Senju Tobirama appeared before Kurozumi Orochi's mansion in nearly an instant.
Kurozumi Orochi was at that moment slumped inside a room, his face pale and his eyes filled with despair.
Kaido's defeat had stripped him of his last source of backing, and the cold indifference of the CP0 members had made him realize that he had completely lost all his usefulness.
"No... I can't end like this!" Kurozumi Orochi murmured in a low voice, a flash of madness crossing his eyes.
Suddenly, Senju Tobirama appeared in an instant, his kunai cutting toward him.
However, just as Senju Tobirama thought it was over, an unexpected change occurred.
Kurozumi Orochi's body began to expand, black scales surfaced across his skin, and his head split into eight enormous serpent heads.
His body transformed into a massive Yamata no Orochi and coiled within the Flower Capital.
"Lord Senju Hashirama, I am willing to submit!" Kurozumi Orochi's voice came from the mouths of the Yamata no Orochi, his tone carrying a hint of panic and pleading.
He knew that he was no match for Senju Hashirama at all, and the only path to survival was submission.
However, Senju Tobirama's figure appeared before the Yamata no Orochi like a phantom.
"Wano Country has no need for a false shogun like you."
Before the words had even faded, Senju Tobirama's hands rapidly formed seals and he called out in a low voice, "Water Release: Water Severance Wave!"
A high-pressure water blade shot from his hands and slashed directly toward the Yamata no Orochi, carrying breathtaking force and instantly severing one of the serpent heads.
"Ahhh!" Kurozumi Orochi let out a piercing shriek, and the remaining seven serpent heads writhed frantically as they attempted to fight back.
However, Senju Tobirama's speed was simply too fast, and his figure flickered like a phantom around the Yamata no Orochi, each strike launching a water blade.
"Water Release: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade!"
Senju Tobirama called out in a low voice, and the water blade in his hands instantly transformed into a spinning water vortex that slashed directly into the Yamata no Orochi's body.
The water vortex carried savage force and tore at the Yamata no Orochi's body in a frenzy.
"No! I don't want to die!" Kurozumi Orochi's voice was filled with despair and terror, yet his resistance appeared utterly powerless before Senju Tobirama.
A moment later, the Yamata no Orochi's body was completely torn apart, and Kurozumi Orochi's screams came to an abrupt halt.
At the same time, Uchiha Sasuke also charged into Kurozumi Orochi's mansion and engaged in fierce combat with his subordinates.
Sasuke's gaze was sharp and cold, for he knew that opportunities for life-and-death combat were rare and this was an excellent chance to temper himself.
"Chidori!"
Sasuke called out in a low voice, his arm wreathed in the power of thunder, and drove it straight through one of Kurozumi Orochi's subordinates.
The subordinate had no time to react before being pierced through the chest by the thunderous force and collapsing to the ground.
"Too weak." Sasuke said coldly, his gaze carrying a hint of disdain.
Sasuke's heart was not at peace, for he had witnessed firsthand the earth-shaking battle between Senju Hashirama and Kaido, and the level of power on display had left him feeling both astonished and powerless.
The gap between himself and the truly strong was still immense, and he had to seize every opportunity to grow stronger.
In the distance, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Uchiha Sasuke's battle intently.
"What truly astonishing talent." Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured in a low voice, for Sasuke's rate of growth in such a short period of time was simply beyond belief.
Senju Tobirama, on the other hand, had his brows knitted tightly and spoke with a hint of coldness in his tone. "To be recognized by that fellow, his talent really must be exceptional."
The "that fellow" he referred to naturally meant Roy.
"Hmph, the wicked Uchiha clan." Senju Tobirama said under his breath, for his deep-seated bias against the Uchiha clan had never weakened, even in this world.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Senju Tobirama. "Lord Tobirama, even though the Uchiha clan has a certain history, this child Sasuke may not necessarily walk down that path."
Senju Tobirama let out a cold snort. "The power of the Uchiha clan is rooted in hatred, and the stronger their Sharingan grows, the deeper the darkness within them becomes. That is a fact that cannot be changed."
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a sigh and said nothing more.
Senju Tobirama's bias against the Uchiha clan was not something that could be changed overnight.
What was more, the Uchiha clan had indeed caused turmoil on multiple occasions throughout the Hidden Leaf's history.
Yet even though Senju Tobirama harbored displeasure toward Sasuke, there was nothing he could do about it.
"However, the boy's talent really is remarkable." Senju Tobirama said in a low voice.
"If he could be put to use for the Leaf, that would not be a bad thing."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "Sasuke's talent and potential are indeed worth cultivating. If he can let go of his hatred and focus on growing stronger, his future accomplishments will be limitless."
"So they've already taken Wano Country, have they." At this moment, in the offices of Marine Headquarters, Roy naturally knew what had transpired.
He had anticipated this outcome, after all, for Senju Hashirama at this point could already be considered the strongest after himself.
Roy was browsing the chat group in his mind while stroking a small, fluffy brown creature, an Eevee.
This Eevee was one he had recently caught from Ash's world, and it was now perched obediently on his shoulder, occasionally nuzzling its head against his cheek.
Roy gently stroked Eevee's fur, and the texture was truly pleasant.
Eevee seemed to understand what he was saying, raised its head, looked at him with those large, round eyes, and let out a soft cry. "Ee~vee~"
Roy smiled, and in his mind, Ash was livestreaming his Pokémon Master journey.
Roy opened the livestream feed, and Ash was standing in an open field with a Farfetch'd at his side.
Ash's fist was clenched tight, clearly in the middle of a special training session.
"Iron Fist!" Ash called out in a low voice, and his fist swung out sharply, carrying a gust of wind with it.
His movements were clean and crisp, and his fist actually collided with Farfetch'd's leek stalk, producing a dull thud.
"Well done, Farfetch'd!" Ash called out excitedly, his face full of a confident smile.
However, Farfetch'd seemed to be questioning its own existence.
It looked down at the leek stalk in its hand, then looked back up at Ash, its eyes full of confusion.
Why was its trainer able to spar with it physically on equal terms? This was completely beyond its comprehension.
Roy watched the scene and could not help but laugh out loud.
Ash's "Iron Fist" was something he himself had taught him.
As a Super Rookie, Ash's physical constitution already far surpassed that of an ordinary person, and with the Iron Fist technique Roy had passed on to him, his physical strength had reached an unbelievable level.
"A Super Rookie combined with Iron Fist, that really is quite fitting." Roy murmured under his breath.
In the livestream, Ash's training continued.
His fists swung like hammers, and Farfetch'd, though somewhat questioning its self-worth, had no choice but to go all out, for otherwise it simply could not keep up with Ash's pace.
"That Ash, he really is a born warrior." Roy said quietly, his tone filled with admiration.
True to form for a man who could go toe-to-toe with Legendary Pokémon.
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