Chapter 431: A Battle Spanning Two Versions

"It's you!"

Senju Hashirama pointed at the stranger who had suddenly appeared, his face full of excitement, as if he had seen a relative.

Such an abnormal behavior actually confused Isshiki, who had come to check. As a self-proclaimed omniscient and omnipotent Otsutsuki, he couldn't figure out why the person in front of him would have such an expression upon seeing him.

Isshiki frowned imperceptibly: "We should be meeting for the first time, right?"

"We've been looking for you for so long!"

Just as he was about to step forward to chat with the target he had been looking for for a long time, Senju Hashirama was stopped by Senju Tobirama, who reached out from the side, before he could take two steps.

"Tobirama?"

"Who exactly are you?"

Ignoring his confused brother, Senju Tobirama, who was blocking the front, had his brows tightly locked. Although he was a clone and hadn't replicated the strength of the main body one-to-one, his keen perception remained.

If there was any disturbance in the surroundings, he would definitely have been the first to discover it, but now, Senju Tobirama actually knew nothing about Isshiki's appearance.

This mysterious monk was as if he had suddenly appeared beside them.

"Me? Just a wandering monk."

Isshiki shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the two brothers who looked different, finally landing on Senju Hashirama's face.

White, just a chakra clone.

Black, a familiar aura.

Is this the aura of the God Tree?

A flash of brilliance passed through his black pupils. Isshiki actually sensed an aura like the God Tree on Senju Hashirama, an aura containing almost inexhaustible life force.

"You're Isshiki, right?"

While Isshiki was sizing up the Senju brothers, Senju Hashirama, who had flipped out the missing person notice, compared it with the blurred portrait for a long time before asking hesitantly.

After all, the matter of living for a thousand years was too unbelievable to be judged by common sense.

"Oh?"

Hearing the other call out his name, Isshiki narrowed his eyes. He didn't expect that these two people in front of him were actually looking for him.

"It seems it's you. Can you come with us for a trip?"

Seeing that Isshiki didn't deny it, Senju Hashirama felt joy in his heart and hurriedly waved his hand to greet him.

The completion standard for the missing person notice task was to bring the target back for the employer who issued the task to verify.

Although this task spanned a thousand years, the descendants of the employer who originally issued the task were still there, and every generation had people specifically supervising the progress of this task.

"Here to catch me?"

Hearing Senju Hashirama's words, Isshiki's first reaction was that the sky had fallen.

Ever since he was backstabbed by Kaguya and lost more than half of his body, Otsutsuki Isshiki had been dormant in this body. Because his power had been unable to recover to its peak, he had been very low-key while acting in Isshiki's body.

After Kaguya ate the chakra fruit, she dominated the whole world, playing with Infinite Tsukuyomi whenever she had nothing to do, scaring Isshiki so much that he didn't dare to show his face, fearing he would be killed by that crazy woman in seconds.

After many years, Kaguya, who was becoming increasingly insane, eventually ate her own bitter fruit and was sealed by the power she split off, which was her two sons.

Isshiki saw this and prepared to come out of the mountains, intending to take back the fruit that originally belonged to him. However, Kaguya's son actually transformed into the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and shared the chakra that originally belonged to him in this world.

Knowing he was no match, Isshiki could only shrink to the most remote corner while feeling heartache, to prevent being discovered by the Sage of Six Paths.

Isshiki shrank for a thousand years.

He didn't expect to be discovered in the end.

These two humans should be Kaguya's descendants. Could it be that they were ordered by the Sage of Six Paths to come and capture him?

His brain started to spin at high speed. In just a few seconds, Isshiki had already concocted a shocking conspiracy against him.

Of the two humans opposite him, one was a so-called chakra clone, not worth fearing. The other, with black hair, judging solely from the aura, definitely had strength that was not weak, belonging to the top level of humans in this world.

Strike first!

A flash of fierce light passed through his eyes. Pale blue chakra appeared on Isshiki's body, and the power contained within it was filled with an ancient aura that was hard to describe.

