Chapter 13: Sage Art: Wood Style, True Thousand Hands, Summit Buddha Transformation

Chapter 13: Sage Art: Wood Style, True Thousand Hands, Summit Buddha Transformation

Wood chips flew and the light of the Wood Style technique shone brightly before collapsing in a heap.

But Huyi Xuan Yue remained vigilant, not daring to relax for a moment.

At that moment, Senju Hashirama, having just landed on his feet, swept his gaze across the fallen wooden figure and finally settled it upon Huyi Xuan Yue.

"It's useless."

He said calmly, his hands pressed together.

It was as if this was the last moment of peace before a storm.

Huyi Xuan Yue's expression turned solemn as he gazed intently.

And in the next second—

"Sage Art!"

With a loud shout, an aura far more powerful than before erupted from Senju Hashirama.

Dark red veins appeared around his eyes, and a mark like a target appeared on his forehead, the irises of his eyes turning from black to yellow.

This was the Sage Mode.

But it didn't end there.

Senju Hashirama, his face now covered in sage veins, raised his head, and an even more vast and mighty wave of senjutsu chakra surged within him, like a raging ocean.

With his hands still pressed firmly together, he shouted once more:

"Sage Art: Wood Style, True Thousand Hands!"

Rooooaaaarrrrrr!

A deafening roar erupted, tens of times more intense than the previous battle.

As Huyi Xuan Yue struggled to steady himself, and the onlookers watched in awe and terror, an unimaginable giant Buddha with thousands upon thousands of arms rose from the ground.

The wooden figure and the Fire God's stature were already awe-inspiring.

But at this moment, the once god-like Fire God seemed like a tiny toy in comparison to the True Thousand Hands Buddha.

Although Huyi Xuan Yue had seen this scene in animations before, actually witnessing it firsthand and seeing the Thousand Hands Buddha that seemed to connect heaven and earth made him unable to hide his astonishment.

"Is this truly something a human can achieve?"

Shihe, Lie Dou, and Ai, who had witnessed this scene countless times during the Warring States period, had faces filled with deep memories and lingering fear.

This was what it meant to be the God of Shinobi who brought peace to the chaotic world.

The silence that followed was broken by Senju Hashirama's loud shout.

Standing atop the True Thousand Hands Buddha, he called out to Huyi Xuan Yue:

"Here I come, Huyi!"

'I wish you would never come,' Huyi Xuan Yue thought bitterly.

After fighting Senju Hashirama for so long, he had started to feel a glimmer of confidence.

But now, with Senju Hashirama unleashing his full power, he felt that spark quickly dying out.

Indeed, his fears were realized.

"Sage Art: Wood Style, True Thousand Hands, Summit Buddha Transformation!"

With a roar that shook the heavens, Senju Hashirama, standing on the Buddha, launched his most powerful attack, like the descent of the Sage of the Six Paths.

The Fire God struggled to resist.

But just like the complete form of the Nine-Tails, a perfect jinchuriki, it was no match for the giant wooden arms of the True Thousand Hands, which quickly swatted it away, and finally, it was crushed in the palm of the Buddha's hand.

"This is too unfair!"

Huyi Xuan Yue, who could only narrowly dodge the Summit Buddha Transformation and didn't dare to confront it directly, couldn't help but complain as he watched this unfold.

The Fire God, which could rival the wooden figure and the complete Susanoo, couldn't even last a few exchanges against the True Thousand Hands and Summit Buddha Transformation.

The same went for the Nine-Tails.

It was a perfect jinchuriki, far stronger than the other eight tailed beasts, second only to the Ten-Tails.

Yet, it was effortlessly subdued by the True Thousand Hands.

Huyi Xuan Yue couldn't imagine what the True Thousand Hands would do to the Ten-Tails.

Senju Hashirama wasn't even on the level of the Sage of the Six Paths.

But with the Sage Art: Wood Style, True Thousand Hands, Summit Buddha Transformation, Huyi Xuan Yue felt that Senju Hashirama was even more formidable than a Six Paths-level opponent.

The Fire God soon met its end.

In the following moments, Huyi Xuan Yue, targeted by more and more wooden arms, felt like Sun Wukong facing the Five-Finger Mountain, with nowhere to escape.

"Dust Style: Boundary Separation Technique!"

With no other options left, Huyi Xuan Yue once again used the Dust Style.

However, this time, the effect was mediocre.

He only managed to destroy a dozen or so wooden arms.

Before he could even catch his breath, more wooden arms extended from the Thousand Hands Buddha, leaving him no opportunity to escape. Each strike seemed capable of destroying the world as it descended upon him.

"Farewell, Xuan Yue."

Senju Hashirama said with a mix of respect and regret as he looked at the battered and weakened Huyi Xuan Yue below. He raised his hand and pointed, sending another batch of wooden arms from the Thousand Hands Buddha to finish him off.

"Farewell?"

