I Punch the Tailed Beast Ball

The golden flame engulfed the monster, leaving no trace behind. As the people in the venue looked at the god-like figure on the screen, the lively discussions came to a halt.

The residents of Konoha thought that having such a handsome and powerful Hokage Assistant as an ally was truly reassuring.

The wealthy people’s eyes widened in disbelief. He decided to hire Konoha if he had any important request as Konoha seemed reliable.

Even the Shinobi from other villages was in awe upon witnessing Nagasawa effortlessly took down such a terrifying monster. However, alongside admiration, there was also fear. After all, the Five Great Shinobi Countries were allies at certain times but mostly enemies.

Was there anything worse than having such a formidable enemy?

Even the Jinchuriki didn’t seem as terrifying when compared to Nagasawa.

At this moment, Shinobi from various villages all shared a common thought – as long as Nagasawa was alive, they absolutely should not make an enemy out of Konoha.

Onoki understood that feeling because he had been alive since the era of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

Yes, he referred that era as Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha’s era instead of the era of the founding of the Shinobi villages. Onoki believed it was more fitting to call it the era of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

All first Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Countries was an exceptional individual. Onoki, who had been alive since that era could vouch for that!

However, those first Kages were couldn’t even hold a candle to Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

Onoki hadn’t seen Hashirama Senju in action, but he had personally experienced Madara Uchiha’s strength.

His power was so overwhelming that anyone who saw it would fall into despair.

His mentor, Mu, had already developed Dust Release back then. He was at his prime, and was no less powerful than his grandfather, the First Tsuchikage.

At that time, Onoki himself was a pretty skilled Shinobi as well due to the teachings of his grandfather and mentor. However, Madara Uchiha easily defeated him and his mentor with ease.

Indeed, Madara Uchiha just wanted to fool around at that time. The disdainful look in Madara Uchiha’s eyes was something Onoki would never forget, and he still had nightmares about it.

Upon seeing Nagasawa, he recalled that despair he felt when he faced Madara Uchiha and speculated that Konoha had given birth to a monster like Madara Uchiha again.

As far as Onoki knew, only Hashirama Senju was stronger than Madara Uchiha.

Even if it was just a brief encounter, Onoki learned of Madara Uchiha’s personality. That guy wouldn’t allow anyone weaker than him to stand above him. Therefore, the First Hokage was at least as strong as Madara Uchiha.

War was commonplace at that era as that was how they earned their wealth. But after Hashirama Senju held the Five Kage Summit and signed a peace treaty with the other Four Great Shinobi Countries, the once war-torn world suddenly became peaceful.

Onoki didn’t believe that the First Raikage was a peace-loving person. In fact, not only Kumogakure, even the entire Land of Lightning was full of hot-headed people.

The reason they signed the peace treaty and formed alliances with other Great Shinobi Countries was merely to avoid provoking Konoha, which was overwhelmingly powerful at that time.

If the Great Shinobi Countries didn’t make any move, it meant the world would be peaceful because the smaller villages depended on them to survive.

Hashirama Senju aimed to establish the Five Great Shinobi Countries to make sure that the world was in peace.

Indeed, he succeeded; the Shinobi world was peaceful while he was alive.

However, only while he was alive as this method had a fatal flaw. As the creators of the rules, the five major nations could become the source of turmoil. The world remained peace because Hashirama Senju and Konoha were strong.

When Hashirama Senju died, and Konoha was no longer strong, the other Great Shinobi Countries no longer felt obliged to adhere to the peace treaties Hashirama made.

They wanted to re-establish their right over resources based on their strengths, and the means to achieve this was through war.

Now, Konoha has once again given birth to a powerful figure like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Based on Nagasawa’s recent display of power, Onoki knew that Nagasawa’s strength surpassed that of an ordinary Kage.

Since Onoki didn’t know the extent of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha’s strength, he couldn’t determine who was the strongest among the Nagasawa, Hashirama, and Madara. Nevertheless, any one of them was beyond his reach, and Onoki was certain of this.

The Five Great Shinobi Countries were stronger back when it was first founded, and they still had to comply with Hashirama Senju’s rules. Now, the Five Great Shinobi was weaker than in that era.

Although it was embarrassing to admit, Onoki felt that Iwagakure was far weaker compared to its early days. Even his son, Kitsuchi, was one of the strongest in Iwagakure, alongside two other seasoned Shinobi. However, during the village’s early days, they could easily find at least fifteen stronger people than Kitsuchi.

Onoki understood the reasons. Even though the war was quite frequent recently, it was pale in comparison to the Warring States Period. At that time, powerful individuals emerged through constant and relentless wars.

Therefore, not just Iwagakure but all the other Shinobi villages experienced varying degrees of decline. Even Konoha faced a decline, though it recovered after the emergence of Nagasawa.

At this moment, Onoki started to worry about the state of the Shinobi world. Not because he was uncomfortable with peace, but because not everyone could imitate Hashirama Senju.

Onoki admired Hashirama Senju, even though he was the First Hokage. He admired him because Hashirama was a man who could truly implement peace.

Despite having the power to conquer the whole world, Hashirama chose to work together with everyone to create a peaceful world.

Onoki heard from his mentor, Mu, that during a certain meeting, Hashirama Senju bowed at the other Kage, which obviously startled them. Onoki thought that such a Hashirama Senju was a person worthy of respect.

However, Onoki wondered if Nagasawa could truly be like Hashirama Senju. He had been paying close attention to Nagasawa during his time in Konoha. Whenever Nagasawa spoke during matches, Onoki would temporarily set everything aside to listen to Nagasawa.

