Senju Hashirama clapped his hands together, instantly casting Deep Forest Emergence, a high-level Wood Style technique. This left Sakura completely speechless.
The already heavily damaged rooftop collapsed entirely under the onslaught of the technique. Countless tree branches and vines burst from the ground—once again, the legendary Wood Style that had swept across the ninja world reappeared!
"Great-granddaughter, get out of the way!"
Hashirama shouted as he watched the pink figure darting around amidst the sea of trees.
"How do I even look like Tsunade?!"
"Apologize to my parents, you bastard!"
Sakura darted through the swarm of seemingly sentient tree branches. Like tentacles, they formed massive nets that closed in on her from all directions.
Her emerald eyes grew sharp. Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed from beneath her feet. The massive net of branches shattered instantly under the force.
Her rose-colored figure leapt high into the air, breaking free from the forest of wood.
"Well done!"
Hashirama's eyes lit up with admiration as he praised her for breaking through his Deep Forest Emergence.
But in the very next second, his expression changed.
From within the sea of trees, three branches shot out at lightning speed and instantly restrained Sakura's limbs—her arms and both legs bound tightly midair.
"Damn it!"
Hashirama was furious. That guy named Orochimaru had too much control over his movements. Not only that, but this body was far too weak—nowhere near capable of unleashing the power he once possessed.
If he had his full strength from when he was alive—no, even half of it—he could forcefully resist the pressure of the Impure World Reincarnation and slam Orochimaru into the ground!
But at this moment, a kunai came flying at Sakura's head like a bolt of lightning!
"Dodge!"
"That's my Flying Thunder God Slash!"
Tobirama's face was filled with frustration, though he had no control over his body.
Sakura, however, had been wary of Tobirama from the very beginning.
In this unstable state of Impure World Reincarnation, the numerically overpowered Hashirama wasn't the real threat. Instead, Tobirama, with his deadly precision and tactical prowess, was much more dangerous.
The kunai grazed Sakura's cheek, drawing a fine line of blood. But the next second, a silver-haired, red-eyed figure flashed in front of her, grabbing the kunai and thrusting it toward her face!
Seriously? What is with these guys and my face?
First Orochimaru slashed my face, and now Tobirama's doing it too.
Sakura tilted her head just in time to narrowly dodge Tobirama's attack.
Tobirama wasn't actually aiming for her face—his intended target had been her neck. But he had fought tooth and nail to change the trajectory, just barely diverting it away from a lethal point to instead graze her face.
Tobirama missed and tried to follow up with another strike, but Sakura raised her head and delivered a brutal headbutt!
With a loud crash like being hit by a speeding truck, Tobirama was sent hurtling downwards, smashing through the rooftop and crashing into the floor below.
"Whoa! Nice one!"
Hashirama didn't hold back on his compliments.
Sakura glanced at the branches that bound her limbs, then exerted her strength with a sharp snap—crack! The branches shattered, and she landed gracefully on the ground.
Before she could catch her breath, Hashirama charged in again, delivering a heavy punch aimed directly at her.
Hashirama had already analyzed this child's combat style.
Like Tsunade, she relied on raw physical power—she was a taijutsu type. And since Orochimaru had commanded him to go on the offensive, how he chose to attack mattered.
Using Wood Style or using his fists—those were two very different forms of attack.
Considering how weak this reincarnated body was, he decided to abandon flashy techniques and instead target Sakura's strengths with his weaknesses.
This might seem like a foolish idea, but in reality, it was a brilliant tactical choice.
Hashirama's battle intelligence was undoubtedly among the highest in the ninja world.
Sakura caught his incoming fist with one hand and retaliated with a punch of her own. With a deafening boom, fragments of paper flew through the air—half of Hashirama's arm was blown apart!
"Well done. To see a younger generation like you with my own eyes—that alone makes this Impure World Reincarnation worthwhile."
Hashirama gave Sakura a warm look, then suddenly launched a fierce kick.
Sakura didn't dodge. She raised her arm to block the blow directly and prepared to counterattack by smashing his leg.
But in that instant, a swift shadow emerged from beneath her—Tobirama again!
His sharp kunai sliced off a strand of her pink hair. Sakura didn't flinch. She abandoned her hold on Hashirama, arched her back to avoid Tobirama's strike, and then delivered a powerful kick that sent him flying again!
Seizing the opportunity, Hashirama looked over to Tsunade, who stood silently on the edge of the battlefield, doing nothing.
"Tsunade, what are you waiting for?"
"Join forces with this child already!"
Tobirama picked himself up from the ground and began weaving hand signs. As his brother, he had already figured out Hashirama's intent.
Abandoning one's strength to strike at the enemy's own.
Tobirama's eyes focused on Sakura's fists.
Her gloves were made from chakra-conductive metal fused with various rare materials. Their strength, when combined with the user's chakra, increased dramatically.
Earlier, she had used these gloves to block his Water Severing Wave head-on.
Considering she also had the Strength of a Hundred Seal on her forehead, paired with that monstrous strength...
Tobirama quickly finished four rapid hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
For now, he hadn't found a better tactic, so he chose to launch a basic Water Style attack.
At the same time, Sakura ignored the presence of Tobirama and went straight for Hashirama, aiming a punch at him. But Hashirama sensed his brother behind him and smiled.
He slammed his hand on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Rashōmon!"
A massive demonic-faced iron gate shot up from the earth, intercepting Sakura's punch in an instant!
Her fist struck the Rashōmon gate directly. The enormous gate trembled from the impact and tilted slightly in Hashirama's direction.
At that exact moment, Tobirama's Water Dragon Bullet arrived—but instead of hitting Sakura, it collided with the Rashōmon gate!
It not only failed to hit its target, but even stabilized the nearly toppling Rashōmon, temporarily separating Sakura from the two Hokage.
"Nice timing, big bro."
Tobirama chuckled despite his own attack being thwarted.
However, Hashirama didn't look pleased. Instead, his expression turned thoughtful.
In his memories, Tsunade was never one to stand back while the younger generation fought on the front lines. She wasn't someone to sit idly by.
Something must have happened to her...
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(End of Chapter)