The moment Isshiki released his aura, Senju Tobirama, who sensed something was wrong, felt his heart tighten and immediately pulled Senju Hashirama to dodge backward.

"Tobirama, why are you pulling me?"

Senju Hashirama, feeling confused, scratched the back of his head.

"Big Brother, can't you look at the situation?"

Senju Tobirama was extremely frustrated. The other party was clearly preparing for battle, but you were still here scratching your head.

"Huh? Sorry, I'm too hungry, I didn't turn on my perception."

Hearing this, Senju Hashirama turned to touch his shriveled stomach with an embarrassed expression.

For ninjas, perception ninjutsu is an active skill that consumes mental energy and chakra, so it is only turned on when needed.

"This..."

Accompanied by the activation of perception ninjutsu, Senju Hashirama's expression, which had just been laughing and joking, instantly became solemn. Under his perception, the monk in front of him exuded an aura like a bottomless black hole.

The pressure around him was stronger than any enemy he had ever encountered.

"Sure enough, not everyone is as weak as that curly-haired guy."

Senju Tobirama had previously cleverly categorized Isshiki as the same type of long-lived person as Uchiha Gin, believing that these men who learned the Strength of a Hundred Technique were all old turtles with weak strength.

Now he was slapped in the face by reality. Senju Tobirama's eyes moved slightly, planning in his heart how to deal with the unknown enemy.

Whoosh!

Just as Senju Tobirama was still planning how to fight, Isshiki, who had long been unable to hold back, made a move first, his figure disappearing in place very eerily.

"Tobirama, be careful!"

When he appeared again, he was already approaching Senju Tobirama, who had been distracted for a moment. Senju Hashirama, who was standing behind, relied on his reaction ability cultivated from years of fighting and pulled his brother away.

The next moment, a black rod-like object exuding a destructive aura brushed past Senju Tobirama's face mask.

Swish!

Isshiki, whose sneak attack failed, turned around and stabbed the black rod, which he didn't know where he had conjured from, toward the Senju brothers.

"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall."

Looking at the black rod close at hand, Senju Hashirama clapped his hands together, and several wooden branches broke through the ground, turning into a circular shield and blocking in front of the brothers.

"Bang~"

However, what Senju Hashirama didn't expect was that the Wood Release, which could even defend against ninjutsu, was easily pierced by the black rod.

Just before the black rod was about to poke into his body, Senju Tobirama, who had come back to his senses, raised his finger, and the two brothers turned into a blue light and disappeared in place.

Isshiki, whose attack failed again, looked thoughtfully at the gradually withering wooden branches, and one of his black pupils gradually began to change color.

This kind of strong life force seems to be usable.

"Huff... what the hell is that thing?"

In a dense forest dozens of miles away from the battlefield just now, Senju Tobirama, who had brought his big brother flying out, breathed a long sigh of relief after landing. Recalling the mysterious black rod in Isshiki's hand, his eyes were full of curiosity about the unknown.

"It's not easy to deal with, Tobirama. Why don't you go call for help!"

Senju Hashirama, who was also still in fear, made a conservative suggestion after thinking simply.

"Wait a moment, let me figure out his routine first."

Senju Tobirama naturally knew who his big brother wanted him to call, but all the enemy's means were unknown right now.

If Uchiha Madara were called over and folded here, wouldn't Konoha be cold?

The shadow clone was originally acting as a scout, and Senju Tobirama, as a shadow clone, naturally had this awareness.

He immediately closed his eyes and began to look for Isshiki's aura, preparing to go and have a fight with the other to probe for information.

As a result, the next second, Senju Tobirama, who was searching carefully, broke out in a cold sweat because he discovered that Isshiki's aura was right behind their brothers.

"Who are you looking for?"

A cold voice sounded. The brothers jumped dozens of meters away without looking back and turned their heads, only to see a scene that shocked them both.

"By... Byakugan? Are you from the Hyuga clan?"

Isshiki, who had just been black-eyed, had his left eye actually turn into the Byakugan they were familiar with.