So, he knew that Nagasawa wasn’t Hashirama Senju, but thankfully, Nagasawa wasn’t Madara Uchiha either. Otherwise, this joint Chunin Exam wouldn’t have happened.

If it were Madara Uchiha, he’d think that Konoha was already invincible with him around. There would be no need for others, let alone other villages.

While Onoki was mulling over Nagasawa, the large screen no longer focused on Nagasawa. Instead, it switched back to the Forest of Death.

”Great job, everyone.” Nagasawa deactivated his Sage Mode and the golden cloak around him disappeared as he landed next to the Minato and the Sannin.

After Nagasawa defeated the ultimate summoning beast, the four dispelled the Four Crimson Ray Formation, as it consumed a considerable amount of Chakra.

”That should be our line. After all, you’re the one dealing with the monster, Nagasawa.” Minato said with a smile.

Despite knowing Nagasawa’s true strength, Minato was not jealous. Although there was a slight sense of regret, considering they had been friends since the Academy, Minato considered it as motivation to become stronger.

Moreover, Minato was genuinely pleased with Nagasawa’s strength. As a Hokage, having such a powerful assistant was beneficial for Konoha. As a childhood friend, seeing a friend reach such heights was a joyous occasion.

”Haha, it’s a breeze. Although the monster looked terrifying, it lacks intelligence and only has some powerful abilities,” Nagasawa said with an easy smile.

”Ugh, you always say irritating things like that with such a calm expression,” Tsunade said annoyedly. She felt irritated by Nagasawa’s carefree attitude, and, of course, the scene of the monster exploding during the battle was too nauseating, making her felt physically and mentally sick.

Fortunately, the monster was completely burned by the flames in the end. Otherwise, Tsunade might have felt even more uncomfortable upon releasing the barrier.

”Hehe, congratulations, Nagasawa. I believe that after today, your name will be known throughout the world,” Orochimaru congratulated Nagasawa with his hoarse voice.

This Chunin Exam had garnered attention all over the world even before it began, and many people were paying attention to the situation.

Orochimaru, however, was somewhat surprised by Nagasawa’s performance, especially the golden flame at the end.

While Orochimaru had witnessed Nagasawa’s Flame Slash before, he didn’t expect it to be this powerful when Nagasawa went all out. Nagasawa’s flame easily burned even a Summoned Beast that could instantly regenerate half of its body.

Even Orochimaru, with his extensive knowledge and experience, felt a bit overwhelmed. He wondered why some people could become so powerful without any Kekkai Genkai.

Orochimaru himself was a genius, but at his current level, he could clearly feel that ordinary training barely had any effect on enhancing his strength. Research and experiments seemed more fruitful.

However, it seemed like Nagasawa didn’t have the same limitations. Every time Orochimaru watched Nagasawa fight, he seemed stronger than the last time.

’I really want to study your cells, Nagasawa. But, it’s probably not possible as long as you’re alive,’ Orochimaru thought with a hint of desire flashing in his eyes as he licked his lips with his long, snake-like tongue.

”Orochimaru, can you please drop the creepy mode? You really haven’t changed at all,” Jiraiya said upon watching Orochimaru’s creepy gestures. Jiraiya still remembered Orochimaru’s somewhat weird behaviour in front of the participants, and he felt like it lowered the prestige of the Sannin.

”Heh.” Orochimaru just laughed Jiraiya’s comment off. However, due to Orochimaru’s demeanor, the laughter carried a cold and intimidating vibe, enough to scare children.

Although Orochimaru really wanted to study Nagasawa’s cells, he knew it was probably not possible while Nagasawa was still alive.

Although Nagasawa shared Orochimaru’s interest in research, it did not extend to being the subject of research, especially regarding his cells. However, Orochimaru decided that he would ask Nagasawa about it the next time they met privately. Even though Orochimaru felt there was a 99.99% chance of failure, he didn’t mind trying. If Nagasawa agreed, it would be truly beneficial, and even if Nagasawa refused, Orochimaru believed he wouldn’t be harmed, so he considered it worth the gamble.

”I wonder if there’s any of the monster’s body parts remain. I’m quite interested in studying this monster,” Orochimaru said, looking towards the spot where the ultimate summoning beast disappeared.

Orochimaru found the abilities displayed by the ultimate summoning beast intriguing. He speculated that it involved a technique that could merge the genes of summoning beasts, as there was no other way for the creature to possess so many abilities.

”Jiraiya was right about one thing; you really are creepy,” Tsunade commented. The appearance of the ultimate summoning beast made her feel nauseated, but Orochimaru’s interest in studying the monster didn’t surprise her. In the end, strength was crucial for a village, and if Orochimaru could create such monstrous weapons, it would be an asset.

”You should have mentioned it earlier. There’s probably nothing left now,” Nagasawa shrugged.

During the battle, he was more focused on showcasing his power and intimidating other villages. Thus, he put a considerable effort into the final attack. Naturally, there was no way he would leave anything for Orochimaru’s research.

”That’s a shame,” Orochimaru shook his head. However, his expression remained calm, showing little disappointment.

After some contemplation, Orochimaru realized that he had already achieved his initial goal with the research on Mangekyō Sharingan and Hashirama’s cells. Now, he had even greater ambitions.

”Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep those Kages waiting,” Nagasawa said, anticipating the reactions of the other Kage.

Should he maintain his current imposing demeanor to intimidate them? After all, it would be amusing to see how they would react.