Jigen let out a cold laugh, his gaze filled with disdain.
"A mere Wood Release dares to act so presumptuously before me?"
" Sukunahikona!"
With his low shout, those massive trees instantly shrank, becoming like toothpicks, and were then easily swept aside with a flick of his sleeve.
"Useless."
Jigen said coldly.
But Senju Hashirama merely laughed heartily, pressing his hands together as chakra surged wildly within him.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence of Flowering Trees!"
Endless trees erupted from beneath the ground, like a green ocean, instantly filling the entire space.
At the treetops, enormous flowers bloomed, releasing vast amounts of pollen, and the air became thick with a suffocating pressure.
"Damn it, too many?" Jigen's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of gravity in his gaze.
He clearly had not expected Senju Hashirama's Wood Release to be so massive that even his " Sukunahikona" could not fully counter it.
He quickly formed a black chakra rod and swung it violently, shattering the trees before him.
His body leaped high, weaving through the gaps between the trees, displaying formidable taijutsu.
His movements were as swift as a ghost, each strike accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, shattering all the surrounding trees.
"Seems like a slightly stronger ant. This ninjutsu isn't bad, but once I take you down, that will be that."
Jigen said coldly.
His gaze locked onto Senju Hashirama, and his body vanished from its spot in an instant.
In the next moment, he appeared before Senju Hashirama, the chakra rod in his hand thrusting straight at Hashirama's throat.
"Checkmate." His voice carried an icy killing intent, as if he could already foresee Hashirama's defeat.
But just as the chakra rod was about to pierce Senju Hashirama, Hashirama's body suddenly erupted with immense power.
His body was covered in dense Busoshoku Haki, standing firm like a god of war.
"Bang!"
Senju Hashirama's fist struck Jigen's body, sending him flying backward like a cannonball, crashing heavily onto the ground in the distance.
"Haha, a powerful opponent. How interesting!"
Senju Hashirama laughed loudly, his gaze filled with bold fighting spirit.
His body leaned forward slightly, then he charged fiercely toward Jigen.
On the other side, Jigen's body slammed heavily into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
His gaze held an incredulous shock.
He had never imagined that he could be completely outclassed in taijutsu by a "native."
Senju Hashirama's fists swung out like a storm, one after another, each strike carrying powerful Busoshoku Haki, as if trying to utterly shatter his body.
"Bang!"
The chakra rod in Jigen's hand was once again shattered by Senju Hashirama's fist, black fragments scattering in the air.
His body was sent flying again, crashing heavily against a distant rock. The rock instantly shattered into countless fragments.
"Heh heh heh, so this is what Roy-kun called Haki? What a formidable power."
Orochimaru stood in the distance, licking his lips as he watched the power of Haki.
"I never imagined that after the First Hokage learned this power, his taijutsu would become so much stronger."
In the distance, a hint of surprise also appeared in Senju Tobirama's eyes.
"Brother's taijutsu… has it already reached this level?"
As Senju Hashirama's younger brother, he knew better than anyone the extent of his brother's strength.
But the Senju Hashirama before him now had clearly surpassed his previous understanding.
Jigen, who had been sent flying, was slowly rising from the ground. His gaze held an unprecedented fury, like a enraged beast.
"An ant… how dare you…" He spoke with a gnashing hatred.
In his eyes, these "natives" were nothing more than inferior beings. How dare they resist him, a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan?
But Jigen quickly calmed down. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as black markings spread across his skin, as if some ancient runes were being activated.
His aura instantly surged, the fluctuation of his chakra making the entire space tremble.
"Kāma: Second State!"
With his low shout, his body was wrapped in a layer of black energy, and his strength and speed instantly rose to a terrifying level.
His eyes turned crimson, black markings spread across his face, and an ancient power awakened within his body.
"Senju Hashirama… you have indeed surprised me."
"But even so, you cannot stop me."
Jigen's brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of irritation in his gaze.
He could feel the power within him rapidly depleting, and this body's ability to endure was not excellent.
If this dragged on too long, he would be forced to use this body for reincarnation, a result he absolutely could not accept.
"I must finish this quickly." Jigen muttered to himself.
His gaze locked onto Senju Hashirama, a flash of killing intent in his eyes.
"He's changed again, this body…" Senju Tobirama stood in the distance, his expression grave.
He could clearly feel Jigen's aura surging once more.
The rate of this power increase far exceeded his imagination.
Senju Hashirama also wiped the smile from his face, a seriousness in his gaze.
He could feel that the enemy before him was even more dangerous than before.
His hands clenched slightly, chakra surging wildly within his body, ready to respond to Jigen's attack at any moment.
"You must be the strongest person in this world."
Jigen spoke.
"Being able to hurt me is something to be proud of. But you will soon witness the true power of the Ōtsutsuki clan."
No sooner had he finished speaking than his body suddenly vanished from its spot.
In the next moment, he appeared before Senju Hashirama, his fist carrying a sharp whistling sound, aimed straight at Hashirama's chest.
"So fast!" Senju Hashirama's Observation Haki reacted instantly. His body shifted slightly, and his fist swung out rapidly, colliding with Jigen's fist.
"Bang!"
With a deafening sound, Senju Hashirama's body was forced back several steps. The ground beneath his feet split open instantly, debris flying in all directions.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. He clearly had not expected Jigen's strength to have risen to such a level.
"Oh? So it really is strong." A flicker of surprise appeared in Jigen's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by excitement.
His body leaned forward slightly, instantly unleashing his full power as he kicked toward Senju Hashirama's abdomen.
"Bang!"
Senju Hashirama's body was struck by the kick, sent flying backward like a cannonball, crashing heavily into a distant mountain.
The mountain collapsed instantly, debris and dust scattering in all directions, the entire space seemingly trembling.
"Brother!" A hint of concern flashed in Senju Tobirama's eyes as he shouted softly.
But in the next moment, a terrifying surge of chakra erupted from the collapsed mountain.
A colossal wooden figure, blotting out the sky and sun, slowly rose from the rubble, standing like a towering mountain, radiating a suffocating pressure.
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