And judging from the pupil power emitted, the purity was absolutely not low, even a bit stronger than the Hyuga Xiang Tianyao they were familiar with.

"Hyuga? Hmph~"

Isshiki curled his lips in disdain upon hearing this. He naturally knew about the Hyuga clan; they were just a group of humans flowing with thin Otsutsuki blood.

They only had the appearance of the Byakugan but didn't inherit much of the true power of the Byakugan.

Abandoning strong pupil power and changing to using the physical body as a weapon.

Purely lung fog (useless).

"Since that's the case..."

Senju Tobirama felt a slight tightness in his heart. Under the insight of the Byakugan, his Taijutsu was a joke, and all he had left that he could take out was...

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

His hands formed seals at high speed, and in less than a second, a water column with extremely strong penetrating power sprayed out from Senju Tobirama's mouth, sweeping straight toward Isshiki not far away.

He didn't expect that facing the sharp water blade, Isshiki didn't have any intention of blocking. Senju Tobirama's face couldn't help but show excitement. He liked this kind of "cup-acting" (showing off) player.

My Water Severing Wave can even cut Susanoo!

Looking at the aggressive Water Severing Wave, a faint mocking look appeared in Isshiki's black and white eyes.

"Ninjutsu..."

He only saw him raise one hand and grab toward the Water Severing Wave, which could cut gold and jade, very casually.

"Swish~"

The sound of flesh being cut that he had imagined didn't sound. Senju Tobirama's excited expression also froze on his face, and his scarlet eyes were full of disbelief.

"How is that possible?"

"The taste is not bad."

After absorbing the Water Severing Wave condensed by chakra into his body, Isshiki's slightly raised hands had black energy dissipating from his palms, and at the same time, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

"Tobirama, look at his face!"

Senju Hashirama, who witnessed this scene, apart from being shocked, had more of his attention attracted by the black mark that suddenly appeared on Isshiki's body.

This kind of face pattern, similar to Sage Mode, made Senju Hashirama's mood become increasingly heavy. The other's aura actually climbed another level, gradually moving away from the range he could accept.

"Big Brother, is it Sage Mode?"

Senju Tobirama, who had retreated to Senju Hashirama's side, asked with a frown.

"No, there's no aura of natural energy, it should be some similar means."

Shaking his head, Senju Hashirama quietly began to condense natural energy. In his normal state, he was likely not the opponent of this mysterious monk in front of him.

Due to the sequelae left by his illness, he couldn't enter Sage Mode in seconds anymore and needed to calm down and read the bar for a while.

"You are very interesting."

Isshiki, holding the black rod, pointed at Senju Hashirama, who was frowning. The power in this human's body might be able to become his help.

"Sorry, I already have someone."

Seeing Isshiki lock his target on himself, Senju Hashirama exchanged a look with his brother, then stepped forward and struck a classic stomping starting posture.

"It doesn't matter, I don't need your will."

Isshiki was only interested in Hashirama's physical body, which was similar to the God Tree. As for the others, he didn't want to know more.

After saying that, he raised the black rod in his hand, and his figure disappeared again. Senju Hashirama's gaze condensed, his hands clapped together, and accompanied by the Wood Release power pouring out, countless thick wooden branches instantly broke through the ground.

"Deep Forest Emergence!"

Whoosh! Whoosh~

Isshiki, who attempted to get close to Senju Hashirama, was soon blocked by countless wooden branches. He frowned and swept with the black rod, and the branches collapsed with a bang.

But new ones soon grew at the broken ends, making Isshiki a bit unable to move.

Just as Isshiki was distracted by the Wood Release, Senju Tobirama, who had already brewed a killing move, held a sharp blade and turned into a blue light flash.

"Flying Thunder God Slash!"

The sharp blade reflecting cold light skillfully poked toward Isshiki's waist, but it was dodged by the other by a hair's breadth.

"Space-type technique? Quite rare."

Isshiki glanced at it without changing his expression, the black rod in his hand didn't slow down, stabbing straight toward Senju Tobirama's head.

