Chapter 27 - The Battle of the Giants

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At the Center of the Battlefield

The opposing armies had already distanced themselves from the area, yet the atmosphere remained heavy with tension.

Standing alone, Hashirama faced the five clan leaders of the Inuzuka, Aburame, and the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance. Even with confidence in his own strength, his expression grew serious.

The five clan leaders exchanged glances. The Nara clan head subtly nodded to the Aburame and Yamanaka leaders, signaling their intent to test the waters first.

"Shadow Imitation Technique!"

"Secret Technique: Parasitic Insects!"

"Secret Technique: Mind Chaos Jutsu!"

The three attacked in unison, closing in on Hashirama from three directions.

"Wood Release: Flower Tree World!" Rather than dodging, Hashirama countered head-on. Towering trees surged upward, simultaneously assaulting all five opponents while shielding him from their attacks.

Reacting swiftly, the clan leaders showcased their abilities and evaded the wooden onslaught.

The Inuzuka clan head scowled. Hashirama's attack seemed deliberately aimed at him. The pervasive pollen in the air overwhelmed his sharp sense of smell, making it unbearable. Even his nin-dog whimpered beside him, clearly struggling.

Patting his companion's head, the Inuzuka leader gritted his teeth and declared, "Fang Over Fang!" He and his nin-dog transformed into two spinning drills, tearing through Hashirama's wooden domain.

Realizing that the battle wouldn't be easily won, Hashirama clasped his hands together in a seal. "Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"

A Distance Away

Akio observed from afar, watching as Hashirama's colossal wooden construct took shape. It towered several dozen meters high, prompting him to mutter, "This is my first time seeing Hashirama use this jutsu. It's ridiculously powerful. Looks like this battle will end before he even needs Sage Mode—"

Mid-sentence, his expression froze. "Wait, wait… isn't this a bit much?"

In response to Hashirama's technique, the Akimichi clan head finally made his move. Using the Super Expansion Jutsu, he transformed into a giant over a hundred meters tall. Compared to him, Hashirama's wooden construct looked like a child standing before an adult.

Akio turned to see Tobirama's worried expression and reassured him, "Relax, maybe it's just for show…"

Before he could finish, the Akimichi leader's enormous fist smashed Hashirama's wooden creation, shattering its head.

"Holy crap! The Akimichi clan is this strong?!"

Akio's shock wasn't unwarranted. In the original story, the strongest Akimichi shown was Chōza, Chōji's father, an elite Jōnin. However, the clan's expansion technique clearly followed the principle that quantity could evolve into quality. When a clan leader-level ninja used it, the resulting power shift was overwhelming.

Tobirama spoke, "Great-uncle, why are you so surprised? The Akimichi are the second strongest taijutsu clan in the Land of Fire, nearly on par with the Kaguya."

"Second strongest?" Akio's mouth twitched. "Then where does that put the Eight Gates?"

"Eight Gates? What's that?" Tobirama asked, puzzled.

Akio sighed. "I'd love to know where to learn it myself…"

Before Akio figured out how to properly use his system, he had once considered mastering the Eight Gates. He thought that even if he couldn't become the strongest, he could at least burn brilliantly for a moment. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Madara had seen Guy's Seventh Gate form and scoffed, "It's not the Red Steam. I must be underestimated." This implied that the Eight Gates existed during the Warring States period, and Madara had seen someone open all eight. However, that individual likely wasn't as strong as Guy, as pre-Six Paths Madara had still defeated them.

Akio had searched for two years without finding a trace of the Might family. It was possible that they passed their technique down through a single lineage, or maybe they only passed it to those with thick eyebrows… At one point, Akio even considered drawing on fake eyebrows just to try his luck.

As he pondered, he momentarily forgot about Hashirama's battle—until a sudden tremor snapped him back to reality.

Looking up, he saw that Hashirama had summoned an even larger wooden construct, now nearly as tall as the Akimichi leader. The two giants resumed their titanic clash.

The other four clan leaders struggled to intervene, only able to provide support.

"Wood Release: Bagworm Technique!" Hashirama clasped his hands together, sprouting dozens of arms from his wooden titan, all reaching to capture the Akimichi leader.

"Super Palm Thrust!" The Akimichi leader shouted, enlarging his hands further to swat away the incoming limbs.

"Secret Technique: Shadow Sewing!"

"Secret Technique: Fang Breaking Fang!"

"Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!"

The three clan leaders launched their attacks simultaneously, demolishing much of Hashirama's wooden titan.

Just as Hashirama was about to summon another, the Yamanaka leader suddenly shouted, "Secret Technique: Mind Body Disturbance Jutsu!"

Though the jutsu couldn't completely control Hashirama, it momentarily disrupted his focus. The Akimichi leader seized the opportunity, launching a devastating attack. There was no time for Hashirama to summon another wood construct.

"Summoning: Fivefold Rashomon!" Hashirama raised five enormous gates, blocking the strike just long enough to summon another wooden titan.

The battle fell into a stalemate. The four supporting clan heads coordinated their attacks while the Akimichi leader engaged head-on. The colossal battle raged for half an hour without a clear victor.

Both sides had exhausted nearly half their chakra when they finally paused, reaching an unspoken understanding.

"Senju leader, it seems we are evenly matched. Prolonging this fight is meaningless. How about we split the Chakra-Conducting Metal evenly instead of fighting to the death?" the Nara clan head proposed.

Hashirama, however, sat cross-legged atop his wooden titan with his eyes closed, not responding.

"Senju leader?" The Nara head called again.

"Something's wrong! Attack him now, Akimichi leader!" The Yamanaka leader sensed the sudden surge in Hashirama's chakra.

Hashirama's eyes snapped open, revealing two pale blue markings—Sage Mode was active!

"Sage Art: Myojinmon!" Massive red torii gates descended from the sky, pinning the Akimichi leader. Even shrinking his form couldn't free him.

"Everyone, be careful!" the Nara leader shouted.

It was futile.

"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!" Hashirama pressed his palms together, summoning an enormous Buddha-like entity with countless arms.

"Top Transformed Buddha!" Hundreds of massive hands rained down upon the battlefield.

From afar, Akio watched and smirked. "The battle is over."

As the dust settled, the battlefield had transformed into a massive valley. Hashirama, having dispelled Sage Mode, sat on a tree root meditating. The other four clan leaders, though having avoided a direct hit, had been knocked unconscious by the residual shockwaves. The Akimichi leader, crushed beneath the Myojinmon, had taken the heaviest blow. Fortunately, the torii gate had also shielded him from the brunt of the attack, saving his life.

After five minutes of meditation, Hashirama opened his eyes. Tobirama had already regrouped the Senju forces, prepared for another clash with the coalition.

But Hashirama simply smiled.

"Let's go home and celebrate our victory!"

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