but its vital points were different. As long as its core alchemical array wasn't destroyed, it could continue fighting. Having its head pierced was only a severe injury; only if its head was blown apart would it temporarily lose mobility.
Amu's sudden appearance interrupted Hashirama's already-initiated ninjutsu.