Hikaru truly wanted to know what Hashirama Senju looked like at his peak.
After all, in the original story, Hashirama was the only man who had defeated Madara Uchiha again and again.
No matter how much Hikaru admired Madara's overwhelming arrogance, he still had to respect this ridiculous, slightly childish man standing before him.
According to Hashirama himself, his current strength was already extremely close to his prime. Naturally, that made Hikaru interested.
Sparring with Hashirama cost almost nothing, so why not test it properly?
He could witness the power of the First Hokage, a man close to his peak, and at the same time gain a clearer understanding of his own current strength.
Both sides had already agreed, and neither of them liked wasting time.
Hikaru was curious about Hashirama's power, and Hashirama and Tobirama were just as curious about Hikaru's.
They had sensed Hikaru's aura, understood his physical condition, and even seen his eyes.
But Hikaru had never truly fought in front of them.
By the time they were summoned, the battlefield on the moon had already been reduced to ruins.
They could only learn fragments from the surviving Ōtsutsuki, and after returning to the shinobi world, they could read records about Hikaru's performance in previous wars.
Now that they could watch Hikaru fight up close, neither of them intended to miss the chance.
Of course, a battle between the two of them could not be arranged carelessly.
They were too powerful.
Some preparations had to be made in advance.
For example, the location had to be chosen carefully. They also needed to inform the right people beforehand so the destruction caused by their spar would not create a misunderstanding in the village.
Hikaru also intended to use this battle to gradually let a few trusted people in Konoha know the village's current situation.
He did not plan to reveal Hashirama and Tobirama all at once, but sooner or later, the two would reappear before the world.
Giving this information to people he trusted would strengthen his own position and bind more hearts to him.
How could Hikaru miss such an opportunity?
Besides, he had already promised Kakashi.
That meant Rin had to be awakened this time as well. Hikaru had no interest in delaying it any further.
"You two find a suitable location. I'll bring some people over. After all, you'll eventually be moving around Konoha again. We can't have absolutely no one know."
Hikaru had considered it carefully.
His words made Hashirama and Tobirama pleased, but also a little hesitant.
"Should we forget it?" Hashirama asked. "I'm worried our appearance might cause trouble for you."
"If I can't even handle your influence, then what right do I have to be Hokage?"
Hikaru was confident.
That confidence made both Hashirama and Tobirama even more satisfied.
So they said nothing more.
All they needed to do was make their stance clear.
They would support Hikaru completely.
After agreeing on the details, the three separated.
With Hashirama providing the coordinates, Hikaru was not worried about finding them later.
He quickly used Flying Thunder God and returned to his home.
It did not take long for him to find Senju Shōma, who was resting at home. Hikaru did not explain much, only told him to come along.
Shōma was confused.
He did not understand what Hikaru wanted.
But before this new pride of the Senju Clan, this new Hokage of Konoha, Shōma would obey almost anything.
Perhaps to him, the thing he was most proud of in life was raising Senju Hikaru.
Of course, he also knew that Hikaru's rise had not truly depended on him.
But that pride was still real.
After bringing Shōma to the Hokage's office, Hikaru had saya and Ayame notify Kakashi and Sakumo, Nara Shikaku, and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Kakashi and Shikaku were currently Hikaru's most important supports within Konoha's system, apart from saya and Ayame.
saya and Ayame provided the most help in his daily work.
Kakashi and Shikaku supported him across a wider range of matters.
Hikaru trusted them.
Kakashi and Sakumo already knew of Hashirama and Tobirama's existence, so letting Shikaku know now was natural.
As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hikaru mainly wanted to unsettle him a little.
Hashirama, Tobirama, and Sakumo Hatake were all capable of stabbing directly into Hiruzen's old wounds.
Of course, Hikaru also wanted to show him a bit of hope, so he would work even harder.
Hiruzen's ability to handle work was still strong. Hikaru had always known that, even if their ways of thinking were vastly different.
Besides, Hiruzen's wife was dead, one of his sons was gone, and even the future Konohamaru was effectively erased.
By showing him hope now, Hikaru could stir greater motivation in him.
