A streak of blue light flashed by.
Hashirama swore that it was the fastest Lightning Release technique he had ever seen.
It was so fast that even with his innate Sage Body, Sage Mode, and heightened danger perception, he still couldn't evade the attack.
The most critical part was that the wooden giant standing in front of him didn't even hold for a single second.
Like a hot knife through butter, it was instantly pierced through, and the attack struck him directly. Since this was the first time using this weapon, the aim wasn't perfectly precise, it didn't hit his head.
However, the fist-sized metal projectile, accelerated by electromagnetic force, instantly erased half of Hashirama's body into nothingness.
Not even fragments remained, it simply disappeared.
At this point, Hashirama was far from having a perfect Sage Body and had no way to withstand such an attack.
In truth, using a large-scale chakra core to generate such an attack had already surpassed the limits of ninjutsu.
If that metal sphere had been adjusted slightly, it could have hit the moon directly. Forget a Wood Release giant, even the Ten-Tails wouldn't have been able to withstand a headshot from it.
"Target hit. Sealing team, prepare. ANBU, cover and stay alert for potential enemy reinforcements."
Hashirama had appeared, but Obito was still hiding in the shadows. Right now, Aoba couldn't sense Obito's presence, so they needed to make more thorough preparations.
Kakashi personally led the team approaching Hashirama.
At this moment, Hashirama was seriously injured. Even when he had his perfect Sage Body, such a level of injury wouldn't have been fully recoverable.
Only a Six Paths-level Madara, with his near-immortal body, might have been able to regenerate from this.
After being hit, Hashirama fell straight from the sky, completely losing his ability to move.
The ANBU cautiously approached, while Kakashi and Minato, both Flying Thunder God users, carefully probed the area. The main concern was that if the sealing team moved in too recklessly,
Obito could suddenly appear and unleash a Shinra Tensei, which they wouldn't be able to withstand.
Konoha's village-wide barrier could endure it, but that was only because of its large-scale defense system. In reality, aside from Aoba's Mangekyō ability, the ninja world still lacked a reliable way to directly counter Shinra Tensei.
However, when Kakashi and Minato approached Hashirama, nothing happened.
There were no traps, and Obito didn't show up. Moreover, Hashirama had already lost consciousness, allowing the sealing team to easily capture him.
At the same time, in Konoha's command center, a familiar black-robed figure appeared before Aoba.
"Obito Uchiha. The barrier team's salaries are gone this month."
Aoba commented casually, showing no concern at all. This left Obito feeling deeply annoyed.
Seriously? I just pulled off such an intricate plan, successfully infiltrated Konoha's barrier, and suddenly appeared in front of you… Can't you at least act surprised and give me some emotional reaction?
Was Aoba actually shocked? Of course, he was.
The fact that someone like Obito, a complete goof at times, had pulled off such a move was genuinely surprising.
But surprise aside, Aoba wasn't going to give Obito any satisfaction. He refused to provide him with any emotional validation.
Obito didn't immediately attack, and Aoba didn't either.
Obito held back because Aoba had left too strong an impression on him. He was afraid Aoba had some unknown countermeasure and that he'd fall into a trap the moment he acted.
Aoba, on the other hand, refrained from making a move because he was currently at his weakest state ever, almost incapable of directly fighting an opponent with the Rinnegan.
Both had their concerns, which was why neither of them acted immediately.
After thinking for a moment, Obito decided to go for a talk-no-jutsu approach first.
"Aoba, hand over all the Tailed Beasts. If you do, I'll spare everyone here."
Obito was fully aware of his advantage. The command center was in the heart of Konoha. If he used Shinra Tensei here, Konoha would be left in ruins.
At the same time, his ultimate goal was still the Tailed Beasts, proving that he still hadn't given up on creating a world where Rin existed.
Avoiding a fight was the best outcome. Kakashi and Minato would realize something was wrong soon and rush back. Once the team was fully assembled, Aoba wouldn't fear fighting Obito head-on.
However, for some reason, those two still hadn't arrived.
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