Whoosh~

Seeing this, Senju Tobirama had no choice but to use the Flying Thunder God Technique again, dodging this fatal blow.

"Big Brother, his insight is too strong, I can't get close at all."

Senju Tobirama, who appeared beside Senju Hashirama, shook his head with a gloomy face. Isshiki's Byakugan had figured out his attack route clearly,

And the mysterious black rod in the other's hand could even easily pierce through Big Brother's Wood Release, so it was definitely not something he, a clone, could easily touch.

"Then we can only be reckless!"

Since he couldn't fight in close combat, he would use brute force.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

Senju Hashirama clapped his hands together again, and the majestic Wood Release power poured into the ground from his soles. In the blink of an eye, four ferocious giant dragons broke through the ground, opening their bloody mouths and biting toward Isshiki not far away.

"Roar!"

Isshiki frowned slightly. Facing the siege of four giant dragons, he waved the black rod in his hand and greeted them.

"Clang!"

Although the black rod had the ability to disrupt chakra, because the Wood Dragon's body was too large, the thin black rod couldn't exert its true effect at all.

Stabbing on the surface of the Wood Dragon, it could only eliminate a small part of the Wood Release creation, and the missing part was soon repaired by the Wood Release power.

Whoosh!

With no other choice, Isshiki could only dodge, which created a perfect opportunity for Senju Tobirama, who was good at catching flaws.

He only saw him throw several kunai, shooting from the rear toward Isshiki, who was suspended in mid-air dodging the Wood Dragon.

"Clang!"

Isshiki frowned imperceptibly and waved his hand, knocking all the kunai behind him away. Just a second after he retracted his hand, a dazzling blue light erupted on one of the kunai that had just been flicked away.

"Taste this."

Senju Tobirama's figure appeared behind Isshiki like a ghost, and before the other could react, he threw a stack of burning explosive tags.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

With the Wood Dragon in front and explosive tags in the back, a flash of astonishment appeared on Isshiki's calm face, and he was swallowed by the sky-high flames in the next second.

Senju Tobirama, who landed as a blue light, crossed his arms. It wasn't until the explosion sound behind him stopped that he slowly turned his head, his eyes full of unconcealable pride.

I must have been handsome just now!

However, seeing Isshiki slowly walking out of the thick smoke, Senju Tobirama's face showed confusion for the first time.

"No... impossible! How can you be completely fine?"

"Actually forced to this point by two ants."

Floating in mid-air, Isshiki showed a cold look, and the black mark on his face was a bit thicker than just now.

Not only that, on his smooth scalp, there was actually a... horn bulging?

This posture could no longer be called a human defined by common sense.

"What exactly are you?"

Waking up from his confusion, Senju Tobirama couldn't help but shout and question.

"I am... God!"

Isshiki, who had entered Karma State Two, had his power doubled compared to before. In just a blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Senju Tobirama.

A pupil exuding mysterious power looked indifferently at the human who had made him a bit embarrassed.

"You white-headed fly that flies around, should be locked in a prison."

"Stay away from Tobirama!"

Senju Hashirama jumped up, his fists glowing with rich blue light. Rarely using his serious strength punch, he prepared to save his brother.

"Flying Thunder..."

But Senju Tobirama, who was stared at by Isshiki, had his pupils shake violently. This movement method was no longer just speed. Alert, he immediately raised his finger, and the blue light lit up again.

"Daikokuten."

But the next moment, what greeted him was endless darkness.

Senju Hashirama's fist was still a step late. Isshiki, who sent Senju Tobirama's clone into a special space, retreated a few steps and easily dodged this blow.

"Boom!"

Senju Hashirama, who smashed into the open space, raised his head abruptly, his eyes just meeting Isshiki's different pupils. Even though he had seen all kinds of pupils, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"What kind of pupil technique is this?"

That was an eye that had never been recorded before, golden all over, with eight triangular patterns circling the pupil.

The pupil power emitted from it actually far surpassed Uchiha Madara, whom Senju Hashirama was familiar with.