Huyi Xuan Yue, heavily injured and with only a fraction of his strength remaining, lifted his head and looked at the wooden giant hand that filled his entire field of vision, leaving no gaps. He smiled faintly and whispered in a tone that Senju Hashirama couldn't hear:

"It's not farewell, but goodbye for now, Hashirama."

Ever since the Five Kage launched their unreasonable ambush on him, a mere youth, Huyi Xuan Yue had anticipated this outcome.

And when Senju Hashirama unleashed the Sage Art: Wood Style, True Thousand Hands, Summit Buddha Transformation, the last shred of hope in Huyi Xuan Yue's heart vanished.

"Forbidden Jutsu: Eternal Sleep's Breath!"

In an instant, bizarre black symbols appeared all over his body, connecting and flowing together to form a black membrane that enveloped him.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. The wounds on Yuyi Xuan Yue's body stopped bleeding, his boiling chakra calmed, and his rapid heartbeat stilled.

His vitality was fixed in that instant.

But as a consequence, Yuyi Xuan Yue's soul began to rapidly dissipate.

"Looking forward...until we meet again in the future," he said, his breath fading away.

With that final sentence, Yuyi Xuan Yue's presence completely vanished.

His body, enveloped by the black membrane, sank into the ground and seamlessly merged with the surrounding environment, leaving no trace of its existence.

ROOOOAAAARRRR!!!

The final strike of the True Thousand Hands landed, creating an enormous crater.

"It's over," Senju Hashirama, in his Sage Mode, sighed in relief as he sensed the true disappearance of Yuyi Xuan Yue's presence. He dispersed the True Thousand Hands.

Even with his Sage Body, Hashirama couldn't help but exhibit fatigue after such an intense battle, similar to the one he had with Madara years ago.

"Big brother!"

A figure swiftly arrived at the scene.

It was none other than Tobirama Senju.

He surveyed the area and asked, "Is Yuyi Xuan Yue dead?"

Hashirama straightened his posture and nodded.

With his Sage Mode, he could sense that it wasn't a feigned death.

Tobirama was not surprised and asked further, "Where's Yuyi Xuan Yue's body?"

Hashirama shook his head. "Xuan Yue was too powerful. I couldn't bring myself to collect his remains."

"I see," Tobirama said, a hint of regret in his voice.

Fortunately, there were traces of Xuan Yue's blood and cells on the battlefield, which could still be studied.

As if reading his younger brother's thoughts, Hashirama solemnly instructed, "Collect what remains of Xuan Yue and return them to the Yuyi Clan. It's the respect he deserves."

"Big brother, you..." Tobirama started, intending to dissuade him, but his ears twitched, and he stepped forward, subtly blocking the exhausted Hashirama.

Just then, a series of tearing sounds ripped through the air.

The other Kage—Liedou, Ai, and the others—had arrived.

"Yuyi Xuan Yue...is finally dead!" Liedou, Ai, and Shihu, the three Kage, exclaimed with complex emotions as they took in the scene.

A powerful enemy had finally fallen.

However, another loomed over them like a looming sky.

Thankfully, this one didn't possess such grand ambitions.

All seemed to be progressing towards a peaceful resolution.

"Then, let us celebrate the dawn of a peaceful era!"

The First Mizukage, Liedou, the First Raikage, Ai, the First Tsuchikage, Shihu, and the newly appointed Second Mizukage, Hotaru Houzuki, joined hands.

"Peace at last," Hashirama sighed, extending his hand to complete the circle.

And so, the five leaders of the Great Shinobi Villages, their hands clasped tightly, proclaimed the arrival of a peaceful era, signaling a new order in the ninja world.

This was the wish of all who had survived the Warring States era.

It seemed...that wish had finally come true?

...

A day later.

Just as calm had returned to the land, now a valley instead of a plain, an old visitor reappeared.

"Is there truly nothing left of his body?" Tobirama asked, stroking his chin as he surveyed the area.

An hour later, he emerged from underground, shaking his head with a furrowed brow.

There was still no sign of Yuyi Xuan Yue's body.

Indeed, Xuan Yue's body had been utterly obliterated.

Fortunately, Tobirama hadn't come away empty-handed; he had collected some of Xuan Yue's remaining cellular tissue.

Now that his big brother wasn't around, he could finally study this man, who had stood shoulder to shoulder with a god, in peace.

With a light heart, he turned to leave.

Tobirama's visit was just the beginning.

A ninja's corpse, down to a single drop of blood or a scrap of flesh, held valuable information about their life.

Not just Tobirama, but other ninjas and factions within the ninja world were also keenly interested in Yuyi Xuan Yue's remains, and so, wave after wave of people arrived at the valley.

Years later, a proud and powerful man arrived at the site. Unlike the others, he didn't bother to search for anything; he merely glanced at the area and scoffed before turning to leave.

Decades later, a man with a pale face and serpentine features arrived at the place now known as the "Valley of Divine Fall." He extended his blood-red tongue and surveyed the area with excited golden eyes, murmuring, "The man who stood shoulder to shoulder with a god, don't disappoint me."

A new chapter was about to unfold.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end