Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 235: Supremacy of Bloodlines

Senju Hashirama understood well that for individuals like him, their strength had already reached a ceiling, and further improvement would require immense time and effort. Madara was the same way back then.

However, Hagoromo Gengetsu, who was once considered an equal to them, was different. As the youngest and most talented of the three, Gengetsu's strength was already formidable, but his rate of progress had not slowed down.

Hashirama deeply experienced this. The last time they met, Gengetsu had already surpassed his strength from the Battle of the Valley of the Fallen God, showcasing new abilities like the Yin Seal and black rods.

This time, he had mastered Sage Mode. It was hard to imagine what new abilities he would reveal the next time they met.

As for the possibility of stagnation, even Hashirama, who knew well the difficulty of enhancing one's strength, did not think such a problem would occur with Gengetsu.

The title "Comparable to the Gods" was often seen as equal to Hashirama, the "God of Shinobi." However, Hashirama himself believed that Gengetsu, with his limitless potential, was more comparable to actual gods.

During the Battle of the Valley of the Fallen God, Gengetsu's momentum was interrupted. Now, no one could stop him from shining brilliantly.

Hashirama gazed deeply at Gengetsu. Seeing his old opponent casually shatter his Wood Release technique and walk towards him again, he cast aside some of his previous thoughts and felt a rare desire for an all-out battle.

Although this reincarnated body couldn't unleash his full power, it was much stronger than during the Chunin Exams or the Shinigami's Summoning.

"Sage Art!"

Hashirama clapped his hands, and the Sage markings appeared on his face.

In the next second, he and Gengetsu exchanged a glance. No words were needed.

Hashirama acted immediately: "Sage Art: Gate of the Great God!"

Red torii gates descended from the sky, aiming at Gengetsu.

Gengetsu looked up briefly. "Sage Art: Storm Release Light Fang!"

Beams of Storm Release energy shot out like a peacock spreading its tail, knocking away the red torii gates one by one.

Seeing this, Hashirama prepared to make another move. Gengetsu didn't give him the chance.

"Universal Pull!"

Enhanced by Sage Chakra, the power of this Rinnegan technique now was like a descending black hole, immensely more powerful.

Before Hashirama could clap his hands again, his entire body was rapidly pulled towards Gengetsu's palm.

"Rinnegan," Hashirama thought of Madara. Compared to the Sharingan, which he had faced many times, the Rinnegan seemed even more domineering now.

Hashirama didn't exert great effort to resist the Universal Pull. As the distance between them rapidly closed, he focused his chakra to unleash it fully.

Gengetsu smirked and swung his extended palm downwards.

Boom! Hashirama crashed into the ground, creating a huge crater.

Gengetsu moved into the crater, ready to strike.

Suddenly, numerous wooden vines burst from the ground, entangling him tightly.

Before these vines could do more, a violent explosion erupted. The explosion of Gengetsu's shadow clone obliterated all the wood, sending Hashirama flying backward.

Simultaneously, the real Gengetsu appeared beside Hashirama, grabbing his neck, ready to send him back.

Suddenly, Hashirama turned into a wooden dummy, and his real body emerged from the other side.

Gengetsu discarded the wooden dummy, spun his right leg, and delivered a powerful punch towards Hashirama.

Hashirama did not back down and also swung his fist.

In the next instant, everything around them froze for a moment before a massive shockwave erupted.

In the ensuing sound explosion and earthquake, the ground beneath them collapsed, and tangible shockwaves, carrying thick smoke, rolled outwards.

Orochimaru, who had just freed himself from the Sage Art: Ice Release, was once again sent flying by the shockwaves of Gengetsu and Hashirama's battle.

When he finally steadied himself and stood up, looking ahead, he realized he could barely follow the movements of the two combatants.

The only thing he could sense was the deafening roar of their clashes and the shockwaves as powerful as S-rank jutsus.

Boom!

Time passed with the ground shaking, the space twisting, and even the sky, once filled with clouds, turned blue due to the rising shockwaves.

Seeing the cataclysmic scene caused by just two individuals, Orochimaru, like the guards brought by the Five Kages during the Battle of the Valley of the Fallen God, fell into deep shock.

"Is this the true power of the God of Shinobi and someone comparable to the gods?"

"Is this... achievable by human effort?"

Orochimaru felt a bit of despair.

Despite his immense talent and the numerous ninjutsu and forbidden techniques he had developed, in front of these two, they seemed insignificant.

"Senju... Hagoromo..." Orochimaru, who believed he was not much less talented than Gengetsu, saw the vast gap between them.

The answer was clear: bloodline.

Some people are born in Rome, while others can never reach Rome.

Ninjas are the same.

Orochimaru had long concluded from numerous experiments that a ninja's growth had limits.

No matter how hard a person tries or how talented they are, their body and bloodline have already determined their ceiling.

For instance, the chakra levels of ninjas from civilian backgrounds are generally lower than those from ninja clans. Among ninja clans, those with a long heritage like the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki clans have more chakra than clans with less history like the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Ino-Shika-Cho clans.

It's not just about chakra levels; in all aspects, the older the ninja clan, the greater their bloodline advantages.

Orochimaru didn't know the story of Otsutsuki Hagoromo and his two sons. But he knew that clans like the Uchiha, Senju, and Hagoromo, with documented histories spanning a thousand years, had bloodline advantages beyond common understanding.

The emergence of individuals like Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, and Hagoromo Gengetsu was the clearest representation.

Civilian-born Orochimaru envied this greatly. He possessed all the means to advance, but an invisible ceiling restricted his climb.

Throughout ninja history, the main characters were always the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths.

This was precisely why Orochimaru coveted Uchiha Sasuke.

Ordinary as he was, he refused to remain beneath others.