Whether Hikaru would truly help him was another matter.
But hang a carrot in front of a donkey, and the donkey would keep chasing it.
When people saw hope, they would rarely let it slip away easily.
"Everyone's here, yes? Then I'll announce something first."
Once saya and Ayame had brought everyone over, Hikaru had them stay as well. Then he looked at the serious faces in front of him and spoke slowly.
"In a moment, I will take you somewhere. Do not ask where it is. Do not speak carelessly about what you see.
"Everything that happens today must remain confidential. Can you do that?"
Hikaru usually presented himself with warmth.
Even though he showed a different side in private, such moments were still rare.
But this level of seriousness was something none of them had seen before.
Everyone immediately understood that this matter was unusual.
Aside from Shōma and Hiruzen, the other five half-knelt and answered in unison.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
"Get up. Prepare to leave."
Hikaru almost wanted to say, "Don't kneel," but the shinobi world did not care about ideals like equality.
After everyone stood up, Hikaru quietly waited for Tobirama's signal.
No one else knew what he was thinking, and no one dared ask.
About ten minutes later, Hikaru suddenly created a shadow clone.
The clone walked over to Kakashi and the others. The moment it placed a hand on them, they all felt the world spin.
The sensation came quickly and vanished just as fast.
Their surroundings had already changed.
They now stood above a canyon.
At once, they realized Hikaru had brought them here with Flying Thunder God.
And in the next moment, they saw two figures waiting near the front of the canyon.
From a distance, aside from Kakashi, Sakumo, saya, and Ayame, everyone stiffened.
Because they recognized those two figures.
The First Hokage and the Second Hokage of Konoha.
The twin legends of the Senju Clan.
Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju.
…
"That… that is…"
Shōma stared at the two figures in disbelief. His body trembled uncontrollably.
He was excited.
He had never dreamed he would one day see the two men who had brought the Senju Clan endless glory.
Tears appeared in his eyes.
He felt as if he were dreaming.
Otherwise, how could this be possible?
Hiruzen and Shikaku were not much better.
They had never imagined Hikaru would bring them here to see these two men.
These two still held tremendous influence in Konoha.
Even though Hiruzen had spent years weakening that influence, their legends had never disappeared from the village.
But compared to Shōma and Shikaku's excitement, Hiruzen's thoughts went deeper.
He was certainly shocked by the sight before him, but he soon realized something else.
Reviving the dead seemed unbelievable, but it was not truly impossible.
The blue-and-white figure standing proudly before them had created a jutsu capable of calling the dead back to the world.
Was this the Reanimation Jutsu?
Hiruzen thought silently.
He had once been Hokage, so of course he knew of that technique.
But he said nothing.
This was Hikaru's affair now.
He was no longer Hokage.
And facing the reanimated Second Hokage, Hiruzen truly felt pressure in his heart.
Because much of what he had done after becoming Hokage had not lived up to his teacher's expectations.
"Hikaru, this… this is…"
After a long while, Shōma looked at Hikaru with excitement. He needed an answer.
He had once led the Senju Clan, so naturally, he remembered a certain forbidden technique.
That technique had not been recorded in the clan's scrolls. And because he had never truly believed there was a jutsu capable of making the dead rise again, he had gradually forgotten about it.
But now, seeing this scene, the memory naturally returned.
He needed confirmation.
Unfortunately, Hikaru only smiled at him. Then his figure flashed and vanished from their sight.
"I didn't expect you to bring the Monkey too."
When Hikaru reappeared, he was already beside Hashirama and Tobirama. Hashirama looked into the distance and sighed softly.
"Not just Hiruzen Sarutobi. I also brought Senju Shōma."
Hikaru smiled faintly and also looked that way.
"Elder Shōma raised me. Although we disagree on many things, I am grateful to him."
"Shōma?"
Hashirama and Tobirama thought for a moment. In the end, Tobirama remembered first.
"That brat? He served under me in the Anbu once. I didn't expect him to be so old now."
"Didn't you say it yourself? Time is the greatest enemy of shinobi."
Hikaru shook his head slightly. Then his gaze moved to Hashirama, and his expression became more serious.
"Hashirama, are you ready?"
"Don't worry. I'm ready."
Hashirama's face showed little tension.
Or rather, no matter what opponent he faced, he usually looked like this.
There were times when he became serious, of course, but those were rare.
Tobirama glanced at the two of them, then immediately used Body Flicker to reach Hiruzen and the others.
He had no intention of being caught up in their battle, even in his reanimated state.
Besides, Hikaru had brought so many people here.
Whether out of trust or some strange sense of amusement, Tobirama had to protect them.
Tobirama's arrival immediately caused a slight commotion.
Shōma grew even more emotional when he saw him.
After all, he had once served directly under Tobirama. Compared to Hashirama, he was much closer to the Second Hokage.
Hiruzen was also excited, though his excitement carried obvious embarrassment.
After all, he had done many things poorly in the past.
"Teacher."
"Second Hokage!"
Whether excited or embarrassed, the two immediately greeted Tobirama.
Tobirama merely glanced at them.
Especially when his gaze fell on Hiruzen, a sharp aura unconsciously leaked from him.
In an instant, Hiruzen felt as if he had fallen into an ice pit.
Fortunately, Tobirama quickly realized his emotions had slipped and restrained himself.
Hiruzen was covered in cold sweat.
He had studied the Reanimation Jutsu before.
He naturally knew that summoning ordinary shinobi was one thing, but summoning someone like Hashirama or Tobirama should produce poor results.
Yet the Tobirama standing before him felt almost like the man at his peak.
That made Hiruzen deeply confused.
"Be careful while watching," Tobirama said calmly to everyone. "I will protect you, but there may still be things even I cannot handle perfectly."
After saying that, he looked at Kakashi.
"Hatake boy, did you prepare the materials Hikaru asked for?"
"Yes, Second Hokage."
Kakashi immediately nodded.
He seemed to understand something and quickly took out the prepared materials.
Tobirama accepted them. Then his figure flashed and vanished. A moment later, he reappeared with a woman in his hand.
Kakashi immediately understood that the Second Hokage had gone to the prison.
He had some impression of this woman.
After all, he was the Anbu Commander. He paid much more attention than Hikaru did to the death-row prisoners held in the Anbu prison.
"Is he going to awaken Rin?"
Kakashi thought silently.
And at that moment, Hikaru and Hashirama moved.
…
Hikaru and Hashirama stood on opposite sides of a river below the canyon.
A soft wind blew between them.
Neither of them moved immediately.
But even though they had yet to act, chakra had already begun surging inside their bodies.
A low hum spread through the air.
Suddenly, two vast waves of chakra burst outward, sweeping across both sides of the canyon.
"So strong…"
Not far away, Kakashi and the others had been drawn to Tobirama's actions, but now they all instinctively turned toward Hikaru's direction.
They saw Hikaru and Hashirama standing across from one another.
One was covered in a faint blue layer of chakra.
The other was surrounded by chakra with a slightly purple tint.
Even before the two truly began fighting, stones and sand were already being thrown into the air around them, and the ground beneath their feet began cracking.
"Reanimation Jutsu!"
At that moment, Tobirama quietly completed the technique.
In only a moment, Rin, whom Kakashi and Obito had never forgotten, appeared before them.
Rin's strength was weak, so the sacrifice did not need to be high quality. She also regained consciousness quickly.
But everything before her left her completely confused.
"Rin!"
Kakashi reacted first.
Even though the chakra spreading from the battlefield made him deeply uncomfortable, he still walked toward her.
"You are…"
Rin looked at him warily. After staring at him for a long while, she asked uncertainly,
"Are you… Kakashi?"
A deafening crash interrupted her.
A violent tremor swept toward them.
Not far away, the instant a dead leaf drifted down from a tree and entered the range of Hikaru and Hashirama's chakra, the two moved at the same time.
Stillness turned into motion in a single instant.
They had already crossed paths.
At first, neither of them used anything too special.
They chose taijutsu.
More precisely, they chose swordsmanship.
Both were Senju, and their powers overlapped in many ways, so their fighting methods naturally shared similarities.
That being the case, they began with the simplest and most basic exchange.
