Chapter 16: Burden
As soon as Hashirama's words fell, a punch imbued with terrifying chakra hurtled towards Kabuto's chest.
In an instant, Kabuto's face changed dramatically.
He watched as the Hashirama's fist came closer and closer to his chest.
It seemed slow but was actually incredibly fast, and there was no way to dodge it!
Hashirama struck Kabuto's chest heavily, causing a muffled sound.
Boom!
He was sent flying like a kicked ball, crashing heavily to the ground.
Bang!
He slammed into the ground, involuntarily spewing a mouthful of blood.
Kabuto's glasses shattered, his bulging eyes were filled with blood vessels, and his body twisted at an incredible angle.
He was in so much pain that he couldn't speak.
"You're too fragile!"
Hashirama looked at him who was now lying on the ground and completely unable to move.
"..."
He heard Hashirama's words, and his entire body went cold, and goosebumps erupted all over.
He couldn't help but tremble. He felt another wave of nausea, but his body was too weak to exert any strength. He could feel blood rising in his throat, but he couldn't get it out.
He could only slowly let it leak out of the sides of his mouth.
This feeling was excruciating!
"Forget it. I was originally going to hit you a couple more times, but another punch would probably kill you seeing you like this. I thought I had controlled my strength, but I didn't expect you to be so weak!"
Hashirama shook his head in disappointment, then turned away from Kabuto and chased after Orochimaru.
"Relieved..."
Kabuto felt him leaving, and his tense emotions immediately began to ease.
But...
Before he could enjoy this relief, bone-deep pain surged through his entire body.
"Damn it..."
He gritted his teeth against the unprecedented pain that constantly assaulted his nerves.
He broke his sternum and his ribs, and even his spine suffered a significant impact.
As for his internal organs...
They were all affected with every organ bleeding.
Kabuto couldn't bear to imagine whether he could survive another punch.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
While Kabuto was contemplating this, vines began to emerge from the ground.
These vines, like tentacles, lifted him off the ground and tightly bound him to prevent any chance of escape.
He felt the squeeze around him, and a bitter expression appeared on his face.
He couldn't even move now.
Let alone escape!
...
The Wood Clone of Hashirama quickly chased after the direction in which Orochimaru had fled.
Orochimaru turned his face slightly, and his snake-like eyes watched Hashirama.
The distance between them was visibly decreasing even with his distraction.
Orochimaru's expression remained unchanged, appearing heavy and calm, but he panicked internally.
Since the First Hokage demanded a fight... He had to fight somehow!
Orochimaru felt more pressure in his heart as he felt him getting closer.
"Striking Shadow Snakes."
Suddenly, he flicked his right hand backward, and many snakes shot out from his sleeve.
These snakes opened their mouths wide and lunged at Hashirama.
He deployed his signature jutsu while hoping that he could delay him as much as possible and avoid a punch.
Hashirama looked at the snakes and suddenly swung his left hand forward.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Hashirama's left arm instantly transformed into wooden vines.
These vines charged directly at the snakes.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The snakes released by Orochimaru's Shadow Snake Hand were all struck on the head by the wooden vines, rendering them unconscious.
"Enough playing around!"
Hashirama felt a sudden boredom.
If he accidentally caused serious harm... He would have to wait for Orochimaru to recover.
After all, he was the top scientist in the ninja world!
The next moment, Hashirama's right hand swung forward abruptly, sending out a long wooden vine.
The vine chased after Orochimaru at an incredible speed, coiling and wrapping around him.
Swish, swish, swish...
The wooden vine wrapped Orochimaru tightly, binding him like a scroll.
"Caught after all!"
Orochimaru smiled and found his current state quite odd. He was scared as he tried to escape but felt better now that he had been caught!
At least...
He knew his life was not in immediate danger!
Orochimaru was very aware of his value, and he could clone and produce Hashirama's cells.
As long as he had value, he wouldn't die!
Orochimaru could use his perfected Snake Clone Technique to perfectly replace himself when bound by the vines and then escape.
However...
He really didn't want to run anymore. If he kept running... He might end up dead!
"The game is over; we should head back."
At this moment, Hashirama's right hand transformed into wooden vines wrapped around Orochimaru's body.
Then.
He moved towards Kabuto.
He arrived at the vines entangling Kabuto and extended his left hand to transform into another wooden vine.
This vine merged instantly with the vines wrapping Kabuto.
Whoosh!
Hashirama's figure flashed and vanished, racing towards Hashirama's villa.
...
A few minutes later.
Hashirama lay in a reclining chair with his eyes closed. He didn't need to sleep in the state of Edo Tensei.
Whoosh!
At this moment, a figure appeared in the villa.
It was the Wood Clone.
The Wood Clone, with Kabuto in its left hand and Orochimaru in its right, had brought both of them back.
Clang!
Clang!
The Wood Clone's arms broke, and the two bound bodies fell to the villa's floor with heavy thuds.
Whoosh!
Afterward, The Wood Clone's figure flashed and entered Hashirama's body, transmitting all the memories and sensations from the recent events.
"Orochimaru. The game is over. It's time to take me to your base."
Hashirama stood up from the rocking chair, his face returning to a cold, expressionless demeanor.
"As for this one..."
Hashirama's gaze fell on Kabuto, whose vital signs were unstable.
"If he's of no use, then there's no need to carry the burden."