Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Hashirama's Cells
"No… that's not what I meant…"
Sarutobi instinctively stepped back with cold sweat streaming down his face.
"That's not what I intended."
He quickly clarified as he still deeply respected the First Hokage, and his earlier outburst was simply out of fear that Orochimaru would escape.
"I understand what you mean."
Hashirama's tone remained indifferent as he glanced at Orochimaru, who was watching the situation unfold with amusement, and coldly said.
"As long as they're in this shinobi world, no one can escape the palm of my hand!"
Whoosh!
In that instant, both the Third Hokage and Orochimaru took a deep breath.
That statement was incredibly domineering!
Sarutobi had never heard the First Hokage speak like this before. He had always considered Hashirama a collected and humble person.
But now, after returning from the dead, it seemed the First Hokage had changed quite a bit.
As for Orochimaru, he was rebuilding his entire perception of Hashirama.
The legends were clearly false!
There was nothing lighthearted about the First Hokage at all.
In fact, Hashirama appeared even more domineering than Uchiha Madara in the stories, making him seem quite terrifying!
Orochimaru was beginning to feel like he had summoned an ultimate villain...
"Release the seal."
Hashirama's dark eyes locked onto Orochimaru with an undeniable authority, his voice carrying an unmistakable command.
"Yes!"
Orochimaru immediately responded, not daring to act recklessly.
Afterwards, he looked at the Sound Four and locked eyes with Kidomaru.
"Dispel the barrier!"
Orochimaru felt a wave of frustration rise within him because his plan to destroy Konoha had failed due to a minor miscalculation.
Not only had the plan not succeeded, but the situation had also taken an unpredictable turn for the worse.
"Understood!"
The Sound Four responded in unison and stopped the chakra flow to their hands.
In an instant, the Four Violet Flames Formation that encircled the rooftop vanished.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The moment the seal was broken, several ANBU members appeared, flashing into position behind the Third Hokage.
The white-robed ANBU leader quickly moved to stand next to the Third Hokage and protect him from Hashirama with his body.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
At the same time, the Sound Four formed a protective perimeter around Orochimaru, clearly intent on guarding him.
"You don't need to be so tense."
Hashirama's gaze swept across the ANBU and the Sound Four.
He saw these people as harmless as kids playing with water guns with no real threat whatsoever.
"If I had wanted to kill them, they wouldn't be standing here right now."
Hashirama's tone was casual as if he had just stated an obvious, trivial fact.
However...
These words made everyone's hair stand on end, sending chills down their spines.
The two people they were protecting...
One was known as the highest-ranking Hokage, and the other possessed Kage-level strength and held the title of one of the Sannin, Orochimaru.
If he wanted to kill them...
They would die.
Such words wouldn't be surprising when said to a low-ranking shinobi, but it made their hearts feel especially heavy when directed at these two.
The ninja world hadn't seen such a terrifying presence in a long time.
"Hiruzen, lead the way."
Hashirama paid no attention to their shock or the ongoing battle around them.
This situation didn't concern him.
Right now, the most important thing for him was to recover as many of his cells as possible and restore his body.
Although Edo Tensei was considered immortal, no one liked having a body with no heartbeat or warmth.
What's more...
Only a living form would give him peace of mind.
He would likely vanish if he stayed in the Edo Tensei state for too long.
"Yes!"
Hiruzen nodded and gestured in the general direction of the Hokage office before saying.
"Follow me."
Then Hiruzen headed toward the Hokage office with a swift leap, and ANBU closely followed him.
Meanwhile...
Orochimaru quickly followed, with the Sound Four loyally guarding him.
Hashirama followed behind.
However...
There were no bodyguards by Hashirama's side, but instead, a tiny fairy with flapping wings and wide, cute eyes.
Puck had been utterly dumbfounded.
She never expected this was the same lazy guy she mistakenly got bound to.
He wasn't like this when he was still in the coffin.
The moment he stepped out of that coffin, his entire aura had changed!
"Turns out every person has a demon inside them!"
"Weakness is his cage!"
"When he breaks free from the shackles of weakness and gains terrifying power."
"The demon will descend upon the world, singing a bloody hymn!"
Puck had no idea why these words were forming in its head.
After she was struck by lightning alongside him, it seemed like part of her system core was missing.
As an advanced intelligent system far superior to ordinary ones...
Puck gradually accepted her fate of becoming a useless piece of junk!
They arrived at the secret storage room beneath the Hokage office a few minutes later.
A group of more than a dozen people moved in slowly.
"Host!"
"These are all Hashirama cells!"
"Hurry up and absorb them!"
Puck urged him and could hardly contain its excitement.
For some reason, it had a very special feeling.
It seemed as though...
Once the host absorbs this energy, the system recovers to some degree.
"I know."
Hashirama responded inwardly to Puck, and his gaze had never left the test tubes since they appeared.
These test tubes gave him an unprecedented sense of familiarity.
It was a feeling that couldn't be explained, as if they were part of his own body.
At that moment, under the trembling gazes of everyone present, Hashirama took a step forward.
He walked straight to the safe, reached out his cracked and worn hand, and touched the test tubes containing the green liquid.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone