"Don't even think about running!" Jiraiya shouted as he pursued Deidara.
Like Hashirama Senju, he was a man of integrity. That was why he agreed to follow Deidara away from Amegakure instead of using the village as leverage to weaken his enemy. But now that they had reached a safe distance, he could no longer let Deidara widen the gap between them.
"Hmm, my new art can wait a little longer."
"For now, let's have some fun with these." Deidara spread his hands, spitting out a massive clay automaton and an enormous clay slug.
C3 Special Variant: Asura Path!
C3 Enhanced Type: Slug!
"Oh! Those don't look half bad." Hashirama praised, then clapped his hands together.
"Wood Release: Wood Golem Jutsu!"
A towering wooden giant appeared once more, this time even larger than before, surpassing the size of Deidara's clay slug.
Boom!
The earth trembled violently as the wooden golem punched straight through a mountain peak. However, its fist merely passed through the clay slug's body without causing any real damage.
As the slug split into countless smaller slugs and scattered, Hashirama scratched his head in mild frustration.
"It can divide itself too? That's troublesome."
"In that case, I'll use this."
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
The forest under Hashirama's control surged forward, engulfing the scattered clay slugs, beginning a relentless battle of attrition.
Meanwhile, the C3 Asura Path seized the opportunity to launch an attack.
Two massive projectiles fired forward—clearly not to be taken lightly.
Yet Hashirama remained unfazed, not even turning to look. The wooden golem beneath him raised its fists and smashed the incoming clay artillery.
Boom! Boom!
Two deafening explosions erupted, but the devastating projectiles, comparable to Tailed Beast Bombs in power, left only shallow dents on the golem's fists. Aside from that, they had no impact whatsoever.
Seeing the First Hokage's overwhelming strength, Jiraiya refocused his efforts on Deidara's real body. Despite Deidara hovering in the sky, Jiraiya was no longer the same as before.
"Sage Art: Fire Release: Big Flame Bullet!"
He instantly entered Sage Mode, orange markings appearing on his face. His aura erupted like a raging storm, forming an invisible domain around him.
This was because his immense power came from sheer force rather than precise control. In contrast, Hashirama, equally strong, still seemed like an ordinary man despite his might.
A barrage of fireballs shot skyward—no, calling them mere fireballs wouldn't do them justice.
Jiraiya unleashed so many flaming projectiles that it resembled a relentless anti-air missile barrage, numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands. And as they ascended, they showed no signs of losing momentum.
It was almost absurd.
Watching the overwhelming firestorm, Deidara felt as if he were facing an all-encompassing net of destruction, leaving no room for escape.
"Ya! Ya!"
Countless clay crows flew out, diving downward in suicidal explosions. The continuous detonations filled the battlefield with an intense firefight.
Suddenly, a slender wooden tendril shot through the air from behind Deidara, slicing toward him in a sweeping motion. Caught off guard, he was knocked off his clay bird.
Glancing down, Deidara saw that Hashirama was still effortlessly handling the two clay creatures. The battle was clearly no challenge for him, leaving him with plenty of room to launch sneak attacks.
Boom!
More clay birds emerged, only to be immediately incinerated by Jiraiya's jutsu.
"Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"
Taking advantage of Deidara's free fall, Jiraiya unleashed a swift, deadly attack. His hardened hair, infused with Sage Chakra, transformed into a barrage of piercing needles—an indiscriminate killing storm.
If hit, the damage would be devastating.
In response, Deidara casually tossed a clay doll from his pouch. Activating it, he allowed it to free-fall while his body dissolved into countless microscopic particles, vanishing without a trace.
"He shrank into tiny particles?" Jiraiya, using Sage Mode, could clearly sense Deidara's transformation.
However, since Deidara was still high above, even knowing his trick didn't mean Jiraiya could react in time.
Especially since the bomb Deidara had just thrown was already above his head.
"Hngh!"
Boom!
It was as if he was standing directly beneath a summer thunderclap—blinding light, searing heat, and an overwhelming shockwave erupted all at once.
C3 No. 18 was a clay masterpiece created purely for destruction. Its explosion far surpassed other C3 techniques in raw power, exuding an aura of pure annihilation.
"That is…" From another battlefield, Tobirama and his team were stunned. They turned toward the enormous fireball rising in the distance, feeling the scorching wind against their skin.
This level of destruction…!
"Hashirama Senju: Shock Value +5000"
"Jiraiya: Shock Value +5000"
"Tobirama Senju: Shock Value +3000"
"Tsunade…"
A series of system notifications rang out. Clearly, this attack had finally shaken the God of Shinobi. Until now, he had treated the fight as child's play.
At the bottom of the crater left by No. 18's explosion, a wooden-faced shield retracted.
Hashirama and Jiraiya stepped out of the pit. Looking up at Deidara, who was reforming in the sky, Hashirama's expression finally grew serious.
"As expected of a variable of fate. This level of power… I'll have to take you seriously."
Sage markings appeared on his face—he had entered Sage Mode.
Clap!
He brought his hands together.
"Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands!"
A colossal Thousand-Armed Kannon statue manifested on the battlefield. How massive was it?
Compared to this, the previous Wood Golem was merely the size of its head. Any random hand extending from its back could grasp the Nine-Tails with ease. If one had to compare, its size rivaled that of the fully formed Ten-Tails.
"Deidara, your abilities are too dangerous. I have to end this here!" Hashirama declared from atop the Kannon's head.
Deidara grinned excitedly, finally ceasing his chewing. He spat out a lifelike clay dragon.
Unlike the bulky C2 Dragon, this one had an elegant, streamlined form, tightly packed scales, razor-sharp claws, and a maw lined with jagged fangs.
C4 Enhanced Type: Deathwing!
Roar!
Its draconic cry sent tremors throughout the ninja world.
"Hashirama Senju: Shock Value +5000"
"Jiraiya: Shock Value +5000"
"Tobirama Senju: Shock Value…"
More shock values flooded in. Staring at the clay dragon, which rivaled the Thousand-Armed Kannon in size, the entire battlefield fell into stunned silence.
Even back in Amegakure, voices of disbelief echoed.
"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit…" Suigetsu kept cursing in shock. "Those things are bigger than the entire village!"
"Is this really something a ninja can achieve?"
"At this point, they might as well be gods!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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