Chapter 207

Unable to understand the issue at hand, Tobirama Senju turned his gaze to Orochimaru nearby, asking with an indifferent tone.

"Approximately, it has been a little over a month, close to two months,"

Orochimaru replied lazily, licking his lips. His gaze inadvertently settled on Tobirama.

"Why? What made you curious about this?"

Tobirama didn't respond to Orochimaru's query. Instead, his expression grew slightly more somber.

In just over a month, nearly two, this youngster had achieved such an incredible growth in power. It was somewhat hard for him to fathom.

Back in their day, to enhance their strength, they had to make immense efforts and undergo countless trials, achieving progress only through blood, sweat, and tears.

Compared to this young one, their past struggles seemed almost insignificant.

It was truly beyond Tobirama's comprehension and even harder for him to accept!

He had long suspected that this boy would be a new Uchiha Madara. Even if his elder brother disagreed, he intended to take some action.

And now, all these revelations only solidified his inner convictions.

"I have another question for you, young one,"

Tobirama said, crossing his arms, his voice still as cold as ever.

"Why hasn't the Senju Clan reacted? What's going on with the Senju Clan now?"

"As for that situation, shouldn't you be the one who knows best?" 

Upon hearing Tobirama's words, Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips again.

"After all, wasn't it your policy that determined the path of the Senju Clan? My teacher, the Third Hokage, has been strictly implementing your plan, though, of course, with some slight extensions."

Hearing Orochimaru's words, Tobirama was momentarily taken aback. Then, he seemed to freeze in place.

His expression darkened, his gaze firmly fixed on Orochimaru, clearly finding it hard to believe this revelation.

However, Orochimaru's expression remained unchanged, looking as if he wasn't affected at all. He even flashed a smile towards Tobirama Senju and said,

"I'm not controlling you now. Can't you use the Reanimation Jutsu? You can summon my teacher to ask him. As for the required materials, I can provide you with my teacher's portion, but you'll have to figure out the rest on your own."

Orochimaru's confident assertion silenced Tobirama, who eventually turned his gaze back to the center of the battlefield.

Initially, he had thoughts of attacking Shisui and Yaneko, but now, due to Hashirama's summoning of the Deep Forest, they were inadvertently separated.

This separation might be for the best, as it allowed him to avoid the boy with the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Even during his prime, although he had ways to counter the Mangekyou, he had to tread carefully when under its gaze.

"Are you alright?"

On another side, Shisui, while intently watching the dense forest ahead, whispered to Yaneko beside him.

At this point, Shisui had no intention to take on the two previous Hokages; such power wasn't something he could challenge lightly.

However, he felt something odd - he could distinctly sense that the Wood Release techniques contained a power similar to what resided within him.

But now wasn't the time to ponder on that. He needed to quickly ascertain Yaneko's condition, a task given to him by Kaito.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I'm a capable ninja,"

Yaneko quickly shook her head, appearing exceptionally calm.

Staring at the distant forest, Yaneko pondered swiftly, then said with utmost seriousness,

"The situation is quite dire. Right now, your concern shouldn't be my condition, but finding a way to support Kaito immediately."

"I refuse."

Shisui immediately shook his head, his fist clenched slightly, yet his voice remained calm.

"Kaito would never act without purpose. His order to me was to protect you and retreat based on the situation.

So, don't cloud my judgment. Your importance is higher than you imagine."

"I'm just an ordinary ninja, but Kaito is a minister and a clan leader."

Yaneko stared at Shisui as she whispered.

"Most importantly, this intel must be relayed back.

By now, we can deduce that Iwagakure has employed war ninjas, so it's very likely that Ōnoki won't be on the frontlines.

I've heard from Kaito that you once served in the Anbu. You should understand the significance of this intel without me spelling it out.

Besides, in the midst of battle, Kaito's capabilities would surpass mine."

Yaneko's words did have some impact on Shisui. After all, this woman's assessment of the battle was truly insightful.

It's for this reason that Shisui realized Yaneko's importance, making him somewhat conflicted.

But as he was pondering, a change occurred in the forest formed by the Divine Tree. An even more terrifying chakra began to spread rapidly in all directions.

"Susanoo!"

Accompanied by the surge of Kaito's chakra, countless layers of massive vines were instantly shattered by a formidable force.

Centered around Kaito, a blue giant phantom appeared, which then materialized.

The giant swung its arms continuously, tearing apart numerous vines with an overwhelming force!

"Is he getting serious now?"

Hashirama Senju quickly retreated. His severed arm was also steadily regenerating.

Yet, even in retreat, he continued to exert relentless pressure on Kaito.

Endless tree vines madly approached Kaito, but such attacks were futile against Kaito's Susanoo.

Especially since Kaito, controlling the Susanoo, drew out a shinobi blade, its fearsome blade continuously sweeping away those vines.

The rigid vines were swiftly cut by the blade. Although the vines persisted endlessly, they couldn't inflict much damage under Kaito's assault.

After all, Senju Hashirama's power was just so-so at the moment. Even though he had made significant progress, there were limits to it.

Kaito became serious, and began to combine his attacks with the 'Reverse Path' of his right eye. Those vines couldn't stop his offensive at all.

Seeing this, Hashirama, with his remaining hand, quickly made a seal, and vast chakra began to surge madly.

In an instant, the ground beneath them shattered, and a massive vine broke out of the ground, carrying him rapidly away into the distance.

As he retreated, the blade of a giant crashed down, accompanied by a loud bang. Boulders flew everywhere, and a spreading crack appeared on the ground.

"He sure runs fast."

Kaito shifted his gaze to Hashirama's movements and, with a cold snort, his Susanoo turned around.

With a gentle swing of his ninja blade, he sliced off the approaching plants. Then he, controlling his Susanoo, charged forward.

The immense Susanoo, on his body, didn't seem cumbersome at all and moved at high speed towards Hashirama in mid-air.

However, Kaito knew that his energy consumption was significant at this point. Such a massive Susanoo would naturally affect his speed.

Even though Susanoo was formed from chakra, its weight was not negligible.

Kaito hadn't activated the power of 'Annihilation' at this moment, so he naturally didn't benefit from any speed boost.

He now relied solely on his body's strength to propel him forward. Fortunately, his physical power was more than enough, and he didn't need to worry too much.

"Wood Release: Forest Emergence Technique!"

Seeing this, Hashirama immediately formed a seal with one hand, controlling the vines beneath him to dodge Kaito's attacks.

At the same time, he extended his hand, transforming into countless vines, quickly wrapping around Kaito's Susanoo's limbs.

Kaito paused slightly. A light flashed in the eyes of his Susanoo, and then the ninja blade in Kaito's hand danced swiftly, cutting those branches off.

But at that moment, Hashirama made another seal, and suddenly, a wooden wall appeared in front of Kaito, separating the two.

"This defensive level is indeed impressive."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. He was aware of the wood release's dual-purpose nature, but he was also getting quite irritated by it.

//

if you are interested, you can get early chapters on my p atreon, p atreon.com/softcrow

Vote with your Power Stones ⬇️