Chapter 61: A Shuriken Eight Hundred Miles Away
"Hahaha! Finally, some fresh air!" Hashirama took a deep breath, feeling invigorated after sneaking out of the village. Being Hokage came with endless responsibilities, and the young Hashirama had never been good at political scheming. Lately, the stress had been wearing him down.
Standing atop the cliffs at the Valley of the End, he stretched lazily. What he didn't know was that just a day before, his old friend Uchiha Madara had also come here to let off steam.
Hashirama chuckled, recalling the days when the three of them fought together—those were the good times.
Not far away, Kakuzu happened to be passing by. The moment he saw the three massive statues carved into the cliffs, he stopped. He'd heard rumors that the sculptures had been created instantly by Uchiha Xuiyu, one of the legendary Three Ninja Gods, using Earth Release. But Kakuzu scoffed at that idea. There was no way a jutsu of that scale could be cast in an instant. Not unless someone had an unlimited supply of chakra—and in his young, naïve mind, such a thing wasn't possible.
Just then, he noticed a figure standing calmly on the lake.
"A ninja?" Kakuzu muttered, narrowing his eyes. Without hesitation, he hurled a shuriken.
"Huh?" Hashirama blinked as the spinning shuriken came flying his way. He casually knocked it out of the air.
"Who's there?" he asked, peering into the trees. His gaze landed on Kakuzu. "Where's this hard-headed brat from? Is he seriously trying to ambush me?"
Kakuzu stepped out from the shadows, his tone sharp and fearless. "So you're the legendary God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama? I've come to take your life!"
Hashirama stared at him blankly, deadpan. Tobirama always says I'm dumb... but even he's never seen a fool like this.
Kakuzu, fired up and without a trace of hesitation, flung another shuriken. "Fire Style: Searing Pain!" he shouted.