Chapter 116

"Those monks aren't easy to talk to — you can't even call them stubborn anymore. Getting them to hand over the sword is probably not going to happen."

Hashirama Senju grinned.

"Knowing the place makes things easy."

"If they won't hand it over themselves, then I'll just take it!!!"

"I trust they'll be moved by my 'sincerity.'"

Looking at the smile on Hashirama Senju's face,

the three Great Sages all shivered at once!!.

75. Hashirama Senju, you dare defy the Daimyo's orders?!

Hashirama Senju had long been eyeing the Flame Fan used by Madara Uchiha.

He had coveted it for a very long time.

But the Senju clan did not have weapons passed down through the generations.

This had always been a regret in Hashirama Senju's heart.

With his level of strength,

ordinary weapons couldn't last more than a few moves in his hands before he destroyed them.

So if he wanted a proper weapon,

he could only start from legendary divine artifacts.

And over the past few years, he had spent countless manpower searching for leads on divine artifacts,

but after scouring the entire world, he hadn't found a single clue.

And now, upon meeting the three Great Sages,

he naturally asked them about the thing that had long puzzled him.

Seemingly sensing the scent of blood hidden behind Hashirama Senju's smile,

the three Great Sages couldn't help but silently mourn the monks of the Fire Temple!!!

The monks of the Fire Temple held a lofty status,

and their thinking was extremely stubborn!!!

And Hashirama Senju was not as easy to talk to as the reincarnations of Asura from previous generations,

so they already had a premonition

that the history of the Fire Temple was probably coming to an end.

……

Outside the gates of the Fire Temple,

Hashirama Senju stroked his chin, sizing up the evil ghost Buddha statue at the entrance.

"I didn't expect the Fire Temple's palace to be this lavish…"

"Even the Daimyo's mansion could never compare…"

Even Hashirama Senju hadn't expected

that the Fire Temple's decorations would be even more grand than the Daimyo's mansion!!

Of all the places he had seen,

the Fire Temple's scale was the most magnificent.

But after thinking for a moment, he understood why.

Throughout the entire Land of Fire,

although these clans were nominally under the Daimyo,

their relationship with the Daimyo was only an employment one.

The Daimyo paid money,

and they sent people to help the Daimyo complete tasks,

not counting as the Daimyo's private forces.

But the relationship between the Fire Temple and the Daimyo's mansion was different —

the Daimyo's mansion paid money,

and the Fire Temple supplied armed forces to the Daimyo's mansion,

to protect the Daimyo's safety!!!

According to Hashirama Senju's estimate,

the Fire Temple's wealth probably accounted for over half of the entire Land of Fire!!

No wonder they decorated their temple so lavishly!!!

But…

the Fire Temple was so big…

where was he supposed to find the 28 Grass Cutter Swords?

If he searched place by place,

he might not even find where the Grass Cutter Swords were by next year.

So…

Hashirama Senju decided to use the simplest method.

He would go straight to the Fire Temple's abbot and ask for the Grass Cutter Swords!!!

【Jiraiya: ……Looks like this First Hokage my lord is even crazier than I thought. I assumed he'd sneak off and take the Grass Cutter Swords.】

【Orochimaru: Heh, since ancient times it's been the survival of the fittest. The strong decide everything — treasures belong to the capable. What right do the monks of the Fire Temple have to possess a divine artifact like the Grass Cutter Swords?】

【Tsunade: Orochimaru, isn't your weapon the Kusanagi Sword?】

【Orochimaru: My Kusanagi Sword isn't the real Kusanagi Sword either — it's only a replica.】

【Hiruzen Sarutobi: I just hope these monks of the Fire Temple have some sense, otherwise the Fire Temple will probably really become history…】

【Shimura Danzo: The Fire Temple should never have existed. All the wealth they've accumulated serves no purpose — it only benefits the daimyo. If that money had been spent on military warfare, the Land of Fire would long ago have become the greatest nation in the ninja world!!!】

【Shikamaru Nara: After seeing these monks of the Fire Temple, I've got a new idea… How about I go to the Fire Temple and become a monk? I wouldn't have to do anything else, just tap the wooden fish every day, and I'd still be this rich — this is simply the life I've been dreaming of.】

【Nara Shikaku: Shikamaru!!! What are you thinking about all day, you brat? Even if there were a life like that, it wouldn't be your turn. A wonderful life like this, you should let your old man go first.】

【Ino Yamanaka: I have to say, the people of the Nara clan are practically cut from the same mold — Shikamaru and his old man really are way too alike…】

……

And just at this moment,

Hashirama Senju furrowed his brow,

and turned his head to look at a monk not far away who was wearing a white haori.

His hair was gathered at the top of his head, with a long braid left at the back, and a Roman numeral IV tattooed beneath his left eye.

Sensing Hashirama Senju's gaze,

the monk turned his head, met his eyes for a moment, and gave a slight nod with a faint smile.

That indifferent expression of his

made a trace of wariness rise in Hashirama Senju's heart.

With Hashirama Senju's current strength,

even if he didn't deliberately do anything,

merely standing there, the aura his body casually radiated

was enough to make ordinary people feel uneasy and constrained,

yet this monk had actually been unaffected by him!!!

Most importantly, when Hashirama Senju had been standing there just now,

he had not sensed the monk's presence at all.

If he hadn't seen the monk with his own eyes,

he would even have thought no one was standing there —

this was simply an inconceivable thing!!!

Because with his current perception,

the existence of any person or thing within a hundred li

could not escape his detection!!