But what they considered "basic" was anything but ordinary to everyone else.
A blade wrapped in blue chakra flashed with a cold arc and sliced toward Hashirama's neck.
The blade was sharp and fast as lightning.
Hashirama was just as quick.
He did not treat himself as a reanimated body, so he would never allow Hikaru to strike him easily.
He drew his own blade and blocked Hikaru's strike. At the same time, his left hand reached forward, and a kunai stabbed toward Hikaru's abdomen.
Yet almost at the exact same moment, Hikaru also drew a kunai and thrust it at Hashirama.
The two kunai collided in midair. Their sharp tips scraped against each other, scattering sparks.
In the next instant, both men retreated.
They stared at each other from a distance, both silent for a moment.
Shinobi battles were terrifying.
Battles between powerful shinobi were even more so.
Strong shinobi had near-perfect control over timing, attack methods, and technique.
If either side lost focus for even an instant, or revealed even the smallest opening, the other would seize it without hesitation and strike ruthlessly.
And shinobi used every means available.
Ambushes and tricks were routine, even at Kage level.
Just like the exchange they had just made.
"So fast…"
Not far away, Kakashi and the others swallowed hard as they watched Hikaru and Hashirama.
A battle of this intensity made them feel that if they stood before either of those men, they might not even survive the first exchange.
Rin, who had just returned to the world, was even more lost.
She recognized quite a few people nearby.
For example, the strangely grown-up Kakashi beside her.
There was also the older-looking Third Hokage, and Nara Shikaku.
Aside from them, she noticed a girl nearby who looked very much like Uchiha saya from their class back then.
And standing in front of them was a silver-haired man in old-style armor.
Was that the Second Hokage?
"What is going on?"
Rin's mind was full of questions.
The battle in the distance made her feel a deep sense of fear, because she could not see anything clearly at first. She could only see two masses of blue and purple chakra colliding.
Now, however, she finally saw them.
And after seeing them clearly, she was even more stunned.
One was wearing the Hokage cloak.
He looked somewhat like their former classmate, Fukami Hikaru.
Like Kakashi, he seemed to have grown up.
And he had become Hokage?
Not only that, the person fighting him, judging by his appearance and clothing, seemed to be the First Hokage of Konoha.
Rin felt as if her mind had stopped working.
Either she was insane, or the world had gone insane.
Wait.
Wasn't I already…
Suddenly, Rin remembered.
Her memories became clearer and clearer.
Because of the Three-Tails, she had chosen to die by Kakashi's hand.
She should have been dead.
So why was she standing here?
Rin's thoughts were a tangled mess.
She had far too many questions.
If she had not seen that the First and Second Hokage were also dead men who had somehow returned, she might have suspected that someone was using some terrible plot against Konoha.
Of course, she had not fully relaxed.
She still needed to observe slowly, understand the situation, and gather more information.
…
Rin's expression was seen by many people.
After all, she had never been good at hiding her emotions. Whatever she thought usually appeared on her face.
But at this moment, even Kakashi did not immediately explain things to her.
Right now, the most important thing was to let her first accept the fact that she had returned to the world.
Besides, the battle between Hikaru and Hashirama might be something none of them would ever see again in their lifetime.
Who was Hashirama Senju?
He was the First Hokage who had ended an era of chaos.
The man the world called the God of Shinobi.
And although Hikaru was Hashirama's descendant, he was also the Fifth Hokage.
Hikaru had displayed astonishing power before.
He had ended a war by himself.
In their eyes, that kind of strength was not inferior to Hashirama's.
In fact, in some corners of the shinobi world, a few people had already begun attaching the title "God of Shinobi" to Hikaru as well.
Now, two Senju, both Hokage, both masters of Wood Release, both associated with the title God of Shinobi, were facing each other.
Even if Hikaru's title was still faint compared to Hashirama's, no one would be willing to miss this battle.
Even if this was only a spar, missing it would become a lifelong regret.
"What a shameless bastard."
While everyone else watched intently, Hikaru and Hashirama cursed each other in their hearts at almost the same time.
In both their eyes, the other looked like a good person.
