Naruto is an extremely popular manga series that follows the adventure of Naruto Uzumaki, a boy who dreams of becoming the Hokage. Naruto's path to the top was not easy as there were many ninjas with outstanding techniques. As the series progressed, it became clear that the world of Naruto is filled with a lot of talented ninjas, who are blessed with incredibly dangerous abilities.
With the help of their abilities, these ninjas have made a name for themselves and laid down a marker in the history books. The Hidden Leaf is full of such ninjas. In its rich past, the village has been the home to many legendary ninjas. However, there is one name that stands above the rest— Hashirama Senju, who was the First Hokage of the Hidden Leaf.
His Past
Hashirama Senju became the leader of the Senju Clan during the Warring States Period. After clashing against Madara Uchiha several times, the two decided to call for a ceasefire and founded the Hidden Village. Many other clans decided to join the Uchiha and Senju clans, which made the Hidden Leaf a major power.
Hashirama wanted Madara to become the Hokage, however, everyone opposed this decision. Eventually, Hashirama became the Hokage and this caused Madara to defect from the village. Hashirama and Madara clashed once again at the Valley of End. The victor of the fight was Hashirama Senju. With his outrageous power, he came to be known as the "God of Shinobi."
Hashirama's strength was recognized throughout the ninja world. His Wood Release Kekkei Genkai allowed him to tame the tailed beasts without any problems and then gave them away to other villages. In addition to this, Hashirama created the Hidden Leaf with the help of his Wood Release. Hashirama died sometime before the First Great Ninja War, but it was never revealed what happened to him.
Hashirama's Powers
He was the reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki, which gave him extra chakra reserves. In addition to this, being a member of the Senju Clan bolstered his chakra reserves even further. Hashirama also had access to an unknown Sage Mode, which enabled him to use natural energy. Hashirama's most notable ability was the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. He was the first ninja, who was naturally born with the ability to use Wood Release.
Most of the people who possessed Wood Release only got their hands on the ability by experimentation. Because of naturally being born with the ability to use Wood Release, Hashirama Senju could use the Kekkei Genkai on a much larger scale. With the help of Wood Release, Hashirama was unbeaten in battle. Besides his ability to use Wood Release, Hashirama was also able to utilize all five nature releases, which made him one of the few ninjas to accomplish this feat without having the Rinnegan or Six Paths Chakra.
Who Could Have Killed Hashirama Senju?
During his lifetime, the only person who got close to Hashirama's level was Madara Uchiha, and even he failed to beat the First Hokage. There were other ninjas from other villages, such as Mu, who possessed the Dust Release. However, Mu was defeated easily by Madara Uchiha, so it is impossible that he could have killed Hashirama. Hashirama was clearly the strongest Kage of his time, and there was no way that any of them could kill him.
Kakuzu, a future Akatsuki member, was sent by Takigakure to assassinate Hashirama Senju, however, the mission failed, and he barely survived the fight. Also, there are no records that prove Hashirama was killed by a ninja. One thing to keep in mind is that when Hashirama was reanimated by Orochimaru, he appeared to be in his prime. So, he died at a rather young age and this raises the question of what brought an end to the life of the God of Shinobi?
Healing Gone Wrong
Hashirama Senju was known to possess a unique ability that allowed him to recover from any notable injuries. This was confirmed by Madara Uchiha when he fought Tsunade. He drew the comparison between Tsunade and Hashirama's regenerative abilities. This could potentially be responsible for the death of Hashirama Senju. Tsunade's cell division comes at a great cost, and judging by Madara's comments, their techniques were similar.
The cells in a person's body can only divide a certain number of times, with the use of techniques such as Creation Rebirth, the cell division takes place rapidly. The reason that Creation Rebirth is a forbidden jutsu is that it reduces the lifespan of a person. Since Hashirama had a similar ability, and it was active all the time, it is plausible to assume that it reduced his life span drastically. Creation Rebirth can be turned off, but there is no record that confirms that Hashirama's regenerative abilities could be stopped. It is known as Hashirama was not the smartest ninja, so it is very likely that he could not figure out that his regenerative ability came at the cost of his own life.