"You don't need to know."

This was the first time Isshiki had used the power of Karma in a thousand years, making him miss the time when he dominated.

However, the price of this power was not low. The service life of this body would be shortened because of this, and it was estimated that it could only last for about fifty years.

"Where did you send Tobirama?"

Senju Tobirama had just disappeared in front of him, but it wasn't the kind that was beaten into smoke. He could only have been caught by the person in front of him or sent to another place.

"Oh? You want to go too?"

Isshiki lowered his eyelids, his golden rice-shaped eyes revealing an inexplicable look.

"Hand over Tobirama!"

Even if the one caught was his brother's clone, Senju Hashirama couldn't guarantee whether this mysterious monk had any means to harm the main body through the clone.

"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"

The honest Wood Human Arhat started again. Isshiki raised his head, looking at Senju Hashirama standing on the head of the Wood Human with great interest, the appreciation in his eyes becoming even stronger.

"Truly an exquisite work, very collectible."

The next moment, the giant fist of the Wood Human fell down.

"Boom!"

The Wood Human punched the cliff, shaking up the sky full of dust. Countless rocks fell with a rumble, and the Wood Human caught them with its palm.

"Huff... almost made a mistake."

Senju Hashirama, standing at the head of the Wood Human, breathed a long sigh of relief.

Senju Tobirama poked his head out from the top of the cliff with an unhappy look: "Big Brother, pay attention, there are houses below!"

"Got it, I'll be careful."

Senju Hashirama smiled sheepishly, manipulating the Wood Human to carefully slide over the hard rocks, smoothing out all the protruding edges.

"The First Hokage is truly thoughtful, actually carving the Hokage Rock for the Second Hokage himself."

The huge commotion of the Wood Human naturally attracted the onlookers of Konoha residents. Some people who knew the inside story expressed emotion one after another, praising Senju Hashirama's hands-on action.

"This is called returning the favor. Isn't the First Hokage's rock painting something the Second Hokage worked overnight to make back then?"

"This is truly a beautiful story in Konoha~"

"That's right, that's right..."

No, Uchiha Madara was just showing off his skills back then,

And Senju Hashirama...

Simply because he had no money.

"Tobirama, can you let me rest for a while? I'm not the main body, just a weak wood clone~"

Under the Hokage Rock, Senju Hashirama's wood clone raised his head, his face pale, begging Senju Tobirama, who was supervising.

"No! Tomorrow is the day of the handover ceremony. The shadow clone hasn't sent back news yet, and Big Brother's side is estimated to be delayed for a while, so you just hold on for a bit."

"Wuwuwu..."

Life is not easy, clones sell art.

On the other side, on the roof of the high Uchiha building, Uchiha Madara, looking at the Wood Human working overtime in the distance, showed a rare smile.

"Big Brother, why are you squatting here and giggling?"

Uchiha Izuna, who walked in with a pile of documents, asked in confusion.

"Izuna, look, how is Hashirama's carving?"

"Hmm... this... tsk... how should I put it..."

Uchiha Izuna looked at the slightly sloppy rock painting in the distance and found it hard to speak.

"What are you mumbling about?"

"It's not up to us to say. This should be evaluated by you, the person involved."

Uchiha Izuna, who was in a high position, also learned to play Tai Chi, directly throwing the question back without a trace.

"I think it's okay!"

"Then it's okay!"

Uchiha Izuna, who was relieved, piled the documents on Uchiha Madara's desk.

"Where did all these documents come from?"

"Where did all these documents come from?"

"These are all flow lists. That brat Fuya actually really did it."

Although he was scolding the brat, the pride on Izuna's face couldn't be wiped away no matter what.

Uchiha Fuya's business talent was actually higher than his cultivation talent. At such a young age, he could earn so much money for the clan. Just this wave was more than what he, the father, had earned in ten years.

"Oh, isn't it because I gave him a good name!" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 432 =====

"Hey, isn't it because I gave myself a good name!" (End of chapter)