So why were they so skilled at underhanded attacks?
If not for the fact that they had both tried to sneak in a strike at the same time, wouldn't one of them have succeeded just now?
Of course, thinking this was one thing.
Neither of them thought there was anything wrong with it.
Even in a spar, a shinobi had to show cunning.
Otherwise, when facing a real enemy, the one who suffered would be himself.
They silently watched each other.
Then, in the next instant, both moved again.
This time, their speed was even faster, and their attacks were even more ruthless.
With a flicker, Hikaru's blade, carrying immense chakra, stabbed straight toward Hashirama.
Hashirama showed no weakness. He charged forward without hesitation.
With a crisp clash of metal, the two blades crossed in midair.
This time, Hashirama was prepared.
Almost the moment he moved in, his other hand had already thrust out a kunai.
His strength was terrifying.
Even holding his blade with one hand, he pressed forward with such force that Hikaru's blade was driven backward.
In an instant, Hikaru had to bring his blade close to his chest to defend.
That was exactly the result Hashirama wanted.
Only then could his left hand stab faster and harder toward Hikaru's abdomen, leaving no room to react.
"Hm?"
But in the next second, the space before Hashirama suddenly emptied.
His body involuntarily leaned forward.
One glance told him that the Hikaru before him was nothing but an afterimage.
"What a fast Flying Thunder God."
Hashirama thought silently.
At that moment, the sound of a kunai cutting through the air came from behind him.
A sharp blade of chakra came with it, stabbing toward him.
He recognized it as Tobirama's favored technique.
But he did not seem overly concerned. The corner of his mouth even lifted slightly.
The kunai struck Hashirama without surprise.
Hikaru's eyebrow rose slightly.
The sensation was wrong.
The sound from the struck Hashirama also proved that he had not pierced a human body.
Of course, hitting a reanimated body would never feel exactly like flesh. That was natural.
But Hikaru's senses had already locked onto the real Hashirama's location.
"A wood clone. No wonder even the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't see through it."
The figure before him began revealing its true form as a wood clone.
At the same time, a massive burst of chakra surged behind him.
Hikaru did not hesitate.
Without even pulling the kunai from the wood clone, he formed a seal with one hand and quickly turned around.
"Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bite!"
The two jutsu were released one after another.
Aside from Yin Release, Hashirama had some mastery over every nature transformation.
His skill with Earth Release and Water Release was especially high.
Since he had not yet decided to use Wood Release, he chose Earth Release without hesitation.
Hikaru's situation was similar.
Because of the system, Hikaru could also use Yin Release. But between Earth and Water Release, he preferred Water Release.
Under Hashirama's powerful chakra, the earth began shaking violently.
In the next moment, countless huge, sharp stone spears erupted from the ground.
They spread across every corner of the canyon floor and surged madly toward Hikaru.
Hikaru's water dragon was equally enormous.
After roaring, it followed the path of the advancing stone spears and slammed toward Hashirama.
The huge stone spikes shattered under its impact.
At the same time, the water dragon's body was steadily worn down by those stone spears.
Under the force of the clash, cracks spread across the canyon walls.
Everyone standing above the canyon could clearly feel how unstable the earth had become.
They knew this was only the beginning.
The two men had merely exchanged taijutsu and basic ninjutsu.
Yet even that level of "basic" collision had already reached a height many shinobi could never touch in their entire lives.
And the place itself already seemed unable to withstand it.
It felt as though the canyon might collapse at any moment.
"What kind of monsters are these two?"
Aside from Tobirama, the thought surfaced in everyone's mind.
But then they remembered.
One was the First Hokage, who founded Konoha.
The other was the Fifth Hokage, who ended a war alone.
Suddenly, it seemed only natural.
They were terrifying existences.
And they were also the ones protecting Konoha's peace.
"Looks like I recovered quite well."
Hashirama silently felt his own power and nodded to himself.
He could sense roughly how much strength he had recovered, but not the precise details.
Likewise, he could not fully grasp Hikaru's current level.
It seemed Hikaru had the same concern.
That was why the two had tacitly started with the basics.
But now, there was no need to be so cautious anymore.
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